Knock Sensor DISASTER

[Q45Owner]

So guys,

After months of putting it off, I finally decided to get my knock sensors done on my 94Q. After speaking to my mechanic who declined to do the work, I had contacted Keith VanMeter in New Jersey. I called there three times and no one ever returned my phone calls, so I figured they didn't want to to get involved in it either. I then decided to call my local Infiniti dealership to see if I could get an estimate from them, however they seemed as if they were trying to persuade me not to do it. And I figured they would probably charge me $1000 to even do it anyway. So after putting it off for a couple more weeks I decided to reach out to one of the guys on this forum (who shall remain nameless for right now) who had offered to help another member on here awhile back with work on his Q. I emailed him asking him if he was willing and able to replace the knock sensors and harness and he agreed to do it for a small fee. However, I had to drive to Massachusetts (around 300 miles) to get it to him so he could do the work. So after staying over a friends house Saturday night who lives in Connecticut, I drove another 100 miles or so to meet up with the guy yesterday morning.

So we met up around 11AM yesterday and he started to take off the plenum and do the work. It took about 6 hours to get everything disconnected, to reconnect the new sensors and reconnect the plenum and hoses. So at around 530pm or so when he finished, I attempted to start the engine and immediately I knew something wasn't right. My Q was shaking and vibrating which it had never done before. My car has always purred like a kitten since the day I bought it and remained that way up until that point. So he asked me to turn off the engine while he double checked all the connections and then asked me to restart it again. After restarting it, the vibrating started getting worse and worse and worse until we started hearing this horrible grinding noise. So again, he looked everything over and we tried to start it again. The car sounded even worse this time and the grinding was getting worse to the point where the car was now stalling. After repeatedly trying to start the car, it got continually worse until it just wouldn't start at all. I should mention that at one point while he was removing the plenum, one of the bolts slipped out of is hands and fell down "somewhere". He didn't "think" it fell into the runners, but he put a camera in there anyway to check it. I was a little concerned about it at the time, but hoped it maybe just fell and got caught up in something else down below.

So anyway, after about an hour of deliberating on what to do, this guy and his father pushed my car out of the garage that he was doing the work in and pushed it into one of the spots outside. Not knowing what the hell to do at this point, the guy said he didnt feel comfortable touching it anymore and recommended me taking it to the local Infiniti dealership up the block. He then dropped me off at a hotel nearby where I spent the night last night and first thing this morning I walked to the Infiniti dealership and told them what happened. The service manager gave me a number for a local towing service and I had to have the car towed to them so they could figure out what was going on. After about an hour, I finally got the car towed to Infiniti and I explained to them what happened and that this guy from here was trying to replace my knock sensors and what happened after trying to start it. So they proceeded to diagnose from there and after about 2 hours of diagnosing what was going on, they told me the following:

That debree and/or a foreign object is suspected in the engine/intake. Compression test performed and cylinder #6 came back with 0 compression. Valve damage suspected and engine take down required to further diagnose the extent of the damage. They said it will cost over 4 figures for them to take apart the engine and I obviously don't have that kind of money to do that. So I ended up leaving my car at the dealership and taking a train back to New York until I can figure out what I'm going to do. I have no car and I have already spent over $600 between hotel, towing, Infiniti diagnostics, cab to take to train, and my Amtrak ticket. I had to call out of work today and I have no way to get to work tomorrow as I live out in the boonies and my job is 30 miles away from home. Needless to say I'm pretty devastated at this point.

I have to idea how to handle this situation. What was supposed to be a relatively routine ks job has turned into a complete nightmare. The service manager at Infiniti told me I would be better off getting an engine replacement than even attempting to take it apart cuz the expense is just not worth it. So my near mint G50 is now essentially destroyed. It's currently sitting at the dealership until I decide what to do with it. Towing it back to NY will cost hundreds and even if I tow it back here, I still don't even know what I could or should do with it. Should I pay to get the engine replaced? Should I junk it?

I need some serious help here and any advice is greatly appreciated. The guy I met off here who did the work is not responding my text messages so I'm guessing he's decided to hang me out to dry. If somebody can please call me or email me with any help, I would really appreciate it!

[Q451990]

I hate to hear that. How many miles are on your engine? If it's "just" valve damage on one cylinder with no damage to the head, then replacing those valves is probably better than a take-out engine if yours was in otherwise good shape. That said - a loose bolt clacking around in there probably scored the cylinder wall, valve seats, etc.

