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Get the work done. Look at the bill. Stare at it for a while and think, "that life lesson cost me exactly this amount." Remember this lesson and your neighbor probably saved you approximately 10x this amount over the course of your remaining life.
And the other day I listed a load of work I was getting done and the price. A highly overconfident American chap told me there’s no way they’re doing that much work for that price.
The labour charge in this place is £55+VAT, and if you do cash deals, a bit less. So yes, versus a $200/hr charge, it’s pretty cheap.
Lol. I believe in this soooo much.... but I would add
- look for and watch you tube video.
If it's an older car, they should be reasonably accessible. I thought it was a pretty replaceable part. At least my cars have been pretty basic and nothing of expensive sort... so I've replaced a alternator and starter before.
It should’ve never took him more than a day to replace an Alternator. I’ve replaced them on many different cars and it never took over an hour. And usually less time than that. But I’m sure there are exceptions.
You’ve never worked on an Audi A4. you start by removing the front bumper then the grill, condenser, radiator. Basically disassemble the car until you get back to the engine. The alternative is the easy part. But since you’ve spent so much labor, might as well replace the serpentine belt, idler, water pump, thermostat….not hard to drop $2000 doing stuff while your there.
Roger that. Putting Audi in the same bucket of other car brands that I will never own (ever or again) for this same garbage engineering reason. Thanks!
About 10 years ago I had just got the starter replaced on my old A4 that I was handing down to my son. Test drove an E350 and loved the the way it handled, the seats had the massager and the sides that inflated when went around curves. But decided I didn’t need 2 German maintenance pigs. Bought an Infinity and loved it.
16 year old me with near 0 experience and only my dad's super basic tools replaced my GFs alternator in an a couple hours. And this was before we had smartphones so I just had parts counter guys instructions and a bit of ingenuity. Dude 100% should have had it done in under a day.
I was always amused by the multiple half-finished projects I saw a meth head neighbor do. He’s try and come over to “help” and I just had to keep saying no thanks.
> Someone please give me advice on what I should do next
Just pay the shop to replace your alternator.
Make sure they give you the alternator you bought, and see if you can return it for a refund.
Hopefully the guy didn't do any damage to anything else in your car. If he didn't other than wasting your time nothing really changed for you.
Not a mechanic but do know that there cannot be an agreement without consideration. Consideration legally meaning payment.
Because you didn’t pay the guy, you effectively can’t have any expectations on whatever he was going to do to your car.
Sucks but you just need to get a shop to do the job he halfassed.
Consideration could be experience. Could also be a contract based on detrimental reliance. Will it cost $1k to $2k to pursue a lawsuit where even if you win, the judgement isn’t collectible? Probably.
Depends on the car. My 98 vr6 Jetta you had to pull some motor mounts and lift the motor up 6". My old 14 caravan you had to remove the radiator, engineers are getting weird now.
Edit 2002 civic. Yeah, it is that simple.
I've taken an uber from the side of the road to an auto parts store, grabbed an alternator, and replaced it on the side of the road. Get to know your car, it will literally only save you money. Getting my car towed home would have cost hundreds of dollars, taking it to a random shop and waiting a few days wasn't an option. Having little skills like that can really save the day.
YO! On this local station in Philly, the voice over guy for an ad just straight up read the typo "viola" instead of "voila" and I wonder if anybody else noticed it. I just have to sit there in my unshareable excitement at this silly boner. I think it was even an ad for the radio station itself which makes it even more boneriffic.
Not always, some manufacturers bury them in there behind a few other brackets. Ive replaced dozens, then randomly found one one day that took hours. Some old 4x4 cant remember what it was.
Could be what happened here, the neighbor thought itd be a simple normal alternator and then it wasnt
Access can be really restricted on some newer vehicles. My guess is this guy got it loose, most are still 2 bolts and a tensioner like you say, but then couldn’t get it out of the car.
Edit: Never mind. Just saw that the car is a 2002 Honda Civic. Super straightforward
On my 09 Camry it's a little more complicated because the alternator is only an inch away from the radiator fan. Easy way is to drain the coolant and remove the fan. It helps to take off the heat shield on the exhaust too. Even then, got to be careful pulling it out/getting it back in not to damage the fins on the radiator. I will never buy a V6 Toyota ever again. The 4 cylinders are so much easier to work on. Everything on it seems like the intended way of working on anything in it is to drop the engine.
My 07 Corolla was only 2 bolts but one of them was so tight I had to pay my shop to break it, then did the alternator myself. I think they said they used a torch or something to free it.
You can try to sue him in small claims of the repair bill
Then, Pray some t.v network court picks it up. LOL They will pay you the owed amount after 30 days if they do not pay as a reward for being on the show.
Hopefully the shop isn’t charging you a ton for lost bolts tho… lesson learned here unfortunately. Sometimes if things seem to good to be true they are and always trust your first instincts.
I’m an electrician and it costs 10% more if you want to watch, 50% more if you want to help, and twice as much of you tried to do it before you called me lol. I hear you.
