Please Help - Repair Facility Replaced Knock Sensor Damaged Engine

[Rebecca001]

I recently had my 97 J30 Infiniti repaired at a repair facility. The repair facility stated to me that the knock sensor needed to be replaced. I paid $1,261.00. A week had past and I had called the repair facility to see if they had completed repairing my vehicle. Then another week, then another... Same response... I will have the owner call you. Finally, I get a call from the mechanic, "Jason". He said my car would be ready on Saturday. I called my sister, Jana, and she had taken me and my daughter to the repair facility to pickup my car. We waited 45 minutes and the mechanic and the owner came out to the lobby and said can you please come with me (I guess because several customers were in the lobby and they did not want the customers to hear). We walked to the vehicle and I saw that my engine was gone from the car. There were several parts laying on the ground in front of my car. The owner said there is a problem. The mechanic damaged your engine while replacing the knock sensor and were sorry and that they would replace all parts with new parts "just the way it was". The mechanic, "Jason", then had talked to me expressing how sorry he was but he was instructed by his boss to do the repair and how he did not feel qualified/comfortable performing the repair on the car. (I thought we drove all the way out here - me and my daughter waited 45 minutes thinking the car had been repaired and was ready for pickup as stated by the owner - and to top it off, I had tocall my sister to pick us up.) That Wednesday, the owner, said he would put me in a rental and asked if I could leave work to pick it up which I did. I calledthat next week. No answer.. called the week after and asked for the owner - he said he would have him call me back - two months had passed going ontwo and a half months. The owner finally called me back and said he had to hire someone outside the shop to fix my engine. I asked him if all parts were new. He said yes... He said just enjoy the rent-a-car and we will call you when it is repaired. Going on three months, I got a call from the owner that the car was ready and he asked if I could leave work to pickup the car which I did. I get my car back. On my way back to work, I noticed the car is jumping and it dies at the light and my engine light comes on. It took me 20 minutes to restart the car. I called the repair facility and the owner is not there. I then asked for Jason who had worked on the car. He said he got fired and no longer works there. I explained what my car was doing. He said well .. the engine may need time to adjust and to drive it on the highway. I said, No... the engine light came on and the car died.. and so on and so on.... He said he would have the owner call me back... On my way home, the car was jumping,stalling, making loud noises coming from the engine... I was scared to death to drive the car. When I got home, I popped the hood from the engineand noticed that it didn't look right. The Infiniti (silver part) 3.0 liter missing from car. I took several photographs of the engine. The next day leaving for work, my car died 6 times at lights... I was an hour and a half late for work.I constantly called the owner... no one would answer the phone. I had to deal with this for a week and a half before the owner would call meback. The owner finally called my office and said lets talk about the car and Iwill pick you up for lunch. He did. I refused lunch - he kept patting me on the back and said he was sorry and would make it right. I told him about the silver part missing from the engine. He stated, "Oh, we left it on the ground and forgot to put it back on, we will put it back on for you." He then said, "do you have time to bring your car up to my shop for another look." I leftwork again to bring it up there. I received a phone call from another mechanic who said it needed like 4 other things replaced on the engine and said I would be charge for the diagnostics????? I thought WHAT? I said just leavethe keys in the ignition and I will be by to pickup the car after work. The following weekend, my daughter and I were going to the store and wesmelt fumes/smoke coming from the engine and had to pull over the car because we could not breathe.Does any one know what they could have done to my engine when replacing the knock sensor? What is the shop hiding from me? Any recommendations and/or information that could help me is greatly appreciated.Thank you for your time and assistance.

R. EvansEmail: [email protected]

[Fridge]

Omg what a nightmare. You are in need of a competant Infiniti mechanic and a lawyer in my opinion. I have found that most shops can not work on Infinitis. I would take it to the dealer for a estimate or maybe someone on the forum can recomend a shop.Good luck!

[Q45tech]

Repair Facility....................what is that, be specific you can name them wilthout fear if your side of the story is close to correct.

Take to an Infiniti dealer for a paid inspection. Where it should have been taken in the first place. You will need paid expert witnesses is court.

The problem is a 11 year old J is not worth much more than a real engine replacement should cost $4500.

Owners and non certified non experienced on specific model mechanics cause more damages than you can imagine.

[Q451990]

Wow... lawyer time for sure. Try to sit down and document dates, times, etc. You'll need them in court. What a nightmare.

Just for fun, please post the pictures you took of your engine - I would be interested to see the carnage...

Heath

[Haitian_King]

What the damn hell? Who was running the shop? Jack Benny and Mr. Bean?

One measly knock sensor and they destroy your engine? And leave the plenum off? (Do J30's have a plenum? I've never looked.)

Take them. All the way to the effing bank. Seriously. They owe you big time. Sue them and take the shop. Then staff the shop full of good Infiniti techs.

I really hope you nail these jerks.