Advise on repair shop that damaged mower!

[Cleve]

I'm not sure if this should really be a topic for this forum but I'm sure there are some of you out there that can at least advise me on next step.
Visited my dad today (79 yrs old) and went with him to pick up his 10 year old Toro rear engine mower at the repair shop. He had already spent over $600 with this guy for repairs in the past month and still had problems. This time they were replacing the carb for about $100+.
By the way, We would already be taking care of his lawn on a regular basis except for the fact that he lives about 80 miles away and still loves to take care of his own lawn. As it is we usually end up doing it anyway.
Walked into the shop and had the owner start talking about how he had made a mistake and stood the mower up overnight and forgot to take the battery out.??? The engine (12 HP B&S)looked like it had sat in battery acid for hours. Rust already starting to form on it. He said that he had neutralized the acid (Right!!!!) and everything seemed to work O.K.
I about hit the roof and told him how I felt about the stupid mistake. I also insisted we leave the mower with him and insisted that he remove the cover and check the engine throughly.
What would you expect someone to do in this case? Is this engine damaged really badly? How far should I try to push this guy? My dad is a real easy going fellow and I believe the shop is pushing him around. I have a pretty bad temper and don't want to screw things up too much. He seems to really love this old unit and just didn't want to talk about a new one. (Wish I had insisted now).
Just need some advise. Thanks, Cleve.

[John DiMartino]

Insist that he warranty the entire engine,ingintion included.as long as he owns it,or insist he put a new engine in at his cost.This is a true story Ill never forget.When I used to work at a big auto dealership-a tech did an inspection,and an oil change on an old lady;s Reliant (2.2) 4 cyl-well he got rushed,and forgot to add theoil ,and the old lady drove it 17 miles before she noticed the oil light-she stopped at a Ford shop--they added 4.25 quarts-,the car neverdied-and the engine sounded fine,she came back to us,and dealership owner promised to warranty it personally,had a contract drawn up,and i dont think the engine ever went bad.The old lady got nasty and threated them with legal action,you might have to do the same.

[jrebeiro]

Get something in writing. If they don't agree then push for a replacement. If they still don't agree go to the township mediator of the town where the shop is located. Most times they will talk them into a replacement or you go through to small claims court. Most times they will just settle. Only problem with this method is that your Dad can never go there again since you will risk destruction to that mower. Weigh your options and talk, dont yell, to the owner or the guy who made the mistake.

[awm]

let daddy handle it his old timey way.while
making sure the dealer knows yuo are watching.
sometimes the old folks pretty smart.
luck to you an your dad

[Sammy]

After you kick their butt, find another service shop.

[Cleve]

Thanks,
Definitely never go to this place again.
But first want to get mower back in decent shape. If he had not already spent so much would have already picked up the machine and done it myself. Just worried about damage to engine now from battery acid. Looked awful....
Cleve.