Discount Engine Exchange After deposit, they wanted more money to fix, didn't have money. Wanted to back out, but forcing me to buy engine anyways without installation. Mesa Arizona

After you fork over all this money, you will be lucky to get another 40,000 miles out of the new engine. Just speaking from experience!! Good Luck....

It DOES matter if the engine is partially dismantled. When someone else has removed parts, the next guy in line has to spend time(labor) figuring out what went where. A complete engine assembly, with all of the accessories still attached is much faster to R&R, than a basket case is.

As for the increase in price, it's as I said. More labor equals more dollars. If the customer told the shop it was a basket case, then I would agree...the shop should hold to the original quote. If the customer failed to inform the shop of this issue, then the shop has every right to jack up the price. Giving the customer a written estimate is meaningless, if the repair is not what the estimate is based on. If I quote someone a tranny rebuild over the phone, and they come in and fill out the paperwork before I tow it in, it is based on the tranny being in one assembly, and still located correctly in the vehicle. When I tow in a vehicle that has the tranny in 1000 pieces scattered throughout the vehicle, and missing half the bolts/brackets, the original estimate just climbed up.

I am not making the claim the shop was right, or wrong, nor am I suggesting the customer(Steve) was right or wrong. There was obviously a huge breakdown in communication. Either the shop was not told about the vehicle's condition, or the shop failed to understand it. Either the customer failed to understand the increase in price, or it was never fully explained to him to begin with.

Both sides should have asked more questions before getting anything done at all.

I do agree with Robert that a "basket case" deserves substantial extra money. It's a real headache figuring out what someone else did and then correcting it.

But the shop is not justified here. They messed up by issuing a WRITTEN quote before seeing the truck. Also apparently before they saw the truck, they ordered a new engine and now claim somehow that they can't return the engine unused to the supplier and get money back.

The shop took a big risk doing these things before seeing the truck was a "basket case." And I think they should eat the loss on that. Either don't install the engine and refund Steve's deposit, or do the work for the originally quoted price.

The old engine being torn apart would have no bearing on installing a rebuilt engine. If they were going to repair the old engine, I could see the extra cost. But an extra $1600? I can't see it. That would represent like 16 hours of labor, or $1000 in extra parts and 8 hours of labor.

This looks like the standard scam to me. Lowball the quote, then trap the vehicle in the shop. Hold the customer hostage for the extra money.

I have changed many engines, and it makes absolutely no difference if the old engine is partially dismantled. It is only a core that is being rebuilt later anyway. It comes out just the same.

I am just updating information for above claim.

I am just ponying up the money and getting the truck fixed. Was just taken back by company saying I had to pay for an engine that wasn't even going to get installed.

Realized the money I can live without, and my truck is more important.

Just wish people knew about this kind of thing ahead of time. It would save alot of headaches and misunderstandings, if there is a change to invoice and it goes above what consumer can pay.

That is the term we use for a project that has already been dismantled by someone else. The parts are left all over the place in the truck/bed, or dumped in baskets. The mechs get to sort through it all, instead of doing a straightforward R&R. It's much easier for us to just pull the accessories apart in large assemblies, than to have to figure out how they went back on.

Basket Cases equal more money. This is because it takes more time to do the job. I have one at the shop. Baskets in the trunk, but no engine in the well. I'm now supposed to figure out what went where. Great.

He was amazed the price didn't go down, since he was so helpful by removing the engine and putting about 400 bolts, brackets, nuts, hoses, wires, etc in the trunk.