How have mechanics let you down

obi_waynne

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Deal, Kent UK
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A3 1.4 TFSI 150 COD
Over the years I've been fairly unimpressed by most Mechanics and garages.

They never ring you to say your car is ready, they often cut corners and don't do things properly.

Twice I've had to top up or reduce the oil level after a service!

Thankfully I have found a good local garage now that I trust and that do a pretty good job.

Do you have any horror stories?
 
Plenty over the years hence why I don't trust them anymore, even main dealers.

  • 2nd car failed its MOT, I knew very little about cars then. A neighbour fixed a couple of problems whilst I looked over him. During that week inbetween the test and re-test I noticed a grinding noise from the front. When I took it back for its MOT I asked them to check it out. When I returned to the garage to collect it I said what was the noise? Must have picked up a stone and it dropped off they said. The noise was still there, so I bought a Haynes, trolley jack, stands and a tool kit and started to strip the front off. No pad material left on the front, metal to metal!
  • Vauxhall main dealer in for a full service on an Omega V6. 3 weeks later noise from rear, again pads down to the backing. Brakes were not sticking.
  • Broken coil spring not picked up on MOT.
  • Plenty of others to mention.......
 
Not had many bad experiences but a certain Peugeot dealer (who shall remain anonymous) reflashed, as a matter of course, the ECU in my car during a routine service. Thus overwriting my custom ECU map. Not just fuelling and boost parameters but pedal response curve and something that I had one specifically to allow me to use cruise control in 3rd gear as well as fourth and fifth.

Thankfully Celtic Tuning sorted it out for me for a few dozen quid so thumbs up to Celtic in North Cornwall.

I was also disappointed with a certain local BMW/Merc Specialist (no names) who fitted a new water pump and left a failed bleed screw in the expansion tank. Lost coolant - thankfully I noticed soon enough and sorted it out. New screw - 35 pence!?!?!?

How ignorant.

The same 'specialist' also fitted front discs for me and within two weeks I had brake judder. Laziness on their part, the hubs had not been cleaned up and as a result I had pad material transferred unevenly to the front rotors thus introducing pedal and steering judder.

So I gave up, bought another set of discs and pads, handed them to Crendon Motors, Long Crendon, Bucks (whom I very HIGHLY recommend indeed) who did the job properly.

That front set lasted 30,000 plus miles, the rears are still on there and there is not juddery shuddery stuff at all!!!!!

It's hard to know who to trust but these guys (Crendon Motors) are good.... patient, knowledgable, experienced and the pricing is not remotely outrageous either. Friendly and personable too - can't argue with their business acumen in the slightest.
 
I've been to a garage twice.

First time to get a clutch in a Legacy. They didn't put the nuts on the end of the front driveshafts and didn't put the bolts in to hold the hub to the TCA. I noticed half a mile down the road after I nearly went through a hedge.

Second time, left a Diasatra in to get the tracking done. Got the car back with the steering upside down.

I'm not saying all garages are bad, there are plenty of good mechanics out there but I would never trust anyone to do anything for me again. Besides, I'm so miserable I wouldn't spend Christmas, why pay someone to do what I can do myself?
 
i took an astra i had to a garage as the engine management light came on it didnt affect the way it drove they told me they didnt no what the problem was and wanted to keep my car for 6 hours while they find what it is

took it somewhere else the next day was told is was a lamda sensor without it even going on the diagnostics machine and got it changed when i got the part was charged £5 been going back ever since and never let me down

recently ive started to just have a go myself as long as its not to much hassle doing it on axel stands
 
I normally use an ST specialist D&R Performance, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Manchester. This garage however is a good hour's trip away from me so in this instance I found a garage close by (Middlestown). I took it in for a full service and for other bits and pieces such as polybushes etc. I was ripped off royally for the service and he stated there was a K&N panel filter in there which had to be replaced, hmm, I didn't know it was there, so no it didn't. Then the guy also told me that the cv boot was split and leaking. Off I went to Dave @ D&R and he replaced it to a great standard as always. A few weeks later I nipped round to this Middlestown garage again to fit some new rims (as there's no jack with the ST) as he was fitting the front ones he said, "oh, that cv boot's still leaking, you want to get the looked at" (inferring more business his way). I immediately knew it wasn't the same side of the car he'd told me had been leaking previous so I just didn't say anything and drove back over to D&R Performance. We got it up in the air and lo and behold, no leaks, both cv boots in perfection condition. The lying little bar steward! So it cost me another load of fuel to go back to Manchester again simply because he lied to me. Git! Needless to say, I never went back again.
 
