Mega bill 5 weeks after major service and MOT

anewman

Screen wash is really one of the most basic things of car ownership though. It's even in the driving test.

ZootHornRollo

and filling with fuel is another but two of my mothers friends don't even know how to do that... their husbands have always done it for them.

Depending on the car the washer reservoir may be huge (i know on my old ford sierra it was absolutely enormous, took a minute to fill it with the hose!!!) so these days i'd expect it to last longer than eight weeks unless as kieth sez, if you drive a lot of miles.

photome

jeannieblue wrote: »

I am sure that if the OP doesn't get this resolved, he may very well name the dealer, but he has his reasons as to why he doesn't want to do that.

Personally - re your grouch - I've only ever had fantastic experiences with Virgin Atlantic and I have been lucky enough to fly alot with them. Sorry you had a bad experience.

have you flown the gatwick to Vegas route,?old uncomfortable planes IFE doesnt work , etc etc, but the heatrow LA route is a totally different experience, any thats off topic

photome

jeannieblue wrote: »

I don't check my screenwash - I wait for the light to come on the dash and then top it up.

I don't know anyone that checks their screenwash.... lights yes, screenwash no.

Only some cars have lights on dash for screen wash, def should be checked more often than 8 weeks

Mine never lasts 8 weeks

jeannieblue

photome wrote: »

have you flown the gatwick to Vegas route,?old uncomfortable planes IFE doesnt work , etc etc, but the heatrow LA route is a totally different experience, any thats off topic

I've done GTW-Vegas twice and LHW-SFO tons of times. Agree tho that flights from Heathrow do seem to be better. Better let Mr Branson know....

Meanwhile - screenwash... I'm really bad I know, I don't check any levels but then I am spoilt... guys at work do it for me. I just say 'I've got a warning light come on!' And they say - 'nearly out of screenwash are you?'
Its a bit of a standing joke now...

But mine lasts months and months... must have a huge reservoir.

ZootHornRollo

photome wrote: »

Only some cars have lights on dash for screen wash, def should be checked more often than 8 weeks

Mine never lasts 8 weeks

i do 18000 miles a year and only fill it twice a year - when the light comes on.

Premier_2

Best of luck with your claim OP!

The condition of the brake discs and pads is a requirement of the MOT, but only as far as can be visually inspected with the wheels in place. Having said that, it is usually possible on most cars to see the amount of pad left. The amount of pad remaining required to pass an MOT is remarkably low. Brake performance is also tested but this too needs very little brake pad left to pass.

The same about visual inpection only goes really for an annual service unless you paid for the extra 'brake inspection' - this is usually an additional extra nowadays. The big difference here to an MOT is that normal advice by manufacturers is to replace pads if the amount of pad left is less than would be normally be required to get to the next service. (Brake efficiency testing is not normally measured either). The ticks you describe in the inspection report suggest it was just a standard annual service, not a 'brake inspection' additional service so it really would depend on whether the pads are easily visible on your particular car with the wheels on. Note that none of the ticks specifically say the pads were inspected and passed as OK.

Having said all that, like others, I'm not sure how the calipers became damaged even if the pads had become so low. The discs I can accept would become scored and need replacing, but I don't understand how the calipers themselves would be damaged.

As you haven't retained the parts that were removed, it really would be a case of one garage's word against another. Do you really want to pay out over that fight in court? The chances of establishing whether either of the garages has been negligent/fraudulent in the work done is small since you don't have the old parts as evidence for an independant specialist witness to examine.

jeannieblue

Premier wrote: »

Best of luck with your claim OP!

The condition of the brake discs and pads is a requirement of the MOT, but only as far as can be visually inspected with the wheels in place. Having said that, it is usually possible on most cars to see the amount of pad left. The amount of pad remaining required to pass an MOT is remarkably low. Brake performance is also tested but this too needs very little brake pad left to pass.

The same about visual inpection only goes really for an annual service unless you paid for the extra 'brake inspection' - this is usually an additional extra nowadays. The big difference here to an MOT is that normal advice by manufacturers is to replace pads if the amount of pad left is less than would be normally be required to get to the next service. (Brake efficiency testing is not normally measured either). The ticks you describe in the inspection report suggest it was just a standard annual service, not a 'brake inspection' additional service so it really would depend on whether the pads are easily visible on your particular car with the wheels on. Note that none of the ticks specifically say the pads were inspected and passed as OK.

Having said all that, like others, I'm not sure how the calipers became damaged even if the pads had become so low. The discs I can accept would become scored and need replacing, but I don't understand how the calipers themselves would be damaged.

As you haven't retained the parts that were removed, it really would be a case of one garage's word against another. Do you really want to pay out over that fight in court? The chances of establishing whether either of the garages has been negligent/fraudulent in the work done is small since you don't have the old parts as evidence for an independant specialist witness to examine.

What???

I would like to know who is servicing cars and not automatically removing the wheels and checking the brakes as part of ANY service.

Good grief - you have ASK for a brake inspection now? Gotta be some stupid stealership rule. Never heard of anything so ridiculous.

Poster - please tell us who is practising this, so that we can all avoid them

photome

ZootHornRollo wrote: »

i do 18000 miles a year and only fill it twice a year - when the light comes on.

I do 25000 to 30000 a year and fill up about once a month, I dont have a warning light and I like a clean windscreen

Premier_2

jeannieblue wrote: »

What???

I would like to know who is servicing cars and not automatically removing the wheels and checking the brakes as part of ANY service.

Good grief - you have ASK for a brake inspection now? Gotta be some stupid stealership rule. Never heard of anything so ridiculous.

Poster - please tell us who is practising this, so that we can all avoid them

Nearly all major car manufacturers and their respective main dealers who will be carrying out the service in line with the manufacturers recommendation.

A service is often little more than a general visual inspection and an oil & filter change plus perhaps plugs if necessary. I'm really surprised the parts came to £132 !!! (especially as nothing was apprently actually wrong with the car according to the service notes). Look at the labour - it was only £92 , not bad for a full service including the fitting of £132 worth of parts - probably 1.5 hours at the most, perhaps less.

A good test to see if the wheels ever come off the car is use locking wheel nuts and hide the key socket so the dealer can't find it! If they don't call you you know the wheels never left the vehicle.