Why i have such contempt for garages

Wig

If you want to stand under the car you go to a small garage who will let you do this. The ones I used to go to (when I was a taxi owner).... the standard procedure was to bring your own parts that you bought yourself, and then watch them fit them. If it was a small job some drivers would park outside and borrow tools -having my own tools I would not do this unless it was something urgent that needed attention whilst I was working in town that day. And I would often lend a hand to help them fix my car. Labour prices were much cheaper than than mainsteam garages.

Since retiring from taxiing I haven't had to go back to any garage preferring to do it all myself.

red_eye

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.

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

how was it damaged? was it cut? pulled out from the metal?

red_eye

Wig wrote: »

If you want to stand under the car you go to a small garage who will let you do this. The ones I used to go to (when I was a taxi owner).... the standard procedure was to bring your own parts that you bought yourself, and then watch them fit them. If it was a small job some drivers would park outside and borrow tools -having my own tools I would not do this unless it was something urgent that needed attention whilst I was working in town that day. And I would often lend a hand to help them fix my car. Labour prices were much cheaper than than mainsteam garages.

Since retiring from taxiing I haven't had to go back to any garage preferring to do it all myself.

and what happens if say the load nut on the 2 post ramp strips it threads and !!!!! mr taxi driver on the nut as the set of arms drops on to its back up nut? also I would never let a customer borrow my tools

red_eye

bettroy wrote: »

I put a Xzara Picasso into a garage for a service and cambelt change. This led to losing my car for six weeks as it developed a fault on the camshaft whilst not moving or turning over which led to a bill in excess of £1500. After getting it back and driving it to Scotland it broke down on the way back with a blown exhaust gasket which took out the airbox and sensor and it was also diagnosed as having a defective turbo. 3 weeks later another £1000 lighter I get it back. 2 days later it is back in the garage now the EGR valve is diagnosed defective. Got it back 2 days ago and would you believe it, there is still a problem in the same area of the engine. How do you get it put right without paying out even more money? I will soon have paid enouth to have bought another car!!

well if you think about the fact that an exhaust gasket, turbo bearing, camshaft or EGR is not an item checked on a service ro touched while changing the cambelt.

gaskets can go at any time, turbo and egr are normally down to maintenance and how to drive the car like more trips to the shops then long trips getting engine up to temp

s_b

red_eye wrote: »

and what happens if say the load nut on the 2 post ramp strips it threads and !!!!! mr taxi driver on the nut as the set of arms drops on to its back up nut? also I would never let a customer borrow my tools

ive seen the load nut go and the ramp came down on one side tipping the car on its side
thankfully we had just come out from under it
it was like the titanic as her boilers blew squeaking and groaning as it went down fast
you would have been at least seriously injured if underneath at the time
so no customers under the ramp
turned out the last ramp service done was a bodge (another story)

i stopped lending my tackle out 30 years ago when i was constantly asked for a screwdriver only to find these borrowers were using them as chisels

cyclonebri1

The garage I use for MOTs has a massive pit in the main test bay, no issues with the car falling as it is still on terra firma. Even a hand rail on the pit stairs.

They welcome customers to check any issues identified, if they didn't I wouldn't be one.

When I finally give up on doing me own repairs, I will use that garage, they build trust, because they know people seek that out

red_eye

s_b wrote: »

ive seen the load nut go and the ramp came down on one side tipping the car on its side
thankfully we had just come out from under it
it was like the titanic as her boilers blew squeaking and groaning as it went down fast
you would have been at least seriously injured if underneath at the time
so no customers under the ramp
turned out the last ramp service done was a bodge (another story)

i stopped lending my tackle out 30 years ago when i was constantly asked for a screwdriver only to find these borrowers were using them as chisels

When this happened to me it only went down 50mm if it had hit me on the head I would of been knocked out. lucky for me my bladder needed emptying.

cyclonebri1

[QUOTE=s_b;55231429]ive seen the load nut go and the ramp came down on one side tipping the car on its side
thankfully we had just come out from under it
[B [/B](another story)

[/QUOTE]

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Oh dear oh dear, an mot station that cannot maintain it's own kit let alone customers cars, scary?, no pathetic.

red_eye

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

The garage I use for MOTs has a massive pit in the main test bay, no issues with the car falling as it is still on terra firma. Even a hand rail on the pit stairs.

They welcome customers to check any issues identified, if they didn't I wouldn't be one.

When I finally give up on doing me own repairs, I will use that garage, they build trust, because they know people seek that out

Still a garage is not a play ground. Having a look at issues is one thing but hanging around watching every move the mechanic makes getting in the way is another, that customer would be put in the customers I dont want back pile along with the ones that think your ripping them off when you say they should get the all links on their 4 link double wishbone equipped passat/a4 replaced and not just one side, trying to save them some money (these go in the pile after the come back a month or two later to replace the other side)

cyclonebri1

red_eye wrote: »

Still a garage is not a play ground. Having a look at issues is one thing but hanging around watching every move the mechanic makes getting in the way is another, that customer would be put in the customers I dont want back pile along with the ones that think your ripping them off when you say they should get the all links on their 4 link double wishbone equipped passat/a4 replaced and not just one side, trying to save them some money (these go in the pile after the come back a month or two later to replace the other side)

Well when I can decipher what you have just printed I get back to you :T:T
But you seem to be saying you don't want any customers back that want to watch what your mechanics are doing?

Why the hell not? are they hiding something?

I'm not talking about getting in the way, simply that my garage will invite a customer down into the pit, via the same safety inspected route they take, to have 1st hand look at any issues found.

If you have an issue with that you are part of the reason that the OP said he had contempt for garages.