Mud-club
Chat & Social => The Bar - General Chat => Topic started by: Big Rich on June 08, 2007, 01:05:10
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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.
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time to get the trading standards people in and get nasty with the blokes that did the work.
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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
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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.
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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
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Might be prudent
If paid by cheque..stop it
If paid by card get the card company to stop the payment
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send rangerover blue an email and get the name of his solicitor
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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 :evil:
Rich (off to look for Rangroverblue)
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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.
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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
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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:
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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
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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.
&"*£ !!!
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go back and complain big time. I would!
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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 :cry:
Rich
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Oh dear!!
Thats not good!
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:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
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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!
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: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!!!.
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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
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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
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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: :evil: :evil: 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!
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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.
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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!!!
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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
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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?
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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. :)
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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!
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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.
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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!!
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im sorry but to be honest i wont be talking my truck to another garage....not unless its for its yearly mot.
a strange thing to say you may think.
i have had my fill of garages. Yes they had all the qualification on the walls.... all very professional. right??
nope.
here is just one of the stories.....
2 years ago i came off a pay and play site after being stuck for most of the day. i had 3 tyres pop off the rims....it was a bad day. anyway on the way home my n/s/f wheel came off at 70 mph :shock: ...i managed to get the spare on thanks to a mud club member ( remember that night mate??)
anyway i was due to go on the mac4x4 ( my first one) in 4 days and i didnt have a lot of spare time...... so i put it into the local garage....( not a small company either ).... i asked them to put new discs on as one was now sort of square....new pads. while they were there could they re grease the bearings as they were only a couple of months old but might aswell do it as it was coming apart.
so picked it up and went on the mac.... i got 40 miles away and felt something that wasnt right.........front left wheel bearings felt loose..... so i nipped em up again just thinking that they had bedded again ...
60 miles later i was doing it again.
i did strip it all down but couldnt find out why it was doing it... :?
a couple of months later and many re tightens later my brake discs warped. the garage didnt want anything to do with them.....even though i had only covered 4000 miles since they were fitted.... i could of argued and gone to trading standards etc but that would mean i could drive my truck and it would no longer be road legal as it needed an mot.
so i stripped it all again to put new discs on....this is when i had discovered what they had done...
they had missed the spacer out :shock: :shock: yup they didnt put it back in. i ordered a new one and put it in along with the new discs and it cured the problem.... :D
i did contact the garage again and they just didnt want to know.
i am lucky i think in the fact that i KNOW my truck. god can you imagine if i didnt know there was something wrong....i doesnt bear thinking about.
so i dont think it would make any difference,,,,,it all comes down to educating people that have cars to leave alone if they dont know what they are doing. taking it to a garage doesnt always mean they know what they are doing either :?
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Fair comment mate! but if there were a governing body you could have contacted them and they would have investigated the incident/garage, like if I had a problem with my boiler installation I can get CORGI to check and investigate the plumber that installed it and have the power to revoke his certificate. if the garage is so bad you should have informed trading standards, I know it is easier to say I can't be bothered but we should be bothered. that is what they are their for. And this is what will sort out these Bad garages. but non registered trades are too aware the I can't be bothered to report it to trading standards attitude, and keep getting away with it!!!
It's like moaning about the Labour government but not ever voting!!
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My old dear has just been round, she was on about getting thier 2 motors a new mot. Turns out the dates on the old ones do not match up right. We always use same station so said oi whats going on they said go away. Now they are under vosa's very sharp eyes.
Point of ramble.
The mechanisms are already in place to deal with suspect garages we don't need more percernious law making. :arrow:
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For mot yes not general work carried out, I am going to bow out gracefully from this before it gets needlessly out of hand, we could go on for ever with horror stories, this is my trade and my opinion based on my observations through been in the trade. :) :)
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if you complain you have to stop using the vehicle... so you as the customer suffer on top of the bad work again. :evil: :evil:
i know i cant do without my vehicle....so have no choice but to work on it myself now ....
a mate had an mot done on a rangie a few years back....it failed on side light bulb out and a hole in the exhaust ....funny that as that part of the exhaust was only a few month old when it went in.... on getting underneath there were clear screw driver puncture marks....and to top it off the side lights were all working... :? :?
i went back with my mate and was told to get lost in no uncertain terms...
on contacting authorities he was told...dont use your vehicle until we have had the time to inspect it..... then the killer..... should be about 3 weeks :shock: :shock:
in the end it was easier to drop it and get on with it......he couldnt face the time without the vehicle.
its a nice idea but it woud end in 1 of 2 ways i think,
1: the motorist ends up paying higher costs on top of what we already pay
or
2: you would end up without a vehicle for long period if you did have any problems with a garages work.
just my own thought prosses :lol:
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why is it that nobody ever rembers the times the garage has gone out of there way to help and provided a sterling service, very rare we get any praise these days. just a thought.
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why is it that nobody ever rembers the times the garage has gone out of there way to help and provided a sterling service, very rare we get any praise these days. just a thought.
:D god mate im not saying all garages are the same......god no. that would be a rash and very unfair statement. :?
on a whole most garages are brilliant i expect. its just the whole idea that you could regulate them more. alot of buisness are struggling to keep costs down now so dont need more to deal with. the bad ones would just find a way around it anyway. :?
long live the mechanics out there.... :D :D :D
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Well if it was so obvious that a screwdriver was forced into the exhaust, personally it would have took more than a GET LOST to get rid of me. like I said Horror stories till the cows come home. :lol: But if there were a more comprehensive governing body it may not take that long to sort things out. Plus you can still make a complaint against a garage to the trading standards, fair enough you may not gain directly/instantly from the complaint but if enough people complain about a company/garage the trading standards will carry out a investigation themselves. And I know this as I know of a Garage in Crediton/Exeter that was investigated by such a method and was heavily fined, as they checked all his books against the letters of complaints, and there were a lot of similar letters from different customers, One been from me, regarding my inlaws car. the issue I had was exessive labour costs and grossly inflated parts prices. I know this doesn't touch on standard of work but it got a result! 8) 8) The garage owner is now charging very good rates! :D
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The other alternative is to rely on market forces. If a garage is so bad they will get no repeat business and in time a bad reputation too and so will go out of business anyway. Capitalism in action as it were. :D