You hear about it but never think it will happen to you until it does. Travelling Australia in the very early stages with my 7 year old daughter brings me to Proserpine QLD where I’ve stayed for 2 months saving the money to repairs on my Navara. I finally had the money and the go-a-head was given to the mechanic in a near by town to do the manifold gasket. Simple job but labour intensive. A week later the mechanic says he will deliver the vehicle to me that night but does not show. 4 days pass and the mechanic is uncontactable. Finally he replies and tells me the vehicle has about 2 hours until it’s completed and he’s trying to get a mechanic mate to come and finish it. Another 2 days go by and I get a text saying to pick up tonight. Upon arriving at the workshop I find my car with the bonnet still up. 3 hours pass and he tells me to take his car home in the morning he will get another gasket kit and redo the job himself. The next afternoon I arrive and the car is running he tells me to keep an eye on the coolant expansion tank and if it gets low it’s using water somewhere. This to me was odd as I never had an issue with the cooling system. I drive the 55km back to where I’m staying and as I shut the vehicle off I can hear bubbling and gurgling sounds I open the bonnet and find oil and pooled on the first injector and sprayed everywhere and around the turbo where he had done the repairs. I phone the mechanic and he says more likely an air bubble in the radiator and to bleed it. At this stage I realise there is no coolant in the vehicle and the expansion tank filled only with water is still at the level I left the workshop. Next day I check the radiator and it takes 5 ltrs to fill I attempt to start the car and it doesn’t start. The car was towed back to his workshop. He tells me a battery test failed the battery hence it not starting and he pressure tested the radiator and the plastic connection piece had been broken and this is where the water was going. Another $800 for a new battery and radiator. I ask about the oil which was pretty concerning and he shrugs it off. New battery fitted and new radiator but the car still takes forever to start. He tells me to take the car home bring it back tomorrow and he will sort it. I leave his workshop drive no more than 10km up the road and the temperature gauge rises rapidly I pull over while I’m waiting for all to cool down a near by cane farmer offers to tow me off the side of the highway into his paddock. I tell him where the car went to get fixed and as I’m telling him he slowly starts shaking his head. “There’s your first problem he says, you shouldn’t of taken it there!” I ring a mechanic 2 towns over tell him the issue and where the vehicle went for repairs. To this he replied “oh yeah well you shouldn’t of taken it there. Im guttered by this point and no clue what to do I don’t know anyone I have no transport and no public transport and my caravan is 25km from the town centre. The car gets towed to another workshop and he rings and tells me the motor is cooked. Well and truly cooked. I’ve since found out the one who did the repairs was not qualified and no gasket kit was purchased for me vehicle instead one was made from god knows what around his shed. An injector was loose responsible for some of the oil but why who knows chase shouldn’t of been touched. There were hoses not connected and the hoses on the oil catch can were connected in reverse and it just goes on on. I approached the mechanic who denies liability and admits he doesn’t have the necessary insurance to claim the damages on the vehicle. So here I am stuck 25km from town no transport whatsoever no way to move my van into town and a Navara with a cooked motor packed full of half my belongings. I feel so defeated so lost and really don’t know what I’m going to do. Any suggestions any guidance would be greatly appreciated. I never knew sites like this existed and it’s embarrassing to even air my story. It’s taken 5 years to rebuild after domestic violence so this current situation has hit home really hard. If you’ve taken the time to read this thank you. Any assistance at this stage would be equal to chucking a life raft to someone lost at sea.
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/lilmissleeding