That said, anything you do at this point is going to be measured in $1,000's - not hundreds. A used replacement isn't going to be cheap either.

I don't see a ton of great options here...

Heath

[3Q Jay]

yeah, very sorry to hear. you did good to get the expert opinion (though it cost you a bit of tech time) so that you can now evaluate. Unfortunately Heath is right---recovery will be expensive (anything is possible--but is it advisable) If you have the time and space, I would suggest you recoup what you can by parting it out. Other options might be finding a rotted out running frame with good mechanicals and doing a swap.....

[elwesso]

The dealer is right, your best bet is going to be to get a new engine. It's not really as big of a deal as it sounds, a used engine will probably run you about $500, plus another $800 or so to install it, plus any additional work like replacing plugs, gaskets/seals, hoses, knock sensors, etc. All things said and done, you're looking at $1500-$2000 or so. If you were going to open up the engine, you'd be looking at least at that much because EVERYTHING has to be taken apart.

Guess it just depends if you want to call it quits now, or put that much extra into it. Right now scrap is about $200/ton, so the car is worth $400 in scrap alone, plus maybe some extra. On the other hand, what could you buy for $2000 that would be a reasonable replacement for the Q?

I'd say you'd have to have a pretty clean car to justify fixing it, clean Q can be had for $3000 whenever you can find one. If the car has no rust, and a clean interior, it's probably worth saving.

[Q45Owner]

I hate to hear that. How many miles are on your engine?

It just hit 150k last week..

If it's "just" valve damage on one cylinder with no damage to the head, then replacing those valves is probably better than a take-out engine if yours was in otherwise good shape. That said - a loose bolt clacking around in there probably scored the cylinder wall, valve seats, etc.

That said, anything you do at this point is going to be measured in $1,000's - not hundreds. A used replacement isn't going to be cheap either.

I don't see a ton of great options here...

Heath

Either option seems to require a ton of money which I just don't even have right now. I'm in the process of trying to move so a lot of my money is going towards that and to say that this situation has thrown a wrench into that is an understatement. I still haven't fully wrapped my head around this whole thing yet. All I know is my car is stuck at Infiniti in Massachusetts and I'm back in New York and I can only leave it there at the dealership for 3-4 days said the service manager. So I realize I have to make quick decisions here and I just don't know what I'm gonna do right now.

[Q45Owner]

yeah, very sorry to hear. you did good to get the expert opinion (though it cost you a bit of tech time) so that you can now evaluate. Unfortunately Heath is right---recovery will be expensive (anything is possible--but is it advisable) If you have the time and space, I would suggest you recoup what you can by parting it out. Other options might be finding a rotted out running frame with good mechanicals and doing a swap.....

That's the thing, I have no way to part it out. It's 300 miles away from me right now and it'll cost me about $600-$700 to have it towed here and that's in addition to the $600 I've already spent in the past 24 hours. I just don't know if it's worth it. Plus I rent an apartment and I don't exactly have an empty yard that I could store it in either so I can thoroughly think this through and figure out what to do with it. This is pretty much the worst situation I have ever found myself in with a car and I have no clue what to do from here.

[Q45Owner]

The dealer is right, your best bet is going to be to get a new engine. It's not really as big of a deal as it sounds, a used engine will probably run you about $500, plus another $800 or so to install it, plus any additional work like replacing plugs, gaskets/seals, hoses, knock sensors, etc. All things said and done, you're looking at $1500-$2000 or so. If you were going to open up the engine, you'd be looking at least at that much because EVERYTHING has to be taken apart.

Guess it just depends if you want to call it quits now, or put that much extra into it. Right now scrap is about $200/ton, so the car is worth $400 in scrap alone, plus maybe some extra. On the other hand, what could you buy for $2000 that would be a reasonable replacement for the Q?

I'd say you'd have to have a pretty clean car to justify fixing it, clean Q can be had for $3000 whenever you can find one. If the car has no rust, and a clean interior, it's probably worth saving.