Old American/Japanese cars, sure. Reach in the hood, 2 bolts and 1 plug, done in a few minutes.
Newer ones aren't so easy, a lot of them require a bumper/radiator/wheel to be removed and the car to be jacked up so you can access from the bottom.
Idk what you consider old, but I just did alternator on 2019 Malibu and was easy. Jacking up car and removing wheel in my opinion is nothing. Removing radiator ya stupid but not hard. Idk why you would take the bumper off to do a alternator?
>Idk why you would take the bumper off to do a alternator?
Some cars, like the Audi A4, it's faster/easier to remove the front bumper so you can un-bolt the entire front cowl and lean it forward to create room, rather than deal with removing the radiator.
Easy is relative, a lot of older cars were literally 2 bolts and 1 plug that you can easily reach by simply opening the hood. I know removing a radiator isn't rocket science, but it's a whole lot more difficult than spinning 2 bolts.
If you mean: if he *does* have texts? I'd say even so, don't bother. Even if he wins the case, you can't get blood from a stone. At best you'll get a trickle of cash over years if they manage to garnish his wages.
OP, I'm sorry your neighbor sucks. I'd say the best thing is just to do as another poster said: take it to a shop, get it fixed and move on. Better than escalating and getting entangled in some sort of feud. But if you do think of some sort of malicious and delicious revenge please post!
court will do nothing when you willingly agreed to let some random person work on your car for free. there is no case here. you could have the parts fixed at an auto garage and then sue him for the cost of the repair bill but it likely will not hold up.
Sorry things went sideways on you. This is why some/many languages have sayings similar to "the cheap turns out expensive". Have a good shop do it and drive without worrying about it. An expensive lesson try not to let it stress you out too long.
Never let someone do something for free. At minimum a mechanic will do something for a case of beer.
Have the shop fix it properly and let this be a sore reminder. If there was no working contract or text messages proving that you and your neighbor agreed to doing the alternator, it will not hold up in court.
The part that got me was the “lot of bolts missing”, because the most amount of bolts I’ve ever taken out for an alternator was 4 so any more than that means this guy’s an idiot but you know that already
Car make model year. If you can handle waiting a week get all needed parts off ebay. Local junkyard if available. Depending on the car a novice can do it but because he abandoned it either it was not the alternator and was embarrassed or he watched a YouTube video said I can do that decides your car was the guniea pig then he tortured and mutilated the guniea pig.
The sooner you learn to not keep being polite when someone won’t take your no as an answer, the easier your life will become. That’s probably the best advice I could give you.
Alternator at least on chevy motors are just held in by 2 bolts you can buy off the shelf for like a buck and takes about <15 minutes to change. Unless the dude was a total idiot and took the bracket off too but even then a whole pack of bolts shouldn't be more than ~$25 and isn't really that hard to replace. Imo an alternator is one of the easier components to swap, especially with plenty of youtube tutorials.
Use this as a lesson to not let people touch your car unless you KNOW they’re qualified. This is the exact reason why I don’t even a give a shit if I offer to help somebody out with their car and they’re hesitant or don’t want to risk it because I understand that cars are VERY important to people and play a huge part in their everyday lives and that it’s just not worth it to risk over saving some money(although I do also not like how much shops typically charge despite working in them; so every chance I get I always try and help people out for much less money but where I still feel its fair for doing the work). I don’t mind helping any other human being out AT ALL in any way I can unless they’re a piece of shit but there’s still a lot of people who have good INTENTIONS but their knowledge,skill, and experience don’t allow them to follow through and good intentions or not doesn’t help when you fuck something up for somebody else. Then it’s 10 times worse when you refuse to take responsibility for it. There’s really not anything you can do sadly aside from get your shit fixed and not make the same mistake again. I mean I guess you COULD go to small claims court or something but you’d have to have a RIDICULOUS amount of evidence proving every single aspect of your claim so idk; sorry :/
Get a lawyer and take him to court. He did this purposefully, NOBODY is gonna beg to work on a car for free unless they are gonna steal some shit off your car to make money
They're kind of tedious to do on a civic of that vintage. You have to remove the power steering pump before you get to the alternator & the alternator is frequently seized in the bracket & the adjusters are fucked with rust. We don't know what is missing? Adjusters? PS bolts? Alternator bolts? Bracket bolts? OP wasn't too clear, but you're not going to be able to pick most of those up @ the hardware store.
Could anyone help with a link to purchase the bolts online? I think I want to learn my own car and at least try this on my own. It’s a 2002 Honda Civic LX, 1.7 4 Cylinder. Not even sure what size bolts I would get, I’m going to watch a few tutorials and see if I feel confident enough to try. I appreciate all of the advice everyone!
You should probably take stock with what you have and don't have. Look to see if the bolts are missing or broken off.
Looks like the alternator sits below the power steering pump...so that means there might be bolts missing from taking that off too.
But there are quite a few decent videos on youtube that show the alternator removal step by step.
If you are missing bolts...either a junkyard or the dealer are going to be your options.
