This is what I mean by Fast Fit Brake Bodges. - Page 2

SCP440 · 7th August 2017, 07:01

A friends son WAS and apprentice at a local Ford main dealer a couple of years ago. He had been there for a couple of months and noticed that a lot of the guys who had been there a while would do little more on a service than check the mileage, oil and water levels and then put the car in for its ''free'' valet.

He asked why they were not changing the oil at least and was told they don't bother most of the time as most people over service there cars anyway.

When he pointed out that what happened if this car had never had its oil changed? He was told if the engine blows up under warranty they will get a new one, if it happens out of warranty we can charge them for a new one. That with several other events he decided to leave, he now works for a small workshop and does what is charged for.

Sorry to say this but I think taking a car a main dealer for a ''full service history'' is not even worth the paper it is written on in some cases.

neilb740 · 7th August 2017, 07:59

I hardly ever use garages and have only used Kwik fit once for an MOT.
A thoroughly unpleasant experience where they tried to tell me I had a snapped spring, which miraculously healed itself when I asked them to show me. "Sorry mate, we must have been mistaken"

The last time I used a professional garage was for my daughters car (not a rover/MG). I was away working and she needed the car so I told her to take it to a local garage.
The car was running rough and cutting out at idle.

He changed the pencil coils, charged £300 for doing it and sent her on her way.
It was still doing it so back it went the next day.

He changed the throttle position sensor and charged another £200
It was still doing it, but by the next day I was home.

As she pulled up at my house you could hear the in tank fuel pump whining from 10 yards away!
£30 at the scrap yard and 15 minutes work (pump is very similar to ours, under the back seat and comes out the same way)
Car fixed and running like a Swiss watch!

I called and complained about the unnecessary work and the charges for it. His argument was that it could have been a combination of things and I couldn't prove the work was unnecessary, and that part of the bill was for a full service, which he was not asked to do.

In fact I had serviced the car myself about a month earlier so he had thrown away practically new oil and filters (if the service had actually been done at all).
He swore blind he had been asked to do the service and we couldn't prove otherwise.

Lesson learnt, if you want it done properly, do it yourself!!

TomRS · 7th August 2017, 10:03

Thats the problem...

You see mechanic work is poorly paid, and no one has the job satisfaction in doing it anymore because there's just no respect for anything.

You know something, i get more respect from the local hand car wash guys than i have with some garages i've been too over the years.
Granted i do nearly all my own work but on the off chances i cant, theres literally 3 places i will go.

The MG goes to Turbo Dave, the Merc goes to Teesside Mercedes (only cos i have too but as far as dealers go they are actually pretty good) or MSL Performance.
And anything else i use QSP in Ferryhill.

Thing is no one has any respect for Rovers/MG's now and treat them like cheap scrap.
Which is totally wrong but thats just how it comes out.

AndyN01 · 7th August 2017, 12:36

Mods......

Do we have a forum for "Recommendations" for others to see?

I often see car related posts but what about other things?

The Club has so many fantastic members I'm sure there is lots of information we could share?

Andy.

Jakg · 7th August 2017, 18:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by madeupname

There's a lad at work who used to work for Charlie browns and quickfit. I told him the discrepancy in braking between my f/o/s and f/n/s brakes and he suggested using a sharp knife to put a nick in the outer seal of the piston and fire wd40 into the cavity.
My thought was - when is a seal not a seal? - if you get my drift.
And yes, it's all down to speed. Taking out and cleaning the piston properly takes longer than cutting a seal.

Ignoring the obvious reason why this is bad, I've found WD40 (or at least EuroCarPart's knock off version) damages the rubber.

I was refurbing some calipers recently. Having replaced all the seals and dust covers, I was trying to clean them up. Ran out brake cleaner so used some maintenance spray and within a couple of minutes the dust covers had started to bulge. Had to swap them again!

Looked like this (the calipers already on the car had the same problem):

Bogbrush82 · 14th August 2017, 22:34

Premier MOT Service Center in Tipton - Biggest clan of numpties you'll ever meet.

Dad went there once with a stalling issue with his Mondeo diesel. I told them it needed an £8 camshaft sensor. £1000 pounds and 4 new injectors later, it came back sounding like death.

The worst part? They had kept the car offsite, meaning we couldn't even get it back until they'd finished destroying it.

