Thank God for the good guys !!
Discussion
Thank God for the good guys !!
I have cleared this little Thank-You with the Forum admin & allowing me to say a VERY BIG THANK-YOU to Mr David Batty of ‘The Garage’ in Guildford - who has restored my faith in garages that deal with TVR owners.
David has taken my sad, unhappy (and dangerous to drive) Chimaera - that had just been serviced by......................... (the forum says I cannot name the other garage although I wish I could !!) ................ so I am going to call them ‘The Cowboys’
You may recall this thread http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=944...
I had a VERY bad experience just before Christmas with ‘The Cowboys’ ripping me off (and trying to rip me off for more)
They took my Chimaera for a routine service, MOT, Waxoyl & a few other less than exciting bits n bobs.
When the car left me she ran perfectly – didn’t miss a beat and was a DRY car (always proud of that fact !)
When the car came back – she misfired badly (was a dangerous nightmare to drive !) – had an inch of water in the drivers footwell, the Waxoyling was incomplete (bare metal everywhere) and as a final insult - had a scratch on the drivers seat ............
‘The Cowboys’ insisted that the misfire was that “the cam had gone”???? ............and wanted to ship the car to someone else for some VERY expensive cam replacement work.
I (understandably) refused their kind !!! offer & instead took the car to David Batty for some TLC and impartial advice.
So ......... did the car need any expensive cam work ?? ........... of course not !! - ‘The Cowboys’ and maybe even the ‘Chief Cowboy – had pushed the timing so far advanced (in Davids words “beyond measure”) that the car was a nightmare to drive.
Was this deliberate or just bad workmanship by ‘The Cowboys’ ......... we will never know.............
David Batty reset the timing & idle settings – resealed the brake master & clutch access that ‘The Cowboys’ had left unsealed – redid the Waxoyling ‘The Cowboys’ didn’t finish (and a few other unfinished items) & my car is now purring like a proverbial kitten !
David even did a few other bits and bobs that (as a professional) he thought he should attend to as preventative – and that I was VERY happy for him to do.
So back to the point of this thread – those of you with reach of Mr Batty (and those of you that may have to drive a few miles to get to him !!!)
Take your car to him without hesitation as he has restored this Chimaera drivers faith !!
My car was born in Blackpool & if I have my way – it will not go within 100 miles of Blackpool ever again !!
To my knowledge - ‘The Cowboys’ have already lost about £2000 worth of work & until the get their mechanical servicing right & also their Customer Service – they quite rightly will carry on losing business.
It’s a good job we have good guys like David Batty – or we would all be at the mercy of the bad guys !
Regards
(Now) a VERY happy Chimaera driver
I have cleared this little Thank-You with the Forum admin & allowing me to say a VERY BIG THANK-YOU to Mr David Batty of ‘The Garage’ in Guildford - who has restored my faith in garages that deal with TVR owners.
David has taken my sad, unhappy (and dangerous to drive) Chimaera - that had just been serviced by......................... (the forum says I cannot name the other garage although I wish I could !!) ................ so I am going to call them ‘The Cowboys’
You may recall this thread http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=944...
I had a VERY bad experience just before Christmas with ‘The Cowboys’ ripping me off (and trying to rip me off for more)
They took my Chimaera for a routine service, MOT, Waxoyl & a few other less than exciting bits n bobs.
When the car left me she ran perfectly – didn’t miss a beat and was a DRY car (always proud of that fact !)
When the car came back – she misfired badly (was a dangerous nightmare to drive !) – had an inch of water in the drivers footwell, the Waxoyling was incomplete (bare metal everywhere) and as a final insult - had a scratch on the drivers seat ............
‘The Cowboys’ insisted that the misfire was that “the cam had gone”???? ............and wanted to ship the car to someone else for some VERY expensive cam replacement work.
I (understandably) refused their kind !!! offer & instead took the car to David Batty for some TLC and impartial advice.
So ......... did the car need any expensive cam work ?? ........... of course not !! - ‘The Cowboys’ and maybe even the ‘Chief Cowboy – had pushed the timing so far advanced (in Davids words “beyond measure”) that the car was a nightmare to drive.
Was this deliberate or just bad workmanship by ‘The Cowboys’ ......... we will never know.............
David Batty reset the timing & idle settings – resealed the brake master & clutch access that ‘The Cowboys’ had left unsealed – redid the Waxoyling ‘The Cowboys’ didn’t finish (and a few other unfinished items) & my car is now purring like a proverbial kitten !
David even did a few other bits and bobs that (as a professional) he thought he should attend to as preventative – and that I was VERY happy for him to do.
So back to the point of this thread – those of you with reach of Mr Batty (and those of you that may have to drive a few miles to get to him !!!)
Take your car to him without hesitation as he has restored this Chimaera drivers faith !!
My car was born in Blackpool & if I have my way – it will not go within 100 miles of Blackpool ever again !!
To my knowledge - ‘The Cowboys’ have already lost about £2000 worth of work & until the get their mechanical servicing right & also their Customer Service – they quite rightly will carry on losing business.
It’s a good job we have good guys like David Batty – or we would all be at the mercy of the bad guys !
Regards
(Now) a VERY happy Chimaera driver
Edited by harricook on Wednesday 4th May 19:06
Edited by harricook on Wednesday 4th May 19:07
Edited by harricook on Wednesday 4th May 21:12
Nice to hear a good story!
I was also pushed towards a cam replacement at an insane cost. Luckily I found someone local to sort me out.
