Terry Sayther Automotive Totaled my car, installed defective/corroded parts, overheat car thrice, refused to take responsibility, then hired a criminal defense attorney Austin Texas

This shop totaled out the car I brought to them to fix by using defective and corroded parts, lied to me on the receipts claiming they had installed new parts, admitted to overheating the car when it was worked on, overheats kill engines, and after the repair failed the first time, tried again and failed, again overheated the car, tried a third time and made it far far worse ultimately killling it, and when it became apparenty they had totaled out my engine, the owner's son Duncan/mechanic who had worked on the car suggested his father was liable and that I should discuss the issue with him. He detailed that he had advised Terry to use a new part in regards to one element of the repair, yet his father demanded that instead he reinstall a defective part, then reported it as new on receipts. 

I confronted Terry on his liability, as they had already collected the full amount owed on the repair, and ater failing 3 times, clearly ruined my vehicle. Terry was intensely rude, refused to take responsibility, and forced me to take him to court. See Yelp reviews for further insight on how he treats paying customers. Instead of being transparent and representing himself like most, he hired a criminal defense attorney who compiled a folder of dozens upon dozens of pages, and litigated with him in court. It is extremely rare that a lawyer is used in small claims court.

In court, the minutes of which are public record, Terry admitted to overheating my car at least 3 times. He admitted in court that a single overheat for a car can ruin the engine. admitted that he installed corroded and defective parts that were reported as new on receipts, and admitted that he failed to exercise due diligence in not testing the car before working on it and charging me in excess of $1,200 for a repair that may not have even been necessary. According to the next mechanic I brought it to, he missed the mark entirely and instead of replacing the problematic auxiliary fan that caused the problem he replaced everything in sight, the shady "shotgun" method that some mechanics use to maximize their income, with corroded and defective parts in some instances, and failed, ruining my engine. 

The judge determined that I proved 50% liability, but had to prove 51% or greater to win. Given that the damages were in excess of $5,000, and a judge ruled that Terry was 50% liable, I thought perhaps he would do the right thing and cover at least 50% of the damages. I have presented him with many opportunities to do so, through his criminal defense attorney. Joe Lamping, of Flamingo Motors, also a BMW mechanic shop in Austin, contacted Terry on my behalf, communicating to him that he was at least partially liable for the damage, as Joe had worked on the car beforehand and was apprised of the situation. Terry refused to listen to the judge, or Joe, and has refused to provide any restitution whatsoever. 

An example of the type of practices they engage in: Terry Sayther Automotive charged me $300 for a part that costs $140, a radiator that likely didn't even need to be replaced to begin with. In court, Terry claimed "I am entitled to make a profit on parts", a profit I can understand, charging more than double, and charging high labor costs, is far beyond profit but rather borders or falls within the dishonorable realm of exploitation. 

BMW of Austin charges $130/hr for labor, a fair price on parts, and you get a free loaner, often a brand-new BMW, free Starbucks in their comfortable lounge, and treated with respect. They are a corporation, and guarantee everything. I related my story with Terry to the BMW rep I've worked with, and he replied that shady indie mechanics simply cannot afford to pay for their mistakes, hence why they hire criminal defense attorneys, and I'd be better off paying the BMW dealer the extra $20/hr for the crystal clear guarantee provided by BMW of America. Terry charges $110/hr for labor, may charge you more than double on parts, provides no loaner, and treats you with careless disregard and disrespect. Flamingo Motors is comparable to Terry Sayther Automotive on labor costs, but they charge a fair price on parts, and will work with you on a loaner if you need one, and for an indie shop, they are honest and transparent. 

They are on "Auto Vitals" and manipulate their reviews there, scoring 269/270 5/5 star reviews, and 1/270 4/5 star review. I was refused the option of reviewing them on Auto Vitals, as of course it would be negative, but what is the point of "independent review" if you only allow positive reviews to post? Refer to their score on Yelp. The main score is 3.5/5 stars, although there are quite a few 1/5 star reviews, especially in the filtered listings in which there are many 1-star horrendous experiences like mine related, so his business likely engages in filtering their Yelp reviews by actively flagging and paying. 

Beware of this business.