My Chrysler died

QRQ 30 · 12-02-2004, 17:11

I just paid off my 1998 Sebring convertible. In four years I put 60K miles on the car and in the fifth year my daughter used it “to go back and forth to work” and put an additional 70K. That is 70K in 18 months!!!! In short she drove the hell out of it. I will deal with her later!!!

I put it in the shop and had some work done on it – to the tune of $800. When I drove it again it was still blowing white smoke. I took it back to the dealer and they said they didn’t see any smoke. In less than 2K miles I used 5 qts of oil. When they worked on the car the first time they had to keep it over night since the valve cover seal had “squeezed” out and they had to pull the valve cover and install another gasket.

The car was acting up and I had intended to take it to Chrysler in Anderson Monday. Saturday morning I went out to just move the car and the engine was seized. I had the car taken to the garage. BTW: GEICO Road Side Assistance has been well worth the slight additional cost. I called first to make sure that “roadside” included my driveway. They said yes. I remember some other “AAA” type of coverage who wouldn’t have covered the car in my driveway.

I just got a call from Chrysler saying I needed a new engine. No surprise though I was hoping for a major overhaul (rebuild). They have two engines available, MOPAR and some other brand. The MOPAR engine is $8,200 with 35K mile warranty. The other engine costs $7600 with a 75K mile warranty. These prices include all parts and labor plus two transmission solenoids.

I have located a new engine for $3500 (on the shelf). What would a reasonable price be for the installation of the engine? I was told to expect between $5K and $6K including the engine.

For the Lawyers/mechs: Can the people who do the work tell from my previous work invoice if Chrysler contributed to the destroyed engine? And if so what are the chances of successfully suing them?

**Kyobanim** · 12-02-2004, 17:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by QRQ 30

For the Lawyers/mechs: Can the people who do the work tell from my previous work invoice if Chrysler contributed to the destroyed engine? And if so what are the chances of successfully suing them?

They can determine to a fair degree of certainty what caused the engine to seize and from there, lay blame on someone. More than likely they will say poor maintenance unless you kept impecable records and receipts of servicing.

I went through a seized engine in my wife's Dodge several months back. They tore the engine down and looked at everything. Ended up they said we didn't service the car properly and I didn't have receipts. I lost.

**Roguish Lawyer** · 12-02-2004, 17:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by QRQ 30

I just paid off my 1998 Sebring convertible. In four years I put 60K miles on the car and in the fifth year my daughter used it “to go back and forth to work” and put an additional 70K. That is 70K in 18 months!!!! In short she drove the hell out of it. I will deal with her later!!!

I put it in the shop and had some work done on it – to the tune of $800. When I drove it again it was still blowing white smoke. I took it back to the dealer and they said they didn’t see any smoke. In less than 2K miles I used 5 qts of oil. When they worked on the car the first time they had to keep it over night since the valve cover seal had “squeezed” out and they had to pull the valve cover and install another gasket.

The car was acting up and I had intended to take it to Chrysler in Anderson Monday. Saturday morning I went out to just move the car and the engine was seized. I had the car taken to the garage. BTW: GEICO Road Side Assistance has been well worth the slight additional cost. I called first to make sure that “roadside” included my driveway. They said yes. I remember some other “AAA” type of coverage who wouldn’t have covered the car in my driveway.

I just got a call from Chrysler saying I needed a new engine. No surprise though I was hoping for a major overhaul (rebuild). They have two engines available, MOPAR and some other brand. The MOPAR engine is $8,200 with 35K mile warranty. The other engine costs $7600 with a 75K mile warranty. These prices include all parts and labor plus two transmission solenoids.

I have located a new engine for $3500 (on the shelf). What would a reasonable price be for the installation of the engine? I was told to expect between $5K and $6K including the engine.

For the Lawyers/mechs: Can the people who do the work tell from my previous work invoice if Chrysler contributed to the destroyed engine? And if so what are the chances of successfully suing them?

If the warranty is expired, which I assume it is, you probably are out of luck.

Bravo1-3 · 12-02-2004, 18:29

Over 100,000 miles, engines are considered "shot"; yes, they can be rebuilt etc... but 100,000 is the auto industry standard unless stated otherwise.

$3500 is a good deal for an unused engine. Shipping, and labor should run you $1500 to $2000. If Chrysler does the work, expect to pay a lot more. The dealerships set the prices, and we all know how friendly they are.

I'm going under the assumption that you're going to write off Chrysler. You should be able to find a shop to do the work without much trouble within the price range I stated. You might even pay less.

Sacamuelas · 12-02-2004, 21:44

Agree on the price of a new motor for $3500 being pretty good. I will tell you what I did for my little jeep a while ago. I talked to the head mechanic at the jeep dealership and had a little private conversation with him concerning cash money for labor if "he had any friends that could do it on the weekend". He gave me his personal phone number and did the labor I needed at his home shop(practically all good mechanics have a home shop for tinkering) for about 1/3 the quoted cost at the dealership.

Good luck

**Ambush Master** · 12-02-2004, 22:06

Check with any local "Technical Schools" or High School/Junior College auto-shops. My Brother-in-law teaches automechanics at both a high school and a JC and they take on projects like this, only charging for materials. With an instructor looking over their shoulders, the quality can be better than in the street shops !!!

Good luck !!
Martin

QRQ 30 · 12-02-2004, 22:09

Thanks for the replies. On another board some people suggested that fixing the car wasn't cost effective. To me, its not a question of the resale value of the car but more a question of what the car is worth to me. My wife and I really wanted a Sebring convertible. Actually my affair started with the Le Baron Concertible. The car cost $31K in 1968. It is a fully loaded JXI. The rest of the car is in excellent condition. In a word, its our baby so $5K to fix it is much less than $30K+ to replace it. We occasionally sweat blood to make and even catch up on payments and now it is ours. I may be buried in it with the top down.

A List member is working on a salvaged engine. It will go for $2500 max and comes with a guarentee. Overall I think I will end up spending less than $4K which is 1/2 what Chrysler wants.

QRQ 30 · 12-02-2004, 22:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ambush Master

Check with any local "Technical Schools" or High School/Junior College auto-shops. My Brother-in-law teaches automechanics at both a high school and a JC and they take on projects like this, only charging for materials. With an instructor looking over their shoulders, the quality can be better than in the street shops !!!

Good luck !!
Martin

Another good idea. Thanks. With the BMW plant here I am sure Greenville Tech has some good classes.

Bravo1-3 · 12-02-2004, 22:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ambush Master

Check with any local "Technical Schools" or High School/Junior College auto-shops.

This is a very good idea. The only caveat is the wait time. You might have to wait 3-4 weeks in some cases (depending on what you want done), since a LOT of these schools handle non-essential State/County/City vehicles, as well as other Cheap SOB's trying to save a couple grand

If you can get it with only a short wait, or you can wait for it, then it's a great idea.

QRQ 30 · 12-03-2004, 12:29

I found a shop run by Wayne Bracken who was in the 77th and pre-RVN 5th and the 20th. He found an engine for $750 (65K miles) and will charge $1200 labor bringing the total bill to $1950.