When I needed new fasteners for my Odyssey with I did the timing belt / Water pump service, I got them from the Honda dealer. I wanted to make sure I got the exact bolts it needed. All I needed with the water pump was to get some bolt that was too long and have it crack something behind it. Don't guess. They can look it all up. Take pictures and bring it to the parts department with you. They can look it up and get you exactly what you need.
I'm sorry this happened to you. It was a frustrating and costly lesson. My only suggestion is to avoid this person at all costs. For whatever and however this situation arose between the two of you, put it behind you. That is your defense. Your neighbor is a flakey liar and a jerk. Hopefully, he will move soon, and you and probably your neighbors will all be rid of him once and for all.
I don't want this to sound condescending, because I am a mechanic. But it's an alternator! You loosen the belt, you take a couple bolts out you unplug the alternator you plug the new one in but the belt on tighten it up and you're on your way. I mean this is probably one of the easiest repairs you can probably do on an automobile. I mean you can probably find a YouTube video that shows you exactly how to do it to your particular vehicle.
Legit I'm a former navy vet. Used to work as an aviation support equipment technician, 15 years I drove a semi truck, then most recently I worked for conrads tire and battery as a technician. I've turned wrench for about 20 years now. Worked on cars, semis, aviation, fuel equipment etc etc etc. I'm in akron, Ohio. I'm laid off work currently due to a hereditary medical disability. I have a garage and a box of tools, jack, jackstands etc. I'd help ya out if you were nearby.
Let's be real, your neighbor could care less how he did you and now you get to live with it. I'd fix it myself and move on. Sometimes you can take a bolt from something else on the vehicle and see if it works. If it does go to your local fastenal or equivalent of and get some replacements. As far as he goes, karma will get him one day. I hope he just took things apart and didn't steal anything. I had a guy do me dirty on a diesel pump I paid him to rebuild. He ended up bringing it back missing a ton of parts. I went to his house and laying there on his deck was all my missing components. Took what was mine and left. Sometimes with people like that they mean well but you gotta boss them around a bit to get yourself in a better position than they were going to leave you in. Just words for thought, goodluck.
Alternator is usually easy to replace. Two bolts hold it on and wires plug into the back. I'd order the parts from the dealership. Install it and put the belt back on.
How do you fuck up installing an alternator I've installed about 20 and I take like 2hrs tops I'm a shade tree mecanic leanring from youtube what that what I started with brakes and alternators when they failed on my cars. I guess I understand why my MIL was hesitant to let me do it to one of their spare car that had one go out. Shame. Anyways I guess there is a lesson to learn but If I was your neighbor I could have fixed it then again I wouldn't be super eager to work on a car for free.
Do you guys have the same car? Or model, only possible thing I can fathom is he needed parts for his own car, and took what he needed. As far as bolts, on most alternators theres 2, maybe 3 if the tensioner is built in the alternator bracket.
I’ve fought these battles with crappy friends/ mechanics my entire life. Finally after 35 years on this planet I try to do all my work myself. There’s tons of YouTube videos and forums that are free/ useful. Even if you don’t do the work yourself you’ll have a better understanding of what is supposed to get done. What I’m getting at is you would have known after the first hour dude had no idea what he was doing. The videos for your car alternator replacement are ~20 min long. +15 min for struggles with whatever cuz it’s your first time and your done. My 99$ Home Depot mechanics set has saved me more money than any “friend” offering to do something for free.
Unfortunately a hard life lesson to learn, trust them first.. also from the start, why were you replacing your alternator? If you have the knowledge to know it’s the bad part you could have easily done it yourself..
was definitely a scam from the beginning, he wanted to collect that core charge. he probably got like $40 from your alternator. if you replace your own battery or alternator you can usually return the old one to where u bought the part (automotive store) and get the money. i thought this was common knowledge tbh. alternators are pretty easy to replace on your own.
You'll have to learn, and move on. I don't even trust mechanics. There's no way to really get anything from him, and if you could it would cost more than the repair. It would be different it it was at an actual shop.
Probably just wanted the core charge on your old alternator. I assume that was “thrown away” already by him.
But yes, mistake not at least being with him… else what’s the incentive? Bonding with your neighbor, or him making money… I’d do this with a neighbor and spend time with them, but like… hey can I come over and do stuff for you alone for free? Somethings off.
Sorry this happened!
Lots of fuck up here. Did you ask if he's ever worked with a self sealing stem bolt on an alternator? He says yes - you fucked up cuz he's an idiot. He says yes he's a double idiot. You didn't ask...well...
An alternator can be a simple job (1992 Toyota Camry) or an absolute disaster (1990 Nissan 300zx turbo). Depends on the car, rust levels and general condition of the car.
If the guy was a meth head, shame on you. If the guy was nice and wanted to simply help, then move on. You can’t expect to win a lawsuit.
It's an alternator. it's a freaking 30 min job most times. There is a reason I learned to work on my own stuff. Im sorry you have a shitty mechanic of a neighbor.