I don't know if I would be happy with a replacement engine knowing how well maintained and smooth mine was. The only reason for me to go that route would be to get it back on the road so I could resell it and recoup some of my losses and so that it could still live on in someone else's hands. I put in a quote this afternoon for a local junkyard and they offered me $150 for it. What a joke. I really loved this car. I just bought an ECU from you a few weeks ago (and didn't even get a chance to install it yet), added a new subwoofer to the trunk, got tints, all done recently. What a waste.

I finally did hear back from the guy who did the knock sensors. I haven't called him back yet, but I'm going to call him tomorrow and see if he has any ideas. I'm just totally disgusted right now.

[paranoidjack]

That sucks man! So sorry to hear it.

Grab a used motor for $500. Rent a hoist. Go get some nice stands and some good tools and change the motor...no magic to it, electric, exhaust, transmission, mounts...unlucky situation but you roll the dice when doing a job like this with someone you don't know. Accidents happen, but who's to blame when an accident occurs? Sorry to hear it but drop a motor in there and you'll be fine. Says the guy who put a junkyard motor in and has a horrible lifter tap now...

[3Q Jay]

yeah, very sorry to hear. Other options might be finding a rotted out running frame with good mechanicals and doing a swap.....

That's the thing, I have no way to part it out. It's 300 miles away from me right now and it'll cost me about $600-$700 to have it towed here and that's in addition to the $600 I've already spent in the past 24 hours. I just don't know if it's worth it. Plus I rent an apartment and I don't exactly have an empty yard that I could store it in either so I can thoroughly think this through and figure out what to do with it. This is pretty much the worst situation I have ever found myself in with a car and I have no clue what to do from here.

All we can do is help you look at options, but really you have to decide what your car is worth to you right now.

weren't you test driving a different '94 a few weeks ago (trans thread)? is that an option if you really love the G50 platform?

[Q45Owner]

That sucks man! So sorry to hear it.

Grab a used motor for $500. Rent a hoist. Go get some nice stands and some good tools and change the motor...no magic to it, electric, exhaust, transmission, mounts...unlucky situation but you roll the dice when doing a job like this with someone you don't know. Accidents happen, but who's to blame when an accident occurs? Sorry to hear it but drop a motor in there and you'll be fine. Says the guy who put a junkyard motor in and has a horrible lifter tap now...

There's so many issues going on right now at once. First off, I don't have the capability to change an engine myself. If I had that capability, I wouldn't have brought it to a someone else to do the work for the knock sensors. Secondly, my car is sitting at an Infiniti dealership right now in Massachusetts while I'm back here in New York trying to figure out what to do. The service manager there said I could keep it on their lot for 3-4 days, which would be until Friday. I'm already out $600 between everything I went through the past 2 days (hotel, towing, diagnostics, taxi to Amtrak, Amtrak ticket). If I have the car towed back to New York, it will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $600-$700. And even if I did that, I would already be out $1200-$1300 and still have a dead car sitting in front of my house.

I'm taking all your opinions very seriously because I'm in such a rough spot right now. The consensus seems to be to either junk the car or replace the engine. An engine take down seems to be the more expensive option and there's no guarantee that the problem could be fixed anyway if the damage is beyond fixing. So that's not a valid option. Having the car towed back here is not an option either, cuz then I would still have to decide whether to junk it or spend the money out of pocket to buy a used engine and find a shop that will do the work to replace it.

So the logical options seem be to either to have Infiniti replace the engine with a used engine, or have another qualified shop do the work up there, or just junk it. Either option is going to cost me lots of money out of pocket (either the parts & labor + the $600 I already spent or $600 I already spent + the current value of my car). I do not feel like I should be financially responsible to pay for any of this, because I trusted a mechanic to do the work for me and it was his error for dropping the bolt into the runner that caused this situation. I realize this was an accident, but I feel this person needs to take responsibility for this situation because it was his mistake. If I even thought for one second that this was a possibility of happening, I never would have had him or anyone do the work. So while I realize I'm going to have to pay out of pocket right now to get myself out of this mess, I don't feel like I should be financially responsible for any of this.

Anyway, I'm going to make some phone calls tomorrow and see what I can find out. But this situation couldn't be much worse right now

[Q45Owner]

All we can do is help you look at options, but really you have to decide what your car is worth to you right now.

weren't you test driving a different '94 a few weeks ago (trans thread)? is that an option if you really love the G50 platform?

