Incorrect Diagnosis - £358 out of pocket.

TheEnergyThread

Hi,
I was just wondering if anybody could give me a little bit of advise, I had a diagnostic check done at Halfords as my Check Engine Light had appeared on my dashboard. This cost £50 and they provided a health check report that stated what needed fixing which was the Lamba sensor Band 2, Coil Packs & Spark plugs. They advised me they can do it for £450ish but I advised this was too much and taken it to another reputable garage that provided a quote of £308 for a like for like replacement of all the issues stated on the health check report relating to the Engine Light. I had this done and it was fine at first but the day after my engine light has reappeared and I’ve got an MOT that’s due to expiry on the 19/02. 

I feel like I’ve been misdiagnosed, of course I paid them £50 for a service in diagnosing the fault for which hasn’t been diagnosed correctly. But it’s not just that, I’ve taken there advice in what needs replacing trusting there resolution to it. It states on there website they are “ATA-trained” “quickly identify the problem” etc so had no reason really not to trust the diagnosis’s they provided at the time. But I’m more concerned about the £308 I’ve lost for what probably wouldn’t of been required. 

Has anybody else been in a situation like this and if so what was the result?

Stubod

..as you took it to another garage to have the work done (did you ask them to verify the findings before they did the work?), I would suspect that you have no comeback...or "at best" the diagnostic fee?....good luck...

TheEnergyThread

Stubod said:

..as you took it to another garage to have the work done (did you ask them to verify the findings before they did the work?), I would suspect that you have no comeback...or "at best" the diagnostic fee?....good luck...

Yeah taken it to another reputable garage to get the work completed. I’ve got the health check record that indicates the findings of the said faults. As it stated on the Halfords website the technicians are “ATA-accredited” & how they boast about fault finding,  I assumed I wouldn’t need them verifying again, I mean after all, I’d only have to pay for another diagnostic again.

Belenus

Did Halfords do anything more than plug a diagnostic reader into the OBD (On Board Diagnostics) port?

My local independent garage will do that for free.

Ganga

If you had left it to Halfords you could have stood and argued your corner and made them remove the items not needed ,too late with the other garage as they were working off your instruction .Best hope would be to get it repaired and return to Hslfords with the invoice showing the faults and ask for your diagnostic money back IF they were wrong.

TheEnergyThread

Problem is though Ganga the average person like myself, isn’t mechanical minded. We rely upon garages like Halfords to provide that service for us, after all they’re “ATA accredited.” So who would your ordinary Joe be to argue with someone who’s qualified to make that decision. 

AdrianC

You had the EML come on.
Halfords read the codes, and told you what they said.
You took it elsewhere for the work.
They didn't bother doing any diagnosis of their own, just ticked off Halfords' list.
The light came back on.

And what fault codes are stored this time?

TheEnergyThread

Pretty much sums it up & not 100% sure yet not taken it to a garage to be looked at. But of course if the code reads anything to do with the Spark Plugs, Coil Pack or Lamba Sensor it goes to the garage that carried out of the work rather than Halfords.

TheEnergyThread

Mickey666 said:

AdrianC said:

You had the EML come on.
Halfords read the codes, and told you what they said.
You took it elsewhere for the work.
They didn't bother doing any diagnosis of their own, just ticked off Halfords' list.
The light came back on.

And what fault codes are stored this time?

Key question - and without knowing the answer no one can know what has happened.
One scenario could be:
1.  OP paid Halfords to diagnose the engine check light faults, they did and told OP what needed fixing
2. OP takes car to another garage, pays them to fix the problems Halfords identified.  They did and the check lights went out.
3. The following day A DIFFERENT fault occurs and the check light comes on

Obviously, point 3 is just a guess, because with no proof of the fault codes we cannot know that the two check lights are caused by the same fault.
It might be, it might not - and that's the issue here.  Not a good basis for claiming anything back from Halfords or the garage.

I will establish what the current fault is, but there is no more than 20 miles between the Halfords diagnostic & that of the garage repairing it. So if the fault is indeed related it’ll go back to the garage as a “spark plug code” obviously shouldn’t come up a day after getting it fitted. But even if it’s not and the fault is elsewhere, I find it worrying that garages could literally do a diagnostic, write what they want as the fault and recommend they get that fixed which doesn’t actually  “fix the issue” and with the light still appearing shining brightly on the dashboard, it’ll be too easy for the garage to then provide the actual fault which would be totally unrelated to the false one. 

williamgriffin

TheEnergyThread said:

Mickey666 said:

AdrianC said:

You had the EML come on.
Halfords read the codes, and told you what they said.
You took it elsewhere for the work.
They didn't bother doing any diagnosis of their own, just ticked off Halfords' list.
The light came back on.

And what fault codes are stored this time?

Key question - and without knowing the answer no one can know what has happened.
One scenario could be:
1.  OP paid Halfords to diagnose the engine check light faults, they did and told OP what needed fixing
2. OP takes car to another garage, pays them to fix the problems Halfords identified.  They did and the check lights went out.
3. The following day A DIFFERENT fault occurs and the check light comes on

Obviously, point 3 is just a guess, because with no proof of the fault codes we cannot know that the two check lights are caused by the same fault.
It might be, it might not - and that's the issue here.  Not a good basis for claiming anything back from Halfords or the garage.

I will establish what the current fault is, but there is no more than 20 miles between the Halfords diagnostic & that of the garage repairing it. So if the fault is indeed related it’ll go back to the garage as a “spark plug code” obviously shouldn’t come up a day after getting it fitted. But even if it’s not and the fault is elsewhere, I find it worrying that garages could literally do a diagnostic, write what they want as the fault and recommend they get that fixed which doesn’t actually  “fix the issue” and with the light still appearing shining brightly on the dashboard, it’ll be too easy for the garage to then provide the actual fault which would be totally unrelated to the false one. 

Don't panic Fred will be along soon to tell you all the garage did was turn the light out and took your money. 

TheEnergyThread

williamgriffin said:

TheEnergyThread said:

Mickey666 said:

AdrianC said:

You had the EML come on.
Halfords read the codes, and told you what they said.
You took it elsewhere for the work.
They didn't bother doing any diagnosis of their own, just ticked off Halfords' list.
The light came back on.

And what fault codes are stored this time?

Key question - and without knowing the answer no one can know what has happened.
One scenario could be:
1.  OP paid Halfords to diagnose the engine check light faults, they did and told OP what needed fixing
2. OP takes car to another garage, pays them to fix the problems Halfords identified.  They did and the check lights went out.
3. The following day A DIFFERENT fault occurs and the check light comes on

Obviously, point 3 is just a guess, because with no proof of the fault codes we cannot know that the two check lights are caused by the same fault.
It might be, it might not - and that's the issue here.  Not a good basis for claiming anything back from Halfords or the garage.

I will establish what the current fault is, but there is no more than 20 miles between the Halfords diagnostic & that of the garage repairing it. So if the fault is indeed related it’ll go back to the garage as a “spark plug code” obviously shouldn’t come up a day after getting it fitted. But even if it’s not and the fault is elsewhere, I find it worrying that garages could literally do a diagnostic, write what they want as the fault and recommend they get that fixed which doesn’t actually  “fix the issue” and with the light still appearing shining brightly on the dashboard, it’ll be too easy for the garage to then provide the actual fault which would be totally unrelated to the false one. 

Don't panic Fred will be along soon to tell you all the garage did was turn the light out and took your money. 

I’ll be livid if that’s the case lmao. Better not come back related to anything to do with work that’s been carried out.