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I hate dealing with anything or anyone that comes prefaced by "Trade" as in my experience it's an excuse to get ripped off or receive shoddy customer service by jaded staff. :-( Slighty OT, but it is amazing the amount of garages who think selling a car as a 'trade' sale absolves them of any future responsibility for said vehicle , in total and probably wilful ignorance of consumer law. Even more amazing is the amount of buyers of these who think they are getting a bargain, when all they are getting is a car at the same price but with no warranty or inspection, and think they have no comeback.
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I never entrust a Garage to do any of my work, I hate to say this as its kinda tar'ing people with the same brush, but just think about 90% of the people who did motor vehicle studies when you were at school... thats why! Its not so much the people that set out wanting to do it, its those who are chucked out of school for various reasons and have to do something at the local college because they are still under 16 - in my experience the boys did MVS 'cos its cars innit' and the girls did low level animal care courses or hairdressing. This will get worse over the next couple of years, with the recession's after effects combined with the govt raising the school leaving age to 18.
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MWF
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,945
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I took my TurboTechnics XR4x4 into a local garage for a minor power steering problem and new water pump, guy had it in for ages complaining of too much work and no parts. Each time it was fixed it would break within an hour of leaving the garage, I once drove off and the alternator had been adjusted so it severed a boost hose off.
I gave up with the garage and thought that was it.
Six months later I learned the garage owner had been taking the car home and thrashing it around for the duration of it's stay.
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Last Edit: Aug 6, 2009 9:42:23 GMT by MWF
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My old fella took his Montego to an acquaintance's place to have the rear arches repaired and the sills welded for MOT. It passed the MOT, he paid the (quite handsome) bill. 3 months later he slammed the door getting out, and a golfball sized lump of wag fell out of the sill, followed by the sports pages from the Daily Mirror!
I paid a local place to put a few patches and an outrigger on my landy chassis about 10 years back. The chap who did it neglected to clean up the surfaces to be welded, and just set on with his 80 amp gasless welder turned up to full. The following week the MOT tester managed to remove one of the patches with his 'corrosion assessment tool' which in his case was a welder's chipping hammer.....
Nowadays the only thing I entrust to garages is MOTs, and that's begrudgingly!
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1967 Morris Traveller 1971 Series IIA Land Rover 1991 Golf GL 4+e 1992 Corrado G60 1986 E28 BMW 528i
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DutyFreeSaviour
Europe
Back For More heartbreak and disappointment.....
Posts: 2,944
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dead man walking ^^^^^^
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Back from the dead..... kind of
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The last time I went anywhere for tracking in a 106, the bloke poked his head under the wing holding a pair of adjustable spanners, came back out and said "No mate, can't do it, its all seized up" This was the new steering rack, inner and outer rod ends and new track rods that I had just fitted (with copped grease on the threads) no more than 25 minutes beforehand! I explained I'd only just put it on, so he poked his head under for another 5 minutes, told me he'd done it and charged me £30. I drove home and things felt a bit "weird", slightly loose, but I put it down to this being the readjusted tracking, but it seemed to get worse all the way home, and I noticed it squealing round bends :S Turns out they had left all the locknuts loose, so by the time I got home, this "seized" rack had managed to unwind the drivers side track arm so only a couple of MM were still inside the track rod end! i assume they were using something other than just a pair of plyers? to do tracking don't you need to make measurements or use those plates.. i wouldnt have paid them if they just did what you say.. they did nothing but endanger your life!
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Nowadays the only thing I entrust to garages is MOTs, and that's begrudgingly! same.... my only reasoning tho is from working in garages full of dodgy bastards!!! even a Massive mercedes owned and run dealership. We had a diesel merc in once , cant remember model think it was a 300 , about an 83/4 model...It was an american guys that was driving round europe with his wife... still on NY plates came in with a blocked diesel pump. They ended up doing a full service (not asked for and bloody expensivE!!) they changed the fuel tank and left a message on his phone telling him the radiator was knackered..... they didnt wait for a reply and fitted it anyway.., ICING-CAKE they nearly forgot to sort out the pump!! they started signing it off and handed the keys back to the service advisor... luckily id been keeping my eyes on them and shouted to em to get it fitted... neadless to say the owner wasnt happy.. and none of the work done had been asked for (neading a signed slip) and he ended up taking the service people to court ;D
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I cant trust a garage to care as much as myself about getting MY car in good shape I`ll only go to a garage if there`s NO other possibility
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Davenger
Club Retro Rides Member
It's only metal
Posts: 7,272
Club RR Member Number: 140
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Dealerships are only franchises, so ne even being a main dealer is a guarantee these days
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rob0r
East of England
Posts: 2,743
Club RR Member Number: 104
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Bodieandoyle works at my local garage and Spacekadett at my local MOT station, I know I'm in good hands if I have the need to get any work done. Normally I attempt at doing something and if I get stuck I give B&D a ring! Ledge.
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E30 320i 3.5 - E23 730 - E3 3.0si - E21 316 M42 - E32 750i ETC
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Davenger
Club Retro Rides Member
It's only metal
Posts: 7,272
Club RR Member Number: 140
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I just give Stuyizz a shout. He's normally about 5 feet away working on one of his cars ;D
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dead man walking ^^^^^^ Why'd you say that?
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1967 Morris Traveller 1971 Series IIA Land Rover 1991 Golf GL 4+e 1992 Corrado G60 1986 E28 BMW 528i
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DutyFreeSaviour
Europe
Back For More heartbreak and disappointment.....
Posts: 2,944
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Was commenting on one above - you beat me to the gap ;D Everyone expects delays - but to have 'em ragging the car around is one step over the mark in my book....... I'd have had a rather unpleasant reaction to that news I do know of a friend - now living in Oz - qualified Merc tech. They would 'road test' anything that took their fancy - AMG's were of course fought over...... one employee of the Slough/Windsor garage was fired after burning out right up the main high-street in a customers car (many years ago)
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Back from the dead..... kind of
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Was commenting on one above - you beat me to the gap ;D Everyone expects delays - but to have 'em ragging the car around is one step over the mark in my book....... I'd have had a rather unpleasant reaction to that news I do know of a friend - now living in Oz - qualified Merc tech. They would 'road test' anything that took their fancy - AMG's were of course fought over...... one employee of the Slough/Windsor garage was fired after burning out right up the main high-street in a customers car (many years ago) I think a lot of workshops do it to some extent or other. The mechanic has to test drive the car to check for problems, but once they're out on the road in a powerful car, sometimes the temptation to push it a bit harder is too great. Boys will be boys and all that. The garage owner taking the car home to thrash it on the weekends, however, is completely out of line and very probably illegal.
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Took the wife's MX5 to the local Mazda dealer for a service and asked them to look at the aircon which had stopped working ('cos she never used it!). When I went to pick it up they proudly told me they had stripped down the a/c pump as it had seized and put it all back together, but as they didn't have the replacement fuse they had bridged the fuse - so they said don't use the A/C and we'll have the fuse in tomorrow. Went to start car next morning - battery flat. Jump started it and took it back to them - found the a/c fan was running constantly - so they disconnected it! Next morning, flat again and when Jump starting sounds of sparks under the bonnet - so I suggested they pick it up and sort it out. It seems like they never removed the temporary by-pass of the fuse!
They also told me that it needed a new front wheel - as it would fail its MOT. I looked at it - expecting a gash in the tyre or something - no, just a minor bit of scuffing to wheel. It passed its MOT (elsewhere) without even an advisory.
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Old Fords never die they just go sideways
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Was commenting on one above - you beat me to the gap ;D Everyone expects delays - but to have 'em ragging the car around is one step over the mark in my book....... I'd have had a rather unpleasant reaction to that news I do know of a friend - now living in Oz - qualified Merc tech. They would 'road test' anything that took their fancy - AMG's were of course fought over...... one employee of the Slough/Windsor garage was fired after burning out right up the main high-street in a customers car (many years ago) I think a lot of workshops do it to some extent or other. The mechanic has to test drive the car to check for problems, but once they're out on the road in a powerful car, sometimes the temptation to push it a bit harder is too great. Boys will be boys and all that. The garage owner taking the car home to thrash it on the weekends, however, is completely out of line and very probably illegal. my uncle used to work for ford when he was an apprentice... my dad said he came home for lunch in a chrylser new yorker once lol... that in a lil english village in the early 80's haha
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Talking of ragging cars, i used to work for a company called QEK. We used to store a lot of fleet cars, mostly VAG, And nissan/renault. Occasionally something tasty would turn up like a skyline. Although the speed limit on site was 20, security buggered off at 6, so these used to get ragged about a bit up 'the other end'. Also, things like TTs and R32s were regularly thrashed about, from cold.
Moral; don't buy ex-fleet cars!
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Took my old Alfa in for an MOT when it failed on discs and pads front and rear. Said I'd do the job myself, took off the old ones to find they were nearly new. If it wasn't for the fact my mate knew the owner I would have put in an official complaint
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I bought a car from my Old Man years ago, second day of use the gearbox dropped 2nd and 3rd. He took it to a 'recommended' garage who did a repair, and he paid for it as well. First day back I said it didn't feel right, 2nd and 3rd were dragging, but I'd only had it three days, so..... Anyhoo, three months later 2nd and 3rd went AWOL again. I decided to do the job myself, so breaking out the Haynes manual I stripped the box down. Marina gearboxes have a 'floating' 2nd and 3rd gear cluster held in check by an f-off sized spring clip, not an external circlip with the lugs cut off..... 3rd gear synchro was bronze shavings and six needles were missing from the layshaft. We bought new bits (including the uprated-spec spring clip), then went to see the garage..... They eventually paid for the new bits and half the work costs and have since gone bust...... Another garage MOT'd my Dutton Phaeton and reckoned we'd fitted the calipers on upside down - thats a bloody good trick as they wouldn't clear the discs if they were fitted how they wanted. I tend to do most things myself if I have the time/space, especially jobs on the older members of the fleet and NEVER EVER use main dealers or garages for MOT's, either the local Council, or one of the independant MOT stations.
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Rover Metro - The TARDIS - brake problems.....Stored Rover 75 - Barge MGZTT Cdti 160+ - Winter Hack and Audi botherer... MGF - The Golden Shot...Stored Project Minion........ Can you see the theme?
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Front wheel alignment is the bane of my life an I have yet to find a garage that has done this properly on a variety of common cars I have owned. I do it myself now with bits of string - ok its not laser-accurate, but at least I know its done. Faults have ranged from just moving the car to a different parking space and claiming they had done it, to "yeah, have to charge you an extra 2 hours labour - those rod ends were well seized up", despite me having fitted them that morning.
The worst ripp though was over an MOT. I used to have an Astra GSi, which I fitted a V6 engine from a calibra into. I thought I would try the mot station just along from my workshop. They had the car all day while I was at work, and when I went to collect it, they had failed it on pages worth of faults, most of which they had caused themselves. Wiper rubbers had been torn off, bulbs removed, and more seriously, several things has been loosened off creating excessive play - including the steering column. It had also mysteriously clocked up 20-odd miles. An mot tester has the right to a test drive of reasonable distance I believe, but thats taking the curse word. I did the repairs, and they failed the retest, on all manner of Bullplop, some stuff which had never been mentioned in the original test. Like a mug, I kept doing the work and they kept failing it, so I took it elsewhere and they passed it without a single advisory.
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1986 Panda 4x4. 1990 Metro Sport. 1999 Ford Escort estate.
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