Ohhhh my car

Quite a lot of cars have got a "service lid", so there's no need to drop the transmission at all. (Costs you about $150 - $200 plus the clutch here.)

ok, I'm getting all excited now...I'll bet it's that freakin' Rising Sun....

These guys?

http://www.insiderpages.com/member/5356069025

Little scary, I admit

YES!!!!


GRRRRRRRR.......



One Star....yep....

Rising Sun Japanese
Austin, TX Auto Parts | 04/26/06 at 9:05am: 'One of the worst car repair experiences I've had'

Rising Sun Japanese Auto Repair continues to reign among the top WORST auto repair and customer service experiences I've had in the quarter-century I've lived in Austin.

When we brought our Nissan Altima in to have the engine rebuilt, we were promised a two-week turnaround for replacement parts and re-assembly and given an estimate of $2500 for parts and labor.

NINE WEEKS LATER, after we'd spent $5100 for the engine (parts and labor) and another $1100 on a rental car, we got our car back. The day after we got our car back, the engine began reeking of gasoline and I returned the car for repair. It turned out the repair people had used the same fuel injectors from the previous engine, which were worn and spraying gasoline all over the engine. We paid for new fuel injectors and got our car back in a week.

Within three days, the very same thing happened. I complained to the owner about the quality of the repair and the delay in receiving the car, who simply backed up the manager of the repair center.

Eventually, I took the car to the Nissan dealer and ended up spending another $1400 to repair items on a new engine (including mis-seating the engine on the frame of the car) which Rising Sun had either overlooked, not repaired, or mis-repaired.

That "$2500 estimate" ended up costing us nearly $8,000 and I will NEVER, EVER set foot inside Rising Sun Japanese Auto Repair. In fact, this experience was so bad that it influenced me to purchase a German car when I bought a new vehicle.

PROS: Helped me decide to buy a German car
CONS: Too many to list

Needless to say, if this is where Shewolf visited, she surely must try again. It amazes me what "professional repair" facilities think they can get away with.

The clutch plate is between the engine and the transmission. You can move one or the other but basically you have to remove one of them from the car to access the clutch. You have to get the two far enough apart to remove the clutch plate and pressure plate. By the time you have taken out all the support bolts the tranny is off the car so you might as well get it out of your way.

I've never done the clutch on a front wheel drive car. Rear wheel is easy. Drop the drive shaft and remove the tranny. About 2 hours of labor.

I recently replaced the clutch on my Subaru forester. It took me 2 days (over 16 hours with trips to the auto store.) and about $300 in parts. The dealer wanted $1500 to do it. (About $600 in parts and 8 hours of labor. They have a lift and all the proper tools on hand. ) The forester is all wheel drive but I expect a front wheel drive would be similar, a lot of stuff to remove to get to the clutch plate; exhaust manifold, air intake, both axles, etc. Then to do it right, replace anything that might go bad just to prevent the labor taking it apart later.

This site lists a Toyota Camry as costing $1,500 for the clutch.
http://www.costhelper.com/cost/cars/clutch.html

go here http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/ and put in your zip code. You'll get a list of mechanics in your area with ratings and comments from customers. I agree, $1500 sounds like a rip off.

Yeap - that's what Toyota drivers have to pay for it (here, but in Euros ) - and it seems to be a quite common thing (renewing the clutch) ....

oh CHAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you tell me this NOW??????

yeah. My car is sitting in that Rising Sun.
But, I dont feel TOO bad about that decision.. not yet at least

The good part is that , I called themback and started talking about his estimate.
He said that the costs and labor may be close to 1,000 but he wanted to over estimate in case anything went wrong.

Well that pissed me off.
I have spent this entire morning spreading adds , cutting my cost almost 100.00 a session to drum up extra work to help cover this GOD awful cost, and I didnt need to do it.
AND- what kind of place OVER estimates 500.00?
Is that reasonable?

Granted.. all the guy did was over estimate. Truly, no big deal.. but.. that was 500 dollars I was in tears about because I dont know where that money would come from.

(sigh)

yes. Rising Sun.
Lets see what happens..

Best of luck to you, shewolfnm...

If Mr. Tea knew your car was at Rising Sun shewolf, he'd bitch slap you.

I'm gonna go tell him...

Seriously, that's what the problem is with Rising Sun, they overestimate on EVERYTHING, and if you don't say something, that's the price they'll go with.

Way back when I had my old Corolla, they gyped me.

I knew I needed a new car, but didn't have enough to get one just yet. Something on the old car broke, and I was like you...really needed the vehicle right then. I was between a rock and a hard place, but I vowed I'd never go there again.

