this forum saved me from being scammed $5000 - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

khaluk · 08-05-2007, 12:56 PM

2000 Boxster

After a nightmare of trying to diagnose billowing white smoke, and my car being towed to mechanic after mechanic I finally found out what was wrong.

The last mechanic that had my car was referred by another very trustworthy mechanic, as "the Porsche expert" I told him about the experiences of the members of the Forum, and it sounds like the AOS (Air Oil Separator) - which seems to be a common problem with Boxsters.
He seemed to ignore my suggestion, and after having the car for a week, and charging me $226 for the diagnosis, he said it was a blown head gasket and it would cost $5000 (but he'd put the $226 towards the repair cost!!!).

Something told me that I shouldn't trust him and I had it towed for the third time to the Porsche dealership. They said that it was the AOS and it would cost $850 which was more than usual for that repair because of the excess amount of oil - so they had to take off the manifold to clean it out.

I appreciate all of the people that post their experiences here, because I probably would have taking the scammers word and got the work done. I'm no mechanic by any means, but it's really important to learn as much as possible to prevent being ripped off.

BEWARE OF: Evolved Auto Recyclers, 604-944-3800, Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada

djomlas · 08-05-2007, 02:11 PM

so did you get your money back from that guy for giving you a bad diagnosis?
$226 for bad diagnosis is not a deal

Adam · 08-05-2007, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djomlas

so did you get your money back from that guy for giving you a bad diagnosis?
$226 for bad diagnosis is not a deal

True, but $226 doesn't hurt as bad as 5k

You really think they would refund him the money? They sound very shady; I doubt they would happily hand back the 226.

djomlas · 08-05-2007, 02:41 PM

well the 226 would be worth it if they gave him the right diagnostic, but since they were way off, and on top of everything wanted to charge him 5k for a problem that didnt even exist, and when he would drive that car out of there, it wuld still smoke, and then he would have to pay to get that fixed again.

Adam · 08-05-2007, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djomlas

well the 226 would be worth it if they gave him the right diagnostic, but since they were way off, and on top of everything wanted to charge him 5k for a problem that didnt even exist, and when he would drive that car out of there, it wuld still smoke, and then he would have to pay to get that fixed again.

\

I agree with you, but I'm just being realistic. They would probably tell him to take a hike if he went back there and asked for the money back....and nobody except the people on Judge Judy are going to court over $226. Obviously, he wasn't dealing with rational or honest people to begin with.

djomlas · 08-05-2007, 03:02 PM

yeah i agree, that is very true.
but you never know

super66 · 08-05-2007, 06:11 PM

A little bit of a suggestion....be a good customer of and use the American Express card as much as possible. I say Amex because they stand behind all my purchases and have gone to bat for me on multiple occasions.

You may have a card similar in behavior, maybe not....I can tell you in this scenario, I would have charged the diagnois and disputed the charge with Amex...they would investigate and the money comes back, you aren't left to deal with the head aches of dealing with the retailer....

I just had 2 recent instances where the merchant screwed me over big....one credit was for 780, the other for like 360....had I paid cash or check, no chance I'd seen it back....sometimes having a little muscle behind the consumer is nice....

sorry you got taken on the bad diagnosis....but if you paid credit, I would dispute it right away......

der Geist · 08-05-2007, 08:34 PM

Plus 1 with super66. AMEX has saved my ass on more than one occasion. Chances are that the results will fall in your favor with just about any credit card company. As a merchant I have been on the other side as well and I can tell you that I think it is almost certain you will get your money back if you put it on a credit card. The consumer protection laws and credit card companies always initially side with the consumer. The burden of proof will be on the repair shop. Chances are he won't even fight it. Make sure you send the card company copies of every piece of paper you can documenting your claim. No reason to give these guys your hard earned $$$$

r9i8c7k · 08-05-2007, 09:34 PM

Congrats on sticking with your gut feelings on the matter. I hate scammers.

khaluk · 08-05-2007, 09:39 PM

I was so frustrated by the whole thing, but at the same time relieved. I will respectfully request a refund and explain to him why. If he refuses, I will file with Small Claims (not Judge Judy). Just something that will make him think twice about ripping the next person off. I realize it's not worth my time or money, but it would be a fun thing to do.

At the same time, I may just forget about it and call it a lesson learned.

thanks again,

djomlas · 08-06-2007, 06:20 AM

i seriously think you should do it man, at this point its not about the money, but on the other hand it is, he was gonna charge you 5000 for something that didn't need to be done, so teach this guy a lesson and get your money back, use it for gas, and every time you go to fill up you will get a big smile.

Brucelee · 08-06-2007, 06:26 AM

Very glad you saved so much money. We do have some very experienced folks on this forum and they seem always willing to help.

djomlas · 08-06-2007, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brucelee

Very glad you saved so much money. We do have some very experienced folks on this forum and they seem always willing to help.

that is very true man, we sure do have a great thing going on here on this forum. its the reason we keep coming back here every day.

Dohertycm · 08-06-2007, 08:44 PM

Everyone is talking about the 226 dollars, but you need to put it to the guy who refered him, and never go back to him again, infact you ought to put out the word on that guy.....they could have been working you for some money......In-ca-hoots with each other....

you need to find a better source of info.....When all else fails I would take it to the dealer. They may be a little more expensive but you will atleast get the problem fixed. :troll: