Dodgy dealership withheld info to recommend repairs

Christyt

Hi there,

I wanted to run this by experienced types on this forum.

My Avensis 03 GS failed the emissions test on MOT last week.

MOT place wasn't a repair shop so recommended I take it to Toyota dealership to check out. They couldn't be sure what was problem but doubted it was the catalytic converter.

I can supply fail results if anyone interested!

Went to local dealership and left it with them to check out - they called me at end of day to recommend I replace the catalytic converter (not sure which one) for £1400.

It seemed like quite a big punt that changing the cat would work - and if it was the cat, there would probably be an underlying problem too.
Also lots of people recommended using engine cleaner and running it up hot down the motorway to clear out engine, and maybe changing oil.

I decided to change the oil and filters, talked at length twice to Toyota mechanics to find out how certain they were about it (not very) and check they'd looked at other stuff like Oxygen sensors, sparks etc. Apparently they had.

Still unsure of what to do I talked to a second mechanic later in day and he offered to try putting engine cleaner in, drive it home over night and run it in hot and do a test first thing the next day.

I was v grateful - felt like was doing me a favour and lo and behold, it worked.
Passed the test straight off. Problem solved.

HOWEVER - when I went to get car, paid bill and got paperwork, it transpired they'd done another emissions test as soon as they looked at the car...and it had already passed the emissions test. They didn't tell me that.

IE - they were asked to sort out the emissions problem, did a test themselves, car passed - but they didn't tell me this and recommended I replace the catalytic converter at high cost and uncertain results.

I'm fairly sure this is malpractice of some kind - at the very least taking the p***.

Would there be any point in going to the garage - customer services - or further up and complaining about this?

Grateful for any realistic opinions on this...

scheming_gypsy

They recommended you replaced the cat and you authorised it.. The cat may have looked like it was going to need replacing, which is why they recommended that you replaced it; it may not have been recommended that you replace it to solve your issue.

Although your first problem was that you took an 8 year old car to a main dealer.

fivetide

How do the charges break down? What's the invoice look like?

5t.

maninthestreet

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

They recommended you replaced the cat and you authorised it.. The cat may have looked like it was going to need replacing, which is why they recommended that you replaced it; it may not have been recommended that you replace it to solve your issue.

Although your first problem was that you took an 8 year old car to a main dealer.

The car PASSED the emissions test, so how could the cat 'have looked like it was going to need replacing' ?????

Christyt

Sorry if this wasn't clear - I didn't replace the CAT. I asked them to put the engine cleaner and run the car hot to get it through the emissions test. But what I didn't know, and they didn't tell me, is that they'd already done another emissions test since teh original MOT fail (done elsewhere) and it had passed. The replacement of the CAT was recommended as a 'possible' cure for the emissions problem. A recommendation they made despite finding the car had just passed the emissions test.

Of course the car was not reliably passing the emissions test, it failed one, passed the next, but I think they should have had the decency to tell me about the result.

scheming_gypsy

maninthestreet wrote: »

The car PASSED the emissions test, so how could the cat 'have looked like it was going to need replacing' ?????

And your point is caller?

Where did anybody say it didn't pass? I didn't and I clearly didn't say that the toyota mechanic said it needed changing to pass the emissions test. Just because it passed the test doesn't mean its in perfect condition and will have a happy and prosperous life. I said that he may have meant it 'may need replacing', soon / at some point / its passed but its not great / its rotten

Christyt

The charges - fivetide - didn't include the cat of course cos I did'nt have it done.
But if you're still interested.

They charged £40 to look into problem - (diagnostic tests which turned up nothing) - and for which they their, successful emissions test.
oil and filter - £32 + £8.43 filter
£17.95 fuel injection cleaner
£43.80 which i presume was cost of petrol for guy to drive it home and back...
£54.85 for MOT

TOTAL £225 for a car that had, apparently, passed the emissions test without having done anything!!!

Christyt

And my point is - scheming_gypsy- they should have told me the emissions were running fine. If they feel the CAT looks past it's prime anyway, they could have made that clear - but at no point did they put it like that. They said that was the first thing they would try with a view to solving the emissions problem. He didn't say it looked like it needed changing anyway.

Hammyman

maninthestreet wrote: »

The car PASSED the emissions test, so how could the cat 'have looked like it was going to need replacing' ?????

My wifes car originally comes with a CAT. She had a CAT bypass fitted as it is a performance car. Her cars emissions are nearly low enough to pass a CAT test even though one is not fitted.

I've had a Ford Capri with a faulty carburettor that was running so weak that the CO readings were 0.0% which is well below the pass rate for a CAT fitted car.

The CAT is in effect like a silencer on the outside so it could be that the pipe or the outer metal case itself is getting quite corroded and likely to get a rust hole in soon thus looking like it is going to need replacing.

AlexisV

What you should have done is asked them to perform diagnostics on it and show you the results. If the ECU report came back clean, I'd ask them to check the emissions themselves.

No point changing the cat if the ECU isn't flagging up any problems.

Strider590

Hammyman wrote: »

The CAT is in effect like a silencer on the outside so it could be that the pipe or the outer metal case itself is getting quite corroded and likely to get a rust hole in soon thus looking like it is going to need replacing.

Key point...... Your taking an 8 year old car to a dealership where mechanics only really ever see new cars. To them everything on your car looks shafted :rotfl: