Castro Motorspots, you would have to be high as hell to go here...

[Exodus_2pt0]

Again, no. A sticking caliper doesn't cause a soft pedal, and a soft pedal is NOT a fault, but a symptom of another fault. Also, a sticking caliper is cause by nothing other than a seized piston or sliders. It is not possible for any of the 3 causes of a soft pedal to contribute to uneven brake wear.

Air in lines
Leak
Master cylinder.

That's it, nothing else will cause a soft pedal, and a soft pedal will not cause a caliper to stick.. What you are stating happened to you, didn't. You misdiagnosed your issue.


By giving the explanation that his sticking caliper had caused his soft pedal you are indicating that you have no idea how a hydraulic system operates. Either that of you were relying on the hope that the customer lacks the knowledge. This is kind of worrysome.

Edit for cleanliness.

[torqueflight]

It sounds like you beat your 30 year old car to shit and things just start giving out. Seems normal to me. They warned you of the leak and your trans was dry when you checked a few MONTHS later?...big surprise. You dont even know if you put the proper oil in your trans.

Mind your business. You know nothing of my car or dealings with Castro. As far as trans oil goes fucking 90% of e30 owners are confused about which is the right one to use. ATF or MTF. Only after doing hours of research do you come to find out it doesn't matter as long as you use the correct weight MTF.

[torqueflight]

Hello everyone,

Lets start out with clearing things such as installing parts and "stealing" stickers. The OP came to my shop about 3-4 times, the last time he was here was April, so roughly 6 months ago and is just now calling us back on issues he is having. If there was any sort of grinding, I would assume the customer would have returned back immediately and had us check to see what was going on, not complain about it 6 months later. For the record the OP's car is so far from being well maintained or cared for, making it very difficult to fix one thing without damaging the rest. Car came in with leaks we repaired what the OP asked us to repair, he did want me to replace rear end bushing, but we didn't just gave them back, we suggested to do a complete overhaul of the rear suspension rather than just replacing one or two parts, trying to save him time and money (BIG MISTAKE). As far as the shifter goes, this car has a drive shaft harmonic balancer, which I'm sure you are all familiar with, I told the OP we tried to bend his original unit to try and compensate for the rubbing, I did notify him and made him aware of the issue. OP states there were missing transmission bolts, however we did not perform any work with the transmission besides the shifter, so why would we go out of our way to loosen or remove bolts? OP did supply us with the proper hardware for the rack boots, and pointed out that zip ties were used instead of his clamps, I personally apologize for that. I'm unsure as to why my mechanic installed zip ties rather than the hardware supplied. I let two mechanics go about 3 months ago one of which work on the OP car. I told him I had no problem making this right. OP states his selector rod was not used, but in fact his was used and I let him know it was still rubbing, and that I'd shave it down to allow clearance. From what I understand shifters or selector rods don't wear, so I don't understand how the OP is all of a sudden feeling a problem. He also states he lost a center cap, speaking from personal experience I too have lost center caps and many times had nothing to do with the way they where installed. OP I offered to take everything apart in front of you, just to show you all the work we performed was actually infact done. OP also states he has squeaky lower control arm bushings, but all we did was installed the bushings he supplied us with which weren't OEM, so maybe he should contact the manufacturer instead of blaming us. OP also states we let him go without brakes, but in fact I let the him know his front brakes were wearing unevenly, and his right front caliper was sticking, he decided to have us leave it the way it was because he was going to do brake job later. After he picked up his car he drove it out the lot and came right back because he stated the pedal sunk to the floor, I told him this was due to the sticky caliper, I jacked up the car on the right front and showed him the wheel was binding due to the caliper. We then agreed to replace the caliper, front lines, and he still decided to keep the old unevenly worn pads (Again Big Mistake). What we find ourselves doing is trying to help people out but in the end it comes back and bites us in the a**. I offered to try and make things right, he refused which I can understand, but I'm still here to defend myself and my shop, I did apologize for the mistakes we made and am not afraid to admit we made those mistakes because I don't personally do all the work on the cars, and we are only human. Attached below are the two work orders of the work that was performed on the OP car, nothing has been modified or altered.

You never mentioned the missing stickers from my car. I seen with my own eyes that it was stuck to a license plate of another car on a lift. I know for a fact that it is mine because I made them and they only exist to me. I do believe that is theft. Wether is a $1 or $100.

You never fixed any leaks on my car. I only asked to see if you can look to see where they were coming from and how much it would cost to fix. You told me it would be about $1200. Which I would never pay. I could fix it myself for a couple hundred. There are however 2 bolts to the fly wheel cover missing however I can't fully fault you not knowing for sure they were left out by your shop, but the holes are extremely clean.