That car is long gone. Yea, I looked at it cuz it was close by and I wanted to just check it out and see how it ran compared to mine, etc. It was close enough to take a look at, so why not. But honestly, looking for a replacement Q45 is the furthest thing from my mind right now. My main focus is getting myself out of this mess first and figuring out the next course of action.

[qship96]

who did the work on your engine,a licensed and insured repair shop,or a "shade tree" type mechanically inclined individual? If it was the former,they should be obligated to pay for the repair......if you had it done by a "shade tree" individual....chances are any repair costs are your responsibility- the risk you assume when going this route to try to save a few bucks on the initial work you wanted completed.Personally,at 22 years old,and being a NY located vehicle subjected to road salt,my gut says to cut your losses and junk it and start over with a newer,more fuel efficient car that is more easily serviced considering its your only vehicle and your current financial ability to absorb this and future major expenditures these older q require.

[paranoidjack]

There's so many issues going on right now at once. First off, I don't have the capability to change an engine myself. If I had that capability, I wouldn't have brought it to a someone else to do the work for the knock sensors. Secondly, my car is sitting at an Infiniti dealership right now in Massachusetts while I'm back here in New York trying to figure out what to do. The service manager there said I could keep it on their lot for 3-4 days, which would be until Friday. I'm already out $600 between everything I went through the past 2 days (hotel, towing, diagnostics, taxi to Amtrak, Amtrak ticket). If I have the car towed back to New York, it will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $600-$700. And even if I did that, I would already be out $1200-$1300 and still have a dead car sitting in front of my house.

I'm taking all your opinions very seriously because I'm in such a rough spot right now. The consensus seems to be to either junk the car or replace the engine. An engine take down seems to be the more expensive option and there's no guarantee that the problem could be fixed anyway if the damage is beyond fixing. So that's not a valid option. Having the car towed back here is not an option either, cuz then I would still have to decide whether to junk it or spend the money out of pocket to buy a used engine and find a shop that will do the work to replace it.

So the logical options seem be to either to have Infiniti replace the engine with a used engine, or have another qualified shop do the work up there, or just junk it. Either option is going to cost me lots of money out of pocket (either the parts & labor + the $600 I already spent or $600 I already spent + the current value of my car). I do not feel like I should be financially responsible to pay for any of this, because I trusted a mechanic to do the work for me and it was his error for dropping the bolt into the runner that caused this situation. I realize this was an accident, but I feel this person needs to take responsibility for this situation because it was his mistake. If I even thought for one second that this was a possibility of happening, I never would have had him or anyone do the work. So while I realize I'm going to have to pay out of pocket right now to get myself out of this mess, I don't feel like I should be financially responsible for any of this.

Anyway, I'm going to make some phone calls tomorrow and see what I can find out. But this situation couldn't be much worse right now

Having Infiniti replace the engine is not an option. They will not put a used one in, and if they did they would charge you several thousand dollars. They won't do it, or they'll charge you so much you'd laugh it off. Can't say I blame them.

As for saying you are not financially responsible because you trusted a mechanic, please understand I know how screwed you are right now and I am not trying to stir you up, but you didn't trust a mechanic. Sounds like you trusted one guy that you don't know from a hole in the wall that said he could do it. The distinction between a shop and a person is liability coverage for the customer. When you go to a shop, they pay for insurance, registration of their business, they pay taxes, they have everything in line required for an official business such that they can provide proper liabilty insurance in the event they get sued.

This guy doesn't have that. So if you sue him, you'll be into a court case for some time, that will cost you money, and require several trips back to MA, and you may not win. First of all, you have no proof HE did it. He could easily say you did something. The burden of proof is on the accuser, especially in small claims (respectfully) like this.

You surely had the thought cross your mind that driving to another state and having a non-certified stranger perform work in his driveway might be a bad idea?

I am really not trying to throw salt in your wounds, but you play with fire, and you know how it goes. When we do things like this we roll the dice.

Anyway, enough of that, I am not trying to make you feel bad, I am just trying to paint a clear picture of your options. And they are as follows:

1) Replace engine (your expense or his expense)
2) Repair engine (horrible idea, very laborious, no telling what damage is done, motor isn't worth it)
3) Scrap car or sell for parts to someone on this board.

I think we all know that option A is the best. The fact your engine was well treated with good oil changes etc is no longer relevant. Painful but let it go - I had a motor blow in my Q that I replaced, so I know how you feel. I really do.

