Dodgy garage

rayhan_miah

Hi all! I’m new to this site so I’m just gonna jump right in! I recently got suspension arm repairs done on my 2012 Mercedes Benz C180 coupe at Haden Birmingham on Moseley Road. The car was repaired and ready to be collected so I went to collect it, pay for the repairs and got an invoice. They do complimentary valet on all cars they work on so they did a decent job!

While looking around my car, I noticed something odd about my front driver and offside alloys. They looked like they were partly worn away which is something I noticed for the first time however my alloys did have the usual wear and tear from curbing but these ones looked like the colour was literally fading away from the centre. While I was looking, the guy at the garage who usually does the valet noticed me looking at those said alloys but didn’t say anything.

I got the impression that my old alloys were replaced by some dodgy ones without my knowledge but this Haden Birmingham is meant to be a reputable Mercedes Benz specialist garage.

worried_jim

rayhan_miah wrote: »

Hi all! I’m new to this site so I’m just gonna jump right in! I recently got suspension arm repairs done on my 2012 Mercedes Benz C180 coupe at Haden Birmingham on Moseley Road. The car was repaired and ready to be collected so I went to collect it, pay for the repairs and got an invoice. They do complimentary valet on all cars they work on so they did a decent job!

While looking around my car, I noticed something odd about my front driver and offside alloys. They looked like they were partly worn away which is something I noticed for the first time however my alloys did have the usual wear and tear from curbing but these ones looked like the colour was literally fading away from the centre. While I was looking, the guy at the garage who usually does the valet noticed me looking at those said alloys but didn’t say anything.

I got the impression that my old alloys were replaced by some dodgy ones without my knowledge but this Haden Birmingham is meant to be a reputable Mercedes Benz specialist garage.

Cool story bro.

sevenhills

rayhan_miah wrote: »

I got the impression that my old alloys were replaced by some dodgy ones without my knowledge but this Haden Birmingham is meant to be a reputable Mercedes Benz specialist garage.

You got an impression, but you couldnt say for certain; have you complained to them, since you are telling us about it.

loskie

maybe he used an acid based wheel cleaner that had affected the lacquer.

deanos

loskie wrote: »

maybe he used an acid based wheel cleaner that had affected the lacquer.

this

are the tyres the same ? .

motorguy

i think the reality here is, we pay close attention to our cars AFTER we've had significant work done, not before. With 99% certainty whatever you were seeing was there before you left the car in, but was hidden with grime or alloy wheel dust.

When i was trading some years ago a guy left a car in that we had previously sold him for warranty work. It was a black car that he kept totally mint so as he was driving it in i immediately spotted a bad scuff on the front drivers side corner. I didnt say anything as it wasnt my place to say to him or remind him about it, but i definitely saw it when he was driving in and when the car was parked there.

Anyway, we got the work done to the car (new front shocks fitted) and he comes to pick the car up. He walks round it and spots this scuff. Really kicks off how our mechanic had clearly damaged his pride and joy . I've no doubt he truly believed we'd done it, but i know for a fact we hadnt. Also his wife was there and she kept her head down and was unusually quiet. I think we know what had happened there....

For the sake of the £80 or so to get it painted i got the work done, but needless to say ANY car coming back in for warranty work we then did our own scrutiny of the cars condition before the customer left and noted any marks with the customer there.

motorguy

loskie wrote: »

maybe he used an acid based wheel cleaner that had affected the lacquer.

Or the wheel based cleaner removed enough grime and brake dust to make the discoloured laquer noticable.

Brake dust will discolour lacquer over time.

Car_54

rayhan_miah wrote: »

Hi all! I’m new to this site so I’m just gonna jump right in! I recently got suspension arm repairs done on my 2012 Mercedes Benz C180 coupe at Haden Birmingham on Moseley Road. The car was repaired and ready to be collected so I went to collect it, pay for the repairs and got an invoice. They do complimentary valet on all cars they work on so they did a decent job!

While looking around my car, I noticed something odd about my front driver and offside alloys. They looked like they were partly worn away which is something I noticed for the first time however my alloys did have the usual wear and tear from curbing but these ones looked like the colour was literally fading away from the centre. While I was looking, the guy at the garage who usually does the valet noticed me looking at those said alloys but didn’t say anything.

I got the impression that my old alloys were replaced by some dodgy ones without my knowledge but this Haden Birmingham is meant to be a reputable Mercedes Benz specialist garage.

Is there much of a market in Birmingham for scruffy seven-year old wheels?

motorguy

Car_54 wrote: »

Is there much of a market in Birmingham for scruffy seven-year old wheels?

Exactly. "Yeah lads, lets risk our reputation at best or criminal charges at worst by swapping off these two scruffy seven year old alloy wheels on this customers car that need refurbished with two of our wheels that need refurbished".

Makes a lot of sense....

Joe_Horner

Car_54 wrote: »

Is there much of a market in Birmingham for scruffy seven-year old wheels?

It is Birmingham....