Broken car

trouts mom

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I just brought my car to get it undercoated for the winter...I was just leaving the place and the brake line had busted!!

I went inside and said "uh, there is something wrong with my brakes..what did you guys do to it?"

"It wasn't us, it must have been rusty or something"

Me


So, I got a tow to my mechanic, who of course is not there until Monday...so, I had plans to put that bonus I got on my credit card and not be behind anymore..but now my car broke


I don't care if it was rusty or not, it was fine when I brought it to that place, and I fully intend to complain to their head office.
 

lunasmom

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I would too...there have been way too many times that I took my car in and something happened. But of course it wasn't their fault
 

natalie_ca

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Sorry you are having car troubles


I gave up on owning a car more than 20 years ago because it was a fortune to keep them maintained and I couldn't be bothered sinking that kind of money into gas, insurance, parking, maintenance and emergency fixes. In fact I know several people who in the last few years have came to the same conclusion and have sold their cars and now either use public transportation or taxis.
 

lemur 6

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Hmm... I wish I could be there to take a look for you. Sometimes brake lines do go out from simply putting on the lift and raising the car (if your brake lines are rotten and just barely holding pressure). If your brake lines look healthy and they popped, then I would suspect some foul play involved.

Or you can do what I did and change to stainless steel braided lines which will never pop.

Public transport would be awesome. If only they had decent public transport out where I live in the boonies.
 
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trouts mom

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Well I just wrote the company a lengthy email about my experience.

My name is _____ and I live in _____. Today I had an appointment to bring my 1997 Honda Civic in to the ____ location.

When I went to drive my car away when they were done with it, my brakeline had been blown. It didn't blow when I started it..it had already been blown. My cars brakeline was in fine condition when I arrived at ____. I just purchased the car in June of this year and it had a full safety done on it, and my mechanic inspected it upon my purchase as well.

I enquired to the service person, and he said "its not my fault".

I beleive that it was an error on the part of someone spraying my vehicle which caused the line to burst.

I would appreciate a reply back in terms of compensation for this. I had to have my vehicle towed across town to my mechanic, and will have a hefty bill I'm sure paying for the repairs.

I have always used ____ as my rust control choice and I would hate for this experience to sour my opinion on the company.

Thank you





I am so stressed..car troubles are so $$
 

lunasmom

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Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Well I just wrote the company a lengthy email about my experience.

My name is _____ and I live in _____. Today I had an appointment to bring my 1997 Honda Civic in to the ____ location.

When I went to drive my car away when they were done with it, my brakeline had been blown. It didn't blow when I started it..it had already been blown. My cars brakeline was in fine condition when I arrived at ____. I just purchased the car in June of this year and it had a full safety done on it, and my mechanic inspected it upon my purchase as well.

I enquired to the service person, and he said "its not my fault".

I beleive that it was an error on the part of someone spraying my vehicle which caused the line to burst.

I would appreciate a reply back in terms of compensation for this. I had to have my vehicle towed across town to my mechanic, and will have a hefty bill I'm sure paying for the repairs.

I have always used ____ as my rust control choice and I would hate for this experience to sour my opinion on the company.

Thank you





I am so stressed..car troubles are so $$
I would also add in something in regards to the service person's response: It's not my fault. That's just rude on his part.
 

crazyforinfo

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That stinks Nat. I guess the bonus came in just at the right time. (Just not how you planned on spending it.)
 

xocats

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My old car was damaged by a car wash a few years ago.
I complained before I drove off their lot.
I was yelled at and banned from that car wash forever.
It cost $400 to repair it.

Don't do what I did and give up....
Go get 'em Tiger.
 

catsarebetter

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I'd take in any sort of paperwork from a 'free inspection" or anything of that nature that you may have had. If you had your mechanic inspect it before you bought it, or took it there right after you bought it so that he could look at it, I'm *certain* he would have mentioned, hey, your brake line's in bad condition and you'll need to get it fixed soon. If he looked at it and especially if he didn't mention it, then maybe he'll write up a statement to the fact that it was in good shape and that the people who did the rust protection most likely damaged it.

I'd see what your mechanic has to say, but particularly if he has looked at it, because he might be your "witness" to the fact that it was fine. They're more likely to cooperate if a mechanic is involved. And I'd tell them you want a new line installed on your car and/or the bill to your mechanic, including the tow, paid.

If they're a chain and have a headquarters, then write that letter to the store manager, and then to the district manager (usually you can find this on their website) and then to the headquarters. Carbon copy all, and if they call you, ask them to write a letter to the effect of the conversation they had with you on the phone (particularly if it's not going well.. paper is evidence if it goes to court... but they'll more likely *think* about the fact that you want it in writing because it makes them more liable.. even if you have no intention of taking it to court).

I'd also contact the BBB.

Check into whatever the service policy is for the place you had the rust protection done. They may have a "we're not responsible" attitude, however.. if their policy is to make sure you know of any potential problems that the treatment may cause before they do it.. then they had a responsibility to tell you that damage might be incurred beforehand and *if* that's the case and they didn't inform you.. then they obviously looked at it and didn't htink it was an issue *or* they didn't bother to check. Either way, it makes them liable to some degree.

