It finally happened....
Discussion
Well have to admit it fellas but ive just had a garage try to have me over.
After being in the trade for years and can honestly say ive always done my upmost to help my customers and give them the best service possible i've found myself on the recieving end of some underhanded tactics.
Currently visiting the inlaws in cornwall for 2 weeks and their golf needs two new tyres on the front so I volunteered to drop it off at the local tyre installer, Cue collecting a few hours later then doing a 15 mile trip to the local town at which point after stopping at the local shop the service alternator light flashs up momentarily on start up. Strange, but as it went out leave it I thought then after another 5 miles on the local dual carriage way the car freaks out radio cuts off, abs/esp light on, airbag light on and every other light on the dash. So pulled in and luckily for me/family being a master technician/auto electrician and being extremely familiar with the mk4 golf platform I had a good idea where the problem may lay so checked the power distribution box on top of the battery and lo behold some bodies cracked off the nut securing the power lead running to it even has witness marks on the nut!!!!
The hilarity of it is I swapped out the temp sensor on the engine a few days earlier as this was causing a issue and always check the car over everytime we go down so can 100% verify this was certainly tight at the time, so currently rather shocked and suprised at what the inlaws thought was a good garage.
Question is have I really been wearing such rose tinted glasses as not to expect this? Any of you guys had similar experiences?
After being in the trade for years and can honestly say ive always done my upmost to help my customers and give them the best service possible i've found myself on the recieving end of some underhanded tactics.
Currently visiting the inlaws in cornwall for 2 weeks and their golf needs two new tyres on the front so I volunteered to drop it off at the local tyre installer, Cue collecting a few hours later then doing a 15 mile trip to the local town at which point after stopping at the local shop the service alternator light flashs up momentarily on start up. Strange, but as it went out leave it I thought then after another 5 miles on the local dual carriage way the car freaks out radio cuts off, abs/esp light on, airbag light on and every other light on the dash. So pulled in and luckily for me/family being a master technician/auto electrician and being extremely familiar with the mk4 golf platform I had a good idea where the problem may lay so checked the power distribution box on top of the battery and lo behold some bodies cracked off the nut securing the power lead running to it even has witness marks on the nut!!!!
The hilarity of it is I swapped out the temp sensor on the engine a few days earlier as this was causing a issue and always check the car over everytime we go down so can 100% verify this was certainly tight at the time, so currently rather shocked and suprised at what the inlaws thought was a good garage.
Question is have I really been wearing such rose tinted glasses as not to expect this? Any of you guys had similar experiences?
turbopug said:
My last experience of using a garage 6-7 years ago resulted in the 2 front wheels falling off my car at speed. Since that day I have refused to let anyone work on my car. If I don't know how to fix it myself, I'll look it up on t'internet and give it a go anyway.
Thing is if it had been at home would have done the job myself lol chryslerben said:
Well have to admit it fellas but ive just had a garage try to have me over.
After being in the trade for years and can honestly say ive always done my upmost to help my customers and give them the best service possible i've found myself on the recieving end of some underhanded tactics.
Currently visiting the inlaws in cornwall for 2 weeks and their golf needs two new tyres on the front so I volunteered to drop it off at the local tyre installer, Cue collecting a few hours later then doing a 15 mile trip to the local town at which point after stopping at the local shop the service alternator light flashs up momentarily on start up. Strange, but as it went out leave it I thought then after another 5 miles on the local dual carriage way the car freaks out radio cuts off, abs/esp light on, airbag light on and every other light on the dash. So pulled in and luckily for me/family being a master technician/auto electrician and being extremely familiar with the mk4 golf platform I had a good idea where the problem may lay so checked the power distribution box on top of the battery and lo behold some bodies cracked off the nut securing the power lead running to it even has witness marks on the nut!!!!
The hilarity of it is I swapped out the temp sensor on the engine a few days earlier as this was causing a issue and always check the car over everytime we go down so can 100% verify this was certainly tight at the time, so currently rather shocked and suprised at what the inlaws thought was a good garage.
Question is have I really been wearing such rose tinted glasses as not to expect this? Any of you guys had similar experiences?
