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Mechanic cut my fender liners - should I be upset?
I recently had to take my 2010 Pathfinder to a muffler shop recommended by my general repair shop.
They replaced my blocked cats, and removed the rear cat. I picked the vehicle up and drove to a nearby town, about 100 miles. The SES light came on a little while after getting under way, and there was a rattle, similar to the one I had asked them to fix.
When I got back, I took it to the shop and told them what I saw. They kept the car for a day or so ,and when I picked it up the shop owner said they had forgotten to tighten the 02 sensors, and that was the cause of both issues; rattle and SES light.
Fast forward to last weekend. I need to replace the orig equipment struts and rear shock so I by started putting penetrating oil on all the bolts now. When I looked behind the tires I see that my fender liners look different and I can see wires I don't remember. I just replaced the crank shaft sensor a few months ago so I had just taken the fender liner off of the passenger side.
I feel like this is something I should have been consulted about before they cut into my vehicle. It's only 7 screws, if I remember correctly, and I noticed one of those was missing.
Should I approach the shop about this? Do I need to explicitly say every time I go to a shop that I need to be called before any physical alterations are performed? area removed by mechanic in red
update: I sent an email to the shop owner, and the next day got a phone call. They were very upset that this happened and would gladly replace the liners with new liners. They offered no excuses and would install them or have them sent to my home. I'm glad I handled this carefully, and didn't make accusations. I was worried I'd have to argue, am so surprised I was met with such a great attitude.
Here's my letter to the owner:
Hi, I recently (Jan/Feb 2022) had cats put on my 2010 Nissan Pathfinder at your Lacy shop. Due to some catastrophic failure in the engine, the truck's engine didn't make it back home from there. The truck has been pretty much in my driveway since. I am having the engine replaced next week. This past weekend I took the front wheels off to start prepping the struts bolts with solvent to try to loosen them up for replacement and I discovered the reason why I am writing to you. When I removed the wheels I was met with a view of the engine I wasn't expecting. I quickly realized the wires I was seeing were the wires to the o2 sensors. The fender liners had been cut, apparently to access those. I am not happy, to say the least. I would expect a call asking permission before cutting up my vehicle. I did not ask for the work to be rushed, in fact I emphasized how I was not in a hurry, so I am not clear why this was done.
and their reply:
Thanks for reaching out. I’m very disappointed to see the fender liners were cut. We normally remove them if they’re in the way. They typically aren’t hard to remove. I’ve already forwarded everything to Donald, our Shop Manager. He will be reaching out to you about this situation. I’m sorry & embarrassed that we have had a issue here. I know you are upset & rightfully so. At first glance it appears “laziness “ is the culprit. We will find out & do whatever we have to do to correct this matter. Thanks again,
Reach out if you need a recommendation to an honest muffler shop :-)
03-04-2022 | 07:13 AM
Mechanic cut my fender liners - should I be upset?
