Nightmare!!

gilly41

We took our car in today to be repaired. The garage had had it on a diagnostic machine and said it was some sensor or other---costing £120 all in!!So ok---OH and I agree to get it sorted---it is a 7 year old Corsa(I posted a few weeks ago about the problem).The yellow engine light is showing when we go up steep hills---fine other times. We are moving and had budgeted the right amount as money is obviously tight.Anyway, the guy at the garage rang to say sorry but the light is still showing despite them replacing the part. He then says we have to pay the £120 even though we are no further forward as the part has been put in the car and cant be taken out.I mean what the heck is that about!!He said he explained to OH(which i know fine well he didnt!!!) that the machine doesnt always get it 100% right and if this happens and the part is put in you have to pay!!!He then says that he will put it back on another machine FOC(well thanks very much) and hopefully get the problem sorted. He will do us a print out and if we dont want the work done there(damned right i dont now!!) we can take it elsewhere. But in the meantime we will be £120 down!!Any advice anyone??OH hasnt picked the car up yet as the guy says he will put on the other machine in the morning !!!Are they within their rights to charge the full price? I dont know the first thing about cars so I dont know what i am talking about. I just know we are moving on Thursday and can do without this hassle!!!!!!Sorry to rant but I am so annoyed as i feel we have wasted £120 hard earned cash!xx

gilly41

Anyone please????

vikingaero

Patience Gilly!

Wait for some people to get in tonight. Not everyone can surf like hard-working people such as me.

Well the engine light can be illuminated from a whole number of potential problems. The garage is probably attempting it's best fix.

My dads A class Merc had the engine management light illuminated and the Merc garage said it was the air mass sensor. We had that refurbished and the light came on again. Then they said it was the throttle position sensor. That was replaced and the light came on again. In the end they found that the fault was the oxygen sensors and a split breather pipe.

gilly41

Thanks Viking!!!That is what they said it is possibly ---the air mass sensor!This time i am not sure what it is that has cost the £120 but some other sensor thing!Did your dad have to pay every time he had something replaced---up until the point the garage found out what it was?It seems crazy to me---such an expense!!!The Car is still in the garage til tomorrow when it goes on the machine again!x

custardy

unfortunatly this can be the case with doagnostics.
sometimes you have ot go with best guess on the fault codes presented.

MFewings

My sons car failed mot on exhaust emmisions, garage advised lamba sensor, he replaced it but still didnt get emmisions down low enough so he took it to Rover garage who put it on their machine and said the sensor must have been no good as not a genuine part.

Cost just over £200 to have the car put on machine and genuine part fitted. Then it failed mot again as still emisions wernt low enough. Changed cat and all ok now. But £200 out of pocket for parts probably not needed and garage basically said thats a chance you take.

vikingaero

gilly41 wrote: »

Did your dad have to pay every time he had something replaced---up until the point the garage found out what it was?It seems crazy to me---such an expense!!!

Yep the Merc garage said that to supply and fit a new air mass sensor was £800. Because Dad is on a pension I found a local company that refurbishes the sensor for £300. When the fault reoccurred they thought it might be the throttle position sensor - bye bye £270. Then the fault still occurred and they kept the car for 3 days and said it was the O2 sensors and a split breather pipe - bye bye £600. To be honest I would imagine that the air mass sensor/meter would need replacing soon anyway and that the way my dad drives the throttle sensor would be on the ropes too.

It was crazy paying that amount of money, but it was the only way to get the car going - with the EML light you couldn't drive faster than 45-50 on the motorway which is unbelievably scary! To the local Merc garages credit they discounted the labour charge by 33% on all the bills.

gilly41

HiThat was it ---the lamba sensor!I think we are getting it on the machine tomorrow--FOC---and then going to decide what to do!!It is just sooo expensive and what with moving house you pray these things wont happen!!!Thanks everyone x

thescouselander

The trouble with mechanics these days is that they have lost their diagnostic skills because they just plug in their fault code reader and rely on the cars computer to tell them what the problem is.

Unfortunately, a fault in one area of the engine can cause a sensor somewhere else to provide strange readings and appear faulty. For example, my dads car was indicating the lambda sensor was faulty but the problem was actually that the engine was running too lean caused by an air leak.

Luckily, I have a degree in Aerospace Engineering and know a thing or two about engine management systems so I checked a number of other things before I went off replacing sensors so I managed to find the cause of the fault.

If they cant fix it let me know what the print out says I'd I'll have a guess at what the problem could be (although it would only be a guess since I haven't had a look at the car).

gilly41

Thanks for that Scouselander---I will be getting a copy of the print out today so will let you know.It is such a rip off though---I mean £120 for nothing!!When i was a kid my dad took his car to the garage and there was nothing like these daft machines.Think they are a waste of time in my opinion.They have actually replaced the lamba sensor----only to find it isnt that LOL!!!!x

steveo3002

id offer to pay the trade price for the part only....hardly fair you pay top whack when theyve not fixed the fault in anyway