O My god!!!

[Big Rich]

Got my Forward Control back from the garage after a 6 week stay.  :lol:

Went in for mot and to tune the Rover 3.5 V8.

No mot but the engine had new cam shaft, timing chain, timing cogs all seals and gaskets renewed.

Had a closer look at the work.....

The Spark plug leads are resting on the exhaust
The distributer is loose
Oil pressure switch cable cut off
Fly wheel cove gone
Pannel under the passenger seat gone
They have broken the choke cable

Had a indipendant mechanic come over and he was shocked.

Just payed the garage a kings ransume too.

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

time to get the trading standards people in and get nasty with the blokes that did the work.

[Boggert]

Thats why I will only take my car to my mates garage..

A) he knows what he is doing
B) he won't rip you off

[Highlander1]

Make sure you don't touch a thing till trading standards have been involved. As soon as you rectify or remove something youv'e knackered any hopes of compensation.

Like a dodgy MOT if you replace the parts they get off scot free.

I once had a car come in for a service and some work it was a death trap brake pipes, welding, brakes only one working on back nearside! I'd done some of the brake pipes.

Called the owner up and asked him round to my garage to view the scrap I was trying to repair. Stated he'd just bought it from an MOT garage with a years ticket on it!!!!!!!!

I stopped work had kept the old pipes for evidence and got in the authorities.

"Sorry mate nothing can be done youv'e interfered with the evidence",was the reply.

Mot garage got off scot free.

This was in East England-shire to.

[Big Rich]

Right thank you. I will leave it alone till they have come out.

Can't beleve they have done all the stupid things they have. Just thankfull and I don't know why I had a look.

Rich

[Bishops Finger]

Might be prudent

If paid by cheque..stop it

If paid by card get the card company to stop the payment

[Lucy1978]

send rangerover blue an email and get the name of his solicitor

[Big Rich]

send rangerover blue an email and get the name of his solicitor

Thats not good sounds like too many people have has simular problems with so call experts.

Thanks everyone your help is apprecated. Sorry if any of my replys are short I am a little  

Rich (off to look for Rangroverblue)

[The Ant Hill Mob]

The Solicitor's you're looking for is LA Steel (based in Barnsley).

Might be a bit far to travel, but he was worth every penny (that the dealer ended up paying!).

They work on a no-win, no-fee basis.  Don't know if they will take this on, but they do an awful lot with caravans.  Could be worth a call, their details are on t'internet.

[Wanderer]

Having run my own business I'm afraid I trust no one with my motor these days I either do it myself or oversee someone else doing it.

The only way to work out who's good and who isn't is by word of mouth from someone who had them work on a similar motor to yours. Forward Control yikes there won't be a very big list for those :(
My memory isn't what it should be. I've met the guy but Phil Turtle and others have used a guy near Northampton that is good with Landies.

Ed

[muddyjames]

Hey Rich.

I can give you the name of a guy I use for my disco who is a top chap and doesnt rip you off. He actualy tries to save you money!! He lives near Banbury but he picks my mates disco up from didcot. He only charges his fuel for collection and drop off. He even has his own forward controls so knows them inside out. Even made one of them into a 4x6 recovery truck.

He is truly a top bloke to know. Only downside to him is he is very busy and hard to get hold of!! :lol:

[Big Rich]

I have given the garage two chances one in person and one on the telephone.

Trading standards are now informed and a letter is going out to the garage.

7 days to respond (working) then trading standards will take it up.

Not impressed. My first V8 and I still can't drive it. Worked out on the drive till gone midnight with a mate to get it done too.

Rich

[muddymart]

i had the disco rear wheel bearings done and new pads and discs,

didnt realise till i got home and read the printed out receipt he had given me,
that

£37+ vat for investigating the noise
 only fitted 1 wheel bearing set on one hub
fitted both  discs and pads

and re greased the other bearing set on the other hub

£220 for the pleasure !!!

and he quoted £220 for all the lot, both hub bearings and discs and pads.

looks like they can just do what they want, the receipt was actually a good coverup as the margins were not set up properly and half the words were missing.

&"*£ !!!

[muddyjames]

go back and complain big time. I would!

[Big Rich]

Having run my own business I'm afraid I trust no one with my motor these days I either do it myself or oversee someone else doing it.

Ed

Well its been a while and the old boy now has a mot and been sorted by another garage.  :lol:

But.... two miles from the garage on my way home I went threw a hedge because someone didn't put the bolt on the ball joint, on the steering drop arm so threw the hedge and a few small trees I went  

Rich

[Yoshi]

Oh dear!!

Thats not good!

[denviks]

:shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

[3laner]

that is unbelievable!im always careful driving home from the garage and make sure the landy "feels right" but not putting the ball joint back is pure neglegence!

[fasthands]

:shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:
I's about time mechanics should be tested and registered like plumbers, this is my opinion because too many people out there have changed a set of brake disc's and all of a sudden they are a mechanic!! :roll:  :roll: diy motor shops are to blame, I think it should be illegal to buy brake parts etc unless you are a mechanic/engineer/ in the trade. as it is too easy to turn a car into a death trap through inexperience. seen it so many times.  :?  :?  :?
This is why mechanics wages are so crap. A plumber can come and fit a boiler and a few rads in your house for 2k plus, it might take him two days!! you try and make that kind of money in the motor trade in that time, NO CHANCE!!! I know he has to supply the parts but there is a much bigger profit margin for them. because they are registered. and accountable for their work. I don't wish to rub anyone up the wrong way but not everyone has the common sense to stop if they don't know what they are doing. by all means have a go!! but ask or get someone who does know to check your work!! if you are unsure. I hope you understand where I am coming from. I know a lot of people on here do their own repairs. but as I was told during my training IF YOU DON'T KNOW ASK!!!.

