Rover75 banned!

donc · 2nd December 2021, 15:49

Unusually and only because of time restraints I asked a we'll known chain whose fitters can't get better to replace a corroded front brake pipe. I was told " Rover 75? We don't do those!"

sworks · 2nd December 2021, 16:35

Potentially too much trouble for the cost of the job. The last brake pipe I fitted to a 75/ZT when loosening the pipe the flexi ferrule corroded away to nothing which also needed replaced. Passenger side is nice and easy but the drivers side is a bit of a faff depending on what engine is fitted. Easier money doing a service etc

SCP440 · 2nd December 2021, 16:58

Yes this is quite common as the cost to do the job is often a lot more than the customer expects and is just easier to say no, a mate who has his own workshop had to replace a number plate on an Audi recently, the bulb was pence but it took him over an hour by the time he had removed the corroded screws and cleaned up the contacts. Total bill was nearly £60 and the owner had a fit.

As has been said brake pipes are often a lot of work, you only need a broken bleed nipple and you need to remove a few rusted parts and it could easily be a few £hundred. I was asked to do the rear brake pipes on a 1998 3 Series BMW, rear axle, fuel tank and exhaust out and I new it was all going to be rusted solid. A garage had quoted her about £1500 + the VAT

, I was suddenly very busy for several weeks and let someone else have the hassle.

You can see why old stuff gets scrapped for what on the surface appears to be a small job.

MSS · 2nd December 2021, 17:11

You have to ask yourself why any mechanic would want to touch someone else's 15+ year old car given that nuts/bolts may be seized and if something breaks a lot of people would blame the mechanic then expect them to sort at their cost.

The way to get a garage to work on an older car is to build a long-term relationship with them and to make sure it's clear from the start that if they undertake any work which carries a risk of the job expanding or parts breaking it will be at your (i.e. customer's) risk.

This is the basis on which I have worked with my local independent for the past 25ish years. The one time that the mechanic managed to break something accidentally - a lug on the CIM on our Corsa - he phoned to let me know and just said we broke it so we'll pay for a new one from Vauxhall including the coding to the car. It cost them over £400.

Last year he phoned to say that he has cross-threaded a bolt on my Omega and will pay for a new one from Vauxhall. I had to tell him that I had done it earlier so he needn't worry about it. They know that I am fussy about the manufacturer of parts, oil type etc. and fit parts supplied by myself without question or concern. We have established a working relationship where there is 100% trust in both directions.

KeithA · 2nd December 2021, 17:18

A variation of this is that my long term indy had a change of staff (the boss was off with cancer for a long time) and the new regime wouldn't fit customer supplied parts (and nor could they source them). Had loads done before.

Needless to say I moved garages and fortunately landed on my feet as the new one seems excellent, even suggested yhat I source the parts for a recent suspension rebuild as I probably knew the sources better.

Sent from my moto g(30) using Tapatalk

sworks · 2nd December 2021, 17:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeithA

A variation of this is that my long term indy had a change of staff (the boss was off with cancer for a long time) and the new regime wouldn't fit customer supplied parts (and nor could they source them). Had loads done before.

Needless to say I moved garages and fortunately landed on my feet as the new one seems excellent, even suggested yhat I source the parts for a recent suspension rebuild as I probably knew the sources better.

Sent from my moto g(30) using Tapatalk

The problem with customer supplied parts is that the garage has no idea of quality and so can’t warrant their work. If the garage supplies and fits the parts the full warranty is with them, supplied parts carry no warranty whatsoever including labour as how do you decide what’s wrong the part or fitting? It’s a nightmare most garages just don’t want. Not everybody buys from respected parts suppliers and most opt for the absolute cheapest part on eBay. Imagine a garage fitting a £12 water pump on a V6 that the customer had supplied.

genpk · 4th December 2021, 07:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by sworks

The problem with customer supplied parts is that the garage has no idea of quality and so can’t warrant their work. If the garage supplies and fits the parts the full warranty is with them, supplied parts carry no warranty whatsoever including labour as how do you decide what’s wrong the part or fitting? It’s a nightmare most garages just don’t want. Not everybody buys from respected parts suppliers and most opt for the absolute cheapest part on eBay. Imagine a garage fitting a £12 water pump on a V6 that the customer had supplied.

Plus the garage cant put any markup on any parts you supply!!

Mike Trident · 4th December 2021, 13:30

I am fortunate enough to have two independent garages that will fit the parts that I source for them. They know that what I bring them will be the best available. They always write down "customer parts" but I would never shaft them anyway. They also know that I do a lot of jobs myself and am quite capable (well, used to be when I was younger) of stripping it down to the last nut and bolt. They know that I am trusting them with it simply because the weather is bad, or I simply don't have the time to do it myself. They know, that I fully understand that complications can arise at any time, and usually do. Basically, we work very well together. Guess I'm lucky

MSS · 4th December 2021, 13:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Trident

I am fortunate enough to have two independent garages that will fit the parts that I source for them. They know that what I bring them will be the best available. They always write down "customer parts" but I would never shaft them anyway. They also know that I do a lot of jobs myself and am quite capable (well, used to be when I was younger) of stripping it down to the last nut and bolt. They know that I am trusting them with it simply because the weather is bad, or I simply down have the time to do it myself. They know, that I fully understand that complications can arise at any time, and usually do. Basically, we work very well together. Guess I'm lucky

It seems that we work along very similar lines.

sworks · 7th December 2021, 19:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by genpk

Plus the garage cant put any markup on any parts you supply!!

Nothing to do with mark up on parts, would you go to a restaurant and take your own food for the chef to cook?