That being said, TIME is of the essence for you. If this takes another six months, we all know that is a crappy option for you and may as well never be done.

Sooooo...if you approach the court system...that WILL take a long time, cost you money and time, and personally I feel will not work out for you.

The only option is to pony out the cash for a motor (http://www.car-part.com) and get it changed. Have them take the KS's from the current motor and do that BEFORE it's installed, eh? Also a great and easy time to do valve cover gaskets prior to motor installation.

Sucks, but it is what it is, and we don't always win when we gamble.

Best of luck!!! Let us know how you proceed.

[paranoidjack]

And of course, this is assuming you trust the diagnosis of Infiniti that the motor is junk. If I were you, I'd pay for a tow to another close by shop, and get a 2nd opinion. I'm sure it's right, but for $70 tow you MIGHT get lucky, and even if not, buy a spot to keep your car for another 3-4 days or so.

[masshead87]

Call Dana at Upton Foreign Motors 508 529 4040, he's the only guy I trust when I can't do it myself. He had a '92 Q himself up until 6 months ago or so. He did my plenum job (mines a '96) about a year ago and it's still running perfect. Worth a try, if he says the engine's toast then at least you won't find yourself without a car at a car dealership. Tell him Harrison recommended you.

[3Q Jay]

another opinion by someone actually looking at the car is not a bad idea.
another, maybe?, option we havent talked much about---get it running on 7 cylinders and drive it gingerly until she blows.

[Q45Owner]

who did the work on your engine,a licensed and insured repair shop,or a "shade tree" type mechanically inclined individual? If it was the former,they should be obligated to pay for the repair......if you had it done by a "shade tree" individual....chances are any repair costs are your responsibility- the risk you assume when going this route to try to save a few bucks on the initial work you wanted completed.

The work was done by a mechanic at a dealership, in their service department.

Personally,at 22 years old,and being a NY located vehicle subjected to road salt,my gut says to cut your losses and junk it and start over with a newer,more fuel efficient car that is more easily serviced considering its your only vehicle and your current financial ability to absorb this and future major expenditures these older q require.

I appreciate your opinion on this. The car is in fantastic shape though for 21/22 years old and was garage kept by the previous original owner. Is it perfect? no. But the interior is "immaculate" (as the mechanic who worked on my car described it as) and the body is in great shape too. Some dings here and there, but the paint is still shiny, no peeling or anything like that. Thanks for your input, I'm still weighing all my options right now and taking everyone's opinions into consideration.

[Q45Owner]

Having Infiniti replace the engine is not an option. They will not put a used one in, and if they did they would charge you several thousand dollars. They won't do it, or they'll charge you so much you'd laugh it off. Can't say I blame them.

I know. Just for the hell of it, I asked them what they would charge just for the labor of putting in a used engine and they quoted me a price of $2500-$3000. So they would do it, but it's just too much money to go that route, so that's not an option.

As for saying you are not financially responsible because you trusted a mechanic, please understand I know how screwed you are right now and I am not trying to stir you up, but you didn't trust a mechanic. Sounds like you trusted one guy that you don't know from a hole in the wall that said he could do it. The distinction between a shop and a person is liability coverage for the customer. When you go to a shop, they pay for insurance, registration of their business, they pay taxes, they have everything in line required for an official business such that they can provide proper liabilty insurance in the event they get sued.

Well here's the thing. The job was done by a mechanic at the dealership that he works at. For argument's sake, let's say he works at Mazda (he doesn't, but I'm just using that as an example). I brought my car into "Mazda's" service department which is where he did the work.

This guy doesn't have that. So if you sue him, you'll be into a court case for some time, that will cost you money, and require several trips back to MA, and you may not win. First of all, you have no proof HE did it. He could easily say you did something. The burden of proof is on the accuser, especially in small claims (respectfully) like this. You surely had the thought cross your mind that driving to another state and having a non-certified stranger perform work in his driveway might be a bad idea?

Oh, I have plenty of proof, trust me. I really would hate to go down this road that you're describing, but based on the phone conversation I had with this person yesterday, he doesn't seem too remorseful over what happened, nor does he seem to want to take any responsibility for the work that he did to my car. He actually almost seemed to be blaming me for what happened, picking apart my car, saying I needed new tires, I should go buy a crappy replacement Q locally, etc etc. He offered me to "maybe" have the car towed to his home so I could store it there for a few days and within the same sentence said he "wouldnt be responsible if anything else happened to it".