Sorry, i don't follow. What did they do then? I realise that they were only supposed to change the tyres, what else did they do (or didn't do and should have)?After being in the trade for years and can honestly say ive always done my upmost to help my customers and give them the best service possible i've found myself on the recieving end of some underhanded tactics.
Currently visiting the inlaws in cornwall for 2 weeks and their golf needs two new tyres on the front so I volunteered to drop it off at the local tyre installer, Cue collecting a few hours later then doing a 15 mile trip to the local town at which point after stopping at the local shop the service alternator light flashs up momentarily on start up. Strange, but as it went out leave it I thought then after another 5 miles on the local dual carriage way the car freaks out radio cuts off, abs/esp light on, airbag light on and every other light on the dash. So pulled in and luckily for me/family being a master technician/auto electrician and being extremely familiar with the mk4 golf platform I had a good idea where the problem may lay so checked the power distribution box on top of the battery and lo behold some bodies cracked off the nut securing the power lead running to it even has witness marks on the nut!!!!
The hilarity of it is I swapped out the temp sensor on the engine a few days earlier as this was causing a issue and always check the car over everytime we go down so can 100% verify this was certainly tight at the time, so currently rather shocked and suprised at what the inlaws thought was a good garage.
Question is have I really been wearing such rose tinted glasses as not to expect this? Any of you guys had similar experiences?
My GF had her car MOT at a garage down the road from me (which I had previously used for my MOT with no problems) and they failed her on a leaky damper and front brake balance (requiring new pads and discs apparently) - it said 33% - could anyone explain exactly what that means please?
She took it to her brother's garage to get the the jobs done and it turns out that the brakes don't need doing at all... It seems pretty common for garages to claim pads and discs need doing when they don't.
I definitely try to do any jobs I can myself, as I don't trust any garages any more!
She took it to her brother's garage to get the the jobs done and it turns out that the brakes don't need doing at all... It seems pretty common for garages to claim pads and discs need doing when they don't.
I definitely try to do any jobs I can myself, as I don't trust any garages any more!
On the flip side, the garage who looks after my Landy is run by the most honest, hardworking chap you could possibly wish to meet. He charges a fair rate for fair work done & will recommend that jobs can wait if they are not urgent rather than seeing me as a cash cow. He now does all the non-stamp servicing on our Toureg & Merc as well, as I know that I won't be ripped off & I can guarantee the quality of his work.
Big thumbs up to Chris at Autocraft in Kingsclere
Big thumbs up to Chris at Autocraft in Kingsclere
chryslerben said:
So pulled in and luckily for me/family being a master technician/auto electrician and being extremely familiar with the mk4 golf platform I had a good idea where the problem may lay so checked the power distribution box on top of the battery and lo behold some bodies cracked off the nut__ securing the power lead running to it even has __witness marks on the nut!!!!
The hilarity of it is I swapped out__ the temp sensor on the engine __a few days earlier__ as this was causing a issue and __always check the car over everytime we go down so can 100% verify this was certainly tight at the time, so currently rather shocked and suprised at what the inlaws thought was a good garage.
Given the 'loose' nut is somewhere it won't really change in appearance it sounds to me like you loosened and removed the connection possibly to swap the temp sensor, or even if you didn't, you must have checked the nut to know it was sufficiently tight using a spanner one would assume. If so they could well be your own marks on the nut. If not they could still be the last persons spanner marks whoever that was that last attended to the battery connection / power feed whatever. Your story reads a little far fetched when scrutinised perhaps with a boot on the other foot. You say it drove fine save for a momentary warning light, then all lit up like a christmas tree further along the journey. But for whatever reason I think your assumption is massively over the top from such a tenuous possibility of occurrences. I mean what do you imagine the garage were trying to achieve? Your in-laws return the vehicle to be fleeced? What with perchance? Why not they just fleece them before they leave the garage by lying about a fault they've found whilst in there, then making such fault happen? Seems ludicrous loosening a power feed is going to guarantee the garage any profit somewhere along the line. More likely a bad reputation as you've just demonstrated. Sorry but I just don't buy it and I wonder where people dream up these amazing assumptions to profit and ultimate wealth. Amazing!The hilarity of it is I swapped out__ the temp sensor on the engine __a few days earlier__ as this was causing a issue and __always check the car over everytime we go down so can 100% verify this was certainly tight at the time, so currently rather shocked and suprised at what the inlaws thought was a good garage.
