Garage Unauthorised Work

Vicf85

I would appreciate any help with this issue.

I was told my gearbox was on it's way out, I got a number of quotes, all of which were around the £1000 mark. I also got quotes for the gear box and the clutch as I was told this was more cost effective, I have never been told there was anything wrong with the clutch, and was quoted an additional £1000 so I decided to proceed with the the gearbox on it's own.

I called the garage and stated I wanted proceed with the gearbox, and booked it in at a cost I thought would be £900. I collected the car a week later and a bill of £2154 was sat on the desk, they had completed the clutch work without my authorisation. Not only that, when I received my initial quote, they didn't quote a labour charge on top of the gearbox, the quote for just the gearbox should have been £1320, the garage basically told me I should have known a labour charge would be added on top, I told them I did know there would be a labour charge but thought it was included in the quote as I wouldnt be removing the gearbox and refitting it myself.

I paid under protest (under the payment assist plan paying over 4 months at £488 per month)

Upon leaving the garage, 1st gear made a crunching sound, and a code 3 appeared on my dashboard. The code 3 related to the ERG pipe from the coolant container.

I emailed the garage stating the issue with the clutch and the issue with the valve, I corresponded solely by email because of the communication issue previously. I specifically asked for the vehicle to be towed, as the coolant wasnt being regulated properly, and they sent someone to drive my vehicle to the garage. I questioned this they said I never mentioned the erg valve, I copied and pasted my previous email which showed I did mention it.

Anyway, it now turns out that the clutch is damaged, they are fixing this under warranty which is all well and good, but I wish to dispute the unauthorised clutch being fitted in the first place, and the damage to the ERG valve that was fine before it went into the garage. The garage are obviously incompetent, they do not communicate effectively and they cannot repair a vehicle. Any assistance in relation to my stance with the unauthorised work would be appreciated. They have provided me with a 18 year old courtesy car until the work is completed (I know I should be grateful but I just cant bring myself to be)

foxy-stoat

I would question a garage that didn't put a full new clutch in if the gearbox is coming off. I do not know how a clutch can be damaged by crunching the box into first.

What did the written quote say?

I assume this was an unknown secondhand gearbox rather than a full rebuilt one with a warranty.

What car is it?

Vicf85

It is a Vauxhall insignia, they reconditioned my existing gearbox, I didn't get a written quote (wont make that mistake again) the only quote they had on their system was the one including the clutch.

Their email states;

It would seem the clutch developed a fault such that it was dragging - I.e. not releasing completely. As a result, the gearbox shaft was still turning as you tried to engage first gear and the synchromesh was unable to take that load, as a result, we think part of it is broken .

Accordingly, with restricted synchromesh on first gear, it wouldnt be possible to engage first gear on the move, resulting in the crunching you experienced.

AdrianC

Changing the clutch while the gearbox is out is an absolute no-brainer. The additional work is minimal, just a handful of minutes - it's really just the cost of the parts. The majority of the labour cost of "changing the clutch" is taking the gearbox out to get at it, since it sits between the engine and box.

NOT replacing it would be negligent, regardless of whether or not it was dragging and caused the box problem in the first place.

foxy-stoat

So they didn't fit the new clutch incorrectly or road tested it?

£2,154 to fix a gear box and new clutch doesn't sound too bad as "it was on its ways out" anyway - what was the issue with the gearbox originally?

Get it fixed and sell the car, my friend had a low mileage Insignia and he had no end of trouble with the box and diesel engine, ended up replacing the clutch twice and gearbox was never right - head gasket failure....all common faults with these.

Vicf85

It was dragging after they had fixed it, it's now back in the garage getting fixed AGAIN! There was nothing wrong with the clutch beforehand, they have broken it. If I had known my bill would have been £2,000 I would have scrapped the car lol. It was making a whining noise in third and fourth gear. Now it is completely broken. My issue is their incorrect quote, I would not have taken it there if the original quote would have been accurate.

ratrace

Vicf85 wrote: »

It was dragging after they had fixed it, it's now back in the garage getting fixed AGAIN! There was nothing wrong with the clutch beforehand, they have broken it. If I had known my bill would have been £2,000 I would have scrapped the car lol. It was making a whining noise in third and fourth gear. Now it is completely broken. My issue is their incorrect quote, I would not have taken it there if the original quote would have been accurate.

I have the same gearbox onmy astra (m32 gearbox) its a very common part to go wrong, there is chap i use to get them refurbished costs me £400 to get the job done but i have to supply the box off the car, I can get it off in 2 hours ish, why they fail is due to crappy vauxhall oil and that they are underfilled from new



it was a common problem on the astra h's aswell, hopefully it get sorted out for you

mcpitman

ratrace wrote: »

I have the same gearbox onmy astra (m32 gearbox) its a very common part to go wrong, there is chap i use to get them refurbished costs me £400 to get the job done but i have to supply the box off the car, I can get it off in 2 hours ish, why they fail is due to crappy vauxhall oil and that they are underfilled from new



it was a common problem on the astra h's aswell, hopefully it get sorted out for you

Insignia's are also fitted, with the better more reliable F40 gearbox.


M32 (chocolate box as they are known) is rated up to 320NM , F40 is 400NM.


OP - did they replace the dmf too (I have is missed what engine is in your car)?

tgon

What do you want them to do to remedy this situation? State this clearly and within a certain time period as a formal complaint in writing to the garage. If its not completed as you've requested then consider the small claims court to get your money back on the unauthorised work and inconvenience. Don't threaten it - just apply if your complaint is not resolved satisfactorily. Try to resolve this amicably first - that's important for any future claim you may wish to bring.

TheTalkingDead

Get a Vauxhall they said,




It will be cheap to own they said.

mcpitman

TheTalkingDead wrote: »

Get a Vauxhall they said,




It will be cheap to own they said.

Aware some brand lovers don't like Vauxhall, but in my personal experience, there isn't anything anymore unreliable than other brands in that category (Ford/Mazda etc).


Personally taken a Vectra to 230k miles and currently sat @ 140k in my Insignia. Both have only ever needed servicing and general upkeep, nothing major has gone wrong.


Aware other people may have different opinions but I have never had any major issues.