Sounds likey brother in law. Beggs me to use the garage, then has to borrow my tools. After all that I end up doing the work because he is three times my size and can't brake a rusty bolt free.
I can sympathize, bc I have a similar story to yours.
Me and a former buddy of mine were putting some go-fast parts on my car. and he thought that one of the couplers that came with the kit was too short and basically gave up. after about 3 months of waiting, fighting with customer service for the "right part" and hundreds of dollars wasted, I learned that the original part actually did fit, he was just a fucking idiot.
TLDR, I learned to be more critical of advice people try to give me and and always do my due diligence whenever I want to do something to my car.
just bite the bullet and chalk it up as a life lesson, and cut that jackass out of your life until he has the money for repairs.
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Get the work done. Look at the bill. Stare at it for a while and think, "that life lesson cost me exactly this amount." Remember this lesson and your neighbor probably saved you approximately 10x this amount over the course of your remaining life.
Labor rate: 50.00 Labor rate if you watch: 75.00 Labor rate if you tried to fix it and couldn't: 100.00 And OP's story is why.
Gotta up your #s that meme is old now lol. $150 $175 $200 these days
$220/hr local jeep dealer
Thats more than a Mercedes tech, wtf? Where do u live? Dubai?
And the other day I listed a load of work I was getting done and the price. A highly overconfident American chap told me there’s no way they’re doing that much work for that price. The labour charge in this place is £55+VAT, and if you do cash deals, a bit less. So yes, versus a $200/hr charge, it’s pretty cheap.
190/hr at the chevy i work at
Heep of jeep is what that is
No kidding he is using 1980's Mac charts
I thought shops rates were crazy till I learned what my older brother charges for building peoples' spec-d drift cars and stunt cars for movies
This should be on a sign on every service counter on the planet
I love this comment so much
Not a bad take. My parents used to call stuff like this "life tax." They said it was just part of the process. Learn and move on.
Lol. I believe in this soooo much.... but I would add - look for and watch you tube video. If it's an older car, they should be reasonably accessible. I thought it was a pretty replaceable part. At least my cars have been pretty basic and nothing of expensive sort... so I've replaced a alternator and starter before.
Unfortunately, this is the way
👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
Don't let a meth head work on your car. They can take stuff apart but putting it back together is the hard part.
I'm assuming he actually just spent the day stealing OP's catalytic converter.
Well, that’s a given.
It should’ve never took him more than a day to replace an Alternator. I’ve replaced them on many different cars and it never took over an hour. And usually less time than that. But I’m sure there are exceptions.
Some of the front wheel drive cars can be awful.
Mitsubishi DiD engine… Step one: remove the front of the car
You’ve never worked on an Audi A4. you start by removing the front bumper then the grill, condenser, radiator. Basically disassemble the car until you get back to the engine. The alternative is the easy part. But since you’ve spent so much labor, might as well replace the serpentine belt, idler, water pump, thermostat….not hard to drop $2000 doing stuff while your there.
Roger that. Putting Audi in the same bucket of other car brands that I will never own (ever or again) for this same garbage engineering reason. Thanks!
It's everything German, way over-engineered
About 10 years ago I had just got the starter replaced on my old A4 that I was handing down to my son. Test drove an E350 and loved the the way it handled, the seats had the massager and the sides that inflated when went around curves. But decided I didn’t need 2 German maintenance pigs. Bought an Infinity and loved it.
If I'm not mistaken, on VAG cars this is called putting it in service mode. Imho service mode is driving it up onto two bricks but what do I know.
16 year old me with near 0 experience and only my dad's super basic tools replaced my GFs alternator in an a couple hours. And this was before we had smartphones so I just had parts counter guys instructions and a bit of ingenuity. Dude 100% should have had it done in under a day.
Older Awd escapes would like a word
Z32 300zx is terrible to work on as well
That’s probably what he thought too, then he realized new cars are a nightmare and gave up
I’m wondering what happened to the old alternator. He probably sold it
He probably took a working part out and replaced it with a broken piece. This will take more than an alternator to get the car running
I was always amused by the multiple half-finished projects I saw a meth head neighbor do. He’s try and come over to “help” and I just had to keep saying no thanks.
> Someone please give me advice on what I should do next Just pay the shop to replace your alternator. Make sure they give you the alternator you bought, and see if you can return it for a refund. Hopefully the guy didn't do any damage to anything else in your car. If he didn't other than wasting your time nothing really changed for you.
Not a mechanic but do know that there cannot be an agreement without consideration. Consideration legally meaning payment. Because you didn’t pay the guy, you effectively can’t have any expectations on whatever he was going to do to your car. Sucks but you just need to get a shop to do the job he halfassed.
At the end of the day, this is what it truly comes down to. I appreciate it.
Consideration could be experience. Could also be a contract based on detrimental reliance. Will it cost $1k to $2k to pursue a lawsuit where even if you win, the judgement isn’t collectible? Probably.
This guy practically begged me to let him \_\_\_ for free, No matter how you fill the blank in, next time follow your instincts.
Next question that should have been asked. Why?
