2 Months in the Garage and Still Not Fixed!

[twin sparky]

Some advise please ... My Landrover developed engine trouble back in early September. So as you do I took it to my local Landrover specialist, I've used these guys for a number of years on my last two Freelanders and they've always delivered a good service. Anyway, turns out the engine has suffered some extensive damage and either needs a new one or completely rebuilding. Given that a new one from LR is just over £7k, I went down the fixing ours route. So the garage finds somewhere to send the engine (I think a contact of theirs) and off it goes.

It's now been over 2 months since the car went into the Garage and over a month since the engine was sent away. Every time I call I get told hopefully by the end of week... it never is. I have to constantly call them to get updates, it's really starting to wear on me now. But I feel they've got me over a barrel, as I can't just go and pick the car up and take it somewhere else... it's in 2 bits now and in 2 different places!

To be honest I'm getting nervous ... will I ever get it back? Am I being screwed???

Thoughts please gents, what can I do next?

[Daston]

Have you gone down there to have a chat with them? Could be they are waiting for another company to do something and there is a big back log (especially if its a small business).

I had to wait 4 weeks for my crank shaft to be balanced when the Tuscan's engine was being rebuilt.

[pherlopolus]

Is it the 2.7TDV6?

From what I hear Engine Bearings aren't available off the shelf, they may have had to commission some....
You could ring them of course...

[matchmaker]

pherlopolus said:

Is it the 2.7TDV6?

From what I hear Engine Bearings aren't available off the shelf, they may have had to commission some....
You could ring them of course...

Check out the OP's garage - it's a TD4

[CHN]

Most normal garages make very little money. We hear how they're all ripoff merchants etc, etc but in truth the majority are good honest people making a (very small) living.

If this job is, as I suspect, a very large one, then its probably a case that they'll need to keep all the other customers happy by spreading the work about over several jobs, including yours. I'd imagine that they won't even charge you full whack for the amount of work thats going into fixing yours, at least my mates garage doesn't do this frequently when something majors being done. If they were to leave one mechanic working on your car constantly and timed him by the hour I bet most people wouldn't be happy with the bill at all.

After all that, 2 months is still a very long time though, I'd go down there and have a chat, but don't go their with an attitude. They probably didn't want your truck taking up space for this long either.

[powerstroke]

Yes communicate with them!!
Maybe a used engine would speed the job up
and save some cash ???

[twin sparky]

To be honest, I do communicate with them.. usually I phone them once a week to get an update. Just that the updates have been very depressing, last week they were waiting to get the tool to balance the crank shaft (as with one of the posting above). So I get that it's not an easy job to do.

Luckily I phoned them again after starting this thread and they were picking the engine up today! So should (if everything goes well) get it finished by the end of the week. Which is fantastic news!

Edited by twin sparky on Monday 25th November 13:20

[twin sparky]

CHN said:

Most normal garages make very little money. We hear how they're all ripoff merchants etc, etc but in truth the majority are good honest people making a (very small) living.

If this job is, as I suspect, a very large one, then its probably a case that they'll need to keep all the other customers happy by spreading the work about over several jobs, including yours. I'd imagine that they won't even charge you full whack for the amount of work thats going into fixing yours, at least my mates garage doesn't do this frequently when something majors being done. If they were to leave one mechanic working on your car constantly and timed him by the hour I bet most people wouldn't be happy with the bill at all.

After all that, 2 months is still a very long time though, I'd go down there and have a chat, but don't go their with an attitude. They probably didn't want your truck taking up space for this long either.

This has been my thoughts, I've tried to be calm and not rant at them... As you said I doubt they want my car taking up space (which from speaking to the guy, is a premium with a host of RR's that needed attention as well).

[CHN]

twin sparky said:

To be honest, I do communicate with them.. usually I phone them once a week to get an update. Just that the updates have been very depressing, the last week they were waiting to get the tool to balance the crank shaft (as with the one of the posting above). So I get that it's not an easy job to do, like a service, etc..

Luckily I phoned them again after starting this thread and they were picking the engine up today! So should (if everything goes well) get it finished by the end of the week. Which is fantastic news!

good news!

[pherlopolus]

Mind you I can remember driving round in a Rover 100 Kensington for 3 weeks while Rover (or rather the outsourced engineer) put some new valve guides in the head of my RSP Cooper.

I got so bored waiting I accidentally ordered a Tubular LCB manifold and big bore exhaust for them to fit at the same time.