Well, that depends entirely if the shop warranties their work. Yes, you are correct he was the last person who touched your car. The fault can be due to improper workmanship and or a faulty clutch.

I would personally tow the car to the shop were you had it serviced and let them deal with it. If they refuse or say that the clutch was at fault then you should contact SPEC and explain your case. Either way, I would sue. Its not that difficult to go out and retain an attorney. I would ask for some documentation from your mechanic stating, whether or not they warranty their work. I would also gather documentation from SPEC, stating whether they will cover it or not.

DO NOT JUST SIT ON YOUR AZZ!!! Dont let them push you around. Someone is at fault and if it SPEC then you have a good lawsuit on your hand. If shrapnel from that explosion would have made its way into the cabin your could have been seriously maimed or killed.

just remeber get as much documentation as possible and do not threaten anyone with an attorney. Do not even mention that you would seek legal counsel. In the end the element of suprise is your best tactic.

Good luck

 

Glad the owner is ok.


Could the clutch have been draging causing the flywheel to overheat and let go?

 

Good grief! Sorry to hear about the misfortune but glad to know you're ok. That definitely could have went very BAD very quickly.

 

I would think if it was slipping or dragging it would have been noticeable in the break in period. Looking at it closer I am very certain it was just a stock flywheel. What did you get charged for?

 

You are lucky your car didn't burn to the ground, or maybe not cuz insurance would cover it?

 

Well... here is my .02

Every clutch company has their horror stories. If he purchased a clutch kit from Spec and left it up to the mechanic to choose the flywheel for him... then I'm going to say the mechanic is at fault here.
The obvious point of failure is the flywheel. The disk is still intact. The pressure plate looks intact as well... except for the parts that were attached to the flywheel. It looks to me like the flywheel was improperly machined and simply broke apart.

You can't really point the finger at Spec. They didnt machine or sell the OP the flywheel.

As far as what I think happened goes something like this:
OP buys clutch kit. Takes it to mechanic to install. OP wants to install flywheel as well. Leaves it up to mechanic to decide what flywheel is going to be installed. Mechanic decides to go cheap so he can make the most money on the flywheel. Flywheel poops the bed.. taking a good size chunk of the car with it.

To the OP:
Im very sorry that this happened to you. I wouldnt wish this on someone I didnt like. Your lucky to be in on piece. Good Luck.. next time... pick your own flywheel.

 

Looking at thost pictures makes me wonder why anyone would modify a Evo and not have a Three Speed Scattershield. Won't keep it from happening, but could save your life...

 

Why bother sueing? Its not worth it. Hes going to spend a large amount of money, just for 2 different guys to point fingers and say "no, its his fault!". With something like this, the mechanic will say its spec, spec will laugh and say it was the install. You are better off mentioning it to your mechanic, and then calling your insurance company. They should take care of it, and most likely total it.

Best of luck. Thats REALLY bad and be happy you wernt hurt. You can always get another Evo.

-Alex

 

I'm still skeptical about that disc. A stage 3 is 6 puck and a stage 3+ is full face carbon-metallic. What's in OP's picture looks like an organic clutch. Even though it might not be the main problem, the mechanic might have stolen your stage 3 clutch.

 

That is indeed very close to what happened, however, My mechanic even bought my clutch kit also. I didn't buy anything and then give it to him.

 

Ok..here is my next question...
Have you located the pressure plate and does it say spec on it...
Also ... if im not mistaken the disk should have an identification number... check that as well... you might find that you didnt get any of what you paid for.

 

I'm not saying this is SPEC's fault, but I have seen this before on a Mustang. The Spec clutch and flywheel scattered send pieces up and out the hood/windshield, it took out the windshield wipers too.

 

First, Glad you are alright. You are damn lucky a hunk of flywheel didn't come through the firewall at you and your passengers.

Second, it sounds like your mechanic is shady. Whether this is his fault or not to have something similar happen a few previous times is pretty messed up. The fact that it doesn't look like the clutch you asked for doesn't help his cause either. So, who is to say he wouldn't throw your old out of spec flywheel on there while billing you for a new one to make a little extra jingle.

Next, since it may or may not actually be a Spec clutch I think people should lay off them a bit or at least until it's certain it was their part actually in the car and failed. The OP needs to find out exactly what he was billed for and then find out what was really replaced especially regarding the flywheel.

Ask the mechanic if he still has your old parts laying around. Ask him for receipts from the new parts. Find out if the other stories of exploding clutches are BS or what. If they aren't this guy doesn't need to be wrenching on peoples cars. He's likely to kill someone at this rate.

I generally don't advise suing as a first option and you very well may get screwed by the parties involved finger pointing (mechanic, clutch and flywheel manufacturer) but, it doesn't hurt to know your rights. Good luck.

 

Yes, Look at the pressure plate and see if there is a serial number, or if it even says SPEC on it anywhere. This does not look like a Spec stage 3 clutch to me, but I only saw pieces, but it definitely isn't a SPEC flywheel, to me it looks like a resurfaced stocker, which could have been the problem if the machine shop didn't know what they were doing.
http://www.specclutch.com/products
See how your disc has gaps in the metal center, below the friction material and this one (spec site for 3+) does not... Ask the mechanic for the receipt or invoice from the parts he purchased. It would also be handy to have the receipt from when you paid him the money for the job. Something smells fishy with the mechanic for 1: the clutch doesn't look right and 2: it has happened to him before. If he can't provide the invoice form when he ordered the parts, ask him what site or where he ordered them from, and then call that company and ask if there was ever an order placed from him. I am really sorry to hear that this happened to you, but it seems like it could have easily been prevented if either the mechanic or machine shop weren't incompetent.

 

Yeah, the shop and mechanic just ripped you off big time. That for sure isn't a Spec pressure plate nor is that even a stage 3 clutch. Even showed a friend and he can confirm that that's an organic clutch. I don't know about the flywheel but he prolly stole yours so he could sell and gave you a worn out one.

If it happened to 9 previous ppl, WHY are ppl still going to them? I would tell the community to be aware of this shop and how shady it is.

Not only would I sue them to pay for every single repair (or even the whole car for that matter), I would report them to the Better Business Bureau. They love to screw with businesses.