I'm really trying not to get angry here and just do what needs to be done right now for the sake of getting myself out of this mess, but I'm collecting all my receipts and at the end of this experience trust me when I tell you, I will do whatever I have to do to be compensated for the financial loss of this situation.

I am really not trying to throw salt in your wounds, but you play with fire, and you know how it goes. When we do things like this we roll the dice.

Anyway, enough of that, I am not trying to make you feel bad, I am just trying to paint a clear picture of your options. And they are as follows:

1) Replace engine (your expense or his expense)
2) Repair engine (horrible idea, very laborious, no telling what damage is done, motor isn't worth it)
3) Scrap car or sell for parts to someone on this board.

I think we all know that option A is the best. The fact your engine was well treated with good oil changes etc is no longer relevant. Painful but let it go - I had a motor blow in my Q that I replaced, so I know how you feel. I really do.

I know and you're right. I'm really just trying to figure out the best solution right now and I'm running out of time.
I called a few places today and got some estimates on replacing the engine and they ranged from $1200-$1500. Let's say if I went with the $1200 job. I still have to buy the used engine and figure out a way to get the car towed from Infiniti to the repair shop. I'm already out $600 from everything that happened Sunday & Monday. So my question to you is, how much is too much?

My car was in great shape for a '94. Everything works (except for the TCS), all original. So for a 1994 Q45 with 150k miles, is it worth saving in your opinion? What's the most you think I should spend to save this car from being junked?

That being said, TIME is of the essence for you. If this takes another six months, we all know that is a crappy option for you and may as well never be done.

Sooooo...if you approach the court system...that WILL take a long time, cost you money and time, and personally I feel will not work out for you.

I'll deal with all of that after I make my decision on what to do with the car. But you're right, waiting 6 months would just be wasting time.

The only option is to pony out the cash for a motor (http://www.car-part.com) and get it changed. Have them take the KS's from the current motor and do that BEFORE it's installed, eh? Also a great and easy time to do valve cover gaskets prior to motor installation.

Sucks, but it is what it is, and we don't always win when we gamble.

Best of luck!!! Let us know how you proceed.

I'm sure if I had them do the KS's and valve cover gaskets to the new motor, it would add even more money to the situation.
Right now based on the numbers I'm hearing, between parts, labor, and transport, it's looking like it's going to cost me around $2000, give or take to replace the engine. I've already spent $600, so I would be in this out of pocket, for around $2600. Is it worth it? You know the book value of these cars. How much is too much?

[Q45Owner]

And of course, this is assuming you trust the diagnosis of Infiniti that the motor is junk. If I were you, I'd pay for a tow to another close by shop, and get a 2nd opinion. I'm sure it's right, but for $70 tow you MIGHT get lucky, and even if not, buy a spot to keep your car for another 3-4 days or so.

Well it costs me $125 just to tow it TO Infiniti (and it was located ridiculously close to there). So to spend another $125 or more just to get a second opinion from another shop is not worth it at this point. I don't have time. If the car was here in New York, that would be a different story. But it would just be a waste of time and money at this point.

[Q45Owner]

Call Dana at Upton Foreign Motors 508 529 4040, he's the only guy I trust when I can't do it myself. He had a '92 Q himself up until 6 months ago or so. He did my plenum job (mines a '96) about a year ago and it's still running perfect. Worth a try, if he says the engine's toast then at least you won't find yourself without a car at a car dealership. Tell him Harrison recommended you.

Thanks for your input. Does he do engine replacements? If so, I'll call him tomorrow and get an estimate. Right now the estimates I'm getting are ridiculously high. I'm just trying to get this done as affordably as possible, without wasting time in the process.

[Q45Owner]

another opinion by someone actually looking at the car is not a bad idea.
another, maybe?, option we havent talked much about---get it running on 7 cylinders and drive it gingerly until she blows.

I just don't have the time or money to do all that. I have to make my decision by tomorrow. I've narrowed it down logically and its either replace the engine or junk it. If my car was sitting in front of my house, I would have a lot more options (maybe part it out, get a second opinion, etc), but I just don't have those options. I'm not gonna spend another $600-$700 to have my car transported to New York when I already spent $600 while I was up there dealing with this. Just too much money.