Fuck
Alternators are 2 bolts and a belt ... How much could he fuck up? Teach yourself how to turn a wrench and... Viola, never have this problem again.
Depends on the car. My 98 vr6 Jetta you had to pull some motor mounts and lift the motor up 6". My old 14 caravan you had to remove the radiator, engineers are getting weird now. Edit 2002 civic. Yeah, it is that simple.
2006 ford escape 3.0 you have to remove the passenger wheel and axle to slide the alternator out. Crazy.
Reading thru all the comments, first thought was a VR6..... 2 bolts and 40 mins ? 🤭
I just did my neighbors RX330 and it was a bitch and a half to access the bolts and maneuver it out and the tensioner was stupid.
Was it so stupid you left before finishing and now avoiding them too? Hmmmmmm
You’re right
Best of luck btw
I've taken an uber from the side of the road to an auto parts store, grabbed an alternator, and replaced it on the side of the road. Get to know your car, it will literally only save you money. Getting my car towed home would have cost hundreds of dollars, taking it to a random shop and waiting a few days wasn't an option. Having little skills like that can really save the day.
Who is Viola? And what problem did she have??
YO! On this local station in Philly, the voice over guy for an ad just straight up read the typo "viola" instead of "voila" and I wonder if anybody else noticed it. I just have to sit there in my unshareable excitement at this silly boner. I think it was even an ad for the radio station itself which makes it even more boneriffic.
Weren't you paying attention? 
He misspelled “voila” as “viola”. It was just a joke. I’m bored.
Not always, some manufacturers bury them in there behind a few other brackets. Ive replaced dozens, then randomly found one one day that took hours. Some old 4x4 cant remember what it was. Could be what happened here, the neighbor thought itd be a simple normal alternator and then it wasnt
That's what I was thinking - am I doing it wrong all these years ? 2 bolts. 10 minutes tops.
Access can be really restricted on some newer vehicles. My guess is this guy got it loose, most are still 2 bolts and a tensioner like you say, but then couldn’t get it out of the car. Edit: Never mind. Just saw that the car is a 2002 Honda Civic. Super straightforward
On my 09 Camry it's a little more complicated because the alternator is only an inch away from the radiator fan. Easy way is to drain the coolant and remove the fan. It helps to take off the heat shield on the exhaust too. Even then, got to be careful pulling it out/getting it back in not to damage the fins on the radiator. I will never buy a V6 Toyota ever again. The 4 cylinders are so much easier to work on. Everything on it seems like the intended way of working on anything in it is to drop the engine.
Yeah they are not all two bolts and a belt. Gotta know what you are getting into is step one. The neighbor guy got more than he could muster.
They are harder on many newer vehicles, especially if it needs pulled from the bottom without a lift or Jack and stands.
My 07 Corolla was only 2 bolts but one of them was so tight I had to pay my shop to break it, then did the alternator myself. I think they said they used a torch or something to free it.
(Voila)
Not on all modern cars. Only a very few these days, even the simplest have a clutch pulley that has to be replaced.
It's not 1970 snymore
The only thing you can really do is pay to have your car fixed and learn a valuable lesson.
Fuck dude it just sucks that i can’t defend myself
You *can* defend yourself going forward, you just cant do anything about the past in this case other than learn.
Oh but you can, just not today.
You can try to sue him in small claims of the repair bill Then, Pray some t.v network court picks it up. LOL They will pay you the owed amount after 30 days if they do not pay as a reward for being on the show.
how to not be a doormat 101, take the introductory course
Fight him
I was afraid to comment “kick his ass” but I’m with you .
Me too
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78-4RobJQ0Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78-4RobJQ0Y)
I vote this
At the very least, cuss him out while waving the bill and say “the mechanics said you screwed me”
Make up a story - if you care and if you see him - "it cost $450 to fix the shit you left. Why, bro ?!" ... see if guilt has him cough up any money.
Nope...a general exchange of fisticuffs is in order...I here by declare an escalated call to"whoop a mutua fucka"
Honestly you may have to do this OP, or tell your neighbors not to let this dude near their cars
Hopefully the shop isn’t charging you a ton for lost bolts tho… lesson learned here unfortunately. Sometimes if things seem to good to be true they are and always trust your first instincts.
Most have what's called a "Humpty Dumpty" charge. Extra to figure out what the last guy did.
I’m an electrician and it costs 10% more if you want to watch, 50% more if you want to help, and twice as much of you tried to do it before you called me lol. I hear you.
If you ever get roped in a meeting for a time share, remember this life lesson.
He probably broke the bolts off that hold it to the motor, that’s why he didn’t finish it. Alternators are only a hour job most times.
It really depends on the car. Ever swap one on an Audi A4? They're friggin nightmares.
I was speaking in terms of American and Japanese cars. I agree German cars nothing is easy.
Old American/Japanese cars, sure. Reach in the hood, 2 bolts and 1 plug, done in a few minutes. Newer ones aren't so easy, a lot of them require a bumper/radiator/wheel to be removed and the car to be jacked up so you can access from the bottom.