[barmiebrumie]

Fasthands,
                Agree with what your saying there are a lot of people out there that will take a chance & don't even realise they are risking live's, me an Assessor I have to justify what I do constantly with insurance companies & you would be surprised how many so called Engineers ask me to repair or not fit steering/suspension conponents to try & save money  :twisted:

As you say if your not sure  ASK

[landroverkeith]

AT least your ok though rich..... we all had a good laugh at the meet last nite about your garden clearance techniques heheh but coulda been soooo much worse..... i mean who would fix my disco


lol

[fasthands]

I am so passionate about this because I drove a car to the mot once for a customer of the garage I was working for at the time, when the car was tested it was unbelievable! :shock: . the owner of the car had fitted a second hand track rod end (which was knackered) and because the threads were stripped, he put loads of washers on to space the bad threads, then he put the nut on which was the wrong thread!!! but it was only holding on 2 threads max :shock:  :shock:     and as the tester tried to turn the nut it fell off :shock:  :shock:  :twisted:  :twisted: . I could have been killed plus whoever I ploughed through on the way to my death!! And when the owner was told of this he was oblivious and said "well you have got to try and save a few bob labour costs are so high at garages!" :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:   I gave him hell, not professional I Know but I was steaming!

[Disco Matt]

I gave him hell, not professional I Know but I was steaming!

Absolutely the right thing to do, professional or not!

I do wonder if a high-profile advert campaign along the lines of "Don't try to fix your car unless you understand it, you'll be held liable for your mistakes" would be a good idea.

[fasthands]

Here Here!! It's frightening to think how many cars are on the road with dangerous repairs just waiting to fail. I noticed in my time that people will spend loads on a car/vehicle that is a toy or hobby vehicle, but the car that takes them to work,kids to school, etc they will penny pinch all the way!! Some old boys I hear them say "can't you skim them discs" Christ! parts for brakes on most everyday cars are sooo cheap these days. And if they are not you are driving such a car that you can afford the price of new anyway. AAARRRRGGHH!!!

[discomummy]

Hi,

"noticed in my time that people will spend loads on a car/vehicle that is a toy or hobby vehicle, but the car that takes them to work,kids to school, etc they will penny pinch all the way"

i have always looked after all of the cars i own - they get serviced every six months and are always road legal as i carry a very precious cargo in my car - my children.

However i have noticed that many other people do not do even the most basic checks on their vehicles - working on the principle of "it passed the mot, it must be ok"

i check tyres, fluid levels etc on a fortnightly basis (with the disco this is now every time i take it out) cars are a lethal weapon and it is about time people had this rammed down their throats.

regards

ela

[lambert]

I'm not a mechanic by profession, yet i look after all the cars on our family fleet.

Why should i be prevented from doing so just because i don't work for a garage? Especially when but for a couple of specialist diagnostic tools there is little i can't fix to a higher standard than any garage i have yet used.

By the same token are the advocates of this idea prepared to cover the additional costs that this will incur me that i can not cover from my already tight motoring budget?

[fasthands]

As I said I have no problem with someone with some COMMON SENSE to carry out their own repairs, and ask/ seek advise on things they are not sure about. but why should I pay more to have my boiler fitted at home when I can do a better job than most plumbers???? Because I am not CORGI registered. Does anyone pay the extra costs that I incur on my already tight home improvement budget :!:  :?:
Same as rewiring my home, I had to pay stupid amounts to get it done because I needed a certificate to say it had been done by a PROFESSIONAL REGISTERED electrician.
Or why not let people do their own car repairs, but get is checked but a garage by a registered PROFESSIONAL  :!:
So is a car with poor /dangerous repairs not as dangerous as a poorly wired/plumbed home  :?:
I understand that people need to do their own repairs to their cars/homes boats whatever just to make ownership possible, but been in the trade the professionalism of GOOD mechanics/garages is very rarely noticed. I walked out of a very well paid job because I was asked to drop my standards of work. a job that I moved 350 miles to take up. so I am very passionate about my Profession and don't wish to patronize anyone but I feel that some kind of registration of mechanics/ engineers should be sorted out. which WILL protect everyone. :)

[Disco Matt]

From what I've seen the trade seems to be self-regulating, at least around here. I won't take my truck to a certain well-known chain of independent garages as their alleged mechanics managed to completely wreck my steering alignment while replacing a ball joint (had to go to the franchised dealer to get it sorted out). I now take it to a small local garage for anything I don't feel happy doing. They always have at least one 4x4 in the workshop, are unswervingly polite, have a very high standard of workmanship and charge sensible prices. Worth getting to know these places!

[glaggs]

I like fixing cars, bikes, trucks. I fix 'em , tunbe 'em and to a degree build 'em. Do I have any formal mechanical qualifications - no! But if we give the government the power to enforce regulation on who can fix our trucks we give them opportunity to ban us fettling as well. We also endorse overpriced service and repair costs. Yes I've seen some horror stories but as with most issues, use existing legislation to correct the problems not give the barstools any more excuses to take away our freedom. Bad mechanics don't stay in the trade for long - use your network of friends to find good ones.

[fasthands]

So why is there such a problem with garages? seems everyone is doing their own work!! like I said everyone is mechanic :!: but there is still an alarming amount of bad repair jobs, and death traps on our roads! but hey everyone has saved a few bob!!