So glad I found Summit Garage. Quality work, friendly staff and solid prices.

rustymotor · 15th August 2017, 04:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bogbrush82

Premier MOT Service Center in Tipton - Biggest clan of numpties you'll ever meet.

Dad went there once with a stalling issue with his Mondeo diesel. I told them it needed an £8 camshaft sensor. £1000 pounds and 4 new injectors later, it came back sounding like death.

The worst part? They had kept the car offsite, meaning we couldn't even get it back until they'd finished destroying it.

So glad I found Summit Garage. Quality work, friendly staff and solid prices.

Had the exact same issue with Mondeo diesel, they fitted refurb injectors for £800..though the car needed something doing almost weekly. When it did run it was a pleasure to drive much better than the Vectra.

SCP440 · 15th August 2017, 06:52

To many numpties not knowing what they are doing. A mate with an oldish Jag was told by two garages he needed a new auto gearbox as it was not going into top gear, I took a look and the plug on the speed sensor was obviously not in good condition so I repaired it and the gearbox was back to full health.

Oddly enough the cruse control came back to life as well.

Do these garages with all there expensive equipment not have eyes to look at the obvious things first. Apparently both had plugged a device in and it came up with a fault code, of course it did the gearbox was not plugged in.

Richard1973 · 4th August 2018, 14:41

I recall seeing this thread and I have just swapped my front pads.
Just made the same observations pretty much as John. Spot the difference!
[IMG]

[/IMG]

It is fair to say they were ready!
[IMG]

[/IMG]

jim lee · 4th August 2018, 15:24

On the issue of reliable garages;

I have used a local small outfit for the six years I have owned my 75. It is run by the owner, who also gets his hands dirty, and has ALWAYS done a good job of servicing and repairs. They are even honest enough to admits their mistakes! At my last service, when they also serviced the Aircon, the mechanic dislodged the cable splitter box for the bonnet release. This I discovered when I next tried to open the bonnet. On returning the car to them, they released the bonnet and refitted the splitter box. They even admitted to me it was their fault and gave me a generous apology. Also they charged me nothing. They could so easily have palmed me off with some rubbish about a broken cable and I would have been none the wiser and happily paid the bill. Needless to say they have a customer for life. Also, rather refreshingly they call me Sir or Mr Lee - without fail (rather than mate). That always goes down well with old duffers like me.)

I am happy to spread the word: Pete King, Mechanical Services, Salem Street, Southampton. Tel 02380772869. I strongly recommend them.

7th August 2017, 10:03	#13
TomRS Posted a thing or two Mk1 ZT 190 - Mk2 ZS 180 - Mercedes E63 AMG S - Ford Ranger Hawk Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Middlesbrough Posts: 1,456 Thanks: 123 Thanked 409 Times in 281 Posts	Thats the problem... You see mechanic work is poorly paid, and no one has the job satisfaction in doing it anymore because there's just no respect for anything. You know something, i get more respect from the local hand car wash guys than i have with some garages i've been too over the years. Granted i do nearly all my own work but on the off chances i cant, theres literally 3 places i will go. The MG goes to Turbo Dave, the Merc goes to Teesside Mercedes (only cos i have too but as far as dealers go they are actually pretty good) or MSL Performance. And anything else i use QSP in Ferryhill. Thing is no one has any respect for Rovers/MG's now and treat them like cheap scrap. Which is totally wrong but thats just how it comes out. __________________ http://i66.tinypic.com/5cd6xj.jpg

7th August 2017, 12:36	#14
AndyN01 This is my second home Toyota RAV4 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Tamworth Posts: 3,070 Thanks: 2,478 Thanked 1,579 Times in 968 Posts	Mods...... Do we have a forum for "Recommendations" for others to see? I often see car related posts but what about other things? The Club has so many fantastic members I'm sure there is lots of information we could share? Andy. __________________ Andy. http://www.midlandsnanomeets.co.uk/

14th August 2017, 22:34	#16
Bogbrush82 I really should get out more....... BMW X3 2.0D Join Date: May 2017 Location: Tipton Posts: 2,383 Thanks: 51 Thanked 765 Times in 421 Posts	Premier MOT Service Center in Tipton - Biggest clan of numpties you'll ever meet. Dad went there once with a stalling issue with his Mondeo diesel. I told them it needed an £8 camshaft sensor. £1000 pounds and 4 new injectors later, it came back sounding like death. The worst part? They had kept the car offsite, meaning we couldn't even get it back until they'd finished destroying it. So glad I found Summit Garage. Quality work, friendly staff and solid prices. __________________ Current car: BMW x3 2.0d (The one with the M47 engine!) Rolled off the line on December 14th, 2004. Last edited by Bogbrush82; 14th August 2017 at 22:37..