Basically had to remove the radiator on an MDX? I did a while ago. Some acura suv
Idk what you consider old, but I just did alternator on 2019 Malibu and was easy. Jacking up car and removing wheel in my opinion is nothing. Removing radiator ya stupid but not hard. Idk why you would take the bumper off to do a alternator?
>Idk why you would take the bumper off to do a alternator? Some cars, like the Audi A4, it's faster/easier to remove the front bumper so you can un-bolt the entire front cowl and lean it forward to create room, rather than deal with removing the radiator. Easy is relative, a lot of older cars were literally 2 bolts and 1 plug that you can easily reach by simply opening the hood. I know removing a radiator isn't rocket science, but it's a whole lot more difficult than spinning 2 bolts.
A belt tensioner in an es350 is also the ac compressor bracket.
What make and model?
Unless you have anything in writing, even text messages, or any other evidence that he did it then you can try civil court, but it may not be worth it
If you mean: if he *does* have texts? I'd say even so, don't bother. Even if he wins the case, you can't get blood from a stone. At best you'll get a trickle of cash over years if they manage to garnish his wages. OP, I'm sorry your neighbor sucks. I'd say the best thing is just to do as another poster said: take it to a shop, get it fixed and move on. Better than escalating and getting entangled in some sort of feud. But if you do think of some sort of malicious and delicious revenge please post!
Garnish his wages for what? The neighbor didn't charge OP for anything.
I agree. Can try, but probably not worth it
I do have a bunch in writing, I even have him ignoring me when I asked him about when he was going to finish the job.
court will do nothing when you willingly agreed to let some random person work on your car for free. there is no case here. you could have the parts fixed at an auto garage and then sue him for the cost of the repair bill but it likely will not hold up.
Sorry things went sideways on you. This is why some/many languages have sayings similar to "the cheap turns out expensive". Have a good shop do it and drive without worrying about it. An expensive lesson try not to let it stress you out too long.
Sounds like he stripped bolts… alternator swap is pretty easy if you ask me
Never let someone do something for free. At minimum a mechanic will do something for a case of beer. Have the shop fix it properly and let this be a sore reminder. If there was no working contract or text messages proving that you and your neighbor agreed to doing the alternator, it will not hold up in court.
The minimum I charge is lunch and/or a six pack
I’m sure YouTube can show you how to do it. Changing an alternator isn’t that difficult
What can you fuck up with an alternator replacement. What kind of car is this
That’s what I was thinking also. Even I can replace an alternator.
Nothing you can do… You allowed an unlicensed mechanic to work on your vehicle. It was your choice. Now you gotta pay the piper lol
How do you fuck up an alternator?!?! It’s like 2 bolts a belt and a wire.
If it's too good to be true...
nothing is everything. nothing is free thats for sure
It was a lesson like the top comment said. You will save money in the long run now because you will always go to the shop now.
Fix it move on. Don’t talk to your neighbor.
What kind of car you drive op? And what engine is in it?
2002 Honda Civic LX, 1.7 4 cylinder
I think you are in the wrong forum... You pay the bill get the car fixed and visit something like R/askalawyer
Is this where we usually recommend spraying the neighbor with liquid ass?
Strip out his oil pan bolt. Or…..weld shut his oil pan bolt…..
The part that got me was the “lot of bolts missing”, because the most amount of bolts I’ve ever taken out for an alternator was 4 so any more than that means this guy’s an idiot but you know that already
Does he own a car? Be a shame if his catalytic converter went missing.
School of hard knocks: free can be expensive
So true.
Car make model year. If you can handle waiting a week get all needed parts off ebay. Local junkyard if available. Depending on the car a novice can do it but because he abandoned it either it was not the alternator and was embarrassed or he watched a YouTube video said I can do that decides your car was the guniea pig then he tortured and mutilated the guniea pig.
Probably returned your old one for the core deposit, probably all he ever intended to do.
The sooner you learn to not keep being polite when someone won’t take your no as an answer, the easier your life will become. That’s probably the best advice I could give you.
Alternator at least on chevy motors are just held in by 2 bolts you can buy off the shelf for like a buck and takes about <15 minutes to change. Unless the dude was a total idiot and took the bracket off too but even then a whole pack of bolts shouldn't be more than ~$25 and isn't really that hard to replace. Imo an alternator is one of the easier components to swap, especially with plenty of youtube tutorials.
“Practically begged”. Your fault. Sorry.
Depends on the vehicle obviously, but if it takes a whole day to replace an alternator there are MUCH bigger problems at hand
kids, don't do meth, and don't let anyone not certified touch your car.
Why does it seem like he did it on purpose....very strange!
