I'll try and keep this short.... We were on holiday in my car a month and a half ago. We suffered a double blowout and the mechanic who replaced the tyres advised me that the offside ball-end was in a very dangerous state and that I should replace it straight away.
Being a naturally suspicious sort of person, I thought I'd wait and get a second opinion from my local garage when we got home. I did so and told them only that there was a mysterious knocking from the offside of the car (there was!). I didn't tell them that the problem may have already been diagnosed by the 'holiday' mechanic.
I got a call telling me that there was nothing wrong with my front end. "It is completely sound, no play at all". They did add though that my brake pipes were corroded and would need replacing immediately at a cost of £120. Ok, I said, go ahead with that, but please also have another look at the front end as the knocking is very bad indeed. I am definitely not imagining it. So they pulled it apart and replaced a drop link (whatever that is). The knocking remained but I thought it may have been slightly better.
Finally, car went back in today (one and a half months after all this work was done) and I was confident it would sail through MOT. Garage called and said my offside ball end is in a very dangerous state and needs replaced - they have failed the car on this point (and a bit of welding on the sills).
I went straight in to 'discuss' the previous month's work but the mechanic only acknowledged that the wear could no way have occurred in the last month. He also admitted it was dangerous but I couldn't get the organ grinder to step out of his office.
So - has the mechanic just had a bad day and missed the problem (despite being asked twice to look for it?!)? Should I just pay up (£150) and never go back? Should I kick up a stink?
Sorry for massive post....
Get it fixed, get a bit of discount, make sure it's no charge for the re-test.
1st spannerer missed it but I assume you didn't pay for that bit other than for the work done?
Many garages are useless. It's very hard to identify suspension knocks in some cars but they're either talking about track rod ends or bottom ball joints, either of these is very easy to diagnose IME. My experience with garages is they rarely remember what you wanted them to look at, often replace the most unlikely items based on their previous history with the model (which may be considered fair enough, but it isn't ideal) and then charge you a fortune for it. IMO if they don't fix the problem dont pay for the work. You're paying for them to fix it and replace the faulty part, not hit-n-miss attempt to replace bits at your expense. They are supposed to be the experts, they can find the fault if they try (and have half a brain). If you take them for a spin to hear the noise, then take them again when it's done there can be no arguments.
No mention of discount from mechanic but as I said - was unable to speak to the boss-man. May push for a little disco' when I go in to pay tomorrow...
The drop-link was only fitted after I insisted they had another look - I can't help wondering if they just fitted any old bit to shut me up? Didn't get rid of the knocking.
EDIT; CK, thet's also my experience. Thought this lot were a bit better 🙁
They're meant to be experts at finding and replacing parts. If they can't manage that get your money back and go elsewhere.
I am inclined to agree with coffeeking only pay when the specific problem is sorted.
I'd look at it this way though...it needed doing one way or t'other. The late diagnostics have just delayed the expenditure a couple of months.(although it could be said that through incompetence they have let you drive round in an unsafe vehicle for a month and a half).
I think pragmatic is the approach really, take it elsewhere and you'll have to pay for another test @ £50+ or so and also pay to have the work done.
Although it would be tempting to tell them where to go I'd use the cock up as leverage to get the problem fixed at with discount or minimal cost and definitely don't pay for a re-test.
Common sense hat on. 🙂
Jackson - the safety issue is the main one for me. Tiger - I've told them to go ahead with the work for just those reasons (and the car was already up on the ramps).
Don't think I'll go back there even if they do offer some disco' (I'm pretty sure they won't). There'll always be bad feeling 🙁
Cheers for replies.
Drop link is on the anti roll bar and usually is mounted on the ARB and the lower wishbone. £20 ish part and maybe 15 mins to fit . Worn ball joint more or less the same, depending on make / model and suspension arrangements . Maybe a 30 min job to change .
They are tossers if they didn't spot it in the first instance, and changed out a part that might have lasted another year or 2.
Time to find another garage I'm afraid
Don't really see how missing a problem is ripping you off.
We all make mistakes, don't we? Tell them the whole story and that you understand they'd made a simple mistake and get the repair done, see if they pay for the retest and then move on.
Few years ago after dropping my Honda in for a recall item, I got a call from the servicing department telling me my front tyres were worn down to an illegal level. "Interesting", says I, "because it sailed through its MOT at your garage 3 days ago."
Got a pair of tyres out of them at less than cost price for that. 🙂
Don - a simple mistake but one which put my family's life in danger. Not good enough. It's not like he's repaired a washing machine badly.
You should of mentioned what the mechanic said on your holiday, if you were suspicious of your garage, go elsewhere, I have been going to the same guy for years he never takes the pi$$ and is very fair.
