In 2020, just before the pandemic I was Ubering and found that I needed a new Catalytic Converter, so I went to 2k and John helped me. While he was doing the Cat I decided to have him put some new spark plugs in. I was looking to find a mechanic that I could stick with. He was nice enough, so I went with the shop. John informed me that I had a leak coming from my valve cover, so I told him to go ahead and replace the gaskets.
I had already had them do my new Cat-back exhaust and put my new tires on the rims, mount and balance them. So far it was a good experience.
When the Cat came up I went to them and they did the work. I went back out to Ubering and after about an hour of driving my car started limiting me to no more than 4K rpm's. Since I have a 5 speed, I turned the car off and back on again and she ran fine for the next hour, then did it again. By the third time this happened I got a engine light. I bought an OBD reader and it told me that it was a p0016 error code. 'Crankshaft - camshaft correlation error. So I figured it had to do with my 'timing' so I started replacing sensors. Camshaft was first then crankshaft. Right on top and totally accessible from the top and just under the bottom.
This didn't help. In fact a new problem came up. Now she was eating gas like crazy. Then I got another error message concerning the O2 Sensor, which was new. 2k hadn't put a new one in when they did the Cat, they used the old one.
I tried to get John to find out what was going on, but they came up with nothing, so I took it to ford and they told me nothing about the p0016 code, but told me that the 02 sensor was installed improperly. I had a new one in the seat and had them put it in.
I tried to get John to figure out the p0016 code, but they got too busy. The pandemic hit and I stopped driving the car altogether and used my bike most of the time to go anywhere, or my wife's car. My car sat.
In August of 2021 I went to work for an aerospace company and drove the car. It still had the issue if you drove it for more than an hour, which I did going from Canoga Park to Torrance, so I decided to see if it was the coils, so I replaced them. But I found that I couldn't get cylinder 2's coil off. I took it to John one morning and they got it off. He told me that Ford had a problem with this and it was normal to happen after a while.
Then that job ended and the car sat from October 2021 until just last month (august 2022) I started the car and I got a 'engine fault - service now' flash on the display and the car started missing like crazy. I parked it and took my wife's car.
To get to the point, after taking it to Ford, because John was too busy to look at it, even after telling him to give me an estimate on how much putting in a new alternator and starter, which I already had bought, would cost me in addition to finding out the other issue he just never called me back. So, seeing as I had already bought Crankshaft Solenoids, that I also wanted him to install with the other stuff, I decided to just buckle up and put those in myself. It only took me 30 minutes to get the valve cover off and then I got my first shock. Someone had used some type of putty to glue the opening that the solenoid fit through, back together. Gluing the O ring that goes around the solenoid to the valve cover.
Now I have 3 issues with the valve cover. Two stripped threads for the coils to lock down in, which I used some JB Weld to secure them so I can pull and reseat them and the putty issue around the solenoid opening, which I just left. But after taking a ride to make sure I got no more error codes, which I did not and she ran like a jewel but smelling something, I stopped the car and looked in the engine bay only to find that a crack was in the valve cover right there down the side, where the solenoids come out. It was spraying out oil as the engine ran. The crack had a thin layer of black putty over it as if someone patched it.
The only shop that did any work on my Valve cover was 2k. I told him today and he denied it.
The only other mechanic that did any work on my car was Omega Auto and it was a clutch job that's nowhere near my valve cover. Every time I tried to get 2k to do any work on my car John always had an excuse as to why he couldn't do it, even though I paid him always and never complained about rates or even about the discrepancies after he did work on my car.
As John did say '... a valve cover doesn't cost much for your car' I don't understand why he would deny it when his shop was the only one that worked on my car from the time I started having issues till now.
John, I know you could care less, but you lost a good customer. I wanted you to be my go-to shop and you did everything to make sure that didn't happen.
Bad ethics.... bad integrity! That's ashamed cuz I actually liked you! read more