Car has been in garage for over a month - say they are looking for a part but give us no updates

fred246

Anyway so you decide to take your car to 'the professionals' for a standard service item and they keep it for over 5 weeks what do you do then? Can someone help the OP?

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CP4L and ECP are the same company. ECP do click and collect if you have key worker ID, otherwise they both do mail order.

Sometimes CP4L are cheaper, sometimes dearer than ECP for the same item.

I wouldn't buy anything from an Amazon or eBay seller for a car that I was keeping...........

fred246

Eurocarparts has a large shop on Amazon and ebay. Trying to claim that buying things off Amazon or ebay is second rate is rubbish. You just have to be careful about checking out the sellers.

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fred246 said:

Eurocarparts has a large shop on Amazon and ebay. Most major suppliers will sell through both channels. Trying to claim that buying things off Amazon or ebay is second rate is rubbish. You just have to be careful about checking out the sellers

I made no such claim, I'm not stamping on mines here

inspectorperez

Simone_F said:

Hello, 
I'm looking for a bit of advice on what to do about our car that has been sat in the garage for over a month. 
My husband took our car to get the timing belt changed around a month ago and the garage said this job would take a couple of days max. The garage called us a few days after we dropped the car off and told us that they had broken something while they were changing the timing belt and they needed to buy a new part to fix it. They explained they are having difficulties because volvo has closed because of the coronavirus lockdown - but they are looking in other places (ebay, online parts shops etc).

We have rang weekly to ask if there has been any progress - and they say they will call us when they have found the part. But they have never once initiated a call to us to give us an update in the last month. We asked whether they could tell us what part they need and were told they need a washer for the fuel filter hose - but haven't given as anymore information than that. When I search online for "fuel filter hose volvo s40" -  I can see lots of results on ebay and other sites - but because I really don't know much about cars I don't know whether I have found the right part or the right washer they need to fix the leak. 

I have suggested to my husband that we call other garages to see if they have the part and whether they could get the car fixed, but my husband explained that this leak means we cannot drive the car - and if we were to move the car we would need to pay for a lorry to pick it up.My husband also said that because this damage was caused by the garage while changing the timing belt that they should be the ones to pay for this, and if we move to another garage then we would have to foot the bill. 

I know it is lockdown and that parts are probably hard to come by right now - but their lack of communication is starting to annoy me. It's coming up to 5 weeks now - and I really want our car back. Is there anything we can do? 
Thanks in advance for any advice. 
S

I wonder if you might get more help by asking for advice on a Volvo owners' club forum e.g.https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/

There is probably much more knowledge available from other Volvo owners who may well be able to offer sound practical advice in terms of your options. Just register, introduce yourself and describe your problem.

Over the years I have been a member of various car owners' forums and have always found them really useful with knowledgeable contributors who are keen to help and more often than not have a wealth of useful experience to share.

MinuteNoodles

fred246 said:

I do my own timing belts. I have never broken anything. I have never taken more than 4 hours but I do take a lot of time studying the youtube video the night before. If you get them wrong you can cause serious engine damage which is why I insist on doing my own to make sure the job is done properly.

ROFLMAO. Watches random Youtube videos, has total confidence that the people doing the Youtube videos are showing the proper way to do it. So good that he's able to do a one off cambelt change on a car faster than a mechanic who has probably done dozens of them.

Fred when you're doing them properly are you going to the main dealers and asking for the specialist cam pulley locking tools the manufacturers state to use and following the manufacturer's documented procedures or are you bodging one with various nuts and bolts and jamming up things with screwdrivers, doing whatever random rubbish the guy on Youtube said to do? Because if you're not using the proper locking tools and following the manufacturer's documented procedure you're not doing it properly, you're bodging it.

I used to be into classic cars typically from the 1970s and early 80s. The worst part in getting a classic car that hasn't been restored is undoing 20-30 years of "fred" type repairs. Electrics are the worst. One MK3 Ford Capri I got I removed an entire carrier bag full of wiring from several car stereo and car alarm installations and other electrical "upgrades" various owners had made over the years.

AdrianC

MinuteNoodles said:

I used to be into classic cars typically from the 1970s and early 80s. The worst part in getting a classic car that hasn't been restored is undoing 20-30 years of "fred" type repairs. Electrics are the worst. One MK3 Ford Capri I got I removed an entire carrier bag full of wiring from several car stereo and car alarm installations and other electrical "upgrades" various owners had made over the years.

Ah, Scotchloks...

fred246

My favourite youtube video for cambelt change is made by SKF, one of the world's largest companies. I can't imagine they produce them specifically for the DIY market so I expect they are made for mechanics to watch. So I will get the same training as a mechanic. Modern technology has revolutionized parts and tools purchase. The locking tools are available for less than £10 on Amazon and ebay. Getting parts has moved on from 'main dealers'. Take my car. VW doesn't make timing belts. So the original ones are made by Continental. So I have always used Continental belts. You could go to the main dealer and they would charge £20 extra to put a Continental belt in a VW box. I don't see the point.

mcpitman

mcpitman said:

Will this verbal diarrhea ever end?

Never.... apparently....

fred246

I was responding to a question whether I use proper locking tools when I do a cambelt and about the quality of the YouTube videos I use.