Potential MOT based ripoff
Discussion
Bit of a piss boiler this.
My better half has a W reg Yaris, she's an old girl (the car!) but apart from some suspension issues runs well for the age.
I knew it was going to fail the MOT so I swapped cars with her for a couple of days and had a speculative MOT done at a garage near my home to see what the issues were going to be. 6 weeks left on current MOT at this point.
It failed on broken rear coil spring, ARB drop-links excessive play and emissions at idle. They reckoned a good service would see the emissions dealt with. Quoted £3-350 for all the work.
I took it away, bought the parts and did it all myself one Saturday inc plugs, filters oil etc. Job's a good 'un. £110 spent.
FFWD a few weeks and I'm on holiday, she decides to take it into another garage to get the MOT done again as it's now fairly close to expiring. They tell her over the phone it needs the brake pipes replacing, and being unable to get hold of me to discuss and worried about "brakes" agrees. £250 paid and work done. MOT obtained. She was lead to believe it was necessary for the MOT.
Now on the MOT I had done, it wasn't even an advisory. I looked at them while I was under the car and they looked fine to me. She walked into that garage and they spotted an easy job, plain and simple.
It turns out there was no MOT failure document, it passed. The work was completely un-necessary at that time.
Where do we stand here? £250 is a lot of money to her and I am properly peeved.
My better half has a W reg Yaris, she's an old girl (the car!) but apart from some suspension issues runs well for the age.
I knew it was going to fail the MOT so I swapped cars with her for a couple of days and had a speculative MOT done at a garage near my home to see what the issues were going to be. 6 weeks left on current MOT at this point.
It failed on broken rear coil spring, ARB drop-links excessive play and emissions at idle. They reckoned a good service would see the emissions dealt with. Quoted £3-350 for all the work.
I took it away, bought the parts and did it all myself one Saturday inc plugs, filters oil etc. Job's a good 'un. £110 spent.
FFWD a few weeks and I'm on holiday, she decides to take it into another garage to get the MOT done again as it's now fairly close to expiring. They tell her over the phone it needs the brake pipes replacing, and being unable to get hold of me to discuss and worried about "brakes" agrees. £250 paid and work done. MOT obtained. She was lead to believe it was necessary for the MOT.
Now on the MOT I had done, it wasn't even an advisory. I looked at them while I was under the car and they looked fine to me. She walked into that garage and they spotted an easy job, plain and simple.
It turns out there was no MOT failure document, it passed. The work was completely un-necessary at that time.
Where do we stand here? £250 is a lot of money to her and I am properly peeved.
Good call on the council place. Although the garage near me that I took it to originally I would trust anyway, it's only a small village place but they've got some nice motors in there quite a lot of the time.
Thanks for the replies, I guess on reflection there's not much else to do except never go there again. My g/f is pretty upset about it though. Colours ones view somewhat.
Thanks for the replies, I guess on reflection there's not much else to do except never go there again. My g/f is pretty upset about it though. Colours ones view somewhat.
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