A quick rant

tfaith08

Member
Feb 24, 2014
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SW Alabama
Amongst my construction work, semi-truck work, drill sergeant work, and performance work (the official name is now Acceleration Works), I also do general repair on ATVs and dirt bikes.

I charge $50/hr at the lower range of what the local full time shop charges. For example, if they quote a job as 6-8 hours, I go with 6 off the bat. I also guarantee that I can fix what I work on or the customer doesn't have to pay.

Recently, I had a cousin of a friend of mine bring in a Prairie 650. Naturally, it had mud tires and a snorkel setup installed. He claimed that it had a cracked head that he and his dad diagnosed. He wanted the head inspected and or repaired/replaced if necessary. He also stated that he'd never submerged it in mud or water since he's had it.

I pulled the dipstick and it did have coolant in the oil. The airbox was filthy (probably had a bit to do with the K&N filter), but there was oil and coolant mixed together in the bottom of the airbox because the drain was blocked off to make it "air-tight". Yeah, whatever. I look at the carbs and they are really clean. I mean spotless.

He started the quad with the filter off and it starts backfiring out of the rear carb, which leads me to believe that the valves are out of adjustment or are bent, the cam has jumped a gear or two, or the head is in fact warped or cracked pretty badly. I initially leaned away from a rich running condition because the carbs were so clean. It didn't run that bad, so I assumed a small crack was the culprit.

I checked the coolant level and it was absolutely full, so I was leery about the head being cracked. There was also no vacuum when I cracked the cap, and I started second guessing my mechanical abilities. Generally, air bubbles from combustion will make their way into the coolant passages, causing air bubbles to float up top. If they don't make their way up top and the leak is only while the engine is warm, the thermostat will crack open and let some coolant out when the combusting gasses force their way into the passages. After it cools, the pressure is relieved and the crack closes up a bit, pulling a vacuum on the cooling system because of constriction when the coolant cools.

So I check compression, to which Kawasaki specifies as 47-80 something. It also has the compression release system, which wasn't working on the rear cylinder because it read 191 psi. So now, I have no real way of determining the compression difference between the front and rear cylinders.

I call the guy to ask him if he wants me to proceed with the tear down, to which he agreed.

I got the rear half disassembled and then received a call from a family member who had a lawnmower that had trouble running. I went to work on the lawnmower and when I arrived, his son was there as well. His son is a good friend of the owner of the Prairie. I asked him about it and the story was a drastically new direction from what the owner told me.

What I was told was that the owner completely submerged the 4 wheeler and sucked a significant portion of water and mud into the snorkel. He then pulled it back to his house and sprayed the snorkel out with a water hose, changed the oil, and added coolant to the oil. This was in a attempt to lead his parents to believe that it had cracked the head and was leaking coolant into the oil because he didn't want to admit to sinking it when they told him it would happen. Then, he wiped the carbs out and sprayed them down with carb cleaner to make the mud disappear.

That's when he inquired about his cousin fixing it. He saw straight through it and said that he wouldn't fix it and referred him to me. Then, the owner lied to me because he knew that I would tell his cousin who would in turn tell the owner's parents, which I plan to do.

I tore the carbs down and as I expected, they were full of mud. The belt drive assembly was out of spec because of the mud gargling through it, causing the sensor to throw a code for the ECU, putting it in safe mode, dumping gas (backfiring through carb? Bingo.).

Up to this point, he's sitting on a $200 bill, and that's only because I told him I'd do a diagnostic for free as a high school graduation present. I haven't even started re-assembling the engine. He's going to be sitting on a $500 bill IF he doesn't want me to clean the belt. That's a lot of money to pay to cover a story up.

The mind boggles...
 
To make everything even better, someone tried to steal the 250R that I just got through working on WHILE I WAS TYPING THE ABOVE POST. I heard it fire up and then die. When I opened the door, my dog took off after whoever it was and I chased with a flashlight and a machete. Never caught them because I was barefoot and in sleep attire on dew covered grass.

City police came by and I was told that I can use any force, reasonable or not, necessary to stop theft since they now have a theft/trespassing report on file.
 
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That sounds just like my Lad, hear a noise, grab the torch and a Scimitar and fly outside in hot pursuit.

Bare foot does not slow him down he rarely wears shoes.
 
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As soon as I started reading this I am thinking yeah like he didn't submarine it, that's all they want to do on those 4x4's.

The truth will have to come out eventually. Tell his dad if junior didn't submerge it maybe the previous owner did, but it has been submerged to cause this kind of damage.
 
wow quite a story. Sounds to me like somebody needs to learn to take responsibility for their actions! I agree with bummer, its your responsibility to tell dad what was really wrong with it, of course I guess it kind of depends on who's paying the bill too
 
Spoiled brat? Maybe who knows? He
might get his a$$ beat and is scared?
But at any rate could be a good learning experience for the lad.lying should not be rewarded ! Some parents have no clue about their little angels!
 
Well, the kid is using his graduation money to pay for it. I'm trying to figure out where teaching him a lesson crosses over into greed/unreasonable. I'm not going to overcharge him, but I sure as hell am not going to cut him any slack.

I currently have a Bear Tracker that needed the carb cleaned. A week later, I've gotten probably 10 hours into little stuff here and there and haven't planned on charging him since he brings beer everyday and helps me out. He's a cool cat, so I'm gonna leave it at $70 total ($50 for carb and $20 for all materials/lubricants used throughout).

There will be no such thing take place with the Prairie owner. Down to the cent.
 
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I can promise you that I'm going to let him know that lol. As soon as I finish the TTR125 head work, the Timberwolf rebuild, the Bear Tracker BS, the Blaster exhaust, and maybe clean up a bit, I might get around to fixing it.
 
I would work up a bill for as much as you could possibly think of to add to it. Then at the last minute when he has lost all hope and thinks he will be sending you payments for months tell him the real story and price
 
That's whats wrong with kids now adays. They don't want to take any responsibility for their actions. I'd let his old man know, That might be the only way he ever learns.
 
I think I'll keep updating this thread as I become irritated...

We had a couple come to the dealership today that had a Foreman 500 with aftermarket tires (28" mudzillas, believe it or not. Trend setters, this couple) and a broken front driver-side axle. They claimed that it was without a doubt a Honda problem and that we WOULD fix it. BUT, allow me to back up.

I'm in the service department and the parts guy comes back and says that there's this hot chick (he called her a biotch) and her boyfriend (he called him a biotch) and they're fussing about a warranty claim and how we don't our jobs because something broke that we'd never worked on. Within 5 minutes, the GM walks up and tells us that we need to check it out.

I stayed back while the senior mechanic did his thing. As I walked away, the girl told the GM that he absolutely would be fixing it and that they wouldn't pay a dime. All the while, Brannon (we call him Sweet-Feet because he laid out of work for a week due to sunburned feet) is telling us that it won't be a warranty claim, to which we blow him off because he has a very joking personality.

The GM walked away and said something that ended with, "...and that ***-****biotch isn't going to ******* tell me how to run my mother-******* dealership." After a minute of diagnosis, we honestly didn't find any factory defect and tell the couple that it won't be covered. While she's losing her mind in the parking lot, Sweet-Feet steps out and screams, "Ma'am, aftermarket tires void all warranties with any Honda product" and steps back inside.

At least the idiocy was capped with some resolve.
 
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I deliver medical supplies for a living. We took this rather large gentleman a low air loss mattress 1400$ + generously provided by taxpayers to prevent his fat ass from getting bed sores . Not a week goes by we get " the call" stopped working. Cigarette burns x12. Ok week later his charming wife calls asking about " the replacement " WOW MOUTHBREATHERS