If Repair Bill is out of wack 1978 240D

[SMG78]

Feedback on the fairness of these charges would be greatly appreciated before I dispute them with through the credit card or small claims court.

The car was towed into the shop after it wouldn't start. (the glow plug light didn't go on.) (A mercedes technician tested the battery out before it was towed and he said it was strong. And there was no smoke nor burning before it went to this shop)
The repair shop said that the wiring caught fire (probably shorted out) when the mechanic was working on the car. They took the dash board off and the wiring was a mess. The service station owner implied that the car came in with a wiring mess and it wasn't his mechanic who caused the fire. They had the car for a month.

The bill reads
Replace "cold" plugs $80
(He said it was a bosch and on the internet for the plug and insulator were between $20-30.) Does anyone know how long this repair takes?

Repair electrical wire
Head light switch $89
(There is now a lot of play in the knob and it is necessary to push the knob it for it to turn the switch.)

Wires $100
Lab $231
Total $500.

The outside of the car was filthy. And the plastic lock but on the drivers side was removed and aprox 1/4 inch of the metal was cut off.

Not on the bill --I bought a glow plug relay that he put in. The parts store said it was a ten minute installation.

Also, I plan on bringing the car to another mechanic to check the work out. Does anyone know if another mechanic can determine how the fire and shorts were started?

Thank you in advance.

[dieseldiehard]

Very sad to hear this kind of thing
Did you sign an estimate or anything when you dropped the car off? If so did it have any disclaimers? If you didn't sign anything that has lots of protection for the shop than you may be in a better position and certainly you will have a fight on your hands to get them to pay for repairing the burned wiring harness. Its hard to imagine how they burned the harness because most of the wiring is fused. But it is possible to do that from a clumsy act. I would get witnesses together that knew the car wasn't burned at least was better off before dropping it off then go to small claims with them (written claims are not admissible)
You will not have much luck trying to get the cost of the parts down much if at all but the damage they did should be fixed at their expense and not by them, obviously they are incompetent to the degree they would even botch the repairs up or keep it another couple of months!

good luck!

[Ramblin]

Any mechanic that works on the wiring on any car and doesn't disconnect the battery needs to go back to school....Did the wiring problem occur before the tow in or after....

[winmutt]

Originally Posted by Ramblin

Any mechanic that works on the wiring on any car and doesn't disconnect the battery needs to go back to school....Did the wiring problem occur before the tow in or after....

I agree on this. Call a lawyer. I think its a violation of OSHA standards even.

[SMG78]

Thank you very much for your feedback. And the tip that the mechanic should have disconnected the battery.

Does anyone have an idea if a new mechanic looks at the car, if he can tell what caused the wiring meltdown?

I didn't sign an estimate nor any papers when I dropped off the car. There was no burning smell before the car was brought in. A mercedes technician tried to jump start the car. And a friend who was with me will put this in writing. I am in the process of contacting the technician for a written verification. The person who had been working on my car works out of his garage as a side job off the books to his job working as a mechanic on foreign cars. It wasn't possible to take the car to him on this occasion. He wouldn't jeopardize himself. I have been in touch with a lawyer. I will first dispute the charge with American Express and if that doesn't work, I will go to small claims court.

Again, thank you all very much. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

[nhdoc]

Most states have laws that say that a mechanic has to provide you with an estimate before the work is done and if the costs will exceed that amount they need to obtain your permission before proceeding...was this done in your case and can you find out what the laws are in your state? Call the department of consumer affairs in your state and see what the rules are regarding auto repair. This may be your only saving grace.

It would seem to me that if there are no such laws where you live and you didn't dispute the bill when you picked up the car the shop will prevail in court only because you are not saying they didn't fix the car, you just think you got overcharged. You really can't prove anything and they certainly will say the car was fixed as you drove it away. It would appear that you are probably going to have to eat this one a chalk it up to experience...get an estimate before you commit to having work done and make sure the shop sticks to it.

[winmutt]

The thing that would worry me the most is what they did to repair it.

[SMG78]

Again thanks.
I spoke with a lawyer before I picked up the car. He advised that I get the car out of the shop and then dispute the bill. I'm in New York and will find out about the consumer protection laws here to submit it with my documentation in the dispute.

Everyones' feedback is deeply appreciated.

1978 240D
1979 300SD (not running in the garage--was advised that there was too much body rust to put more money into it. Motor has aprox 152K-loved this car)

[Mustang_man298]

Originally Posted by SMG78

Again thanks.
I spoke with a lawyer before I picked up the car. He advised that I get the car out of the shop and then dispute the bill. I'm in New York and will find out about the consumer protection laws here to submit it with my documentation in the dispute.

Hmm, you live in NY, going to small claims court...isn't Judge Judy in NY? She'd set em straight,lol.

[TheDon]

well.. I learned something about the W115.. the batter posts cables.. are reverse of modern standards (red for + black for -)

maybe the dude put it on like so and thus fried the system