garage charged me, but didnt fix it

baron777red

hi

the ABS warning light came on on our skoda fabia the other day, so i took it into the garage for them to have a look at it, and when i picked it up at the end of the day, they say they had fixed it, and it would cost me £35 + vat

which i thought was good so i paid, then as soon as i got in to drive it away, the warning light came back on,

the mechanic said, bring it back in tomorrow and we will have another look at it

i'm just a bit annoyed because ive paid for somebody to fix the car and its obviously not fixed, so im out of pocket

they will probably find another fault now and charge me again

sorry for the rant but had to get it off my chest

baron

mute_posting

Hi OP, what are your tyres like - have they much life left?

I know it sounds a bizzare question, but on my car the light came on when the rear tyres were almost at the wear limit.

All I could conclude was that the wheel rotation sensors (part of the ABS system) were picking up that the wheels were rotating more often (as a worn tyre will have a smaller circumference and thus turn more times over a given distance) then the front wheels IYSWIM?

Anyway, as soon as the tyres were replaced the light didn't come on again (except in key position 1 before you start the engine!)

HTH

MP

KILL_BILL

if the warning light came back on immediately you drove it away you should have returned to the garage immediately for them to see it there and then.

anyway go back and speak to the manager tomorrow if you have any problems

keith1950

The £35 is obviously a "diagnosis fee " - The ECU will have been reset and checked for error codes. If the light has come back on the ECU will have to be checked again for error codes. If the charge had been for a "repair" the cost would have been a lot more than £35. If it is a decent garage the diagnosis fee should be deducted from any follow-on repair.

Devlin_2

You have paid to have it fixed so they NEED to fix it for you at no extra charge

baron777red

thanks for the replies

took it back inthe next day, and left it there while i went to work, they said they would call me, 5.30 and no phone call so i rang them, and they told me they did not have time to look at it, i can pick it up and they cant fit me in again until the 29th may

is it safe to drive with the warning light on, does the abs affect the normal brakes, i just thought ABS was to help with braking in wet weather

thanks

baron

mute_posting

baron777red wrote: »

thanks for the replies

took it back inthe next day, and left it there while i went to work, they said they would call me, 5.30 and no phone call so i rang them, and they told me they did not have time to look at it, i can pick it up and they cant fit me in again until the 29th may

is it safe to drive with the warning light on, does the abs affect the normal brakes, i just thought ABS was to help with braking in wet weather

thanks

baron

It is a bit of a miss-conception that ABS helps with braking per se - it only makes a marginal difference on stopping distances AFAIK.

The real purpose is to allow you to maintain control (i.e. being able to steer) as it prevents the wheels from locking up (if the wheels lock it is almost impossible to steer / swerve / avoid obstacles)

HTH

MP

smcaul

ABS is not just for the wet, it can aid in all weather, it stops the wheels locking and causing a skid under braking, which means you can still steer and retain control of the car.

I would think the light is yellow, yellow lights normally mean warning, car will be safe to drive but something needs attention. If the light is red the it means stop and do not drive the car.

As long as it is booked in then it should be fine (a car with faulty ABS and light that stays on would not pass an MOT), but jsut be aware that braking may not be as you would normally expect. Having said that, we all managed to drive cars for years without ABS and were not all banging into each other 20 times a day!!!

baron777red

we finally got it fixed, it was a sensor and cost us £40 + vat

so its working again now, to my relief,

baron

KILL_BILL

baron777red wrote: »

we finally got it fixed, it was a sensor and cost us £40 + vat

so its working again now, to my relief,

baron

what about the orginal amount they charged you to " fix it" did you get that back - if not then you should have done particulary when they state that they "fixed " it