Have you been ripped off by a garage and caught them out?

Flyboy152

adamc260 wrote: »

Where is the best place to mount it? I put mine on the bottom right of the screen.

I would say that is a better place that smack bang in the middle of the windscreen. I continually despair, at the lack of intelligence of people, who think that having a big lump of opaque plastic in their eye-line is safe. I have it on the front quarter-light, on the door.

Wig

macman wrote: »

I now get my MOT's done at the local council vehicle depot (thank you for the tip Martin). Normally carried out in 30 minutes on a Saturday morning and of course (since they don't do repairs) they have absolutely no incentive to find non-existent or borderline faults to fail you on.

TrickyWicky wrote: »

I avoid the council depots.. even they can try to rip you off. We used one years ago and they failed the car on emissions. Then they wanted to charge for a retest.

After running a taxi for 6 years I too avoid council MOT tests, they can be very, very picky about what they think is a fail. They failed one guy for worn brake discs, he went away to the scrap yard and put on a pair of used but still good brake discs. The daft tester failed him again for not fitting new discs! :rotfl:, he appealed to VOSA and got it passed.

adamc260

I like this thread, its funny to read

bob_a_builder

I like this thread, its funny to read

Funny maybe, shocking certainly, but why do customers have to put up with !!!! like this !!!

Not sure how the problem could be fixed, but this sort of blatant 'job' expansion/manufacturing has to be stopped somehow

flyingscotno1

Not ripped off as such but sort of. My car takes oil which is expensive and I noted the type used by the dealer it was cheap as chips and when I checked it seemed to be wrong oil.

I questioned they said it was OK. So I dropped a line to said manufacturer to ask their opinion and they weren't chuffed and got dealer to change it FOC.

I was told that the right oil was in it, just the wrong oil on invoice, but not sure if I believed that one. Certainly the customer services team at the manufacturer, the head technician at the dealer and the staff couldn't have been nicer about it afterwards, but I just got the feeling a mechanic just took any old diesel oil from the drum and didn't check and they felt I'd just go away. Unfortunately I can be a pain in the !!!! when I sense they are trying to wing it!

TrickyWicky

Flyboy152 wrote: »

What was the passed reading and what was the failed reading?

Ooer.. thats a good 4 odd years ago pal, no possible way I can remember that now!

adamc260 wrote: »

Where is the best place to mount it? I put mine on the bottom right of the screen.

See I see that as a bad thing because then I'm likely to fiddle with it when driving. I prefer to put it on the lower middle part so that the passenger can adjust the settings if needed. I put it low enough though that I can actually see but I'm still not convinced that is right either.

Alias_Omega

Just the usual -

"Did you know your brakes are 60% worn?"
"Your front shock absorber is leaking oil?"

One that really annoyed me was a supposed failed "Track Rod End" on a 3 yr old car. Should of got them to show me, though i assumed they were fishing for work. I needed the car, so just say "Yes" and accepted the extra £130 bill.

The easiest of parts to replace, for alot of £££.

EcoR1

vax2002 wrote: »

Had a mot once, the guy said oo look the shockers are leaking oil, that's very serious I said, really, he grinned, yes,
Me: they are Gas shockers and the only oil leaking is that tin of duck oil you sprayed on, the one you left out on the bench, lets have a smell shall we, but, but, but.
But this, write the $%%$$ MOT or I will drive straight to the VOSA testing station, its only at the top of my lane.
Result, MOT £29.99

Gas shock absorbers have oil in them as well.

taffy056

Wig wrote: »

After running a taxi for 6 years I too avoid council MOT tests, they can be very, very picky about what they think is a fail. They failed one guy for worn brake discs, he went away to the scrap yard and put on a pair of used but still good brake discs. The daft tester failed him again for not fitting new discs! :rotfl:, he appealed to VOSA and got it passed.

I wouldn't use a council testing station either, I had an mot done in the morning elsewhere on a taxi used to run, came to the council yard to get a taxi test done a few hours later and they failed it.


I had a blazing row with the guy who failed it, the vehicle had done 3 miles between tests, and i threatened to get vosa involved and he relented. The thing is I know damn well that he puts cars through that he shouldn't because they belong to a local company with a lot of cars, very bent very corrupted !

taffy056

Alias_Omega wrote: »

Just the usual -

"Did you know your brakes are 60% worn?"
"Your front shock absorber is leaking oil?"

One that really annoyed me was a supposed failed "Track Rod End" on a 3 yr old car. Should of got them to show me, though i assumed they were fishing for work. I needed the car, so just say "Yes" and accepted the extra £130 bill.

The easiest of parts to replace, for alot of £££.

Track rod end for £130 ? Bloody hell I get a mate to change it for a tenner plus the part