Buggles said:
Long story short, they hadn't connected up the earth strap properly and the battery was draining.
It's an easy mistake to make. People are after all just human and do make mistakes. Not good but then is it really that bad we never return to said establishment? I dunno. It just seems endemic these days that everyone is seen as a crook or incompetent for what is in motor trade terms a minefield of technology compared to what once was. I mean an earth strap for goodness sake. Give people a chance. It's hardly a sign of an incompetent mechanic or establishment. Fair play if their attitude sucked. But did it really or were they wound up by you? Just a thought seeing as it seems so trivial.schmalex said:
On the flip side, the garage who looks after my Landy is run by the most honest, hardworking chap you could possibly wish to meet. He charges a fair rate for fair work done & will recommend that jobs can wait if they are not urgent rather than seeing me as a cash cow. He now does all the non-stamp servicing on our Toureg & Merc as well, as I know that I won't be ripped off & I can guarantee the quality of his work.
Big thumbs up to Chris at Autocraft in Kingsclere
Nice to see. Good of you to say so.Big thumbs up to Chris at Autocraft in Kingsclere
I love the classic of the MOT advisory of 'pads & disks'.
When I bought our Transporter, I knew it needed pads & disks all round, and the price reflected it. So I changed them all.
3 months later, MOT time, apparently I have managed to wear them down to the limits. Frustrating, as its a local specialist who had a very good reputation.
When I bought our Transporter, I knew it needed pads & disks all round, and the price reflected it. So I changed them all.
3 months later, MOT time, apparently I have managed to wear them down to the limits. Frustrating, as its a local specialist who had a very good reputation.
-C- said:
I love the classic of the MOT advisory of 'pads & disks'.
+1, I got it last year and am perfectly confident in the brakes going into the next MOT this week!To the OP, if you're certain it was tight then yes, looks like someone has whacked it off in the hope that the plethora of warning lights that will come on (probably hopefully days or weeks down the line, rather than straight away!) will see them get the car back for diagnosis. Makes more sense if they see the car often?
I had " we've done the discs & pads for you sir" from the local Fiat garage. I asked to see the old ones, to which they showed me a set of knackered discs & pads that were nearly down to metal.
"I replaced the discs & pads last week" I said to them, the guy went white, started stammering, dissapered out the back, then came back claiming there had been 'a mistake'. End result was the service was free.
"I replaced the discs & pads last week" I said to them, the guy went white, started stammering, dissapered out the back, then came back claiming there had been 'a mistake'. End result was the service was free.
McSam said:
1, I got it last year and am perfectly confident in the brakes going into the next MOT this week!
To the OP, if you're certain it was tight then yes, looks like someone has whacked it off in the hope that the plethora of warning lights that will come on (probably hopefully days or weeks down the line, rather than straight away!) will see them get the car back for diagnosis. Makes more sense if they see the car often?
That's a ridiculous assumption for the garage to make if someone there intentionally loosened a power supply. How on earth could anyone know when it might not work at all, or even in the intermittent flashing light manner it did? It could have failed under the OP's nose when he came to collect. How much of a risk would the garage be taking if they tried to baffle the OP with a tail of lies and profit mongering, not knowing he's a trained auto electrician. Ask yourself how many out of 25 million motorists there are that might know a battery issue or poor connection to one. More than you'd imagine I'd think. That's a big risk to take assuming such an attempt to cause a problem could be in some way predicted as to when the problem might happen. I'm sure a more valiant effort might be to just empty the engine of oil and pull the wire of the oil light. The OP might get a few miles away. Just enough for the tyre changers to make lots of profit on a new engine supply and fit. I mean why would the OP suspect the garage would have taken the oil out of the engine during a tyre fitting spree. Wonders never cease.To the OP, if you're certain it was tight then yes, looks like someone has whacked it off in the hope that the plethora of warning lights that will come on (probably hopefully days or weeks down the line, rather than straight away!) will see them get the car back for diagnosis. Makes more sense if they see the car often?
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