ok so what gives ??.. I give my car into a garage to have a ‘simple’ repair done to it. I knew exactly what part needed replacing so I actually purchased the part and handed it to the boys at the garage. so the parts have been paid for, all I have to worry about is the labour.. right ??.. wrong !
I go to work and a few hours later who should call me but the garage…‘While we were replacing the faulty part we also found blah..blah..blah…’ you can guess the rest. Before I know whats happening, a small bill has turned into a small furtune !. Its getting scary, people are afraid to hand their cars into the garage in case a million and one things turn out to be faulty !.
And why does it only happen in the automotive trade ???.
I mean can you imagine what would happen if something similar happened at the doctors ??..it’ll be like ‘so doc what can you give me for this cold ?..’ ‘Well, while we were looking at your symptomes we also found that you had cancer… one of your kidneys isn’t all there and those headaches you keep getting are actually a brain haemorage’ !!
Rule number one
never buy the part you want to be replaced
garage owners mind that and you land on their 'hated customers list'
rule number two never leave your car with them and be back in two hours
stand their hover over make your presence felt
they will fix whats wrong and hand in your car to you in order to get rid you of you
Thanks for the advice !... damit if only I'd done that ever since I have owned a car... could have saved millions by now ! ;)
sali gardiyan... back home we use to have one khothi (donkey).. it did everything and never broke down !... didn't even need to pass an MOT test either !
Aaaahh!! Arch angel. know exactly what you mean, but luckily my dad has a few contacts so they are ok.
However once when my dad was away the middle part of my exhaust broke. Got the yellow pages phoned a few places, prices were ranging from £70-£100. Couldnt believe it when the last place I rang were charging £38!!!!
tell me about it !... Usually if I can, I tend to do the work myself.. however sometimes special tools are required and thats when I'm forced to hand it into a garage !. It deffinately pays to shop around for car parts.
You see car manufacturers are also getting clever these days. They install all these 'Engine Management' systems into cars which the average person just cannot do anything with because they require special computers to service them.
dammit just take me back to the good old days when you could fix anything on your Toyota using just a hammer ! ;) ;) . hai keysay woh din thay !!
[quote]
Originally posted by Arch-Angel:
**Mariah...
You see car manufacturers are also getting clever these days. They install all these 'Engine Management' systems into cars which the average person just cannot do anything with because they require special computers to service them.
**
[/quote]
This happened to me a few months ago. My car has like got htis tiny electrnic chip or sommat, I dont know what which interacts with sommat which then turns the engine on. Probabaly 2"*2" and it cost £104 bloody quid!!!! couldnt believe it!!!!
Anchal...
**
and pour water in the battery to keep it going
**
I found that good 'ol cooking oil works alot better... you know the stuff mum fries all her samosay and kabaabs in ! ;)
they were great days... you could put any old shit in the car and it would just run !.. hell mine even passed the 'pepsi challenge !'.
Maria... thats the main reason why I still drive around in an old banger !... it might leave a trail of smoke a mile behind it... but I know exactly how all the various parts work.. and the only chips inside it are probably the remnants of last weeks lunch ! ;)
well ladies... I've got to go and pick up the car now.... I dread to think what the final bill is going to be :(
Well just to add my two cents, there are alot of bad people in the car business but then again thats just a sterotype because there are alot of honest people out there who know the right way to build a reputation and stay in business:), so the key is finding an honest mechanic with decent rates...then you'll be happy!!!
Plus, most of these guys are just parts changers and not real mecanics with diagnosing ability...
but I hear you arch angel, too many sensors and computers now which won't work without dealer tools...I remember the days you could take the carbuerator apart and rebuild it in your spare time, now its so hard to even change a belt in all that constricted space!!!
I would suggest that you go to the dealer. they are more expensive than other mechanic joints but they know the car inside out, and they will not mess with you by inventing stuff.
My late pal, harish, used to have a Renault and took it too some cheapo mechanic. Harish spent a great deal of his weekends buying parts for that car and paying the mechanic to fix it.
My horror was when i moved from east coast to ohio and only had one jaguar dealer and about 40 miles away. I had some minor brake work and took it to this mechanic the recommendor always took his car to. I should have guessed by that 'always' not to go to the mechanic. he mesed other stuff up and it wound up costing twice as much as a dealer would have charged.
Check with better business bureau before you go, and if you have a bad experience do report it to better business bureau as it will protect other ppl like yourself down the road.
I agree with Fraudz that factory dealers are the way to go these days due to the complexities inherent in cars of today. Plus, I like the fact these days that most cars are either maintenance free, or completely covered for regular maintenance for the first 3-4 years of ownership. A dealer may charge 20 bucks more, but the peace of mind of knowing that your car is in good hands, and that all parts will be OEM is priceless. Their service is also impeccable. I took my BMW in for an oil service but had to leave it there as I had to run off to a meeting. The dealer gave me a choice of either being chaeuferred to work and back, or a free loaner car. I took the loaner car. The great thing is that my dealer likes to use the loaner cars as a way to advertise BMW product to its regular customers, so I was allowed to choose from any available models. I chose the MZ3. As for extra work being done without your knowledge...not a chance since they only do what you authorize, and if additional work is needed...they contact you first b4 they begin. Also regularly dealer maintained cars can aks for a premium due to such service history upon resale or tradin.
