04/23/2026
Ouch!
These are the jobs I always feel a little bad for after getting them figured out.
This was a new client who reached out after being burned by a few of the cheaper mobile 'mechanics' in town.
Her Toyota would not start and she paid the other guys to do the following:
Timing chain
Fuel pump
Cam sensor
Crank sensor
Spark plugs
Ignition coils
Starter
Alternator
Battery
The last time they came out they told her it would need an engine control module and she would need to tow it to the dealer for that.
She has been without a car since last August. She saw me working for one of her neighbors and decided to give us a shot even though our inspection fee was higher than the other guys.
About 20mins of proper testing led us to found that it was a compression issue and would require mechanical repair inside the engine, or a new engine if needed.
Cheap rarely results in good work being done and unfortunately they learned the hard way on this one. All the money she paid them to fire the parts cannon at it came out to over $3k which could have been put towards the engine repair 😆🤮
