To RallyRedY2KX, I am sorry for your misfortune. Having been in a similar position in the past I can identify. When I first started driving, many years ago, I was ripped off by a dealership that charged me for a clutch replacement (many hours of labor plus parts) and in reality they only rebuilt the clutch slave cylinder. It cost them less than $15 for the parts and about an hour for the labor. The bill was hundreds of dollars. I only knew I had been scammed because more knowledgeable friends showed me that the dirt and grease around the transmission and back of the engine hadn’t been disturbed. It’s not possible to do a clutch replacement and not clean, smear, or otherwise leave evidence. I still sometimes feel bad when I remember this because I could have seen it myself, even with little mechanical experience.
From a more positive perspective it was a learning experience, albeit an expensive and painful one. Although you spent a lot of $s, you can take comfort in the knowledge that you will never do it again. Additionally if those repairs were actually done, you have gotten something for your money, even if you didn’t need it.
This experience can perhaps lead you to doing more of your own maintenance and learning enough about cars to know when you need to leave something to a mechanic, as well as learning to identify BS. Much of automobile maintenance is not anywhere near rocket science and a lot is just common sense and observation.
That said, owning an orphan car is going to be a bit more challenging than owning a Chevy or Toyota. Don’t give up. Burying this will not make it go away. Knowledge is power and SOCA provides access to a lot of thoughtful knowledgeable folks who know all about our little cars. Thank you for posting this as it reminds that we all have to be aware of the unscrupulous and dishonest elements that are ever poised to trade horse hockey for our hard earned dollars.
Also contact the BBB and rat this guy out. It may not get you any money back, but it will make you feel a little better and mayhap save someone else this pain in the future.
The guy at the repair facility is not a rat. Shop labor is $130 a hour. Even higher for exotic cars. Plus the cost parts. No matter if the shop install a simple light bulb. At 2.10s of a hour to fix. That why it nice to know how install wipers, bulbs, oil changes, filters yourself.
Just hooking a diagnostic scanner to our modern automobile. A automotive shop can charge you $120 easy. Same price your going to pay, at a Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Chevy, etc dealership. There are standard labor per hour cost out there, That any good automotive shops follow.
Before taking a you car to any shop. Be very knowledgeable, of the needs of you car. Check references of the automotive shop you’re going to use. Have them show the what need to be repaired immediately.
Like I mention before the Op, didn’t have to have authorize, all that work to be performed at once.
Take you Ferrari, Maserati, etc, to a shop to be serviced. Don’t be surprised the repair cost.
These are just of a few of the automotive repair shops here I’ve used in the past. Just do some
reseach, in your area. Christian brothers, Sallas, KCautoworx are excellence here. foreign and domestic cars.
