i bought my car from rob milton about 2 weeks ago and it came off the truck yesterday..all seemd well the outside was great..later as i inspected the car the rust was far worse on the underbody..worse than he said..he said "Minor" rust...this wasent minor at all, then the btrakes were shot! refilled the brake fluid that didn't do anything... then we parked it checked it out this afternoon and the whole rearend leaked and all the fluid was on the pavment..turns out theres a crack in the axle and all the fluid leaked out the side.. he didn't say anything abotu these problems..i'm going to need a whole new rearend how much is that gonna cost in parts and labor!!! i only make $5.35 an hour and i don't get that many hours...am i gonna have to work my ass off all summer to fix a car that shouldn't even be damaged..how much cash am i looking at..please help, and what should i say to him????? help!
If I recall, he's in Minnesota. What he perceives as "minor" rust is very likely going to be a horrific sight to those of us in the south/west. I was born in MN myself, and lived in IA for many years, so I have a pretty good idea what the bottom of this car is going to look like. Too late for you, but I would NEVER buy a car from the northern part of the country without photographic evidence of it's underside condition. On the axle: If it leaked much lube out at your place, I would file a claim with the carrier. If it was damaged at the time of pickup, it would all have leaked out on the trip (all over their truck), not in your drive. What exactly do you mean by cracked? Where? Can you post a pic? I would either send a non-threatening email, or telephone call (whichever method you were using to contact each other) and express your concerns to the seller. See what he has to offer.
the mechanic said it's damage like he's never seen, and it's going to cost me over a grand in labor plus parts. and he said it's not recent damage, he said i just need ot understand that the car was misinterpreted, but he probably wasent intentionally hideing it from me, he probably just didn't know it was an existing problem.... now i'm screwed not much i can do now...
no no no, i'm not saying roberts a bad guy, he's a great guy! very helpful thus far! it's just he's probably not a mechanic who would notice such a problem. I would never discourage doing business with rob milton. it's jsut i should have hired a mechanic to go to his house and check it out before I boguht the car
Well, that answers the question of how it's damaged .... $1000 for a rear axle installed? Damned thing better be a new/ rebuilt Currie unit. So how is this axle damaged? Housing or carrier? It may be possable to repair it temporaraly so the car can be enjoyed while shopping for another rear. This may be an opertunity to do a switch to a Maveric or Granada axle. Could get that done for a bunch less than a grand. Far as the seller being a 'nice guy', the most effective shysters are nice people. Not saying the seller is a shyster but the appearance of being 'nice' or 'good' isn't an indicator of true intention. Take me for example, at times I'm a frigging a**hole but I wouldnt rip someone off. Far as buying something large or expensive online from a private seller? They wouldn't get a penny till I had personally inspected the item.
You ought to be able to buy a complete 8" rear for less than $200 out of a salvage yard. Less from a private seller. If you were closer, I'd hook you up. What about the one out of your wrecked car? I also question whether he's being up front with you. I mean, if it leaked that badly, he had to have seen it before selling/shipping it. Somebody should invite him over here from .net.
ok i got it all worked out! the mechanic i had check it out didn't know ****! i talked to rob milton and he said he jsut had it serviced, upon checking the brake fluid it was empty just after we refilled it, so were guessing the the brake line ruptured during transit and poured down the rusted axle makeing it appear to be cracked. so it's jsut the brakeline! thank god! Rob Milton is a Great guy and i'd do business with him anyday, he's smart kind, and very honest! thnaks guys! and the price i was quoted was for the rearend plus LABOR..
You need to find a new mechanic. Brake fluid and gear oil are easily identified. And I am with Wart. I want to see every inch of a car before I buy it. Of course I learned the hard way. Good luck with everything.
A mechanic who can't tell between 90 wt and brake fluid? Interesting thing I've noticed the past couple of years is the grease monkies at Jiffy Lube call themselves mechanics. Seems anyone who changes oil, plugs, wires or air filters think they have earned the title. So the transit company just wrapped a chain (or something) around the axle? In the area of the pumpkin? Think it was a brain fart, or they just didn;'t know better.? Yeah, mayhaps. But if he's known only through .net and no place else I am of the opinion he is automatically suspect by association. I can justify this opinion, and give reason I am once again broaching this subject. You may find it amusing. Parts, labor, and an extensive and intensive prostrate massage by his penis. A $grand$ would get a Versialles installed, the new master cylinder and a proportioning valve plumbed in. Assuming $300 for the rear. Or mayhaps he had you figured for a sucker. HINT: Anytime you get a leak obtain a can of Brake Cleaner / (electric) motor cleaner. Wash it down, run the machine and check it out. Powerwashing is not a good idea, if there is a leak or the gasket is shot there is a chance of blowing comtaminates into the casing. Could get you in a world of trouble.
Definitely, I just did the rearend in a '79 Dodge pickup for much less than that at the shop I'm working at now (got two new jobs to replace my one fast-food job this month, I'm a mechanic full-time and sell auto parts part-time). You're getting ripped off... Heck, if you've got a good pair of jackstands, some air tools a sturdy floor jack and a good friend that'll help, you may want to tackle it yourself, it's not that difficult, just time-consuming, sweaty, heavy work.
