Hi,
today's cop rant PG county, MDso today I had to drive home from Tyson's Corner during rush hour (a peeve in many ways... I hate malls, for one, and I knew that traffic...
Three weeks ago, we had our 1997 Mazda 626's right axle & CV boot replaced at a garage with a good rep. There have since been some clunking noises on turns, and the steering wheel shook at 60 mph+. I live in Nova Scotia, Canada.
On Friday we had a front break job done at another place, pads, rotors, etc. I stayed in the bay and the mechanic showed me several things, before he began any work.
- The ball joint on the right was loose since the nut and bolt securing the joint was loose and stripped. He replaced it with a hardened bolt-nut, then took me for a test drive right then. The clunking was gone.
- He then found that the new wheel nut hadn't been crimped (where a cotter pin was used in older cars). He said mechanics are only human, make mistakes, and didn't bad mouth the other place
I took the nut & bolt to the garage who'd done the axle, said I was upset, that we could have been end if the ball joint had come off, and I now didn't trust his work. He apologized, then asked what I wanted him to do. I asked what he would do. He didn't answer, or offer anything. He bad mouthed the other garage.
The danger of a ball joint falling off was so scary that at the time a full or even partial money refund didn't seem appropriate.
What do people think? I know this happens, even surgeons make errors which can kill. Is it reasonable to go back, say I've been thinking, and ask for a refund? Full? For labor only?
Thanks.
Dugie
