Why i have such contempt for garages

LincolnshireYokel

I have a diesel 1999 Scenic, its a good round town runner, does 450 miles on a tankful. But ive long since stopped doing my own repairs, too old to roll about on the driveway under a car, these days!!

The exhaust system has a flexible pipe section, which started blowing. Took it to a local exhaust place, 1 hour and £90 later it was replaced.

Drove home, parked up, in under an hour later there was an oil puddle under the rear of the engine. Next day after a trip[ up town and back, the puddle was 10 inches across. Three days later its the size of a tiger skin rug. This car has never leaked oil, ibn fact in three years ive only had to top the oil up once.

Took it round to local friendly garage, the oil return pipe (next to the flexible exhaust pipe) was damaged and p1ssing oil out. He replaced the pipe, £60.

Theres no point in going back, they'll just deny all knowledge, and I cant prove a thing. What annoys me is that the exhaust place knew what they had done, and they cheerfully charged me full price and gave me the keys. I wouldnt have minded if they owned up and knocked £20 off the exhaust, that would have been honest.

This is why I like to stand under the car when fitters are fiddling with it, and why they dont like you to.

Robbing incompetent b@stards. Almost all garages are a bunch of crooks, its just some are more subtle about it than others.

Sgt_Pepper_2

Thanks for that.

Crabman

LincolnshireYokel wrote: »

Theres no point in going back, they'll just deny all knowledge, and I cant prove a thing.

You don't need to prove beyond doubt. If the second garage gave you a statement alleging that the damage was most likely caused by a poor standard of work on the exhaust section I can't see how they'd get out of it.

After all, what is the probability that the oil pipe would rupture/fail of its own accord, coincidentally within a very short period of having work carried out on the adjacent part?

Also if it's a national chain it's worth naming and shaming and kicking up a fuss with head office.

Flyboy152

LincolnshireYokel wrote: »

I have a diesel 1999 Scenic, its a good round town runner, does 450 miles on a tankful. But ive long since stopped doing my own repairs, too old to roll about on the driveway under a car, these days!!

The exhaust system has a flexible pipe section, which started blowing. Took it to a local exhaust place, 1 hour and £90 later it was replaced.

Drove home, parked up, in under an hour later there was an oil puddle under the rear of the engine. Next day after a trip[ up town and back, the puddle was 10 inches across. Three days later its the size of a tiger skin rug. This car has never leaked oil, ibn fact in three years ive only had to top the oil up once.

Took it round to local friendly garage, the oil return pipe (next to the flexible exhaust pipe) was damaged and p1ssing oil out. He replaced the pipe, £60.

Theres no point in going back, they'll just deny all knowledge, and I cant prove a thing. What annoys me is that the exhaust place knew what they had done, and they cheerfully charged me full price and gave me the keys. I wouldnt have minded if they owned up and knocked £20 off the exhaust, that would have been honest.

This is why I like to stand under the car when fitters are fiddling with it, and why they dont like you to.

Will never happen! No legitimate business would risk their insurance cover.

Robbing incompetent b@stards. Almost all garages are a bunch of crooks, its just some are more subtle about it than others.

Because you have been to every garage in the country. :wall:

LincolnshireYokel

Flyboy152 wrote: »

Because you have been to every garage in the country. :wall:

Ive been ripped off enough by enough garages in the last 40 years to think "hey, maybe its not me that has really bad luck. Maybe all garages do this"

When you keep getting the same result from repeating the same experiment at some point you have to draw the inevitable conclusion.

Trebor16

LincolnshireYokel wrote: »

Ive been ripped off enough by enough garages in the last 40 years to think "hey, maybe its not me that has really bad luck. Maybe all garages do this"

When you keep getting the same result from repeating the same experiment at some point you have to draw the inevitable conclusion.

Best to ignore Flyboy as he doesn't contribute much to these forums and gets pleasure out of provoking people and winding them up.

fannyadams

Oh
and don't ask to see the piece that they've 'alledgedly' taken off your car to fit the new one that they've charged you for because unless you ACTUALLY KNOW what the part looks like they could show you ANYTHING and call it whatever and you wouldn't know.
Always take the car for a shakedown run AFTER you've had it serviced or whatever and then casually ask about why it's developed an oil leak or got a funny squeaking noise or whatever.
OR
find a garage that's listed here maybe... i know a really good one in Trowbridge that I got off that site but as with everything there are good and bad ones.

pendulum

There are good garages out there, but for every good garage I would guesstimate there is at least one bad one. Having said this, both good garages and bad garages can make mistakes (and so can people who self-service their cars). How do you know they realised they'd caused a pipe to leak? It might not have leaked with the engine off.

Plenty of times I've been working on a car or bike of mine, 'finished' then after a test drive realised I'd !!!!!!ed something up... it happens!

Whether they would've fixed it, or denied it, was the test of whether the garage was a good one or not, but you didn't give them the chance!

swiftnick

LincolnshireYokel wrote: »

Took it round to local friendly garage, the oil return pipe (next to the flexible exhaust pipe) was damaged and p1ssing oil out. He replaced the pipe, £60.

Why didn't you get them to do it in the first place?

I work in a local friendly garage. Can't get close to the fast fit prices, but we do it properly.

Pride in the job I suppose?

LincolnshireYokel

The second garage is two blokes in a quarry, there quite a small operation. I thought since it was an exhaust, id take it to an exhaust place, but yes, it would have probably been a lot cheaper to take it to the second garage in the first place. The difference was the cowboys did it while i waited whereas the other guys would have kept the car all day. Should have put time after cost!!!

TrickyWicky

pendulum wrote: »

Plenty of times I've been working on a car or bike of mine, 'finished' then after a test drive realised I'd !!!!!!ed something up... it happens!

+1

It must be said though, I've also been on the receiving end of liar garages with one causing me over £2k worth of expense and hassle. That car is STILL on the drive dead after 3 years

Moral of the story is find a GOOD mechie with a GOOD reputation. Once you're happy with them STICK WITH THEM. Don't use a fast fit fitters type place as they just want you in and out ASAP and don't care about the quality of the work they provide.