While of course there are many good garages.......
I have seen many interesting situations,
I once knew a car owned by a female colleague who was clearly being repeatedly done over by her trusted VW independent.
Unnecessary replacements, shocks replaced (twice!) clutch replaced then recommended for replacement again 10,000 later.
( it was still fine 40,000 later and I suspect they overlooked that they had already done it)
They did all her servicing but the cambelt snapped and mashed the valves.
I had a look under the bonnet and noticed they had re fitted the old glazed and cracked alternator drive belt.......( hoping for another repair?) I think so.
There was a lot more than this including low oil pressure and oil consumption......
Now I REALLY knew this car and engine and had been servicing one of the same
for some time. The independent had been `milking ` her for cash on repairs not even needed and I suspect using sub standard oil at services. This was in the depression of the 90`s and it seemed to me looking through her repair receipts that the garage had found its own way to survive those years by generating its own work.
|
that's the trouble.......if like me you're clueless with mechanics.......how do you know if you're being 'had over'.
when i stopped using the main dealer for my S Type.......i chose an independent garage out of my Jag magazine..and... got the chap who does all the work on my old car to give the Jag a once over before it went to the independent, so i'd know exactly what was right/wrong
cost me £50......but when the independent came up with the same answers as he did e.g 4,000 - 5,000 miles to go before brake pads would need doing and front discs were getting a lip, so consider a change at the next service ... then i knew it was correct
gave me the confidence to keep using them
(didn't use the other chap because i wanted trained technicians who knew the marque and access to the correct diagnostic equipment........he thought i was mad and wasting my money having him just check it)
|
"he thought i was mad and wasting my money having him just check it)"
I don`t think so, a good approach IMHO to check a garage out for a first visit.
|
The 10 year old one-previous-owner-main-dealer-serviced Peugeot 306 I bought needs an MOT very soon and I looked through all the old maintenance records and service receipts. Do you know, the poor trusting chap who owned it from new for nearly 10 years had all his MOTs done by the main dealer and every time they hit him for £21 - £25 to adjust the headlight beam.
When SWMBO takes her Jazz to the local MOT place they tweak the plastic nuts (if required) FOC.
There are plenty of Tricky garages all right!
|
My dads escort (1.6 zetec) was burning too much petrol for about a year. I told them I suspect the ECU temp sensor is not working properly.
Garage 1 - "Your coil pack needs replacing, we have one from a 1.8 Zetec that will fit. Ecy thing is fine. He done a service mate including plugs init and replace a wishbone, that will be £250 init"
Garage 1 3 weeks later after a coil snapped "Fixed init £100 please" - Surely trhey should have noticed the coil was rusted last time since they had to remove the coil to replace the wishbone?
Garage 2's explanation to why its burning fuel "it needs a new ECU" We didn't accept this diagnoses as we knew the ECU was fine and even the garage admitted they just guessed the fault.
Garage 3 (6 months later) explanation for the fuel fault - "your plugs are 3 years old, the air filter is clogged and the thermostat needs replacing, Your coil pack is also the wrong kind for your engine so we have replaced that, £220 please"> The car did run perfectly after this but it was still only retunring 25mpg.
Finally my uncle looked at it, replaced the ECU temp sensor and guess what the fuel problem was cured. Why did 3 different garages fail to spot this?
|
"had all his MOTs done by the main dealer and every time they hit him for £21 - £25 to adjust the headlight beam."
Our Local Authorities transport dept does Mot`s, I always go there as there is no link to repair services.
|
|
|