Have you since mentioned what this mechanic said, if your a member of the RAC or AA perhaps they can give you an opinion.
Don - a simple mistake but one which put my family's life in danger.
you were told by one mechanic (who you chose not to trust) what was wrong. if you'd mentioned what you suspected was wrong, and asked the second mechanic to look at it, you'd have had it fixed on the first visit.
surely you must take some of the responsibility for driving the car without getting a fault you'd been told about fixed first?
You should of mentioned what the mechanic said on your holiday
I second this! Or if you're carrying your family around AND there was a knock coming from there you should have had it fixed.
Change your garage at home too, clearly muppets!
With a local garage, you do build up a relationship - they'd done a decent job in the past and I trusted them over a complete stranger. If they said there was no problem, I had to trust them surely? They know better than I, no?
My mate got charged £70 per hour for labour ... 😯
"With a local garage, you do build up a relationship"
That's the idea, but didn't stop the local garage my dad's been using for 20 years for charging him to replace a battery, then just recharging the old one and refitting it, or for that matter from carelessly telling him the brake hoses needed replaced for the MOT because "they were too old" because they forgot they pulled the exact same thing on him the year before. He still goes back there because he thinks "They won't do it again now I've caught them out" 😐
My mate got charged £70 per hour for labour ...
He did well then, most dealers are over £90 now!
Not finding such an obvious and dangerous fault is inexusable, especially after you had told them twice that it was knocking. IMO the very least they should have do is repair it and knock off the labour charge.
Lots of interesting responses; going to pick the car up tomorrow night. Feel a bit bad for hauling the underpaid, overworked mechanic over the coals today but he really should have admitted his mistake - I suppose an admission of his error and perhaps an apology is all I was after.
I feel I probably should have been completely honest about what the 'holiday' mechanic had found. But still annoyed he didn't pick up on the obvious problem despite my telling him exactly what / where the problem lay. I did make the mistake of trusting my local garage over a random chap who turned out to be right.
The only guy in the garage allowed to take payment is the owner, so I'll take it up with him and be totally honest when I pay for the work tomorrow.
Given the seriousness of the problem the holiday mechanic found, i'd definitely have mentioned it to the 2nd garage!
i have played one garage off against another like that, but never with safety critical stuff like that.
They know better than I, no?
Can't vouch for you personally I'm afraid, but I've had reason to question the knowledge of every single dealer/garage I've ever visited so my own opinion would be "probably not". You know theres a knocking problem, you know it's a problem, you've been warned about it - they tell you there isn't. You know better. You might not know what it was, but you know that if they can't find it you should take it somewhere who can, knocking suspension is not right in any book.
It can be tough going to a garage - if you tell them "it's this at fault" or "I think it's this" they'll change that then you have no recourse when it's not at fault. IF you don't tell them you're making their life harder, but any decent mechanic should find such obvious faults.
Gingerbloke - MemberMy mate got charged £70 per hour for labour ...
He did well then, most dealers are over £90 now!
Crikey! £90! That is clearly taking the pi55.
I think I should invest in/start a car repairing shop by hiring good Polish workers.
😯
2 garages failed to spot a knackered bush on the front wishbone linkarm thingy on my Focus, new drop-links didn't really fix the problem (as you found), it was only when i took it into Ford they used a lift rather than a tramp & found the problem straight away.
You've not lost out money wise, but i'd be using a different, competent, garage in future...
I think I should invest in/start a car repairing shop by hiring good Polish workers.
Please do (regardless of the nationality of the workers).
chewkw - MemberGingerbloke - Member
My mate got charged £70 per hour for labour ...
He did well then, most dealers are over £90 now!
Crikey! £90! That is clearly taking the pi55.
I think I should invest in/start a car repairing shop by hiring good Polish workers.
go price accom,ins,the tools, diagnosis machine+updates/new progs for same 🙄
Well, picked the car up last night (been enjoying cycling everywhere the last few days but it gets awkward when carting a full camera / lighting kit around and no, I can't afford a cargo bike 🙂 ).
I've never heard so much backtracking in my life. Both mechanic and garage owner strenuously denied the worn parts constituted a danger. I pointed at the FAIL certificate they'd just given me - the bit where it says, "O/S Front Low Ball Joint, Excessive Play **DANGEROUS**". Oh it isn't dangerous - it's just an MOT fail. They didn't replace it in June because it was fine then.
They didn't charge me for a re-test but I'll go back to my old garage in future - he's eight miles away but there's an old railway track all the way back to my house so can cycle clean accross town no bother.