If you want help looking into it, then PM me. I'm happy to help you do research on it.
 

rachelh1018

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I know how you feel!!! My side view mirror needed to be replaced from a fault of my own.
After they replaced it, my window just dropped to the bottom of the door. I went to have it checked out and they said the entire track needs to be replaced. They estimated it for $400.00!!!! I don't have that kind of money!!! So basically my window is being held up by two rubber pieces. It has started to slide back down several inches, so it's taped where rain and bugs won't get in my car. It looks awful!
 

ldg

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Originally Posted by lunasmom

I would also add in something in regards to the service person's response: It's not my fault. That's just rude on his part.
I totally agree.

I'm so sorry this happened! We went through a car wash once and our windshield cracked! Thankfully insurance covered it, because there was no way they were doing anything. Needless to say we haven't been back there.

I really hope they do something about this!

Laurie
 
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trouts mom

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I saw my mechanic today, and he said it could have been really weak and was going to burst anyway...

But still, you never know if they caught it on the hoist or something..or hit it with something.

I hope they at least realize their worker was rude to me..I don't know if I expect anything else


My mechanis told me its a big job today though
GREAT.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
 

mbjerkness

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Originally Posted by Trouts mom

I saw my mechanic today, and he said it could have been really weak and was going to burst anyway...

But still, you never know if they caught it on the hoist or something..or hit it with something.

I hope they at least realize their worker was rude to me..I don't know if I expect anything else


My mechanis told me its a big job today though
GREAT.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
My husband is a mechanic he said the same thing, it was probably weak, but he also said, most likely they accidently hit it with something, when they were working on it.
 

catlover19

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Originally Posted by rachelh1018

I know how you feel!!! My side view mirror needed to be replaced from a fault of my own.
After they replaced it, my window just dropped to the bottom of the door. I went to have it checked out and they said the entire track needs to be replaced. They estimated it for $400.00!!!! I don't have that kind of money!!! So basically my window is being held up by two rubber pieces. It has started to slide back down several inches, so it's taped where rain and bugs won't get in my car. It looks awful!
The same thing happened to my boyfriends car. We were driving down the street when all of the sudden the window went down and wouldn't go back up. He bought the part for the car for about $90 and fixed it himself. Before he got the part though, we had it held up with blocks of wood.
 

lemur 6

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Originally Posted by Trouts mom

I saw my mechanic today, and he said it could have been really weak and was going to burst anyway...

But still, you never know if they caught it on the hoist or something..or hit it with something.

I hope they at least realize their worker was rude to me..I don't know if I expect anything else


My mechanis told me its a big job today though
GREAT.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I doubt it got caught on the hoist. What probably happened is that when the springs unsprung themselves while being lifted (you know how your wheel drops down when you lift your car? your break hose follows the wheel), it stretched the hose out and gave it just enough stress that it caused it to fail.

Pretty common with old cars. Now seeing that, I would check all your other hoses (coolant hoses especially) and make sure they're not hard and brittle as well. Busted coolant hose = engine overheat and go kaboom, not fun.
 
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trouts mom

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Originally Posted by Lemur 6

I doubt it got caught on the hoist. What probably happened is that when the springs unsprung themselves while being lifted (you know how your wheel drops down when you lift your car? your break hose follows the wheel), it stretched the hose out and gave it just enough stress that it caused it to fail.

Pretty common with old cars. Now seeing that, I would check all your other hoses (coolant hoses especially) and make sure they're not hard and brittle as well. Busted coolant hose = engine overheat and go kaboom, not fun.
I know all about cars..overheating etc.. I service my car regularily and am very in tune with everything.

My 18 year old Honda never had anything like this bust on it for 2 years..I am very good at the upkeep.

Its news to me that brakelines are hoses though, I thought they were metal
How does a hose rust?
 

norachelhere

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Hoses dont rust but they do go rotten if they sit for a while, and from what it sounds like to me you are in snow. . . so the salt and water from the road plus the heat of driving puts alot of stress on the rubber of the hoses making them less tolerant of stress. . . Too bad you dont live near me! I work on hondas and other import cars. . . would only charge you the cost of parts. . . Like the other person said, have the mechanic check all of the other hoses and lines and make sure they are not brittle/cracked ect. . . Brakes are kinda important! Good luck and let us know how it goes!

P.s. yes brake lines are hoses. you can get metal ones but it is a hefty chunk of change as it is concidered a "performance upgrade" to most. . .
 

lemur 6

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Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Its news to me that brakelines are hoses though, I thought they were metal
How does a hose rust?
There is a metal hard line that goes from your master cylinder to someplace near your wheel wells, but the actual line that goes from the hard line to your brake calipers are rubber hoses. The brake hoses have to account for the tire travel when your suspension moves, and every time your car gets lifted, or you hit a bump, or do anything that causes the suspension to move, you create some sort of stress to those hoses. Even in a perfect environment, constant movement will weaken the hoses over time and cause them to fail (sort of like bending a paper clip back and forth a couple dozen times).

You'll also feel your brake pedal get real soft (or "mushy" as some people say) when the hoses get worn out. People get surprised at how much new brake lines improve pedal feel.

The hard lines can also rust, but that's less common.
 
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