My wife’s car started having issues today – but instead of getting it towed, she drove to the repair shop near our house. We’ve only used them a few times, but they have a very good reputation.
They checked it out – two broken front axles. Gave us an estimate of $500 plus labor.
They just called, about 4 hours later, the axles have been replaced… but because my wife drove around on it a while, it cracked the… blah blah blah.
(Something about rack and pinion. I know zero about cars.)
He said he’s calling back in 20 mins. Needs to see if it’s a part that can be ordered or if it needs to be rebuilt.
Now, let’s say he calls us and it’s a crazy price and I decide it’s not worth it… what are my options at that point? Am I still liable for the axle replacements? Sure, they did the work already, but we approved the work based on an estimate that the car would then work for that price. And they misdiagnosed the problem as well. Or at least only partially diagnosed it.
Just so I know what options I have – and these guys haven’t given me the new quote yet, and I hope it’s a simple, friendly process, but I just want to know what choices I have before the phone call happens (I hope).
I can help more accurately if I have make, model, year, and engine size.
What you’ve posted doesn’t sound right. I’m tempted to think either something has been lost in translation or this shop is full of it.
Assuming it’s a front wheel drive car, it can’t be driven with one broken drive axle, much less two. What exactly does “broken” mean here?
It borders on impossible for both front drive axle to suddenly develop problems that require replacement. Furthermore, I’m at a loss to imagine how a faulty drive axle could take out another part – unless the axle broke and was whipping around, in which case the car would not be driveable (possibly it could be driven if it’s an all wheel drive vehicle, depending on the system).
As far as whether you’re on the hook for what’s been done so far with the car still not repaired to driveability, probably not if they led you to believe those repairs would be sufficient. Practically speaking, though, a lot of shops would not be inclined to let the car be towed out with a bill of that size unpaid. You’d likely win in court, but chances are you’d have to take it that far to prevail.
It’s a 2000 Honda CRV. So 4 wheel drive. (or awd… I don’t know the difference. See previous note about my automotive knowledge.)
Here’s how he just explained it.
The transaxle differential broke. That’s what needs replacing. He got a price for a rebuilt one of $2,700 + tax (installed, and includes the $800 for the axles), or $3,400 + tax (installed, plus axles) for a new unit with a 1-year warranty.
I said I needed to think about it and call him back. Wondering if it’s time for a new car, which would really suck as we were hoping this would have another 3 years in it to avoid simultaneous car payments (my car is 2 years old).
PS - by broken, what I meant was : wife said car was fine going straight. But when she tried turning, there’d be a huge bump like it was going over a speed bump or something.
Thanks for the info. Basically, it makes sense, though I’m curious why the axles needed to be replaced.
I haven’t priced this repair, but the figures quoted don’t sound out of line.
This problem doesn’t necessarily mean the vehicle should be replaced. It’s one of the more painful things to break (expletives are certainly appropriate), but doesn’t particularly suggest that other items are soon to fail. Note that the differential in this vehicle takes a special Honda-only fluid (dual pump fluid), and the maintenance schedule calls for replacing the fluid at 90,000 miles. It’s conceivable that if this was overlooked, and the mileage is well beyond 90K, that might have been a factor in its demise.
This is one of those situations where there’s really no good alternative to fixing it. Pretty tough to sell a car that doesn’t drive right, or doesn’t drive at all. Overall, though, odds are good that once it’s fixed you can get several more years of use out of it, assuming it’s in generally good condition.
I used to work for a Honda dealership and we had problems like this all the time with that generation CRV.
There is a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) about it.
The fix was to drain the rear differential and fill it back up with the updated Honda Genuine Dual Pump Fluid. The drive in circles (both left and right) in an empty parking lot for about 5 minutes, drain the fluid and fill it back up. Solves the problem nearly every time.
I haven’t worked for Honda since 2007 but I remember that TSB distinctly.
Unless the axles were broken (which is unlikely in the rear since not much torque gets back there) the axles should not have been replaced.
Automagic – according to repair shop, the axles were broken (in the front only).
Any way I can find out – after the repair has been completed – if he was telling the truth?
Or if he misdiagnosed?
With a $4,000 repair we are probably going to have to buy a new car. No sense spending $4K on a car that will be worth $3,500 when it’s working. Ugh. Timing couldn’t be worse.
I had a brain lapse. Even though you said “transaxle differential,” I started thinking about the rear differential. The transaxle differential doesn’t use the dual pump fluid, it’s integral with the transmission. Is the repair being offered a tranny replacement?
Those front axles would have been replaced. Inspection of the old ones should reveal the problem. I’m still curious about what would have been wrong with them.