The selector rod I gave you had a bend at one end. This selector rod was never used and Im sure its still in your possession. One that has been ground down was used. Once I left the first time around and found out that it was grinding and called right away someone at your shop told me that after awhile of grinding that it will stop once it wears down. While Im sure that is true thats not how I want my car to be. Wether you personally tell me this or not is irrelevant. Whoever works there is a representation of your shop. I wouldn't want a ground down one, ever. The one that has a bend corrects the new lower angle of the of the short shifter so its not pushing the selector rod on an angle causing harder shifts and more wear. Also you didn't include the first PDF showing I was changed for the bushing replacements which didn't happen.

I can't say for certain that you are the reason that the missing center cap is your fault and I apologize but it was right after the tie rods were installed and I've never lost one in 70k.

As for the brakes. I was sent off the lot with no breaks or barely working brakes. When I brought you the car they were working. No one warned me. I had to drive off the lot and have the pedal go to the floor to figure it out. I right away brought the car back to you asking you why and you personally drove the car with me in the passenger seat. Regardless of bad parts or needing parts no one warned me. I could of easily rear ended a car and it would of been my fault. The reason I had you put the caliper on. The reason I didn't have you do the rotor and pads was because Im done dealing with your shop. Too many bad experiences. I can do all the work myself for free and I know it will be done right.

Look dude. I feel like a total waffleswaffleswaffleswaffles having to write this and I feel horrible that it might hurt your business. I was upset ever since the being sent on the street with no brakes thing happened (the last time my car was at your shop). But when I went under my car the other day and seen the zip ties and the ground down selector rod I was too pissed off not to say something. I called you and to your credit you did say bring it back, but at this point I wouldn't bring it back even it if was free. Im scared something will go missing and Im scared that Ill be sent out on the street with safety problems.

Beyond all the work and not being notified of certain things. A sticker or stickers were taking from my car and I know for a fact. I seen with my own eyes. Thats a big deal dude. Im not saying you personally did it, but it was your shop. Once this has been done I have to question everything.

And to be nit picky I do remember asking if you guys could replace the missing bolt from my exhaust hanger (which I would have been willing to pay for). Which I just seen the other day isn't there and now the exhaust hangers are broke.

Once again Im sorry for having to post this and feel horrible but its not like I didn't pay full price for my car to be work on and this is the only justice I can get since I won't be bringing it back. I won't go as far a BBB or anything else.

PS Im not sure how you went out of your way to help. Other than maybe getting parts faster. I do recall paying full price for everything and not only that but in cash.

[torqueflight]

That would still cause the caliper to stick and wear the pads unevenly. Its happened to me before.

Honestly I dont care if there was a problem with the part. I would have paid full price to fix it. You can't send someone out on the street without notifying them, yo your brakes aren't working that great you need these parts. Cool, fix it.

Not, I pay my bill they give me my cars keys, I drive out on the road and I have to pumped the hell out of the brakes to get the car to stop.

I brought my car in with working brakes so its kind of a big surprise when there isn't any.

[torqueflight]

Chis,

Just as a side note. If you have notes or safety concerns for customers regarding their car. Put it on the invoice and it no longer becomes he said she said. You'll have documented proof and this will never happen again and you'll also be cleared of liability.

[castros]

Honestly I dont care if there was a problem with the part. I would have paid full price to fix it. You can't send someone out on the street without notifying them, yo your brakes aren't working that great you need these parts. Cool, fix it.

Not, I pay my bill they give me my cars keys, I drive out on the road and I have to pumped the hell out of the brakes to get the car to stop.

I brought my car in with working brakes so its kind of a big surprise when there isn't any.

This has clearly become a he said she said dilemma, I called and discussed the caliper/brake issue with you before I re-assembled the brakes, after you grabbed your car I showed you what was going on with your right front caliper, all of this has nothing to do with you paying full price or cash or even with a credit card. I offered you a service you accepted and you weren't satisfied so it's your right as a paying customer to speak your mind, weather this affects my business or not that part is for the consumer to decide. I've yet to this day denied warranty on parts or labor to anyone, and don't think it'll change any time soon. Like I said over the phone and in my original post, I apologize for anything you are/were unsatisfied with and all I can do is offer my help, weather you choose to accept it or not, that is completely your call.

[castros]

Again, no. A sticking caliper doesn't cause a soft pedal, and a soft pedal is NOT a fault, but a symptom of another fault. Also, a sticking caliper is cause by nothing other than a seized piston or sliders. It is not possible for any of the 3 causes of a soft pedal to contribute to uneven brake wear.

Air in lines
Leak
Master cylinder.

That's it, nothing else will cause a soft pedal, and a soft pedal will not cause a caliper to stick.. What you are stating happened to you, didn't. You misdiagnosed your issue.