You can still get ripped off at the factory dealer, I mean they hire the same guys with limited certification and give him a nice neat uniform to lead him to your car. They are definetly better than 'shade-tree' mechanics and shanty lil shops, but they really arent any different.
So really, the dealer mechanic wants to sell you the extra tie rod or replace the sensor because a. it doesnt hurt him to replace already good stuff and be certain that you won't return with the same problem next week
b. most guys get paid on a comission, be it jiffy lube or lexus of palm beach
two examples,
ABS light on our accord wagon came on, dealer said whole abs system needed to be replaced with $900 for the part alone (wholesale price), another mechanic replaced the leaky rings for $200 total and shes running fine:)
and ten years ago, our rolls royce needed new brake hoses, dealer said $9000!!!! We had it done elsewhere for under 1000, so it doesnt mean that the dealer is always right just because he has the shiny garage and big name, but i guess that the price your paying for...
but your right, I had a simple radiator installation done a while back and the idiot mechanic didn't check the hoses which were bad and had holes in them, so it all depends on the person doing the job!!!
but dealers are afraid of the car company, if you are not satisfied with the service you talk to customer care at the manufacturer and they will take care of the matter.
JiffyLubes of the world have less at stake here.
One big plus is that the mechanics at the car dealer are better trained and especially on the specific manfuacturers' cars.
simple stuff could become problems. I had my XJS brake pads changed etc and the guy put in new brake fluid, except he put a dot 3 instead of a dot 4, car ran fine for a few days. I went away for vacation came back and turned out that low grade brake fluid had messed up my brake system like anything..offcourse i realised that when i was driving luckily i did not go on the highway.
If you can find a good mechanic kewl, othewise dealer is the best option. if in doubt go to 2 dealers and see what they say.
I understand that dealers can rip one off as well...but you do have somewhat of a recourse, as mentioned by Fraudz. Also depends on the car...our family beater...an old Nissan (which keeps going and going, it turned 750k miles on the odometer last month!!!)I will take to jiffy lube for a oil service or Kmart for a tuneup. The only mechanic to touch my Porche 911, or my Z3 will be a factory trained one. I have noticed that one sure way to minimize getting screwed by mechs. is to build a relationship with em, and become a regular. This way they will know your car's history, and also will be more careful not to cheat you.
Like I bought my car for 1500 bucks here…had to take it for road worthy service and the mechanic came with a billo of 1375…like he had charged dunno 5 times for shitty little thinngs…like 75 dollars for a break hose :mad:…
took it to RACV…(errr Royal Automotive something of Victoria!!!)… They checked repaired certified and registered my car in 400 bucks…
Never go to a mechanic unless yur buddy buddyies with them… and even then follow anchal khalas advice
I think most people who have a car have had some experience of bad mechanics at one time or another. I agree that the best method of NOT getting ripped off is to develop a rappor with the mechanic.. The only down side of this is that in the time it takes to develop this relationship with the mechanic... he's still ripping you off ! and you keep telling yourself that the next time you go to the same guy, hopefully he'll recognise you and might just go a little easy on the bill and do a good job of the repairs.
As for going to main dealerships for repairs, I agree that if you find a reputable place, they will look after you and your car (for a price !), but once again its a case of finding a Reputable dealership.
Have any of you noticed a difference in the attitude/approach of different dealerships ?? ie do Ford treat you any different to say BMW or Porche ??... ie does the value of your car determine how your treated ?.
Ive noticed that many people (mostly desis!) seem to have a phobia of dealerships...they will try their darndest to find an offline mechanic rather than take the car to the dealer. In a few cases, the dealer is even cheaper than these tree side mechanics. It costs me $20 dollars for an oil change at BMW. At a Jiffy lube it would cost me $38 (they charge additional for the filter since "its a filter they have to order").
I guess certain dealerships provide their customers with perks such as free loaner cars...an inviting lounge area if you wish to wait, many offer a free hand wash as well. At my BMW dealer...for a $20 iol change, I got a free loaner car (a BMW), and a free hand wash...not a bad deal! And I believe it tends to differ by marque...the pricier ones offering better perks! I don't believe Ford provides loaner cars.
So I guess it all comes down to the owner of the establishment, if he has a higher up to answer to or if he wants a clean reputation to build on, but I guess that your right, big dealers that want to stay there for a long time, have to give perks to keep good customers coming...
hey Ahmar, you got a 911 and a z3???
nice stuff, what year is the porsche?