Dangerous Garage Work - Advice Please

Repo

About 8 weeks ago, our eldest took her newly acquired car R reg Peugeot 106 XLD to a garage we have used for servicing and MOT's for the last five years. Tuesday night she comes to our house and asks if I'll take a look at her car which won't start properly. I tried to start it and it took a while before the engine kicked in. Suspecting fuel supply problems I lifted the bonnet where there was a strong smell of diesel and found this:



Not sure why the fuel filter is there? There's also a jubilee clip missing from the air intake which you have to remove to get to the fuel filter.



Indeed the fuel filter is hanging free, as instead of replacing the screw on type that the Pug 106 XLD uses (like an oil filter) they've just stuck in a Ford fuel filter and left it hanging loose. Note how shiny the head of the bolt is next to the original fuel filter out pipe.



That's because the fuel filter has been bouncing up and down on that bolt until the harder steel has cut a hole in the side of the softer alloy casing of the fuel filter. Diesel was running out of the hole, down the engine and after only a minute there was a 2 foot wide puddle of fuel on the road.



There's another hole on it's way on the in side of the filter too from stop/start momentum.




Luckily she'd only done a few short local trips this week. If she'd been travelling any distance and the engine had been red hot then I'd hate to think what could have happened.

The filter looks new (or perhaps it is an old one cleaned up) and a new fuel filter was itemised on the bill.

So the question is, do I take the car back to the garage and play hell, or do I just report them, and if so who to? The correct fuel filter is only £7.70 delivered from eurocarparts.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

Report them and fix it yourself. They're obviously mongs, why waste your time with them?

Lirin

I'd contact the garage for an explanation

thescouselander

While its not good to have fuel spilling everywhere I don't think there was too much danger of fire or anything - Diesel is quite hard to light. I think the biggest danger was to other road users such as motorcyclists who might have slipped on any spillage. I'd still take it up with the garage though.

colino

I'm not sure from your posting what the garage did. Did they check it over as a new car purchase, service it or MOT it?

rev_henry

I'd give consumer direct a call and see what they advise you do next. Looks a complete joke what they've done.

Repo

colino wrote: »

I'm not sure from your posting what the garage did. Did they check it over as a new car purchase, service it or MOT it?

It was a full service, air, oil & fuel filters, fluids etc

benham3160

Not dangerous, but that is some shoddy workmanship. Well, only dangerous as a slip hazard.

I'd be going straight back. Is that even a diesel filter? Looks like a Zetec "behind the tank" petrol filter to me.

Reason being petrol filters are a lot cheaper.....

Regards,
Andy

colino

Erring on the positive, perhaps they thought they were saving money for an old customer (they weren't!). It's a bodge, not even a very good one, phone them and tell them your not happy and ask them to collect and repair.

Flying-High_2

Could be "Service by Sassy" with the Ford bits strewn everywhere:D

hartcjhart

why has a pug got an inline ford fuel filter??