TRENT & TONY KNITTEL'S SERVICE CENTER

I took my Fiat Spyder in for a sale tuneup, plugs, wires, points, timing, oil, and filters. They had it done in about 15 minutes. Cost $50.00 (49.99 plus tax); ran good in first gear. Hit second and heard a loud bang and saw a dent appear in my hood. Stopped car, popped the hood and found a spark plug with black gooey crap all over the threads missing from a spark plug hole with black gooey crap in it. Called a tow truck to take it back. When I spoke with them they told me I would need a new head and they could put one on for the amazingly low price of $250.00!! I let them!! But I kept the spark plug because I had my suspicions. What I got was a $2.50 heli-coil and had the car back in 4 hours. When I got home I called my friend in Atlanta Georgia who owns an Italian Car Dealership and I shipped him my head for work. The head I got back was a new one with my Cams in it and my valve train. It took two weeks, but in that time I got the two inch high 6 inch circular dent out of my hood and had just the hood repainted so there would be no over spray. I did that work myself so I was only out about $100.00 in materials and that was because of the cost of the Ferrari Red paint I had to buy. The head is another matter as it cost close to $900.00. My friend confirmed my suspicions that an epoxy steel had been used to try to make the spark pug stick in the stripped out threads. My friend said that is common when someone uses an air wrench and over toques a spark plug in an aluminum head. I sued the company but as my attorney said, "They must have paid the judge more than we did." So that's the End of This Story. Case Closed.