2nd December 2021, 15:49	#1
donc Avid contributor Rover 75 Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Kirk Ella Posts: 141 Thanks: 9 Thanked 43 Times in 14 Posts	Rover75 banned! Unusually and only because of time restraints I asked a we'll known chain whose fitters can't get better to replace a corroded front brake pipe. I was told " Rover 75? We don't do those!"

2nd December 2021, 16:35	#2
sworks Been absent for a while… Rover 75 Tourer, Classic mini Cooper S, Abarth 595 competizione, MG TF and a Hyundai Tucson PHEV Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cumbria Posts: 13,065 Thanks: 1,033 Thanked 1,686 Times in 1,040 Posts	Potentially too much trouble for the cost of the job. The last brake pipe I fitted to a 75/ZT when loosening the pipe the flexi ferrule corroded away to nothing which also needed replaced. Passenger side is nice and easy but the drivers side is a bit of a faff depending on what engine is fitted. Easier money doing a service etc __________________ ................................................. 'Marmite' Possibly one of the most famous 75 tourers produced! left the production line as the last of only Three Rover 75 tourers produced in Trophy Yellow. 48 hours later Longbridge closed. The last sold ordered 75 Tourer. Paid for by the Phoenix Four and handed over by John Towers to the Warwickshire Northampton Air ambulance service as a Rapid Response vehicle

2nd December 2021, 17:11	#4
MSS This is my second home Rover 75CDT, Jaguar XF-S 3.0V6, V'xhall Omega V6 Estate, Twintop 1.8VVT, Astra Estate and Corsa 1.2 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Suffolk Posts: 7,085 Thanks: 283 Thanked 624 Times in 440 Posts	You have to ask yourself why any mechanic would want to touch someone else's 15+ year old car given that nuts/bolts may be seized and if something breaks a lot of people would blame the mechanic then expect them to sort at their cost. The way to get a garage to work on an older car is to build a long-term relationship with them and to make sure it's clear from the start that if they undertake any work which carries a risk of the job expanding or parts breaking it will be at your (i.e. customer's) risk. This is the basis on which I have worked with my local independent for the past 25ish years. The one time that the mechanic managed to break something accidentally - a lug on the CIM on our Corsa - he phoned to let me know and just said we broke it so we'll pay for a new one from Vauxhall including the coding to the car. It cost them over £400. Last year he phoned to say that he has cross-threaded a bolt on my Omega and will pay for a new one from Vauxhall. I had to tell him that I had done it earlier so he needn't worry about it. They know that I am fussy about the manufacturer of parts, oil type etc. and fit parts supplied by myself without question or concern. We have established a working relationship where there is 100% trust in both directions. Last edited by MSS; 5th December 2021 at 10:29.. Reason: Addition

2nd December 2021, 17:18	#5
KeithA Loves to post Rover 75 Conny Tourer Auto Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Essex Posts: 347 Thanks: 75 Thanked 94 Times in 71 Posts	A variation of this is that my long term indy had a change of staff (the boss was off with cancer for a long time) and the new regime wouldn't fit customer supplied parts (and nor could they source them). Had loads done before. Needless to say I moved garages and fortunately landed on my feet as the new one seems excellent, even suggested yhat I source the parts for a recent suspension rebuild as I probably knew the sources better. Sent from my moto g(30) using Tapatalk __________________ 2003 Tourer, Connoisseur Auto

4th December 2021, 13:30	#8
Mike Trident Posted a thing or two Rover 75 CDTi Saloon & Citroen C1 Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Oakenshaw, Near Bradford Posts: 1,622 Thanks: 385 Thanked 552 Times in 328 Posts	I am fortunate enough to have two independent garages that will fit the parts that I source for them. They know that what I bring them will be the best available. They always write down "customer parts" but I would never shaft them anyway. They also know that I do a lot of jobs myself and am quite capable (well, used to be when I was younger) of stripping it down to the last nut and bolt. They know that I am trusting them with it simply because the weather is bad, or I simply don't have the time to do it myself. They know, that I fully understand that complications can arise at any time, and usually do. Basically, we work very well together. Guess I'm lucky __________________ Rover 75 2.0 CDTi (131Ps) Conn SE Saloon. (Manual) 160 Remap, cruise control, electric window blind, temp gauge, Real walnut / ZT interior, FBH with GSM control. BORN Tuesday, 5th October 2004 @ 12:35:52 This vehicle was the 104,679th 75 to run off the production line, out of 112,381 This vehicle was the 3,318th 75 CDT Connoisseur SE (135) to be made out of 4,744 This vehicle was the 12,440th 75 in Starlight Silver (code: MBB) to be made out of 14,280 Starlight Silver 75s Last edited by Mike Trident; 4th December 2021 at 14:16..

2nd December 2021, 16:58	#3
SCP440 I really should get out more....... MG ZT-T 260 Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Witney Posts: 2,504 Thanks: 6 Thanked 910 Times in 571 Posts	Yes this is quite common as the cost to do the job is often a lot more than the customer expects and is just easier to say no, a mate who has his own workshop had to replace a number plate on an Audi recently, the bulb was pence but it took him over an hour by the time he had removed the corroded screws and cleaned up the contacts. Total bill was nearly £60 and the owner had a fit. As has been said brake pipes are often a lot of work, you only need a broken bleed nipple and you need to remove a few rusted parts and it could easily be a few £hundred. I was asked to do the rear brake pipes on a 1998 3 Series BMW, rear axle, fuel tank and exhaust out and I new it was all going to be rusted solid. A garage had quoted her about £1500 + the VAT , I was suddenly very busy for several weeks and let someone else have the hassle. You can see why old stuff gets scrapped for what on the surface appears to be a small job.