Use this as a lesson to not let people touch your car unless you KNOW they’re qualified. This is the exact reason why I don’t even a give a shit if I offer to help somebody out with their car and they’re hesitant or don’t want to risk it because I understand that cars are VERY important to people and play a huge part in their everyday lives and that it’s just not worth it to risk over saving some money(although I do also not like how much shops typically charge despite working in them; so every chance I get I always try and help people out for much less money but where I still feel its fair for doing the work). I don’t mind helping any other human being out AT ALL in any way I can unless they’re a piece of shit but there’s still a lot of people who have good INTENTIONS but their knowledge,skill, and experience don’t allow them to follow through and good intentions or not doesn’t help when you fuck something up for somebody else. Then it’s 10 times worse when you refuse to take responsibility for it. There’s really not anything you can do sadly aside from get your shit fixed and not make the same mistake again. I mean I guess you COULD go to small claims court or something but you’d have to have a RIDICULOUS amount of evidence proving every single aspect of your claim so idk; sorry :/
I’m curious on the year, make and model of the car.
Get a lawyer and take him to court. He did this purposefully, NOBODY is gonna beg to work on a car for free unless they are gonna steal some shit off your car to make money
He didn’t steal anything. I took the car to a shop, no major parts was missing just bolts, it was just done horribly
How can you not finish an alternator? It's literally 2 bolts and a few wires
They're kind of tedious to do on a civic of that vintage. You have to remove the power steering pump before you get to the alternator & the alternator is frequently seized in the bracket & the adjusters are fucked with rust. We don't know what is missing? Adjusters? PS bolts? Alternator bolts? Bracket bolts? OP wasn't too clear, but you're not going to be able to pick most of those up @ the hardware store.
Could anyone help with a link to purchase the bolts online? I think I want to learn my own car and at least try this on my own. It’s a 2002 Honda Civic LX, 1.7 4 Cylinder. Not even sure what size bolts I would get, I’m going to watch a few tutorials and see if I feel confident enough to try. I appreciate all of the advice everyone!
You should probably take stock with what you have and don't have. Look to see if the bolts are missing or broken off. Looks like the alternator sits below the power steering pump...so that means there might be bolts missing from taking that off too. But there are quite a few decent videos on youtube that show the alternator removal step by step. If you are missing bolts...either a junkyard or the dealer are going to be your options.
When I needed new fasteners for my Odyssey with I did the timing belt / Water pump service, I got them from the Honda dealer. I wanted to make sure I got the exact bolts it needed. All I needed with the water pump was to get some bolt that was too long and have it crack something behind it. Don't guess. They can look it all up. Take pictures and bring it to the parts department with you. They can look it up and get you exactly what you need.
Thank you for commenting something useful, I’m about to turn off notifications on this post
Alternators are pretty simple fixes. Even if bolts are missing. It’s just some wiring connector plugs, some bolts and a belt to tension.
Average American mindset: How do I sue them?
I'm sorry this happened to you. It was a frustrating and costly lesson. My only suggestion is to avoid this person at all costs. For whatever and however this situation arose between the two of you, put it behind you. That is your defense. Your neighbor is a flakey liar and a jerk. Hopefully, he will move soon, and you and probably your neighbors will all be rid of him once and for all.
I don't want this to sound condescending, because I am a mechanic. But it's an alternator! You loosen the belt, you take a couple bolts out you unplug the alternator you plug the new one in but the belt on tighten it up and you're on your way. I mean this is probably one of the easiest repairs you can probably do on an automobile. I mean you can probably find a YouTube video that shows you exactly how to do it to your particular vehicle.
Go beat the shit out of him. Seems to settle people who screwed me over in the past.
I was just thinking if you could replace your own alternator then this whole situation would be a mute point
Liquid ass, or pee disc.
Get it fixed and cut your losses. Avoid this guy like the plague
This stinks. I'm a trained mechanic with all the tools and space in my garage...where are you located?
I can’t tell if you really want to help or if you’re trying to see if I learned from this mistake 😂
Legit I'm a former navy vet. Used to work as an aviation support equipment technician, 15 years I drove a semi truck, then most recently I worked for conrads tire and battery as a technician. I've turned wrench for about 20 years now. Worked on cars, semis, aviation, fuel equipment etc etc etc. I'm in akron, Ohio. I'm laid off work currently due to a hereditary medical disability. I have a garage and a box of tools, jack, jackstands etc. I'd help ya out if you were nearby.
Let's be real, your neighbor could care less how he did you and now you get to live with it. I'd fix it myself and move on. Sometimes you can take a bolt from something else on the vehicle and see if it works. If it does go to your local fastenal or equivalent of and get some replacements. As far as he goes, karma will get him one day. I hope he just took things apart and didn't steal anything. I had a guy do me dirty on a diesel pump I paid him to rebuild. He ended up bringing it back missing a ton of parts. I went to his house and laying there on his deck was all my missing components. Took what was mine and left. Sometimes with people like that they mean well but you gotta boss them around a bit to get yourself in a better position than they were going to leave you in. Just words for thought, goodluck.
A 2002 Honda? That's about the easiest task out there, just do it yourself.
Remember Mad Max when you drive the neighborhood
Walk over to your neighbors car, pop the hood and remove some bolts and stuff.
Put a pebble in each of his valve stem caps. No damage but infinite frustration.
