Frustrations of repair...

[Diabando]

A while ago, in the Tech forum, I put across my concern at having my automatic transmission replaced by someone other than myself... I decided that what happened to me in the end, might be a good topic/laugh to post on here..

The decision had been made, I had picked out a recommended auto transmission repair shop, and I had dutifully left my beloved car in thier hands...to have a simple automatic transmission replacement...It was supposed to take a day..drop it off in the morning, collect it that night.

About 3.00pm I rang them to check if the car would be finished that night as advised...alas no..the new (reco'd) transmission had a problem changing to 2nd.. they would need to adjust it and test drive it...the car would not be ready until the next day.

Next day, whilst being test driven by the "apprentice" the car's throttle stuck. After swearing at me down the phone (Its all my fault the apprentice was nearly killed..because it was my car) they proceeded to tell me they would fix the Carbie problem, and give me back my car...

Next day, advised that they had made a mistake whilst working on my carbie, that they had no idea how to fix what they had done, and that it would have to be sent off to a carbie shop to be fixed...(More swearing at me - because it was costing them money to fix my car...and it was all my fault, because it was my car).

Two days later, they get the carbie back, put it on the car (nevermind tuning it)..take the car for a test drive. Apprentice backs it into the workshop, over some scrap metal on the workshop floor, and blows both my back tyres. Car has to go and get two brand new back tyres - at thier expense.(Much more delightful swearing at me down the phone...cause it all my fault)

Next day, I pick up my car...its out of tune, and running like complete hell. Take it straight round to Dads...we fix it. Next morning, I notice a gigantic pool of red transmission fluid where I parked the car... back it goes to the Workshop...(At this point, I am told that a few "drops" of oil is nothing...I am paranoid)..up on the hoist the car goes..and all down the arm of a mechanic, runs boiling hot transmission fluid..dipstick gromit was not put in correctly, thus leaking fluid...problem solved.

Three months later...transmission is suspicious... and I just dont want to think about it.

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Do tell...anyone else got nightmare service stories?

[IAM]

Blew up the engine on 1968 Triumph 2000 station wagon on the M4. Had it towed to an AA recomended garage for repair.(Put a rod through the side) . Found a replacement engine and delivered it to the garage.

After a week of them having the engine they finally called to tell me it was ready. I always road test before I pay. It started, it ran like $hit I gave it back to them to make it right.

Forgotten how much it cost(it was about 90 quid), but I went back a week later when they said they had done the best they could. Paid em in coin, pennies, sixpences, shillings and 2 shillings.(They weren't going to refuse it as it was the only way they were going to get paid) I asked them if they wanted me to wait while they count it .

Put my head under the bonnet and re-connected the "kick-down" cable so it would change down and drove it home.

All other work I did myself

Ian

[KC]

One of the things that I do when dealing with repair shops is make it very clear what I am going to pay for and what I refuse to.

My 1993 Ford Ranger pickup suffered a frozen slave cylinder that actuates the clutch when shifting. The cylinder's o'rings froze to the cylinder body and when I pushed in the clutch they no longer sealed. I told the repair shop, a local Ford dealer, that it would not shift and he said that it was not uncommon for the slave cylinder to freeze up on really cold nights, it was -10F that night. I'm sure the Canadians on the site can tell you horror stories of frozen autos. The transmission needed to be removed to fix it and the shop manager said that I should have them change the clutch throwout bearing and check the clutch plate for wear. I told him that nothing was wrong with the clutch itself and that I would not pay for them to repair it if they did. I made this very clear. As it was the clutch was fine, in fact he said that it looked very good for one with 80,000 miles on it. I told him that all I ever have driven and owned have been manual transmissions and I never slip the clutch. When I drove the truck away it worked fine until I got about 10 miles away and it locked itself into third gear. They had forgot to bleed the clutch. After a little reaming session with the manager I retrieved my truck and it ran fine.

