My wife’s Mini Clubman has been in the local dealer for some warranty work over last few days following previous check and need to order parts.

Dropped it off Wednesday after lunch, got courtesy car. Was supposed to have been finished yesterday but I got a call just after lunch to say that they had ordered the wrong parts and car would not be ready until today.

I went and picked it up. As I opened the car I noted the rear seats were folded flat and load bay cover not as it normally is. Put the seats back up went round to open the rear doors to fix the load bay cover and then noted a gouge out of the rear bumper and some additional scratches. Almost as if something had been loaded into the rear of the car…which may explain why the rear sears were folded flat….

Went back into the dealer to the service supervisor who I explained the seats issue to and pointed out the damage. He apologised and said he would ask workshop why they would have had the rear seats down and that he would get the car booked into their body shop to get the damage rectified.

Ok, I left it at that but then noted the grey roof light console which was being replaced under warranty had been replaced by a black one…which sticks out like a sore thumb and is not fitted properly. “Terribly sorry…we’ll order another one”.

Give the service advisors credit they were great but I’m a bit hacked off. Potentially some numpty has used the car to ferry something around and damaged it plus being unable to recognise that black is not grey makes me wonder about the other work which was done…

I always keep a note of mileage when I drop off a car for work like that, have caught one place bazzing around in mine before now.

As long as it’s repaired to your satisfaction, should be fine – take your business elsewhere next time?!

Caught Arnold Clark out when my car went in, dash cam footage showed them driving to a house picking up another customers car.

Bruneep what was the outcome after that??

Perhaps they were road testing it? It would seem that with all the diagnostic tools available now, the technicians/fitters don’t need to ‘feel’ how a car drives and behaves anymore. I better put a 😉 in.

My old brabus had over 14ks worth of work in the first 6 months of its life due the stupid Mercedes dealer in Basingstoke.

It originally went in to investigate a water leak in the foot well. I collected the car and found a hole in the seat where they had removed the stereo and the cage had puncture the leather.
Went back for a new seat and they scuffed a wheel on the ramp. Refurb wheel, the wheel lacquer turned yellow so they had to do all 4 wheels again so they’d match.
Collected the car and found a scuff on the door, car went back again

This went on and on and on and on and on.

Some garages are just monumentally shite

A copper I know caught a mechanic ‘road testing’ at 2330 in someone else’s beemer. I’m confident he went back to the owner with this story.

Some waffle about test driving my car after work was completed, the driver did not exceed the distance permitted for test drive. Took it further up the corporate food chain, got a written apology and cheque for a full tank of fuel.

took mine for a new clutch as the slave cylinder was intermitent, they test drove it kept it for a week and gave it back saying it was fixed, charged me for the work, first drive out clutch went. it turned out they hadnt done anything and hoped i wouldn’t notice took it back and made them do the work, they fitted a new clutch went to do a test drive and drove it into a field writing it off.