ouch !

After $3k and 4 mechanics; I have a new o2 sensor, timing belt job, and pre-cat, but the car is consuming more oil than ever before and the check engine light is still coming on for the same reason that started this whole ordeal as mentioned in my previous post. I will say I was due for the timing belt job, but I would have expected the consumption of oil to go away and not get worse.

Advice on how to complain or something ? Car has been destroyed through bad mechanic practice or whatever you want to call it.

Considering the fact that you did nothing that in any way that effects your motors oil consumption, I dont know how you could have fixed it. What code is it throwing?

Why start so many threads on a single issue you're having?

And they were all started within an hour of eachother.

I guess it is a long story, but two of the mechanics worked on the engine. I told them of the oil consumption and every detail I could think of including pictures. Car is still consuming a ton of oil and it is progressively getting worse. Only thing I can think of is that they are not fixing something. Three places including one of the mechanics said it is throwing the 0300 misfire code, but I can not get a solid answer as to what code it is throwing the incline problem. Not sure if it is two separate problems I am having not. I was due for the belt job, and it did get done, but like I said, it is still consuming a ton of oil and thought the check engine light would have gone away. I have reason to believe that the o2 sensor and pre-cat did not need fixing as that did not stop the check engine light from coming on due to a misfire and or problem on inclines.

Throwing it all out there. Not sure if it is a single problem or not.

maybe the whole code thing is a scam and other people are having the problem as well.

maybe the whole code thing is a scam and other people are having the problem as well.

I am a little stressed about the issue, but this will be the last time I post on the forum. And may be the last of the car.

obdii is not a scam. Your oil consumption is unrelated to anything anyone has tried to fix. And unless its valve stem seals, there is nothing to be done other than a rebuild. (In which case I'd either go with a junk yard motor or a new car.) You can try to get rid of the misfire, but that oil consumption will always be there.

Misfire would be coils,plugs or wires. Oil consumption would be rings or valve stem seals. If you have smoke on startup, probably valve seals, If no smoke then probably rings. If it is burning that much oil then the cats will go next after you carbon foul them to death from burning oil. $3k sounds pretty damn high for what you say was done, maybe the mechanics are the scam and not OBDII.

yup! i told both of them to replace everything. and that is my distress....more damages to come after $3k. and possibly unable to pass smog.
great car. you understand what i am saying. mechanics messed it up. multiple ones. i shouldn't have to take that, but i wouldn't know how to get my money back on a sabotaged jobs and still get it fixed.

I know it's easier said than done, but learning about the car and doing a lot of the easier stuff for yourself will lead into confidence to tackle bigger things and is the only way around being at other people's mercy. Even if you don't want to tackle something, when you take it somewhere you can tell them what is going on, what is seems to be and what you would like done about it. You can be a part of what's going on instead of just being in the dark. This will take the scam card out of play to a very large degree. I understand there are barriers to doing repairs like time, no place to do it if in apartment, etc but it simply pays lots in today's shady world to have basic understanding of what's going on under hoods of cars/trucks and then particulars about your own car. There is a shop manual stickied here on the forum and countless threads about everything that can happen with these cars and their resolutions. There is wealth of info upinheeya and still a few people around too.

sounds like your car has several issues. first the oil consumption - like others have said its an internal engine issue. smoking on start up is usually valve stem seals. smoke while running is probably rings. that equates to engine work. you can try a thicker oil and see if that helps but it wont be a permanent fix. second are the codes - what codes were there originally? oil burning can destroy a cat after some time. however a misfire code will also destroy a cat from dumping raw fuel into it pretty quickly too. misfire most likely fixed with plugs wires and coil packs. that should also fix the low power issue on an incline. i think first thing is to go to local auto parts store and rent a scan tool if you dont have access to one and read the codes for yourself. then with codes and your symptoms folks here might be able to give you a bit more focused advice.
also timing belt jobs with water pumps and new belts can run about $700-1000 in some shops around here. now add in a new pre cat for over$1000 and then more labor charges and $3k isnt that far off. there is alot of knowledge here and even if you cant do the projects yourself itll at least give you a rough estimate of what a shop would charge for work.

$3K should have bought a hell of a lot more than a timing belt, O2 sensors, and a precat. None of those things have anything to do with oil burning and unlikely to have anything to do with a misfire.

Plugs, wires, and coils should be checked first for a misfire.

As mentioned, rings or valve seal to blame for oil burning.

I'd pay someone to take this car away before I'd spend $3k on it.

Sounds like the you did not think when telling the mechanics to replace everything! You have to be wise when spending that kind of money on a car that probably isn't worth that to begin with.

Now you probably can't do anything about the money that YOU paid them. That was YOUR choice. I hope that you at least learn from this and do more research on repairs and what you should spend on them. This is what is called a life lesson. I really hope you learn from this or you will repeat it.

Wolfy is right to a degree, you authorized these repairs and you have to pay for them. Now, if you felt that one or all of these mechanics were dishonest and you can prove it through documentation you may have a case. Here's the kicker though, you have to sue each mechanic individually in small claims in the county where they conduct business, each suit filed will run you about $75 in court fees and postage for the certified demand letter (not including a process server). I would stop putting money into that car ASAP. Good luck.

When they replaced the timing belt, did they also change the valve cover gasket? The misfire code and consumption can both be due to a bad valve cover gasket letting oil into the combustion chamber (this can also throw an O2 sensor code depending on how bad it is.) Otherwise, its the valve stem seals and/or piston rings.

I feel your pain when it comes to car repairs because the timing belt in my MSP snapped on me two weeks ago and I was in a similar predicament since it was my only car. I had Pepboys quote me $2k for a timing belt job and replacing valves and decking the head because they claimed my car had an interference engine and that I more than likely bent some of the valves. After I called bulls***, and speaking to a Mazda tech, who confirmed it was non-interference, they dropped the price but still wanted over $1k. I ended up doing the work myself and replaced the timing belt, water pump, all idler pulleys and valve cover gasket, all for a paltry $250! Best part, she purrs like a kitten now, no issues, no bent valves.

What they charged you for the work is insane and you need to pursue this. For one, they didn't fix your oil consumption issue plus they seriously overcharged you. This is the problem with the autorepair industry, particularly franchises. If you were a car-illiterate or novice, you can easily get swindled into paying for unnecessary or incorrect repairs. In my case, if I had been a novice and just ok'd every repair suggested by the Pepboys guy, I would've spent over 10 times what I actually spent fixing it myself. In the future, I highly recommend doing some reading on your car and engine and start doing some repairs yourself so in the very least you will have the confidence to call a mechanic out on his bulls*** rather then just ok'ing everything out of panic.

Btw, it may help if you posted a video of your car idling when cold and when at operating temp. Just do a walk around and include a shot of the tail pipe when the engine is cold and when at operating temp. It can be really difficult to diagnose a car without any kind of testing or measurement, particularly over the internet, since similar problems can have different causes.

How does a bad valve cover (cam cover) gasket allow oil into the combustion chamber?

If the gasket around the spark plug well was damaged, oil can leak into the combustion chamber that way.