[qship96]

"The work was done by a mechanic at a dealership, in their service department."

I dont see the problem here then,have you contacted the shops owner/manager and discussed the issue? The shop should be obligated to repair your car if they screwed up?

Yet, your quote below does not sound like you were using a dealers service department?
was this employee of this dealer performing this work "off the clock" "after hours" unauthorized ?

"So anyway, after about an hour of deliberating on what to do, this guy and his father pushed my car out of the garage that he was doing the work in and pushed it into one of the spots outside."

[Q45Owner]

"The work was done by a mechanic at a dealership, in their service department."

I dont see the problem here then,have you contacted the shops owner/manager and discussed the issue? The shop should be obligated to repair your car if they screwed up?

Not yet. I'm waiting for this person to take responsibility for what happened first. I'm trying to be a nice guy here and let him step up to the plate and do the right thing. Right now I'm just trying to deal with this situation as quickly as possible and save every receipt in the process.

Yet, your quote below does not sound like you were using a dealers service department?
was this employee of this dealer performing this work "off the clock" "after hours" unauthorized ?

Yes, the work was done inside the dealers service department. I was told by the mechanic that he had authorization to use their service department. They were certainly aware that he was doing work on my car there, because other workers at the dealership were coming in and out of the service area while he was working on my car.

[masshead87]

Call Dana at Upton Foreign Motors 508 529 4040, he's the only guy I trust when I can't do it myself. He had a '92 Q himself up until 6 months ago or so. He did my plenum job (mines a '96) about a year ago and it's still running perfect. Worth a try, if he says the engine's toast then at least you won't find yourself without a car at a car dealership. Tell him Harrison recommended you.

Thanks for your input. Does he do engine replacements? If so, I'll call him tomorrow and get an estimate. Right now the estimates I'm getting are ridiculously high. I'm just trying to get this done as affordably as possible, without wasting time in the process.

Sure he does engine replacements. He does everything except alignments and paint/body work. And he'll tell you like it is, too. I went through no fewer than 5 shops before I went to him and now he's the only guy I trust or recommend to people. Just make sure you tell him everything that happened yesterday. Don't want to get your hopes up too high but he might even be able to improvise something, which he did when my idler pulley exploded 6 months ago. You should know that no matter where you go, this won't be inexpensive. And once Dana starts a job, he won't stop until its done right. So you had better be sure you love this car enough to drop at least a couple grand into getting it going again.
TBH, a car that old with that many miles, aesthetics aside, I dunno if I would. The only reason I had the plenum job done was because mine was just a hair over 100k when I did it. I understand where you're coming from with this because my Q was my graduation gift to myself and it's an awesome ride. But honestly if a major component failed right now I would probably cut my losses, see if I could sell it for parts to another NICO member and move on. It's your call, and I feel your pain. For whatever it's worth I've had licensed, insured shops screw up my ride before and in all but one case never saw a dime in restitution.

[Q45Owner]

Sure he does engine replacements. He does everything except alignments and paint/body work. And he'll tell you like it is, too. I went through no fewer than 5 shops before I went to him and now he's the only guy I trust or recommend to people. Just make sure you tell him everything that happened yesterday. Don't want to get your hopes up too high but he might even be able to improvise something, which he did when my idler pulley exploded 6 months ago. You should know that no matter where you go, this won't be inexpensive. And once Dana starts a job, he won't stop until its done right. So you had better be sure you love this car enough to drop at least a couple grand into getting it going again.

Yea, I realize it's gonna be an expensive fix. Just based on the information and estimates I got today, it's a big job. Alright, I'll give him a call tomorrow and see what he says, Thanks.

TBH, a car that old with that many miles, aesthetics aside, I dunno if I would. The only reason I had the plenum job done was because mine was just a hair over 100k when I did it. I understand where you're coming from with this because my Q was my graduation gift to myself and it's an awesome ride. But honestly if a major component failed right now I would probably cut my losses, see if I could sell it for parts to another NICO member and move on. It's your call, and I feel your pain. For whatever it's worth I've had licensed, insured shops screw up my ride before and in all but one case never saw a dime in restitution.

