Disaster!! AutoShop Negligence

Brian2by2 · 9 May 2003

AutoShop Negligence...

man guys...something bad happened to me...thank God I knew how to handle it so it was MUCH less than what it could have been...here it goes:

I was getting my new Comptech springs put on my car. Dropped it off at 3:30, they said 2 hours to fix it all. Showed back up at 5:30, not done. Told them I HAD to have the car back by 6:30. They finally finished at 7:00. I was late for a meeting so I was driving on the road out side the shop (50mph zone). I get through the first traffic light, first car off the line, alot of cars behind me.

I'm doing about 65mph when all the sudden: BAMN and CRACK. The whole left side of my car falls on the ground!! I goto hit the brakes...NO BRAKES!! So I pump them. Still no brakes!! I throw it into 2nd and pull up the emergency brake and SOMEHOW come to a complete stop off in a turn lane.

I get out of the car only to see my NEW Racing Hart CP-035R wedged up under the wheelwell of my right tire. I was pissed and shaken up. I called the shop (my cell phone battery was SHOT so I just told them that it was going dead and to get their asses north on Flamingo Road with a jack). The guy shows up, jacks up the car, and mounts the tire properly.

The Damage: Bent the rim of the wheel, scratched the CRAP outta the inside of the rim and around the lug nut openings. Burned rubber all over the paint of my car. Flat spotted 4 tires (I skid for .4 miles!!!) Front left tire is shot...literally slashed up a bit.

The shop has already agreed to fix the wheel, but I want them to do something about my tires!!! I mean, ZR rated 18" tires that are 285 in the back are NOT cheap!!!! And I don't need to have a flat spot on the tires!!!

Any Advice? Im going back to the shop at 10:30 this morning.

KGP · 9 May 2003

Jeez, I think anything less than the shop assuming total responsibility for ALL that happened to the car would be short in a remedy. Try to keep your calm, but be firm in your conviction. Heck, they (and you) are pretty lucky that you hadn't made it onto a highway and into traffic.

If they don't give you what is right, I guess small claims court is an option. Good luck.

Soichiro · 9 May 2003

What kind of shop was this?

BadCarma · 9 May 2003

Soichiro said:
What kind of shop was this?

A butcher shop

sorry about your misfortune, I agree with the above post that the shop needs to fix everything incurred from the incident
good luck
david

MJK · 9 May 2003

Get Pictures!

GET PICTURES!

Then calmly explain that they caused the damage, and should therefore be responsible for the cost of the repairs. ALL THE REPAIRS, and done at a shop of your choice (for any paintwork/body panels). If that doesn't work, have a lawyer explain it to them calmly.

My $.02

Jimbo · 9 May 2003

Do we actually even know what happened?

Before everyone goes off half-cocked and blames the shop, perhaps it was a component failure.

I would suggest that we first discover what caused the problem. If it's due to a faulty install or negligence then the shop should cover the cost of restoration.

-Jim

nsxtacey · 9 May 2003

you should also read any waiver provisions in the repair contract they made u sign

Black Knight · 9 May 2003

Jimbo said:
Do we actually even know what happened?

Before everyone goes off half-cocked and blames the shop, perhaps it was a component failure.

I would suggest that we first discover what caused the problem. If it's due to a faulty install or negligence then the shop should cover the cost of restoration.

-Jim

i agree....investigate the matter thoroughly and then just kill them all...i mean make them pay for it.

bad spring installation can cause this? anyone mechanical care to share?

Carguy! · 9 May 2003

It sounds like they forgot to tighten the wheel lug nuts, but more information would be necessary to make any determinations.

KGP · 9 May 2003

Jimbo said:
Do we actually even know what happened?

Good point. We only know of the reported symptoms, not the cause(s). I'm interested in hearing an update. How bought it 2by?

KGP · 9 May 2003

Carguy! said:
It sounds like they forgot to tighten the wheel lug nuts...

That's the first thing I thought of, but loose lugs give off a signal that something is wrong before the wheel falls off.

nsxtacey · 9 May 2003

Res Ipsa Loquitor for negligence if no one comes foward with information.

svalleynsx · 10 May 2003

The odds of this occuring on ANY car, let alone an NSX, due to component failure has to be astronomical. Provided the car ran fine before you brought it in, and it wasn't sabotaged without your knowledge, then I'd say you have a good case against this outfit.

As mentioned before, take pictures and try to document as much of the work that took place as you can.

NeoNSX · 10 May 2003

geez... what a story.

Brian2by2, you are just soooo lucky... this whole situation could have been even worse than it is... eg. the wheel had come off when you're behind a car/truck... whatever the cause, this could have been fatal...

Dunno if it's worth suggesting a check for any structual fractures...

I wish you and the car the best & quickest recovery.

Brian2by2 · 10 May 2003

UPDATE:

bad spring installation can cause this? anyone mechanical care to share?

Nope...simply not tightening the lug nuts. My warning before the tire came flying off was this: BAM!! <whole car slams on floor> and then "EEERRRRRRR" <skidding> lol

Thankfully, i'm ok and my NSX appears to be ok. Severe rubber buildup in the wheel well and some on the paint. I'm going to work on getting it off today. The rim is bent and scratched up horribly!! I had the suspension checked out and all appears well. The only significant damage is the rim, my 4 tires (flat spotted) and me...thank God I know how to drive because if it were my sister, girlfriend, mom, brother...they might not be here.

