Please help!

I took my 2001 honda accord in to have the timing belt changed. Then I get a call from the repair shop and they say the work is completed but they wonder whyI wanted it done when I have zero compression in one of my cylinders. He said they tried to add oil, and some other things but couldnt get compression on the cylinder. He also said that the other three were operating at a 190...enough for the car to start and run.

Now, I'm an idiot about this kind of thing and I have the following questions:

1. If this problem was prexisting to my visit, would I have noticed it? What are the symtoms? I had not noticed any problems with the car.

2. Could they have damaged my engine and be trying to cover it up? Does the timing blelt interact with parts sensitive to this area?

3. Can this be repaired and what kind of costs am I looking at? He said the engine would need to be replaced...I've been lied to in the past and Im not sure I belive him.

I am insanely angry that they put 700 dollars into my engine and then called to tell me that I need to replace the engine.

Any and all help or comments are appreciated!

Thank YOU!

 

WOOOOOOOOOOO.. something does not smell good here........if car has no compression on 1 cylinder , car runs like crap..
first off is your car a 4 or 6 cylinder ,,If a 4 cyl you DEFINATELY would have noticed a bad mis ,,if one cylinder had no compression ,, if a 6 engine would still miss but you would not have noticed it as much...
If car was running ok before you took it in, then i would really raise some questions .
.did timing belt brake? or it was just time to do it ?? did you drive the car to shop ?

they called you after they replaced it ?? ...........why did they not ask you before ,, instead of spending 700 of your dollars ??
and even if you got no compression because of a burnt vlve ,, engine does not need to be replaced,, head needs to be removed and do a valve job ..STILL something smells fishy


2001 accord hard to imagine that you got a burnt valve ..........is the engine stock ??? engine ever overheated on you ?
was this a honda dealer ? a shop that specializes on Hondas? or joe blow shop down the street ?
they could have installed the timing belt wrong and done some damage ,,,,,
the only proof you have that if car was running smooth ,, idled ok, then i would have to say it is something they did ..............
if it was running ok, i would talk to store mamager, and demand that they fix it at no cost to you .. and provide a rental.. if they DO NOT want to cooparate
call B.B.B... call your laywer and sue them ASAP....Now all this assuming that your car was running smooth before you took it in ..

 

ZERO compression? Hard to fathom!

 

sounds like a cover up to me, no compression means its not firing, meanng your car would jump and hop spit and sputter and youd be taking it somewhere ASAP.

 

Thank You for all your advice everyone!!!!!!!!!

It is a four cylinder engine! The car was running perfectly. Now its a piece of junk.

I took the car into pep boys on 02/28/2007 for routine timing belt maintence. IT NOW HAS A BENT VALVE. As I understand it the only way this can happen is if the timing was off and the piston hit the valve. When I picked the car up It shook, the dashboard lights were on and it stalled constantly. I drove it directly to the honda dealer. They said it was a cover up.

Pepboys is claiming that they noticed a slight hesitation in the car before work began and that after the work was done and the cylinder was not working they pulled the plug and found it to be badly fouled meaning it was preexisting and refuces to refund my money or pay for damages! I have contacted a lawyer and begun collecting evidence. There were no previous signs of these problems and I think they are lies to cover them selves.

I have the following question:

Is there any other way a valve can get bent? I have been told no by the honda dealer. He says they put it on wrong, relized the problem after starting the car and then fixed the belt.

Even if there was a slight hesitation (there was not) how could it become so much worse after their work?

How much should1 cylinder valve cost to replace?

I've learned the hard way that pep boys (at least this one) is bad news. STAY AWAY. Damn my blissful ignorace about cars and auto repairs...Now Im looking at months of paper work and legal fees!

Thanks again. You guys were right on the money.


2001 hoda accord ex
4 cylinder
90,000 miles
Owned it for over two years with absolutly no problems. No oil leaks, no overheating, no shaking. Just perfection. Never go to Pepboys

 

if car was running good,, that is exactly what happened,, they misinstalled the t-belt and started the car up , bent a valve , redid the work now they ar saying that it was like that ,,

A bent valve will not cause a slight hesitation,, it WILL make the engine MISS badly cause it is running only on 3 cylinders..........
paper work could take a while but stick with it,,,,,,,,,,ask your lawyer that if you rent a car you can eventually bill it to the shop ......it is their fault that you do not have a drivable car now

SAVE ALL THE RECEIPTS ..

 

I'm a former service writer, and I can tell you there's a right way and a wrong way to take care of service mistakes. This sounds extremely suspicious. I agree it sounds like they bent a valve.Youshould climb up the Pep Boys "chain of command" until you find someone with the authority to make this right.

Fortunately, this problem should not be hard to put right. The head must come off to replace the faulty valve and inspect the others. Any contact with the piston will be evident.

 

Man thats sounds missed up, I hope everything works out for ya. Plz keep us updated.

 

This is absolutely the best and cheapestway to go.

At this point, the "cover-up" probably goes no higher than the technicians andservice manager, and these people will tryto keeptheir little mistakejust between you and them, so you have to get the attention of people above that level.

The first step is to sit down at you computer, or go back to the place to read their business license,to find out the name of the individual(s)who owns the Pep Boys frnachise you "visited".

Then you must take the time to write anice long, friendlyletter that explains every detail of how the car was performing before you took it for service, and then every detail of what happened thereafter. End the letter by telling the reader exactly what you want done to make things right with you. You can also indicate that you will pursue the matter by other means, if necessary.

The big question I'd want answered is: why didn'tthe technicians and service managertell you what they diagnosed about the car BEFOREcommencingwork on it? No answer is adequate, and not havingnotified you beforehandimmediately casts serious doubt on anything they later claim was wrong.

Send it via double-registered mail to the owner.

Going about things this way first will indicate to the franchise owner that he can make things right with you for relatively little cost and hassle. Hopefully you'll get a postive reply. If you don't, send the same letter to Pep Boys corporate headquarters - even the CEO, if there is such a person.

Good luck.

 

Hey guys,

Thanks for the advice. I have spoken with the customer service representitive from pep boy corporate that called in regards to my complaint. She simply stated that they were denying the claim due to the fact that her paper worksaid the car was missing when it came in the shop and that I could present my information to the judge. I have a feeling that anyone up stream of the service message will see their note that says "tech noticed misfire when pulling into garage, after work still misfired" and simply stick to the company line. I would love a few minutes alone with the guy that wrote that little lie, the car we picked up stalled 6 times just getting it to the honda dealer 20 miles away.

So it looks like I will be going to small claims court on this one. Though, I will try mailing a letter to the CEO of Pep Boys to see if I get better results. Since its a corporation with only two locations in thestate there's not much as of a chain for me to climb around here...apparently the regional office is in several states away.

Looks like there's no easy way around this one, but the advice provided here has been of the highest quality and I very much appreciate it. It has helped make a troubling situation easier to deal with.


I do have an unrelated question for you anyone that has advise. When I am going above 50 miles per hour and I press the breaks I get a tremmor from the car, a kind of shudder that seems to be coming from the front left. Nothing to terrible. At lower speeds the breaks act perfectly.

2001 Honda Accord EX

Thanks Again, I will keep you updated.

Erik