bigbaldbloke
11th July 2015, 06:55
A few months ago, my 75 developed an annoying rattle from what sounded like high up in the back of the car. I became convinced that it was the electric sun blind, and did my best to check (i.e. bang around a lot) in that general area, whilst also testing boot hinges, etc. I got as far as asking Greeners his advice, and he reckoned it was more likely to be a rear spring.
All thoughts of a fix went out of the window when, a couple of weeks later, I had the dreaded broken front spring, which managed to tear my NS tyre all the way around. I found a trusted local mobile mechanic and booked him in to do the pair, ordering some top mounts from eBay while I was at it.
The mechanic came round and replaced the springs, but reckoned that the top mounts were the wrong ones - annoying but hey ho. And this is where the story involves this wonderful garage..... I booked in to have 2 new front tyres with a certain garage that has a National network of centres. Spare wheel on, and off I went. As they took the car in, I specifically asked them to check rear springs and drop links, due to the original rattle still being there. I collected the car an hour later and was told that all was fine in the back, and was handed my little safety inspection certificate confirming as much.
So, back on the road, the rear rattle became my new obsession. Now I'm a lucky man - Greeners lives a 5 minute walk from me (unluckily for David....) so one day he offered to have a listen to the rear rattle. A quick drive around the block and out came his tools and off came the NSR wheel. "There's your problem" says David - the rattle was the sound of the bottom part of the spring, sheared off, rolling around in the bottom mount. He was right all along.
Disappointed that a professional garage, when asked to specifically check the rear springs whilst the car was in the air, didn't spot this; I wrote to them. Their Area Manager was excellent - phoning me to offer apologies, escalate it to a formal complaint (I declined) and offer me a discount if I wanted any work done.
And so this week came to pass..... That annoying thing with the "wrong" top mounts (I'll never know who got it wrong - the mechanic or the eBay seller) had led to very obvious clacking where the new front springs and the old bearings clearly weren't getting along. So I booked it in for new rear springs and new top mounts.
Still with me?
I dropped the car in on Wednesday morning, before they had opened, and told them I'd be back between 4 and 5. At 4.30 I bowled up, only to see my car up in the air still. I was told that the rear springs and top mounts were specialist parts, and they'd only just got them in. I was also told that they were still doing the rear springs (a tricky job allegedly, despite youtube suggesting otherwise) but that they would definitely finish both jobs that day. I asked if it was worth me hanging around, and was told yes. I duly got my laptop out and got on with some work.
By 5.30, the rear springs were done and the top mounts started. I could see the guy working on the OS and, after half an hour, he was still in the wheel arch. At this point, and this is the bit that beggars belief, he walked into the office and announced that the job required removal of the driveshaft.
Now I'm a hopeless mechanic, but a damn fine reader. So at this point, I've refuted this and, in order to get the job done, I (the ignorant customer) am showing him (the skilled mechanic) a how-to from here, including pretty pictures.
To cut an already epically-long story a little shorter, I left there at 8.15, having witnessed THREE mechanics using a spring press and 2 spring compressors to try and get the NS top mount on - a job that the mobile mechanic seemed to do easily enough on his own, with just the compressors.
But at least I got my car back. So a big smile on my face Thursday morning as I left for work, which lasted all of 1 minute, thanks to the sound of dry clacking coming from my OS top mount.........
Buyer beware.
Thank you for your attention, rant over.
Kev
All thoughts of a fix went out of the window when, a couple of weeks later, I had the dreaded broken front spring, which managed to tear my NS tyre all the way around. I found a trusted local mobile mechanic and booked him in to do the pair, ordering some top mounts from eBay while I was at it.
The mechanic came round and replaced the springs, but reckoned that the top mounts were the wrong ones - annoying but hey ho. And this is where the story involves this wonderful garage..... I booked in to have 2 new front tyres with a certain garage that has a National network of centres. Spare wheel on, and off I went. As they took the car in, I specifically asked them to check rear springs and drop links, due to the original rattle still being there. I collected the car an hour later and was told that all was fine in the back, and was handed my little safety inspection certificate confirming as much.
So, back on the road, the rear rattle became my new obsession. Now I'm a lucky man - Greeners lives a 5 minute walk from me (unluckily for David....) so one day he offered to have a listen to the rear rattle. A quick drive around the block and out came his tools and off came the NSR wheel. "There's your problem" says David - the rattle was the sound of the bottom part of the spring, sheared off, rolling around in the bottom mount. He was right all along.
Disappointed that a professional garage, when asked to specifically check the rear springs whilst the car was in the air, didn't spot this; I wrote to them. Their Area Manager was excellent - phoning me to offer apologies, escalate it to a formal complaint (I declined) and offer me a discount if I wanted any work done.
And so this week came to pass..... That annoying thing with the "wrong" top mounts (I'll never know who got it wrong - the mechanic or the eBay seller) had led to very obvious clacking where the new front springs and the old bearings clearly weren't getting along. So I booked it in for new rear springs and new top mounts.
Still with me?
I dropped the car in on Wednesday morning, before they had opened, and told them I'd be back between 4 and 5. At 4.30 I bowled up, only to see my car up in the air still. I was told that the rear springs and top mounts were specialist parts, and they'd only just got them in. I was also told that they were still doing the rear springs (a tricky job allegedly, despite youtube suggesting otherwise) but that they would definitely finish both jobs that day. I asked if it was worth me hanging around, and was told yes. I duly got my laptop out and got on with some work.
By 5.30, the rear springs were done and the top mounts started. I could see the guy working on the OS and, after half an hour, he was still in the wheel arch. At this point, and this is the bit that beggars belief, he walked into the office and announced that the job required removal of the driveshaft.
Now I'm a hopeless mechanic, but a damn fine reader. So at this point, I've refuted this and, in order to get the job done, I (the ignorant customer) am showing him (the skilled mechanic) a how-to from here, including pretty pictures.
To cut an already epically-long story a little shorter, I left there at 8.15, having witnessed THREE mechanics using a spring press and 2 spring compressors to try and get the NS top mount on - a job that the mobile mechanic seemed to do easily enough on his own, with just the compressors.
But at least I got my car back. So a big smile on my face Thursday morning as I left for work, which lasted all of 1 minute, thanks to the sound of dry clacking coming from my OS top mount.........
Buyer beware.
Thank you for your attention, rant over.
Kev