What should I do????? Need some opinions.

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

Please read before voting.http://www.balancedperformance.com/index.shtmlHere the people I have been taking my car to. They have been great, and I haven't had any complaints until recently. Heres the story:

About 2 months ago, I purchased(through their recomendation) a koyo alluminum radiator, and a perma-cool fan(which, apparently was sourced through heavy throttle, who says both products are top-notch..) because my old fan clutch was squaling, and I figured I might as well upgrade my cooling system if the labor rate is the same for a fan-swap(electric) and the radiator install(labor rate is same..).

So they had some problems, and a 900 dollar job went to 1030 dollars. That was fine, because I know that theres problems soemtimes with aftermarket things(in this case, my intake and the new radiator) so I paid them.

About 3 days later, my car started to overheat very randomly(aka, out of the blue). so I took it back, they chcked it out said "uhm..we got a air bubble out..try it now.." so I did.

well, next week..overheated again, so back it went(attempt number 3!) they put in a new thermostat, which I PAID FOR, being that I probably(in my mind) should have repalced it anyway while upgrading my cooling system...

they drove it, said it was "fine, shouldnt have another problem". Yeah....right.

so I drove it for another 5 days, and it pverheated again..this time blowing out my upper radiator hose. I was livid. I dropped(towed) my car to them and described the problem and situation to them...left it for 3 DAYS. THREE. finally get it back, they charged me 250 dollars for the parts, which I said was fine because the old hoses probably needed changing anyway.

well...guess what. It overheated again 3 days ago, and I found 2 air bubbles in the cooling system allong with some gasket goo, ant it overheated tonight again for NO reason(nothing different from last few days).

Last time it was there they modified the thermostat and waterpump to be more reliable..but it hasnt been fixed. so I ordered a NISMO thermostat(as a precaution) to get put in, and am taking it back tommorow.

so what should I do? THe total bill is 1450 dollars so far, I cant afford to keep paying for this problem, I am in college.-chetALSO: feel free to e-mail them, tell them you are from NICO, or 240sx.org, and that you want them to help me, or otherwise. please dont flame them though. I would appreciate some 'show of support' so they know Im getting a bit mad.What should I do aboutMy problem?

Post by **mattback** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

why didn't you work on the car yourself first off.

second off, are you sure the fan flows enough air and is shrouded enough?

are they bleeding the cooling system properly?

Call the better business bureau and demand your money back.

Post by **Rockenreno** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

if they haven't done the work properly, they should be the ones footing the bill, not you. Tell them to fix it at their expense or refund your money so you can get it done properly somewhere else.

Post by **MaineExport** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

Dude... you are getting a$$-raped on prices!!!! I may have misread your post.... but are you telling me that they charged you $250 for radiator hoses?!!!!!!!! All of this work they have done is VERY easy and you could have saved yourself HUGE $ if you did it yourself. Any of us would be glad to walk you through it!:) They charged you extra to remove your after-market intake? They are easier to remove than the stock stuff!!!!

I think you are getting over-charged... then again if you want it done by a professional... you have to pay. If you had brought it there and said, "My car is overheating... please fix it" then all the return trips should be free of labor rate charges.. in other words they should have fixed it right the first time. But, since you went there and requested they install after-market parts... then it started to over-heat... I think you are responsible for any problems that arise afterward, unless you can prove that their negligence led to the problem.

Post by **Just another 240** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

my teacher said nissan is always fuking hard to bleed!

and i have experience a similiar problem too, i just kept bleeding it and bleeding it until it runs ok again.

Post by **fiznat** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

maineimport wrote:if you brought it there and said, "My car is overheating... please fix it" then all the return trips should be free of labor rate charges.. in other words they should have fixed it right the first time. But, since you went there and requested they install after-market parts... then it started to over-heat... I think you are responsible for any problems that arise afterward, unless you can prove that their negligence led to the problem.

I agree mostly, but just because a part is aftermarket doesnt mean that the shop shouldnt be responsible for the effectiveness of the system. Especially if the kit was at their reccomendation.

Unless there are defects in the parts you got, I think the shop should responsible for installing it correctly if they are willing to take money for that specific service. You're paying them to do the job, period. If they couldnt do the job, they shouldnt have taken money for it in the first place.

*edit: and oh yeah-- do your own work man! it's more fun, and cheaper!

Post by **elscorcho612** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

Well I'm in NYC going to Tech school and what we call what there doing to you is"giving it to you witout da lube" man these guys are juicing you man more then OJ so bro they are doing the oldest trick in the automotive buss called parts cahnging they are nit techs they are mechanix and the difference is a mech can cahnge the part but a tech diagnosis the problem and garunties his workanship brothaman they got you and they doing the comeback job to ya come back drop you pants and take it because you don't know any better

KNOWIN IS HALF THE BATTLE COME ON PEOPLE YO JOE

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

Yes I know I should have done most the work by myself, but wiring up an electric fan, and fabricating intake brackets isnt exactly in my personal realm of abilities. But the point stands that I pourchased everything through them, and up until now they've done well....

oh well, I'm taking it back today, and Im not paying until its done. And yes, Nissans are notoriously hard to bleed out apparently.-chet

Post by **klorocks** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

why is this a sticky??

Post by **Rockenreno** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

Because he is a moderator who needs help (and has the ability to make sticky). Sticky allows for the greatest visibility so he can get quick (and lots of) advice;)

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

exactly. car goes back in monday..I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Post by **Rockenreno** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

good luck, maybe this time they'll actually fix it

Post by **christopher** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

There is no way they will give you ALL of your money back unless you go through the better buisiness bureau.

I would find a different shop after this is finished.

Post by **Tino** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

holy hit ucking kill those motheruckers, and scream "let me see your degree or certification w/e.

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

update:Took it in, they had it all day, john(whom I trust) tell me, just to be sure, to put in my old clutch-fan. I do..it overheats...now its back at the shop again....

hes going to do some test tonight and I'll talk to them tommorow.-chet

Post by **neurovish** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

for what it's worth, I know plenty of people driving around with the stock radiator and only the electric AC fan and having no cooling problems. These would also be people in FL and GA, so it's not like the cars don't have every opportunity to overheat.

IMO, you got jacked from the beginning and all you really needed to get rid of the clutch fan was just an electric fan to replace it (if that)

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

yeah, but I have heard of KA-T overheaitng problems, so I decided to get a higher-capacity radiator....that'll learn me. Its still there...

oh well, I went through some odd problems modifying my 300ZX also(that case it was a electrical problem...ugh) so I kinda expect there to be "bumps" allong the way to making my car about as close to race-spec as possible.

-chet

Post by **mattback** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

do a compresion test

Post by **pitbull_240** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

Exar-Kun/Chet:

I am one of your new 240's Over ATL buds........

Stop whatever you are doing. Immediately!!!! CALL CLARK HOWARD!!!!! He will give you sound, and legit cunsumer advice on how to properly deal with Balanced. I have considered using them, although I havent had a need for their services yet, I now am seriously reconsidering. Have you taled to tofu and the others on our ATL message board??? Have been away for a few days...... Sowwy..... Anyways..... Cut on AM 750 at 1pm today, and get Clark Howard's number. They will give you advice, even if you don't want to talk over the air to Clark himself, and if it warrant's it, he will have some of his support staff call Balanced and speak to them in a resonable manner while getting the situation resolved and maybe some of your money back.........

The only number I have for the Clark howard show is 404.872.0750........ Again, AFTER 1:00 pm, Neal Boortz is on until 1pm.

Unfortunately, you cannot receive ALL your money back. Maybe for all EXCEPT for the parts puschased. But the radiator, thermostat and stuff are yours to keep, sorry bruh....... There may be a way around that, but I doubt it.....

Let us know the haps........

Post by **Movingviolation240** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

klorocks wrote:why is this a sticky??

done...

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

I've been real happy with Ballanced, and evne Russ(TOFU cracker, R240NA) has had his share of cooling problems wiht his car, evne necessitating the complete removal of his thermostat for over a week.....so its apparently not "uncommon" to have problems with the 240 colling system...

oh well...we'll see how it goes.-chet

Post by **yellow_jacket** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

I am just a little curious and I don't think that you have answered this yet(or I just missed it).

1) Was the car overheating before you brought it to them?

2) If it was overheating before you brought it in, who recommended changing the radiator?

3) Did they give you any sort of written or verbal guarantee that this would solve the problem?

4) Did you just bring it the car and say it is overheating, please fix it?

Is there another thread on your car anywhere regarding this problem?

Post by **BuudWeizErr** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

Just to show that you SHOULD NOT be having these problems, I'm driving around with my SR20DET... stock JDM radiator (inlet is on the correct side), stock clutch fan, and dun dun dun, no fan shroud. My temps never get above 45C, and are usually sitting ~32C. That's with normal coolant also. I also have an FMIC blocking the radiator.

Are you sure the electrics are turning on?

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

I know I shouldnt be having the problems, and heres the scoop, the reason I brought it in was th fan-clutch squeal. I was going to do an electric fan conversion, but had heard some KAT have overheating problem when racing without a better radiator, so I asked if they knew of any that would work, etc...

1.No it was not2.N/A, but they purchased both the parts and installed them(I knew better than to buy my own parts with such a large operation..)3.N/A4. no, see above and my first post explaining the problem. its very intermittent..it can go 4 days before it overheats again, regardless of driving habit, or conditions...-chet

Post by **yellow_jacket** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

Hard to say on this one. Since the car had never over heated before I would be tempted to say that it is something that they did and may be a result of air in the system somewhere or maybe when they installed the radiator and ran it up they over heated the car and the head gasket popped. I understand that there isn't any white smoke coming out all of the time doesn't mean that the head isn't blown.

The problem is this, Balanced is going to argue that the car was fine when it left the shop and therefore they performed the repairs correctly. They will back it up by saying that it performed well for 4 days.

You will definetely need to talk to the shop owner and explain that this is an unacceptable situation. Most decent shops will try to appease you by offering parts at cost and charging a cheaper labor rate. In the end you may end up having to take them to court and get another shop to fix the problem to prove it was something they did.

One more thing, if you are absolutely tired of the situation and don't want to deal with them anymore, you can call your credit card company and put the item in dispute.

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

I pick it up today, we reinstalled my old radiator to see if thats the problem...we'll see. They've been very helpfull, and john(the guy working on it) is very sympathetic to my situation..so its not like they are being ****s about the situation..its just frustrating situation to be in, ya know?-chet

Post by **yellow_jacket** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

I can understand. I have also been on both ends of the stick. One particular time the shop did a simple tune up on a car. Test drove it, everything was great. Customer comes to pick it and and it wouldn't start. Turned out the ecu just happened to fail at that moment.

I really hope changing the radiator out solves your problem.

Post by **pitbull_240** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

Chet- Let us know what the haps are......

Post by **Exar-Kun** » Wed Mar 05, 2003 4:23 pm

It seems stabilised since going back to the stock rad/fan, etc...I'm going to head over there and talk with them within the next few days about where to go from here...Im thinking of a few options:-keep the stock radiator, keep an electric fan(no headaches), and get my money back for the radiator

-get my money back and be done with it

-get another alluminum radiator, fan setup, (no cost to me, mind you) since I will be turboing my car.

we'll see.-chet

What should I do????? Need some opinions.

What should I do????? Need some opinions.

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