The last time I went here was in 1998 and here's why.
I had a Mazda MX-6 that needed a clutch, I left the car there all day and went and picked it up that evening and paid my $360 ish dollars for services rendered. Since 5 points is not too far from my house, I didn't really notice a problem on the way home. The next day, when I went to work, The car was sputtering, stalled at red lights unless I revved it. It just would not idle. After work, I took it back to them, the guy walked out, had me raise the hood and start it, he listened for a second and then said, Oh you got a loose plug or something and he just walked off.
What I eventually found out after having another mechanic look at it, the air duct runs from the filter and has a flow meter just behind it, from the flow meter the duct runs over the fender and to the throttle body injector housing. The duct was broken between the flow meter and the throttle body housing so air was leaking in after the flow meter told the computer how much air was flowing. This means that the fuel mixture was way too lean. The crack was caused by when the mechanic (I use the term loosely) had to shift the enginge to get to the clutch, bent the duct back (instead of removing it, that would mean getting a screwdriver, too much trouble I guess) and cracked it on the underside. I fixed it with a piece of duct tape, ran like a dream until I sold it.
I vowed never to let these shade tree mechanics near another of my vehicles, including my lawnmower. It's been 13 years and I see no reason to change my mind. read more
