A Auto Repair Shop Problems from expert

Question
I took my truck to a repair shop back in September 2006 to get a rebuilt engine put in.  I had to take it back in December because the check engine light came on they said they fixed it.  I only drove it from the shop to my house and the next day on my way to work it died after maybe 10 minutes.  I had it towed to my house because it was a Saturday(Dec. 23rd) but on Tuesday(Dec. 26th) I took it back into the shop.  They tried to get the motor warranted by the company they purchased it from since it was still under warranty.  It took them until March 8th to have it "fixed",I drove it about 80 miles in the next 2 days and it was running a little rough then I went out of town for 6 days.  When I got back I drove it to work and it still wasn't running right when I got home that night I looked it over and noticed it had almost burnt up all the oil.  So I took it back to the shop the next day(Mar. 16th) it then took them until April 20th to get it "fixed". It was only driven a little bit over the weekend but I had noticed it still wasn't running quite right and the check engine light had come on so, on Sunday I looked at it and saw that it was still burning oil and it was actually shooting oil out the exhaust.  So I took it back to them on Monday(Apr. 23rd) they said they would look at it and try to get it fixed, after a week I called them and they hadn't done anything but, they said they were getting their money back from the company the had purchased the motor from.  It turned out that they had been putting used motors from a junkyard in my truck instead of rebuilt ones like I was told.  So I told them I wanted a rebuilt motor put in so, they took their time doing that and on the May 19th my truck was broken into, while still at their shop, along with 7 others in a string of break ins.  My radio, speakers, and amplifier were stolen and there is no fencing or anti theft devices on the property.  They still haven't finished my truck yet.  Are they liable for my stolen property?  What can I do legally to get this problem solved both the stolen property and the trouble I have had with getting my truck fixed and being without it for so long?  Thank you for your time.

Answer
I cannot completely answer your question without knowing where this occurred and I do not give legal advice over the internet.

In some states, the use of signs will alleviate a cause of action for a third party break-in.  Some states do not allow a garage from denying responsibility even if they post signs.

You do have a potential cause of action for fraud for them installing a junked motor instead of a rebuild.  You can also allege a continuation of that fraud for all the time the truck was out of commission and attempt to include damages from the break-in which was a proximate cause of their fraud.

I suggest you speak with an attorney in your area.