By giving the explanation that his sticking caliper had caused his soft pedal you are indicating that you have no idea how a hydraulic system operates. Either that of you were relying on the hope that the customer lacks the knowledge. This is kind of worrysome.

Edit for cleanliness.

Let's say I didn't know what I was doing or had no clue on how to properly diagnose and repair a car, we replaced wheel bearings, noticed really bad uneven pad wear, re-assembled the front end and tested the car, and pedal drops to the floor slowly, explain to me what we could have possibly done wrong to cause the loss of pressure and cause the pedal to slowly sink down? Note we did not install the caliper incorrectly, twisted the line, or install the pads incorrectly? I don't know who you are or what you do, or questioning your knowledge, I've been working on cars for a very long time, but even someone with very little knowledge can perform a brake job, doesn't mean they won't run into mechanical issues while performing the task, same is to say for a certified mechanic performing the same task.

[phreshkid]

I've yet to this day denied warranty on parts or labor to anyone, and don't think it'll change any time soon.

January 2013. You installed a set of Catalytic converters to my swap car and it failed the Referee inspection. I did nothing else except have a new pair of Walker Cats installed and the car passed not problem and my BAR sticker was issued. You refused to accept the cats back and told me to go through the manufacturer warrantee program for reimbursement and that "you didn't have time to deal with this bullshit".

You refused to answer my calls after that and forced me to come to your place of business and speak to you face to face, in which you were in no mood to discuss my dilemma.

I was confused as to how a $400 transaction was enough to throw away a friendship of years and many transactions/trades for cool parts, but you decided to go that route anyways. You wrote me a $300 check and threw it at me and told me to leave. At that point I walked out without so much as another word since, never mind that you didn't even refund me the total amount.

Maybe you had a rough week or month, but you were unprofessional and disrespectful to me, your customer of a few years.

I do believe stories like OP's.



But don't go saying you don't deny warranties. That's incorrect.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Let's say I didn't know what I was doing or had no clue on how to properly diagnose and repair a car, we replaced wheel bearings, noticed really bad uneven pad wear, re-assembled the front end and tested the car, and pedal drops to the floor slowly, explain to me what we could have possibly done wrong to cause the loss of pressure and cause the pedal to slowly sink down? Note we did not install the caliper incorrectly, twisted the line, or install the pads incorrectly?.

If there are no external fluid leaks, and you didn't open the system, what you are describing sounds like a failed master cylinder. Either that or the system was opened, air introduced, and not properly bled. Air is less likely because while it does make for a softer pedal, the pedal doesn't sink to the floor. Yes, things do happen while in for repair, shit happens. There's nothjng that says things won't break while at a shop. I worked on cars for 10 years at Dealerships and independent shops. I understand.

What gets me, is that you took a soft pedal scenario and told the customer that a stuck caliper caused it, which is not possible. Either the master cylinder took a shit while in your care (no fault there, but diagnose it properly), or a line was removed and air introduced into the system. I don't know, and I won't claim to know what happened. However, I do have a solid grasp on how a brake system operates. If you cap off the end of a hydraulic system (stuck caliper), the last thing you will get is a loss of pressure.

I have no stake in this, hell I live on the other side of the country. I just wanted to add a little fact to the mix based off of things said by both parties.

As for my background, lots of Automotive tech school, factory training, and on the job experience. I held a Master ASE title and Nissan Specialist title while still in the field.

[torqueflight]

Let's say I didn't know what I was doing or had no clue on how to properly diagnose and repair a car, we replaced wheel bearings, noticed really bad uneven pad wear, re-assembled the front end and tested the car, and pedal drops to the floor slowly, explain to me what we could have possibly done wrong to cause the loss of pressure and cause the pedal to slowly sink down? Note we did not install the caliper incorrectly, twisted the line, or install the pads incorrectly? I don't know who you are or what you do, or questioning your knowledge, I've been working on cars for a very long time, but even someone with very little knowledge can perform a brake job, doesn't mean they won't run into mechanical issues while performing the task, same is to say for a certified mechanic performing the same task.

Dude, shit missing from my car isn't he or she said. Please address why it was taken from my car. Im sure you've seen the sticker in question. Its probably still in your shop.

I don't care about actual parts. You let me take the car out on the street with no notification of a problem with the brakes. Its only when I drove off the lot and discovered the brakes weren't working properly and came back that you told me the issue. I was also left off the lot with no notification that the linkage on the z3 shifter install was grinding too. I had to drive off the lot to figure it out. FACT! This is why I'm pissed off. Too many things gone wrong. I don't care about warranty. Why would I want to go back?

And why not give me back the selector rod that I brought to be installed if it didn't work. Why did you just keep it? When you kept it, I was even more under the impression that it was installed on my car. If you would have given it back I obviously would have known it wasn't used. I only discovered it wasn't when I got under the car myself and this is what sparked this whole thing.

Please address these issue.

[torqueflight]

If there are no external fluid leaks, and you didn't open the system, what you are describing sounds like a failed master cylinder. Either that or the system was opened, air introduced, and not properly bled. Air is less likely because while it does make for a softer pedal, the pedal doesn't sink to the floor. Yes, things do happen while in for repair, shit happens. There's nothjng that says things won't break while at a shop. I worked on cars for 10 years at Dealerships and independent shops. I understand.

What gets me, is that you took a soft pedal scenario and told the customer that a stuck caliper caused it, which is not possible. Either the master cylinder took a shit while in your care (no fault there, but diagnose it properly), or a line was removed and air introduced into the system. I don't know, and I won't claim to know what happened. However, I do have a solid grasp on how a brake system operates. If you cap off the end of a hydraulic system (stuck caliper), the last thing you will get is a loss of pressure.

I have no stake in this, hell I live on the other side of the country. I just wanted to add a little fact to the mix based off of things said by both parties.

Despite whatever happened. I would have paid whatever it was to repair, but jesus I don't want to drive off the lot with a car that barley stops and no prior knowledge. If I was told before had I would of for sure said change it.

[torqueflight]

Also the steel ring clamps I supplied weren't used for the tie rod boots. Cheap ass zip ties that will eventually break were used.

Btw the steal claps are
$2.25 x4

[castros]

January 2013. You installed a set of Catalytic converters to my swap car and it failed the Referee inspection. I did nothing else except have a new pair of Walker Cats installed and the car passed not problem and my BAR sticker was issued. You refused to accept the cats back and told me to go through the manufacturer warrantee program for reimbursement and that "you didn't have time to deal with this bullshit".

You refused to answer my calls after that and forced me to come to your place of business and speak to you face to face, in which you were in no mood to discuss my dilemma.

I was confused as to how a $400 transaction was enough to throw away a friendship of years and many transactions/trades for cool parts, but you decided to go that route anyways. You wrote me a $300 check and threw it at me and told me to leave. At that point I walked out without so much as another word since, never mind that you didn't even refund me the total amount.

Maybe you had a rough week or month, but you were unprofessional and disrespectful to me, your customer of a few years.

I do believe stories like OP's.



But don't go saying you don't deny warranties. That's incorrect.

Your right I did handle our particular situation unprofessionally, that I do not deny and till this day it bothers me that we ended over a few hundred dollars. I was having a bad week but that was no excuse for disrespecting you, but I could have denied giving you anything but knew that was not right, the catalytic converters I installed where defective which I found out months later due to the manufacturer contacting me, I refunded you the parts cost and did not refund you the labor, but remember you were the one asking for that amount and I didn't pay you any less or any more than what you asked for. I've matured and grown from all my previous experiences so I am not ashamed to admit that I made a mistake handling our situation the way I did. So if its of any use I do apologize for the way I acted towards you, because I didn't just see you as a customer but as a friend in the E30 community.

[castros]

Also the steel ring clamps I supplied weren't used for the tie rod boots. Cheap ass zip ties that will eventually break were used.

Btw the steal claps are
$2.25 x4

I mentioned to you in my original post that I didn't deny that the clamps you supplied weren't used, and I took responsibility for not double checking the job after my guy completed it.

[castros]

If there are no external fluid leaks, and you didn't open the system, what you are describing sounds like a failed master cylinder. Either that or the system was opened, air introduced, and not properly bled. Air is less likely because while it does make for a softer pedal, the pedal doesn't sink to the floor. Yes, things do happen while in for repair, shit happens. There's nothjng that says things won't break while at a shop. I worked on cars for 10 years at Dealerships and independent shops. I understand.

What gets me, is that you took a soft pedal scenario and told the customer that a stuck caliper caused it, which is not possible. Either the master cylinder took a shit while in your care (no fault there, but diagnose it properly), or a line was removed and air introduced into the system. I don't know, and I won't claim to know what happened. However, I do have a solid grasp on how a brake system operates. If you cap off the end of a hydraulic system (stuck caliper), the last thing you will get is a loss of pressure.

I have no stake in this, hell I live on the other side of the country. I just wanted to add a little fact to the mix based off of things said by both parties.

As for my background, lots of Automotive tech school, factory training, and on the job experience. I held a Master ASE title and Nissan Specialist title while still in the field.

We can go on and on about this, but if I had removed the caliper completely, or opened the bleeder screw, yes I could see air being introduced into the system, but none of which was a factor. But thank you for your input and knowledge.