Yes I must admit to having some mechanics do some weird and wonderful things to the beast over the years. At the end of the day they are human too, so if they make a mistake then OK. What I prefer to see, is the mechanic holding his hand up and acknowledging his mistake and then rectifying it.
I cannot and will not tolerate lies being told to me, if this is discovered then the situation gets ugly very quickly.
 
Local garage cocked up my electronic speedo sensor wire when looking at hydraulic suspension problem then denied all knowledge but said they'd "have a look". Got car back, still no speedo so off to local autospark who found a broken sensor wire which he repaired restoring my speedo.

Knew I was onto a loser with them when I said the Autospark was asking if they had checked for parasitic oscillation between the A & B legs of the sensor wiring, they said yes of course & all was fine.

Funny really as that last part was completely made up from a tv repair/test & BT telephone wiring!

I obviously use another garage now should the need arise.
 
took my 850 t5 to a local garage man to get the timing belt changed and thermostat, changed the stat, never bothered with the belt and took here for a stage around his place and took 2nd gear outa her. he wanted £50 for changing the stat????? nooo way!!!
 
also my 406 hdi stopped along the road side. towed her to the mechanic who told me my high pressure pump was gone. went and bought a re-con pump at £400 and through it into her. still no start. turns out it was the crank shaft sensor at £15. pump man wouldnt give me back my old pump!!! grrrrh.
 
Current classic has a K-Series 1.8VVC engine installed with all standard Rover ECU & loom. When purchased the car was always difficult to start off the key but always bumped ok, when hot it just wouldn't start off the key.

Same autospark that sorted out my other problem in my Citroen had my classic car 4 weeks to sort wiring/start issues, came out no further forward other than a new relay fitted to get manual fan working. This failed again within days due to a faulty crimp on existing earth cable which I found & sorted myself.

Whilst my multi meter was out I decided to run through the ignition wiring & ECU feed & earths, found previous owner/builder had wired the ECU feed from the auxiliary live from the ignition meaning when engine cranking the voltage dropped out (ever noticed your car radio going off whilst starting) so I bought a relay & cable to wire ECU into loom correctly & now a 1st time starter every time.

Autospark took £130 for his "work" & diagnosis car needed a rewire against my half hour in my garage with a cheap multi meter & £7 for the parts to fix once source of problem found.

Really can't trust anyone in the motor trade nowadays methinks :(
 
I hesitate to be that damning of the motor trade in general. It's a sad fact that it does have a bad reputation based upon some poor operators and the fact that garages and car sales folk are historically distrusted.

There are, however, many very very practitioners out there who are honest and knowledgeable.

Perhaps time we had a thread where we name the good guys? :D
 
Fortunately, never had a problem. never used a mechanic/garage when young as I did all of the work myself. Never had any problems with specialist engineers that I used.

These days I use one mechanic for our daily drivers who is next door but one. He is very good, honest and cheaper than mainline garages.

All of the specialists I now use have not disappointed.
 
Fortunately, never had a problem. never used a mechanic/garage when young as I did all of the work myself. Never had any problems with specialist engineers that I used.

These days I use one mechanic for our daily drivers who is next door but one. He is very good, honest and cheaper than mainline garages.

All of the specialists I now use have not disappointed.

Let's name a few then shall we?

New thread time mister?

Should I start?
 
Horses for courses for me
I can do most things not involving ecus but often dont have the time or inclanation to do them .
If it is critical (mapping , shimming an LSD , building a forged engine etc) I go to a specialist as for me these need to be done by the best.

Otherwise I have found small garage that specialises in nissans and bmws . The guy races in the saloon car series and does all his own stuff so can be trusted to do all non critical stuff like changing a clutch . Also had him change the back end on the stagea as although I could do it not having a proper ramp turned the job into a real pain . Not dear he seems to work out around £40 hour and he only charges for how long it actually took not how long he can get away with.

Same with painting I have someone who does things to an amazing standard and is capable of anything .Obviously he isnt cheap so I also have found someone who can repair things to a reasonable standard for next to nothing. Same as above you need to take the right job to the right guy.
 
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