Paying for work that doesn't solve problem
Discussion
Hugh Mungus said:
The problem for them is that they made what they thought was a diagnosis of the problem and a resolution to it. What they did not say was, if it proves not to be the problem, we will not be responsible..
Thats a bit like a doctor dealing with abdominal pain and recommending a kidney transplant, doing the job, only to later find it wasn't the kidney at all, but a stomach ulcer... The doctor ( as a registered professional) didn't intend to decieve or mis-diagnosis, but be did all the same and he has to bear responsibility and put things right.
If you've NEVER been to see a doctor and they've recommended some type of treatment for an issue that hasn't had the desired effect and they then suggest something else to fix the issue then you sir are one in a million.Thats a bit like a doctor dealing with abdominal pain and recommending a kidney transplant, doing the job, only to later find it wasn't the kidney at all, but a stomach ulcer... The doctor ( as a registered professional) didn't intend to decieve or mis-diagnosis, but be did all the same and he has to bear responsibility and put things right.
Thesprucegoose said:
i love the fact that you take what VW says as gospel and think they will resolve the issue. Will wait for thread update in 2 weeks.
This^. I've had two different main dealer techs diagnose a gearbox fault on my car. The first said there's an issue there but there's no guarantee we'll find anything at this early stage if we strip it down and the second guy said not only was the issue normal for my model of car but across the entire manufacturer range! Being a main dealer is not much more of a guarantee of correct diagnosis than anyone else.
I also love the fact that despite being best buds with the guy at the main dealer, you didn't bother to give him a quick call to ask if a car with a bit of a squeak that disappears under load was safe to drive 25 miles.
I reckon the original garage consider it money well spent refunding you to make sure you don't come back in future and throw a hissy fit when there's a much bigger bill to be paid.
Chrisgr31 said:
15 years ago I had the engine on a Subaru Impreza go bang. It was under warranty and was recovered to the nearest dealer. The reason they gave for it taking weeks to fix was that they only had one mechanic, all the other service staff were fitters, and the mechanic had to do engine rebuilds and other complicated jobs, and they had several cars in front of mine to deal with.
Needless to say I complained and the matter was resolved to my satisfaction, but it does seem likely that dealers dont need all their staff to me mechanics because a lot of the work is pre-planned servicing down to a plan.
I had the similar with a Peugeot 406 company car which had a misfire - "master technician" was off sick so that was it. They had the car for a month while I drove around in a waft-tastic 607 that Peugeot supplied.Needless to say I complained and the matter was resolved to my satisfaction, but it does seem likely that dealers dont need all their staff to me mechanics because a lot of the work is pre-planned servicing down to a plan.
The past nine months my old workhorse automatic Discovery td5, has had an engine management issue, engine, ignition and transmission shutting down at the most inconvenient time, usually either at roundabouts or on motorways.
Several well known Bristol transmission and Land Rover garages, gave their attention to my beloved car, with new spare parts exchanged for my valued cash. Still the problem persisted, then i was recommended to a rural Somerset based Land Rover enthusiast garage. Drove the fifty plus miles to the garage, breaking down just the once on route, left the car and made may way back home.
Garage phoned a week later, the owner had spent the week using the car for his own personal use, had no breakdown issue with the car, and suggested I collected the car. Drove down that day, no fee since no repair carried out, said our goodbyes, and off I went, only for approximately 250 yards down the country lane, for the engine management light to come on, shutting down the engine, ignition and transmission.
Garage own came with his laptop and diagnostic tool, and identified a short between the wiring loom and the engine block. It was only because the intermittent problem happened at the time it was receiving attention from a mechanic/garage, that the issue was resolved.
As for the other garages, the replacement spare parts, and the cash i exchanged for the same, well business is business, time is money, and without the old parts that were replaced, i have to give those garages the benefit of doubt, and just move on.
Several well known Bristol transmission and Land Rover garages, gave their attention to my beloved car, with new spare parts exchanged for my valued cash. Still the problem persisted, then i was recommended to a rural Somerset based Land Rover enthusiast garage. Drove the fifty plus miles to the garage, breaking down just the once on route, left the car and made may way back home.
Garage phoned a week later, the owner had spent the week using the car for his own personal use, had no breakdown issue with the car, and suggested I collected the car. Drove down that day, no fee since no repair carried out, said our goodbyes, and off I went, only for approximately 250 yards down the country lane, for the engine management light to come on, shutting down the engine, ignition and transmission.
Garage own came with his laptop and diagnostic tool, and identified a short between the wiring loom and the engine block. It was only because the intermittent problem happened at the time it was receiving attention from a mechanic/garage, that the issue was resolved.
As for the other garages, the replacement spare parts, and the cash i exchanged for the same, well business is business, time is money, and without the old parts that were replaced, i have to give those garages the benefit of doubt, and just move on.
Wings said:
Several well known Bristol transmission and Land Rover garages, gave their attention to my beloved car, with new spare parts exchanged for my valued cash. Still the problem persisted, then i was recommended to a rural Somerset based Land Rover enthusiast garage. Drove the fifty plus miles to the garage, breaking down just the once on route, left the car and made may way back home.
Off topic, but can I guess that it was Steve Norman you went to? He has a very good reputation in the LR world.
kingswood said:
ive an R32 too and use an indie. travel 100 round trip for servcing as i trust the kid who runs it.
as for Vw the fact they say only 3 people take their R32's to them for repairs etc they cant have much experience with them.
a bulb went on my R32 and i rang Vw for a price to replace it as i read it could be a oain and having big hands didnt fancy the hassle of trying to get the bulb in and out a compacted engine bay.
how much do they think they wanted???............£480!!!
£75 each bulb and then remove the bumper and headlights to fix!
got a manual and did it myself. took all day and ended up with a clip left over. standard!
One of my customers had a blown cube fuse on his rear camper battery. I told him he needed a new one. I left the battery out for easy access. VW supplied (£15) and fitted the fuse - one bolt. I could do it in around 30 seconds.they charged him £80 all in. Half an hour's labour, and he's a regular customer there.....as for Vw the fact they say only 3 people take their R32's to them for repairs etc they cant have much experience with them.
a bulb went on my R32 and i rang Vw for a price to replace it as i read it could be a oain and having big hands didnt fancy the hassle of trying to get the bulb in and out a compacted engine bay.
how much do they think they wanted???............£480!!!
£75 each bulb and then remove the bumper and headlights to fix!
got a manual and did it myself. took all day and ended up with a clip left over. standard!
There seems to be three schools of vehicle fault diagnosis (well four, if you count VW's "plug it in, there's your fault, computer can't be wrong").
One is hazarding a guess at what it could be, the scattergun approach, and replacing the things they think it could be and commonly give trouble. Like the alternator clutched pulley in this case, which commonly do give trouble and are often the first thing to be changed.
The second is research among other members of the trade, mechanics who work on these types of vehicles and know what gives trouble and what doesn't. I've one of these guys who works for VW head office and his over the phone diagnostics (and often repair instructions) are 99% bang on.
The third is careful strip down, and inspection of all components in the area from which the sound is coming from and examining them all and replacing anything that seems to have play or make noise.
This is often the key to completely eradication any noise or slop from a car, but also takes the most time, and costs the most money as in a garage time=money and then following that you have to wait for parts.
I tend to use a combination of the second two, depending on how involved the strip down would be. Careful research before taking anything apart can make the difference between an hours work and two.
One is hazarding a guess at what it could be, the scattergun approach, and replacing the things they think it could be and commonly give trouble. Like the alternator clutched pulley in this case, which commonly do give trouble and are often the first thing to be changed.
The second is research among other members of the trade, mechanics who work on these types of vehicles and know what gives trouble and what doesn't. I've one of these guys who works for VW head office and his over the phone diagnostics (and often repair instructions) are 99% bang on.
The third is careful strip down, and inspection of all components in the area from which the sound is coming from and examining them all and replacing anything that seems to have play or make noise.
This is often the key to completely eradication any noise or slop from a car, but also takes the most time, and costs the most money as in a garage time=money and then following that you have to wait for parts.
I tend to use a combination of the second two, depending on how involved the strip down would be. Careful research before taking anything apart can make the difference between an hours work and two.
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