Women have over time been robbed blind by unscrupulous repair shops that overwhelm them with all kinds of repair bills. If you make it adamant what you will pay for and what you will not they usually get the message. I also demand to see the offending parts as well. Especially when getting brakes serviced. Many times repair shops will replace brake disks that need only turning to correct them. Demand the show you the specifications from the factory and that they measure it in front of you. It is pretty obvious when most high wear parts need to be replaced, not so easy with electronic components. With most modern cars it is very hard for the average owner to know if they ar ebeing take or not, but usually common sense prevails.

[Carrie]

I once took my car into the local Vauxhall dealer because it had a knocking noise on the front suspension when turning right. I told them this, in jumps the mechanic and turns left out of the garage. He arrives back says he can't hear a thing, must be my imagination. I asked him where he'd taken the car and he'd gone round the block doing left turns - erm, why couldn't he find the problem
I agree about garages trying to rip off women on brakes. A certain major chain garage once told me that I needed just about everything doing on the brakes and it would cost £300 - he also showed me round the car while he showed me everything that was wrong, it was then easy to see the handbrake cable was frayed and they didn't get my custom to get that replaced.
Those were both ocassions when I wasn't able to get my car back to my home town, when I'm there I've got the best mechanic in the world and probably the best looked after car as well

[Carrie]

Just thought of another one. The garage who tried to tell me I had an extremely dangerous fault on my car. Yes, this was so terribly dangerous and I didn't sleep all night worrying about it - you see the oil indicator light on the dash wasn't working and so in order to make sure they'd fixed it properly and my car was safe to drive they'd have to do an oil change as well The worrying thing is that they must only try things like this because there are people out there gullible enough to believe them!!!
Maybe this should turn into a topic of how garages can be patronising to women. The aforementioned Vauxhall garage also told me how they were running a course for women drivers where they'd show you how to check your oil and fill up your water. If you don't know how to do stuff like that then you sholdn't be allowed to have a car!!!!!!

[Neil C]

On the other hand, my mechanic, Greg, is the nicest, most accomodating man I've ever done business with.

Many small repairs he refuses any payment. His sons are just as nice. They always give a fair estimate and return parts they've replaced for my inspection.

If I suspect them of anything, it would be of doing work they dont charge me for on the invoice. I dont know what I'm going to do when I move 40 miles away at the end of this year. I wish everyone had a mechanic like mine.

[Bluebottle]

My wife took our 1965 Landrover to an exhaust(ing) center- She handed the car to a young spotty know-all kid, and walked away to watch. After a few moments of looking around and not getting anywhere, the poor youth reluctantly had to face the shame of admitting to a woman that he couldn't work out how to start her car! He had never come across the concept of a push-button start- it's just as well we'd put in a new battery, otherwise he would have had to find out what a crank handle is! Once the car was running, he looked around a while longer before asking where the handbrake was- "Try that lever sticking out from under the seat, and it's called a transmission brake on landy's!"
The exhaust was fitted, and they didn't even do the usual "you need four new tyres on this.."

[Maisie]

One of the few things I will miss when I move out of this place is the garages. The place I get my bodywork done (that's the bodywork on the car!) is fantastic. The first time the car went in, it was given to the new chaps to hone their skills on, so not only did it have the work I asked for done to it, it had every last blemish repaired, plus T-cutted to within an inch of its life, vacuumed and polished. Same second time round. They even cleaned out the pockets in the doors!

The place that does the rest of the mechanicking is just as good. In fact, they've annoyed me recently by trying to save me money by not checking the valve stem oil seals as I asked. This time round I specifically told them to, and sure enough, they were knackered! They talked my other half OUT of replacing the engine to save him money. Again, the service is excellent, and they won't do a job unless it really does need doing and they've asked you first, which is why I feel (only slightly) guilty about getting them to fit the thermostat I bought, which I gave up on trying to fit myself after breaking the third spanner trying to get the housing off!!