At 60-70mph, something like that is down right DANGEROUS!!

Oh, and Thank God the front had lowering springs in already because the 1.25" drop that it gave was probably JUST enough to prevent the rim from flying out and instead pinned it under the car!!

nsxtasy · 10 May 2003

Brian2by2 said:
Nope...simply not tightening the lug nuts. My warning before the tire came flying off was this: BAM!! <whole car slams on floor> and then "EEERRRRRRR" <skidding>

There were probably signs that you did not notice or you chose to ignore. When lug nuts are not tightened sufficiently, they don't come loose instantly; they work their way loose by backing off the studs. This is apparent as a noticeable vibration that gets worse and worse as they get looser.

Don't ask me how I know this.

This does not exculpate the shop from primary responsibility for the incident, but it does mean that you probably missed an opportunity to recognize the symptom and prevent the incident from causing damage.

KGP · 10 May 2003

nsxtasy said:
There were probably signs that you did not notice or you chose to ignore.

Don't ask me how I know this.

Ditto.

Now to the rest of the issue: Is the shop going to cover everything?

ANYTIME · 10 May 2003

KGP said:
That's the first thing I thought of, but loose lugs give off a signal that something is wrong before the wheel falls off.

I had this exact same thing happen to me, and the lug nuts started flying next to me outside of my drivers window(easy now, it wasn't on the NSX, it was a Ranger 4x4). I stopped and told XYZ tire shop to get someone down here now and bring some lug nuts! It was only on one wheel and it screwed up the studs and the wheel only a little. When I returned to the store and the manager started hassling me on whether he was going to replace the studs and all of my gorilla lug nuts(ALL of them were locking, so I needed all 20 new lug nuts replaced), I called the 800 help line number that was on his desk and talked with the district manager and told him the situation. I was lucky that no one was hurt. He had me put the store manager on the phone. The manager hung up after talking with him and his attitude did a 180. He then asked me what kind of tires I would like. What? I was here for tire balancing, not tires. He said they were going to give me a free set of BFG All Terrain tires and wanted to know what size I would like!!! Yes, can I have some of the 33's please! Now, I'm not getting away for free. He said he would have to charge me tax. It was 8 bucks out of my pocket, which I was happy to give him.
You should call the stores coporate office and let them know that they should be lucky that you or anyone else was not injured or killed and fixing your car could be the least they could do.

SJJ28 · 10 May 2003

How do loose lug nuts cause no brakes????

Brian2by2 · 10 May 2003

This is apparent as a noticeable vibration that gets worse and worse as they get looser

Vibration is also a common sign of a misaligned front end which is also common when new springs are installed. The vibration also tends to increase as speed increases...I assumed it was just the alignment.

As far as the brakes not working, I'm not sure!! I don't really know whats up...They worked but not well enough to get me to stop. Plus the first pump, no brakes. 2nd pump, ehhh. Thats when I knew: Ebrake and 2nd gear...

The shop assumes responsibility and will pay for the rim and an examination of hte suspension, but I want new tires!! I flatspotted all four of them!

Lud · 10 May 2003

Sorry to hear about the incident. That is actually a surprisingly common mistake at all kinds of garages. I know enough people who have had it happen that I now always double-check the lug nuts before driving when they have been removed (even if I'm the one who removed/installed them).

Raising or lowering the car by changing springs/shocks doesn't cause vibration. At most it will cause uneven tire wear over the long term if you don't realign it.

As for the braking problems... First, the car would have considerably less stopping power since the front brakes usually do most of the work, and one of them was totally useless since the wheel was off. Also, if a wheel comes off, I expect ABS would activate when the brakes are engaged since the rotor with no wheel would stop turning immediately and make the computer think it was in a skid.. Never tested that one before, hopefully never will.

Brian2by2 · 10 May 2003

well the vibration due to alignment thing is an independent conclusion i came to after lowering my mustang, but it was also suggested by the shop that a vibration should be normal and nothing to worry about until after i get the car aligned.

nsxtasy · 10 May 2003

Brian2by2 said:
Vibration is also a common sign of a misaligned front end

No, it isn't. If a car is not aligned properly, it usually has a tendency to pull to one side or the other, or it may not feel precise in turning. But vibration is never a symptom of a mis-alignment.

Loose lug nuts are always the first thing to check when you feel a vibration (because they are the easiest thing to check, as well as the easiest to correct).

Rennphile · 11 May 2003

Brian,

I'm sorry to hear about your trouble. Assuming the lugs were not properly torqued, the shop should cover the cost of all repairs - end of discussion.

I've read this thread carefully. I'm puzzled as to how all four tires were flatspotted though...

BTW, rubber can be tough to remove from paintwork. You might consider a product by 3M. I believe they market it as "decal remover" and it should not strip the wax or damage your clearcoat.

AaronR · 11 May 2003

SJJ28 said:
How do loose lug nuts cause no brakes????

I was thinking the same thing

Disaster!! AutoShop Negligence

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