If it was my fault, my mistake, I probably would cut my losses. But this was not my fault. I trusted a mechanic who works for a very well known dealership to do this work. He agreed to do the job and I left their shop with a busted engine, no car to drive, paying for a hotel out of pocket, paying to have my car towed from his dealership to Infiniti out of pocket, spending money on a diagnostics at the Infiniti dealership out of pocket, spending money on taking a taxi down to Boston so I could spend over $100 on an Amtrak ticket so I could get home. Not to mention I also lost a day's worth of pay at my job. These are all losses I've suffered as a result of a mechanic who made a mistake while working on my car. Like I said, I'm willing to let him right this wrong and do the right thing and help me here, but so far he hasn't said he would. We'll see how things go. But I won't rest until I get reimbursed for my losses. Thanks for your input.

[BCC93QT]

You drove to Massachusetts from NY? I am literally on the border of NY (Canaan NY & Berkshire MA) You probably drove within 2 miles of the shop when you crossed the thruway into MA. I-90? If you can get the car to 12029 (Canaan NY) I would be willing to give it some love if the cosmetics are worth it. Am all over this area, day and night....

[qship96]

I still do not grasp why you have not already discussed the issue with the dealers service manager and the GM/owner of the dealership where you had the work done- they are the ones ultimately that will either make it right or tell you tough luck.Thinking the mechanic of the shop has any individual power to further work on the car or reimburse you is is just nonsense- the mechanics only perform work approved by their service manager,and any financial compensation to you comes from way above the mechanics level.You are wasting time trying to get anything from the mechanic himself.

But,somehow I dont think you are being upfront on the arrangement you made with this entire ordeal.......I have a STRONG impression you did not take your car to this dealer as a customer of the dealer,but instead you paid a discounted rate to a individual,and this individual just used the dealerships space to independantly do the work himself,and he pocketed all the money you gave him- in otherwords,you were a customer of his,not the dealers.If so-you got what you paid for,the dealer has no obligation to even listen to you,and the loss is yours to absorb alone.

[Q45Owner]

You drove to Massachusetts from NY? I am literally on the border of NY (Canaan NY & Berkshire MA) You probably drove within 2 miles of the shop when you crossed the thruway into MA. I-90? If you can get the car to 12029 (Canaan NY) I would be willing to give it some love if the cosmetics are worth it. Am all over this area, day and night....

I checked and you're over 150 miles away from where the car is currently located. Thanks for the offer though.

[Q45Owner]

I still do not grasp why you have not already discussed the issue with the dealers service manager and the GM/owner of the dealership where you had the work done- they are the ones ultimately that will either make it right or tell you tough luck.Thinking the mechanic of the shop has any individual power to further work on the car or reimburse you is is just nonsense- the mechanics only perform work approved by their service manager,and any financial compensation to you comes from way above the mechanics level.You are wasting time trying to get anything from the mechanic himself.

But,somehow I dont think you are being upfront on the arrangement you made with this entire ordeal.......I have a STRONG impression you did not take your car to this dealer as a customer of the dealer,but instead you paid a discounted rate to a individual,and this individual just used the dealerships space to independantly do the work himself,and he pocketed all the money you gave him- in otherwords,you were a customer of his,not the dealers.If so-you got what you paid for,the dealer has no obligation to even listen to you,and the loss is yours to absorb alone.

Oh, is that right? So if I went to a surgeon (a specialist) and he accidentally sliced an artery and killed me, I would have gotten what I deserved?
Look, I took my car to a mechanic (a specialist) to do work on my car and he ended up destroying my engine. Just like going to a surgeon for surgery and him making an error and accidentally killing me, this mechanic made an error and accidentally dropped a plenum bolt into my engine. This is a cut and dry situation. My car was damaged, the only car I have, and I have suffered a financial loss as a result. Whether or not I discuss this with anyone else or pursue any other avenue is not the issue right now. I have not posted all of the details of this situation because I am still protecting his anonymity on here and giving him the opportunity to settle this amicably between the two of us. However, my car was DESTROYED by the hands of this person and he has to own up to his mistake. He knows what happened, he knows the truth, and I believe he will do the right thing and work with me. If not, then I will pursue every other avenue possible until I get financially compensated for my loss.

[BCC93QT]

A "specialist" would have the experience and knowledge of covering up the exposed intake runners to avoid dropping anything in. Did he at least admit to his mistake or did you find it out yourself?