4th August 2018, 14:41	#19
Richard1973 Loves to post Rover 75 Saloon CDTi Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Mansfield Posts: 287 Thanks: 18 Thanked 69 Times in 52 Posts	I recall seeing this thread and I have just swapped my front pads. Just made the same observations pretty much as John. Spot the difference! [IMG][/IMG] It is fair to say they were ready! [IMG][/IMG] Last edited by Richard1973; 4th August 2018 at 14:44..

7th August 2017, 07:01	#11
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	A friends son WAS and apprentice at a local Ford main dealer a couple of years ago. He had been there for a couple of months and noticed that a lot of the guys who had been there a while would do little more on a service than check the mileage, oil and water levels and then put the car in for its ''free'' valet. He asked why they were not changing the oil at least and was told they don't bother most of the time as most people over service there cars anyway. When he pointed out that what happened if this car had never had its oil changed? He was told if the engine blows up under warranty they will get a new one, if it happens out of warranty we can charge them for a new one. That with several other events he decided to leave, he now works for a small workshop and does what is charged for. Sorry to say this but I think taking a car a main dealer for a ''full service history'' is not even worth the paper it is written on in some cases.

7th August 2017, 07:59	#12
neilb740 I really should get out more....... MG ZT 1.8 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Crewe Posts: 2,298 Thanks: 110 Thanked 362 Times in 237 Posts	I hardly ever use garages and have only used Kwik fit once for an MOT. A thoroughly unpleasant experience where they tried to tell me I had a snapped spring, which miraculously healed itself when I asked them to show me. "Sorry mate, we must have been mistaken" The last time I used a professional garage was for my daughters car (not a rover/MG). I was away working and she needed the car so I told her to take it to a local garage. The car was running rough and cutting out at idle. He changed the pencil coils, charged £300 for doing it and sent her on her way. It was still doing it so back it went the next day. He changed the throttle position sensor and charged another £200 It was still doing it, but by the next day I was home. As she pulled up at my house you could hear the in tank fuel pump whining from 10 yards away! £30 at the scrap yard and 15 minutes work (pump is very similar to ours, under the back seat and comes out the same way) Car fixed and running like a Swiss watch! I called and complained about the unnecessary work and the charges for it. His argument was that it could have been a combination of things and I couldn't prove the work was unnecessary, and that part of the bill was for a full service, which he was not asked to do. In fact I had serviced the car myself about a month earlier so he had thrown away practically new oil and filters (if the service had actually been done at all). He swore blind he had been asked to do the service and we couldn't prove otherwise. Lesson learnt, if you want it done properly, do it yourself!!

15th August 2017, 06:52	#18
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	To many numpties not knowing what they are doing. A mate with an oldish Jag was told by two garages he needed a new auto gearbox as it was not going into top gear, I took a look and the plug on the speed sensor was obviously not in good condition so I repaired it and the gearbox was back to full health. Oddly enough the cruse control came back to life as well. Do these garages with all there expensive equipment not have eyes to look at the obvious things first. Apparently both had plugged a device in and it came up with a fault code, of course it did the gearbox was not plugged in.

4th August 2018, 15:24	#20
jim lee Regular poster Rover75 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Southampton Posts: 96 Thanks: 6 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts	On the issue of reliable garages; I have used a local small outfit for the six years I have owned my 75. It is run by the owner, who also gets his hands dirty, and has ALWAYS done a good job of servicing and repairs. They are even honest enough to admits their mistakes! At my last service, when they also serviced the Aircon, the mechanic dislodged the cable splitter box for the bonnet release. This I discovered when I next tried to open the bonnet. On returning the car to them, they released the bonnet and refitted the splitter box. They even admitted to me it was their fault and gave me a generous apology. Also they charged me nothing. They could so easily have palmed me off with some rubbish about a broken cable and I would have been none the wiser and happily paid the bill. Needless to say they have a customer for life. Also, rather refreshingly they call me Sir or Mr Lee - without fail (rather than mate). That always goes down well with old duffers like me.) I am happy to spread the word: Pete King, Mechanical Services, Salem Street, Southampton. Tel 02380772869. I strongly recommend them.