I feel a bit lazy getting other people to work on my car for me, the main reason being lack of a) expertise and b) garage space, plus the fact that if I screw up I'm a bit stuffed as far as transport goes! One day I'll have a bit of space to do my own stuff. My ambition is to take apart an engine and put it back together again

[Liz]

I agree wholeheartedly with the suggestion that you make them give you the parts they replaced - first of all to make sure they really replaced them, and second to take them round to someone else and ask if there's anything wrong with them.

I had a 1966 Ford Galaxie (one of the worst cars they ever made IMO) that needed two voltage regulators in one day (going into LA and coming out) - because the first replacement was not new, as advertised, but rebuilt - and had been crosswired. Stopped payment on that one and never heard a word about it. I learned most of what I know about working on cars from my old Studebaker Lark VI, as by the time I got it there were very few parts around and most had to be removed and rebuilt. Occasionally I'd have a garage dude tell me solemnly that the entire electrical system had to be replaced, and always they were nonplussed to hear "It's the solenoid that needs replacing, that, right there."

I once took my Pontiac in to have the tires balanced and they somehow punctured the brake drum on the right side - forgot to mention that until I found myself a bit sideways on the freeway going home - and drove back to ask what in the Sam Hill they had done to it. The garage man told me with a straight face that Jesus had directed him to do something or other about my brakes. As I recall I advised him to put them back in working order and send Jesus the bill.

In later years when I got my Starsky & Hutch car I was lucky enough to have a mechanic that lusted after that car and wanted me to sell it to him, and the hope that I would do that when I left California made him treat it like it was already his.

[Sparky]

Ah! Working on other peoples cars... a subject close to my heart!

I have two maxims..

1. Any work that I do for a customer is caried out as if I were working on my wife's car (!)

2. Treat people as I would expect to be treated: Knowledgabe, but not condescending or aloof. Pleasant, helpful, but most of all... ENTHUSIASTIC!

Nearly all of my friends/customers come to me 'cos they know I live/breathe/eat/sleep cars, and as a 'one-man-band' outfit, living in a quiet area, I don't have an in-exhaustible supply of punters.

I treasure every one of 'em.

My reputation is far more important to me than a quick buck.

I do keep all parts for inspection, but I can honestly say, if I didn't think it needed replacement, I wouldn't have suggested it.

I don't make any mark up on parts prices.
I also attend to items not requested, and don't charge for them.

What's the point of ignoring a customers flat tyre or blocked screen washers, when those very things could mean the difference between him coming back or not - literally! If he doesn't notice, so what. I know I did it. If he does notice, he'll tell his friends. The best form of advertising.
I never get cold calling - every customer is a recommendation, so I cannot afford to short change anyone.

By the way, I have never advertised (OK apart from the brand new website!) and I currently have over 400 vehicles on my accounts, over half of which are seen more than twice a year.



[This message has been edited by Sparky (edited 31 May 2000).]

[Gerard]

I think you just advertised, Sparky!

[Bluebottle]

Everyone who has a car should have a friend like our friend Mark-
He is not only the mem. sec. of the Dutton O.C. but also the proud owner of a workshop with a shallow inspection pit and a great big engine hoist.
I spent the weekend with Mark and Simon, another Dutton owner, removing the tired, rattling, oil burning 1300 Ford Crossflow from my Dutton and replacing it with a nice, shiney (Well, oily) 1600 crossflow. The operation went quite well- the main problem being that the new exhaust wouldn't fit dou to a chassis rail in the way; Out came Marks angle grinder and mig welder and a bit of spare chassis (!) and, after a couple of hours cutting, hitting and welding, the exhaust fittet a treat.
Apart from a mysteriously exploding solenoid, we had few other problems and the engine, which had been stored in a boilerhouse for 18 months, fired first time.
The total outlay was £270 and 8 cans of Caffreys.
Mark does this kind of thing for fun, but everthing he does is done in a proper and professional way- his workshop facility would make many professional mechanics jealous!
I now have a tired old rattly,oil burning 1300 crossflow to get rid of.
I'm open to offers!

[This message has been edited by Bluebottle (edited 01 June 2000).]