Oh...one other time...I was literally a block away from them, and my brake light turned on....or maybe some other light...what do I know, I'm a girl. Seriously, I don't remember which light.
Anyway, I pulled in there, they weren't open yet, but a mechanic was standing around, so I asked him to take a look. At first he was all hesitant, wanted me to leave my car there so they could get it up on the rack and look it over... Up until this time I think he though I was really a helpless female, since I was a little harried, being behind schedule.
That was when I let him know I was no one's fool. I may not know about cars, but I have common sense....I told him there was no way I was leaving my car there, I was busy....and BESIDES, I told him...there was no reason to put the car up on the rack to see why that particular light came on...he might have been a loose hose or something. I said, "look, I've already got the hood open, couldn't you just look at it here in the parking lot?"

weeeelllllllll......okaaaaaaayyyyy...

He takes a look, adjusts a loose hose or something, and the light went off.

Huh, I said...looks like that solved it, but I'll keep an eye on it.

He was all "Well, I don't know if you should drive it around or anything"

I said, I'm just driving around town, if something happens, I'll be able to stop anywhere.

The light never came back on, that was 5 years ago....and it sounds like I might have saved $1500.00

Mr Tea sez now that you know from them what they think is wrong, just pick up the yellow pages and start calling around. They should be able to give you a ballpark if you tell them what they said.

I happen to like Lambs, over by the Walmart near Brodie Lane, but that's just were I go for regular servicing, and they're really professional and nice and don't talk down to you because you're a woman.

I don't know if they'd be really expensive or anything.

You may not know cars, Chai, but you don't have to be a butcher to recognize baloney.

No kidding, Roger. About 20 yrs ago my 4 yr old son and I were stopped at a red light behind a truck. My foot gradually slipped off the brake and the car inched forward and tapped the truck's bumper. The guy gets out and starts to complain that now he's going to have to get a new transmission.

I said, "I'm not stupid, bubba, the tranny's not in your bumper!" and then I started to laugh at this boob.

My son told that story for years.

OK, here's the deal.

Mr. Tea called his buddy Edwin, who knows everything in the world about cars.

Reading to him what you wrote, Edwin said he's sure it's the clutch too, and if that the case, he would do it for you, parts and labor for $500, since he's friends of the family.

Mr. Tea says he can use our AAA to have your car towed from Rising Sun to Edwins house, it's on or right off of Bouldin, near by. So, it wouldn't cost you anything.

He said it would be a 5 hour/all day job, so would have to do it on Saturday or Sunday.

If you're interested in this, call mr tea's cell phone (I'll PM you) and he'll hook you up with Edwin and you two can talk.

Reminds me of the time....


the place the towtruck took my car to wouldn't give an estimate for days, and then charged me per day. All hell broke loose, we wrote the state, no bill.

I had the clutch replaced on my 2001 Corolla for less than $800. (B&M Transmission) My mechanic friend (in Lubbock) told me it must've been one of those gold-plated ones....



There's a place I've seen on Ben White, south side, just west of I-35 that advertises some really good rates on their sign.

Replacing a clutch is a routine operation; just about anybody ought to be able to do it.

I was reading from page one and getting all upset for shewolf... then along comes Edwin!

Hugs and kisses to Edwin.

(And, Chai and Mr. Tea - 'cept I got my hopes all up that I was gonna get your cell phone number and then Chai has to go and say "PM me.")

fuckshitfuckshitfuckshit

I read this only AFTER i told the guys to go ahead.

Im calling them in the morning , first thing to see if they have not touched the car. If they have not done anything,Im pulling that car outta there.

Seems rather odd that they overestimate by 1/3.... in case something goes wrong. What do you think the chances are of them charging $1000.00 instead of the quatoed $1500.00. If you said zero, you are reading my mind. Good luck. Chai seems to be the heroine of the day. Along with Mr. Tea and Edwin, of course.

Shewolf, listen to me. First thing in the morning, as soon as is able, you need to go there IN PERSON. They will not have started on your car before an hour after they open, in theory. If you call on the phone, undoubtably the answer will be that it is already in progress, and then it will immediastely go on the rack. They will not tie up a lift until the parts are securely on their way, or even on site. I wish I had got back sooner, but anyone who backs off 30% when confronted with the loss of the sale is a crook. Also note the earlier review of his previous service record, most likely they will "find" other things once they are authorized to repair, and the $1500 will be a target once again. THESE ARE DISREPUTABLE PEOPLE. Chai's friend sounds like a viable option. Replacing a clutch is not rocket science, and his estimate is about what I would do it for, were you near me.

Fair is fair, and crooked is crooked.