Do not, I repeat, Do not take your evo to any shop other than a shop that works on evos all the time.

Ok, I wanted to wait to post the full story after I had possession of my car on the off chance someone on here knows me and where my car was.

And geez guys, don't you all sleep...

Ok, long story, it's been over a year, so here it is.

Last March it was time to do the 60k maint. I did it and obviously did something wrong (didn't set the tension on timing belt? idk). So I take the head off to see what the damage is. Dang, powdered an exhaust valve in cyl 4. So I send the head off to get a BR stage 3 head. I also purchased all parts needed to rebuild the block (piston, rods, rings, bearings...etc).

Now I take the car to the "shop" and have them rebuild the block and place the built head on. Takes them about 2-3 months to do this. I get the car back mid June. Pay them the labor fee they charged and all is well...

I knew my stock clutch was going bad so I save up and purchase an exedy twin. Still happy that this shop was able to rebuild my motor and get me my car back. So I take the clutch to them and ask if they have time to do the install. About a week later, on a Friday, I get the car back. Drove it home that night and parked it. Get up Saturday to take my daughter to her soccer tourney and the motor sounds like it has eff'n marbles in it. Then Monday I get the car back to this "shop", I mean they did the work so they should fix it right?

I get to the shop and crack the car for them and the owner quickly says cut it off and proceeded to tell me that he doesn't like the way that sounds and wants to pull the pan to check it out.

Calls me about 2 days latter and I go up there to look at the oil pan, BAM full of metal shavings and chunks of metal. He assures me that he will make it right and I'm somewhat satisfied at this point. It is now Aug '12.

So some time goes by, maybe a week, and he tells me he has sourced a block (used block). It takes several weeks for him to get this block and low and be hold it is seized up. He sends that one back to recoup he cost there and orders another block (used block). This one shows up full of water.

Now we are coming to the end of the year '12. He now goes to the local Mitsu dealer and orders an OEM rebuild kit.

Early spring '13 the kit arrives. His mechanic gets to work on rebuilding the motor. several weeks later I get a call stating that they completed the rebuild and I'm thinking great car is finally ready. NOPE, he goes on to tell me that the car idled for approximately 20 mins and began to sound like it spun a rod bearing. So while on the phone with him I tell him that obviously your mechanics can't build this motor. You need to get a motor that is built and your guys never have to touch the internals.

He agrees and orders a BR stage 3 block. So he palletizes my block and ships it off. I'm calling BR to check on delivery of my block and they don't have it yet, a week later. So I call my shop, oh he says the block I shipped was lost in shipping. I'll contact BR and get them to build a fresh block. I'm thinking cool.

Now the BR block arrives at the "shop". The day they are reassembling the longblock the owner of the "shop" calls me and tells me there is an issue when they try to reinstall the balance shafts. I tell him that this motor is built to not have balance shafts. So after some discussion he decides to call BR and even got DB cell # to ask about how to assemble this long block.

So a couple weeks later I get the call that the car is ready and is running great. Last Thursday July 25th I pick the car up and yes it is running good. Fast forward to Tuesday July 30th, when coming to a stop light I push the clutch pedal in and put the car in neutral to prepare to stop and BAM the motor cuts off. I coast to the light stop and proceed to try and crank it. The starter just spins.

I get it towed to the "shop" and he tells me that the balance shaft belt broke, got into the timing belt and shredded it. Yay, another motor gone. I asked him why if there are no balance shafts then why is there a balance shaft belt on there. He says that there has to be a balance shaft belt on there.

After talking to an evo shop, I learn that there is no reason for the balance shaft belt to be there. They state that they probably put the rear balance shaft in and since there was no oil going to it that it most liking seized up and that is what broke the balance shaft belt.

Unless you live in the Memphis, TN area then knowing the shop name will not help you. I posted this to serve as a warning and example of what not to do.

I will be seeking legal advice on what to do next.

The car is currently un-driveable so I'm stuck for now.

So over the last year I am over 10k in parts, labor and car payments paid on a car that I have maybe put 600 miles on in a year due to the incompetency of this "shop"

 

I sense a juicy story coming on..

 

full story will get posted when it is settled. I'm sorry that I can't post more about it just yet and that I posted what I did but I seriously have smoke coming out of my ears right now.

Seriously though, us evo owners have to use only evo shops. Other shops just don't seem to get it.

 

In!

 

That sucks! I also want to hear what they did.

 

Thats why I am a DIY kinda owner!

 

That's nothing new. Dsm and evos have always been that way. People just don't understand boosted vehicles and how they work. That's why most dsm and evo owners become their own mechanics. Its really hard to find a decent mechanic. Just cause you go to school for it don't mean you know what your doing.

 

subscribed.

 

In for results.

 

Thats a give in...even stealership's don't know what they are doing. I talked to the tech and he was like " I haven't touched one of these things in over a year " needless to say I never went back.

 

I 100000000000000 agree. Victim of non evo speciality shop here. Its not a boosted car thing. Its the fact that Evo is very quirky. Lots of gotchas.

 

put em on blast, so they can't get the next guy

 

well no s*** ofcourse i wont take it to a regular shop when the "ASE Certified" techs comes up to me and say "oh nice subaru.. does this thing have a turbo??" LOL. What did the shop do to your Evo?

 

You don't want to be the one who pops a shop's evo cherry.

 

I will post the full story once my situation is all settled. This is my 2nd evo, so I do know a thing or 2 about our cars but the work I had donw was not going to happen by me. I'm not skilled enough to have done it myself.