I'll give it to steve (from lucky star), I bought a JDM from him, hes a reasonable guy. He got his guys working on the car a whole day to check why my turbo didnt work right, and replaced the turbo twice in a day, (but not the housing).. and he didnt charge me either considering they spent an entire day.. and it still didn't work properly.. but after that he said take it to magnus to find out what the problem is, since hes not a 'turbo' specialist.

so I took my car to them. So turned out that my exhaust manifold and turbo housing was cracked. Ok, so we called Steve from lucky star to give us another exhaust manifold/housing, and got the manifold, but all the engines he had, had cracked housings, which he said he'll take care of later, Im still waiting for him to call me when he gets one in, and he said he'll put it in... Ok, thats fine and dandy.

Now at magnus, the guy working on my car, Gary I think, said that I have an oil leak as well. First he says it was comming from the timing belt area, then later when my pops goes over to talk to him, he says its just the oil seal, around the oil filter. So he puts a new seal so he was working on the oil filter assembly area... anyways, so he put it on. So FINALLY I get to pick up my car this morning.

so I pick up my car, pay them cash for all this labour, and go. On the 401, just before hwy10, when im close to work, ALL THE OIL leaks out. Im freaked, I saw the oil gauge go to 0, and the engine was about to stop, and i had a truck behind me, and losing speed. God must have been with me to get me in the shoulder.. that was one scary experience.. so eventually I get the car towed all the way back there.

As soon as I towed the car back to Magnus while its sitting outside still on the towtruck, the guys were quick to say it was some problem with the timing belt and thats where the oil came out of. They instantly suggested that its going to be a whole day of labour, and they'd look at it later, pretty much ignoring me. So im just sitting there walking around waiting for my dad to come to drive me to work now.

Also, after just paying them a whole ton of money in cash just an hour or so before, I asked the guy with a limp (sorry I dont know his name, im not trying to degrade anyone) if I could borrow $90 I was short to pay the tow truck driver, telling him I'd pay him back. That guy brushed me off saying he had no money and I had to walk all the way to a bank machine... In my head I was like.. "ok there buddy.. you have the $500 I just gave you... all you had to say was 'no'"

So Im standing outside thinking what could be the problem with my talon while waiting for my pops to show up, considering none of those guys would talk to me or look at my car, and went on their own way.. Im surprised they had the manners to allow me to use their phone. So eventually, the older gentelmen, their father I'm assuming, pulled up and was walking around, and since he saw my earlier in the morning, he asked me what i was doing there. My pops showed up at the same time too, and we both stayed there.. I told him my story, and he looked at the problem. he made the younger guy gary move out some rx7 so he could look at my car, which gary was upset at doing, and then their father found out the problem was simple.. that the oil assembly wasnt tight enough, and became lose (just the screw where the oil filter plugs onto). My guess is since the seal he put on is RIGHT THERE he didnt tighten it properly which he should have, or I dont even want to think, but concievably might have loosened it on purpose, as I hear dishonest mechanics do stuff like this. But im not a techie, and I could be totally wrong... but things didnt just seem right... And that gary guy was quick to say he had nothing to do with it... And also, one of the guys was quick to tell their father that "this is a common problem with talons" its like they wanted to tell their father something else to shift blame somewhere else, well thats how it appeared to me... Ok, so for you technical guys, is this really a common problem with our cars, does the screw that the oil filter go on to just become lose, and does the oil pour out??? I'd like to know if that guy was lying, just for my self conscious.. So their father wrenched on this screw and did it all himself.. And he put on another oil filter/oil. Im glad their father showed up and took the initiative of doing it on his own, because if he didnt, these guys would have took apart the car, billed me out of all of my tuition money, and then problably gave the car back, in god knows what condition.

Im not one to complain much, but what they said they did and what they really did is a mystery, and there are inconsistencies. First that gary guy said he put on 3 hoses or something for like $15/each. But this wasnt on this bill, what did he put on?.. They chaged tons of labour for taking out the exhaust manifold and putting on another one. I dunno how it added up to $500 or so, to take out an exhaust manifold/turbo housing, and put another exhaust manifold back on, and put on a seal around the oil filter.. I just found them dishonest. But personally, I think they should have paid the $150 towing I had to pay, since because of either their miswork, or incompetance, i had to endure...

seriously, how would you feel if you took your car to a mechanic, they said there was a problem, they did work around that area (the oil filter area), and you came close to death because of the area they were working on totally blew up oil, casued your car to stop like in the middle of the highway with a honking truck right behind you? Then after the fact when you tow your car back, they treat you with no respect? I didnt argue nor I didnt even complain to them... I just want you guys to judge for yourself.

An honest mechanic is a real mechanic. I felt these guys were dishonest and not that nice either for that fact. Honestly, Im rational, nice to people, but these guys except for their father have little etiquette. And if it wasnt for their father, I would've been our a lot more $$$ for no reason at all. I do not suggest you take your car there unless you deal with their father. On another note, could someone suggest an *honest* mechanic that knows dsms somewhere in the west end? Im never in HELL going back there again, I dont care how much of a dsm/turbo specialist they are. This is my first and last experience with magnus motorsport.