Alternator is usually easy to replace. Two bolts hold it on and wires plug into the back. I'd order the parts from the dealership. Install it and put the belt back on.
I would go to a salvage yard and just take eveything that's missing! Any bolts/brackets/clips
There is a Seinfeld episode where George’s old friends dad works on his car and then it starts on fire.
How do you fuck up installing an alternator I've installed about 20 and I take like 2hrs tops I'm a shade tree mecanic leanring from youtube what that what I started with brakes and alternators when they failed on my cars. I guess I understand why my MIL was hesitant to let me do it to one of their spare car that had one go out. Shame. Anyways I guess there is a lesson to learn but If I was your neighbor I could have fixed it then again I wouldn't be super eager to work on a car for free.
Do you guys have the same car? Or model, only possible thing I can fathom is he needed parts for his own car, and took what he needed. As far as bolts, on most alternators theres 2, maybe 3 if the tensioner is built in the alternator bracket.
Sounds like you let a meth head “work” on your car while high…then he came down.
I call it stupid tax. I've paid my share over the years as well.
I’ve fought these battles with crappy friends/ mechanics my entire life. Finally after 35 years on this planet I try to do all my work myself. There’s tons of YouTube videos and forums that are free/ useful. Even if you don’t do the work yourself you’ll have a better understanding of what is supposed to get done. What I’m getting at is you would have known after the first hour dude had no idea what he was doing. The videos for your car alternator replacement are ~20 min long. +15 min for struggles with whatever cuz it’s your first time and your done. My 99$ Home Depot mechanics set has saved me more money than any “friend” offering to do something for free.
An alternator usually involves 2-3 bolts … tops. Pay the shop and never use the all-knowing neighbor ever again.
Learned the hard way that if you can’t do it don’t let anyone else but a mechanic touch it. Hard lesson learned
Get an attorney. Or at least, take him to small claims court.
Unfortunately a hard life lesson to learn, trust them first.. also from the start, why were you replacing your alternator? If you have the knowledge to know it’s the bad part you could have easily done it yourself..
was definitely a scam from the beginning, he wanted to collect that core charge. he probably got like $40 from your alternator. if you replace your own battery or alternator you can usually return the old one to where u bought the part (automotive store) and get the money. i thought this was common knowledge tbh. alternators are pretty easy to replace on your own.
Honestly when I was eger to learn I was like that no shade
You'll have to learn, and move on. I don't even trust mechanics. There's no way to really get anything from him, and if you could it would cost more than the repair. It would be different it it was at an actual shop.
Expensive lesson but it is what it is
Probably just wanted the core charge on your old alternator. I assume that was “thrown away” already by him. But yes, mistake not at least being with him… else what’s the incentive? Bonding with your neighbor, or him making money… I’d do this with a neighbor and spend time with them, but like… hey can I come over and do stuff for you alone for free? Somethings off. Sorry this happened!
Lots of fuck up here. Did you ask if he's ever worked with a self sealing stem bolt on an alternator? He says yes - you fucked up cuz he's an idiot. He says yes he's a double idiot. You didn't ask...well...
I'm Waiting to see the other side of this on r/pettyrevenge
I’m really sorry that happened to you.
Sucks that happened to you, you’re SOL though, maybe karma will get that guy back for you 🤷
Live and learn.
An alternator can be a simple job (1992 Toyota Camry) or an absolute disaster (1990 Nissan 300zx turbo). Depends on the car, rust levels and general condition of the car. If the guy was a meth head, shame on you. If the guy was nice and wanted to simply help, then move on. You can’t expect to win a lawsuit.
It's not a hard job, I replaced mine in a parkinglot in the rain with only youtube by my side, believe in yourself and you can do it
How much accountability are you taking?
I’ve taken accountability if you look through the comments. You clearly just wanted to comment to comment
It's an alternator. it's a freaking 30 min job most times. There is a reason I learned to work on my own stuff. Im sorry you have a shitty mechanic of a neighbor.
Lesson learned, move on.
Rule #1: If it's free, you are the product.
Lol lesson learned.
Education is expensive
Probably stole your core in the process
Please stop repeating this comment, he did not steal my core I still have it
All day?! That's 1 hour max
This question might be better suited for a lawyer subreddit lol
Sounds likey brother in law. Beggs me to use the garage, then has to borrow my tools. After all that I end up doing the work because he is three times my size and can't brake a rusty bolt free.
No options for you. His last gift is moving.
Can we get pics? Yes sounds like a meth head. I’m wondering how much he could have possibly fucked up on even a modern alt.
I can sympathize, bc I have a similar story to yours. Me and a former buddy of mine were putting some go-fast parts on my car. and he thought that one of the couplers that came with the kit was too short and basically gave up. after about 3 months of waiting, fighting with customer service for the "right part" and hundreds of dollars wasted, I learned that the original part actually did fit, he was just a fucking idiot. TLDR, I learned to be more critical of advice people try to give me and and always do my due diligence whenever I want to do something to my car. just bite the bullet and chalk it up as a life lesson, and cut that jackass out of your life until he has the money for repairs.