I guess it makes sense to not to name and shame as it's hard to decipher genuine grievances through forum posts. But it would be good to have a way to rate service centers based on positive feedback.
I was also pushed towards a cam replacement at an insane cost. Luckily I found someone local to sort me out.
I guess it makes sense to not to name and shame as it's hard to decipher genuine grievances through forum posts. But it would be good to have a way to rate service centers based on positive feedback.
Hi Pacman1972
Yes - it would be good to be able to get a 'rating' for garages
The Cowboys have lost one existing customer over this & two others that were waiting in the wings ........ It surprised me that once I flagged a problem to them - the shutters came down & they went into 'defence' mode - so not only was their mechanical work suspect - their Customer Service was zero !
I'm happy for my cars sake too - as it is a really genuine car & I hate to think what the Cowboys have/would have done further to it ..... (And the cost [eeeeek !!]
The car runs like a dream now & I gave it a good 'airing' today
Keep smiling !
.
Yes - it would be good to be able to get a 'rating' for garages
The Cowboys have lost one existing customer over this & two others that were waiting in the wings ........ It surprised me that once I flagged a problem to them - the shutters came down & they went into 'defence' mode - so not only was their mechanical work suspect - their Customer Service was zero !
I'm happy for my cars sake too - as it is a really genuine car & I hate to think what the Cowboys have/would have done further to it ..... (And the cost [eeeeek !!]
The car runs like a dream now & I gave it a good 'airing' today
Keep smiling !
.
Edited by harricook on Wednesday 4th May 22:04
I am glad you got yours sorted in the end Roy.... it is experiences like that which make you question whether to keep the car or not. David Batty's work is top quality and very thorough, on top of that he is a genuine honest guy. I am always more that happy to recommend him based on the work he has done on my car :thumbsup:
Update :
Went up to see family just outside Blackpool last week.
Was introduced to another unhappy 'Cowboys' customer & while he was telling me his tale of woe - two other TVR owners were listening in - one was a previous 'Cowboys' customer who thought the service there was ...OK (ish) with some reservations..... and the other was a potential new customer - looking to use the 'Cowboys'for servicing & upgrade work ........
After both of them listening to how the Cowboys perform with both cars & customers - neither are going to use them ...............
As an aside - the Chimaera did the roundtrip - not only faultlessly (with me grinning from ear to ear - lovely drive !!) - she also had her picture taken - apparently for the local rag !
.
Went up to see family just outside Blackpool last week.
Was introduced to another unhappy 'Cowboys' customer & while he was telling me his tale of woe - two other TVR owners were listening in - one was a previous 'Cowboys' customer who thought the service there was ...OK (ish) with some reservations..... and the other was a potential new customer - looking to use the 'Cowboys'for servicing & upgrade work ........
After both of them listening to how the Cowboys perform with both cars & customers - neither are going to use them ...............
As an aside - the Chimaera did the roundtrip - not only faultlessly (with me grinning from ear to ear - lovely drive !!) - she also had her picture taken - apparently for the local rag !
.
he is very local to me in guildford and have called him in the past over some niggles he is more than happy to chat over the phone before having to take the car to him.. family run with his son we believe . top rated if had to be picky on most tvr specialists the hourly rate is a tad up .... but hey suppose you get what you pay for.. knowledge and experience works out cheaper in long run most times
Had a situation once where there was a rumble from one of the hubs on my 4X4 took it to a well know UK supplier of 4X4s saying the bearing was buggered, only to be told it was nothing everything had checked out OK.
Three days later the other half was tearing down a country lane with nibs in the back when the rear wheel bearing seized solid, locked the wheel which then decided to depart the vehicle, the car left the road went through a hedge and stopped in a field still on the three wheels.
Good job there was some distance between work and the garage because I was ready to tear some one another a****hole, but I had calmed down a little when I arrived.
It transpired that some ***** had drained the oil from the diff tightened up the broken bearing forgot to renew the oil leading to the bearing chewing through its self. (still do not know why the wheel came off) Needless to say head office got a call from me, then the garage got a bo******ing. After I was number one customer (or big s**t) slightest little problem it was fixed with a free car plus tow bar if it was over the weekend.
I had to work so we postponed the holiday, but if my plans had worked out, at the time of the accident there would have been a 6 meter caravan on the back.
There are a lot of good garages and mechanics, but just one bad experience stops with you for a long time until your faith is renewed.
Good mechanics like plumbs, electricians, builders are hard to find so once you find one keep them.
Three days later the other half was tearing down a country lane with nibs in the back when the rear wheel bearing seized solid, locked the wheel which then decided to depart the vehicle, the car left the road went through a hedge and stopped in a field still on the three wheels.
Good job there was some distance between work and the garage because I was ready to tear some one another a****hole, but I had calmed down a little when I arrived.
It transpired that some ***** had drained the oil from the diff tightened up the broken bearing forgot to renew the oil leading to the bearing chewing through its self. (still do not know why the wheel came off) Needless to say head office got a call from me, then the garage got a bo******ing. After I was number one customer (or big s**t) slightest little problem it was fixed with a free car plus tow bar if it was over the weekend.
I had to work so we postponed the holiday, but if my plans had worked out, at the time of the accident there would have been a 6 meter caravan on the back.
There are a lot of good garages and mechanics, but just one bad experience stops with you for a long time until your faith is renewed.
Good mechanics like plumbs, electricians, builders are hard to find so once you find one keep them.
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff