HELP- I've been conned by a mechanic!! What do I do??

Sirbendy

bloody hell, where do you lot go for that cost?

I blew my HG by fording my Astra bonnet deep in a river (Yes, I know, never listen to the damn satnav..next right my !!!!)

New HG, head sent for a skim and sort, engine rebuilt with a new thermostat to boot and a coolant/oil change..took 2 days, cost £350.

Ran beautifully until it was written off last month.

If he'd had the car that long, I'd have been fuming.

Armengar

Ford focus HG, cant remember exact amount off the top of my head but it was less than £400. It had run dry and overheated from a cracked pipe - temp sensor was faulty too (just my luck). Car had been afterwards.

Silk

The problem is we have no idea at the moment what the price increase was for or even what model of car it is ???
To use extreme examples its a lot more expensive to change a head gasket on an Aston Martin than it is on an old style Mini etc etc.
There are a lot of problems that could cause a HG to blow such as radiators water pumps etc
Added to that there are many problems that result from a HG blowing that may not be apparent at the time for instance it is not unusual for a BMW's ECU to go into "limp mode" after overheating. I'm pretty sure that Vitara's diesel models can also suffer from this
It is also possible that if the car has been driving around whilst overheating it is entirely possible the engine might have been cooked causing further problems etc
It's quite possible if the OP has just been phoning round asking how much to change a HG then the quotes will be based on just that. However if it then goes into the garage and it is found to have some of the further faults mentioned then the cost is bound to go up
The length of time the car was undergoing repairs suggests to me there were other problems not just a simple HG change.
If the garage did not make the OP aware of the other problems then perhaps the garage could be faulted for it although as it was one recommended by a friend would this have happened ?
Perhaps when the OP posts the full details we can discuss it further.

sooz

I would guess it's a Suzuki of some sort

Bowdyjan18

has he put the HT leads on the correct way ?

Nadders01

Yes,..I have receipts for the parts,..total = £450
He took cash for the labour,..and didn't charge VAT! dodgy!!

Bowdyjan18

Nadders01 wrote: »

and didn't charge VAT! dodgy!!

saved you being more out of pocket thou

Nadders01

Silk wrote: »

Did they explain what the extra was for and why it took longer ???
Perhaps they were waiting for parts or perhaps there was further problems discovered when the engine was stripped ???



When you say it was "not fixed" are you saying they did not fix the head gasket or is this another problem ???



What is the new problem that has been diagnosed and who diagnosed it ?



Apparently the garage haven't put the engine back together properly. Only 2 of the 4 cylinders are working. The cam isn't aligned properly?!
The main gripe i have is that they didn't completely finish the job

Nadders01

Bowdyjan18 wrote: »

saved you being more out of pocket thou

But I am out of pocket! because I have to spend even more money! He's so dodgy! But I get what you're saying :O) Thanks

Nadders01

Silk wrote: »

The problem is we have no idea at the moment what the price increase was for or even what model of car it is ???
To use extreme examples its a lot more expensive to change a head gasket on an Aston Martin than it is on an old style Mini etc etc.
There are a lot of problems that could cause a HG to blow such as radiators water pumps etc
Added to that there are many problems that result from a HG blowing that may not be apparent at the time for instance it is not unusual for a BMW's ECU to go into "limp mode" after overheating. I'm pretty sure that Vitara's diesel models can also suffer from this
It is also possible that if the car has been driving around whilst overheating it is entirely possible the engine might have been cooked causing further problems etc
It's quite possible if the OP has just been phoning round asking how much to change a HG then the quotes will be based on just that. However if it then goes into the garage and it is found to have some of the further faults mentioned then the cost is bound to go up
The length of time the car was undergoing repairs suggests to me there were other problems not just a simple HG change.
If the garage did not make the OP aware of the other problems then perhaps the garage could be faulted for it although as it was one recommended by a friend would this have happened ?
Perhaps when the OP posts the full details we can discuss it further.

Hello,..
The model= suzuki swift 2005 1.3gl
The car was examined and then the quote was given
The cause = hole in the radiator, liquid drained,..car overheated
Length of time= they do not manage their time in this garage, I've later found out their time scales are always way out and take forever doing anything.
He has not completed the job and expects me to pay for the completion.
This is not fair!
I'll have to take him to a small claims court.
Thanks tho,...