What can i do if - Garage related?

[ady2k5]

Hello all

I don't this may sound a bit stupid and over conscious.

I've got my car booked in a garage for full valet including full bodywork wax. They've told me the job will take around 3-4 hours to do. However due to health and safety reasons i won't be allowed into the garage area and that the valeting area isn't visible from the waiting room.

I'm a bit weary as in the past i've been able to view my car when it is being valeted but this is normally because it is viewable from where i am waiting.

My concern is when the car is valeted and i get back to it, what if i find things have gone missing or replaced on the car. I'm only saying this as i've got some expensive parts on the car and they can easily be taking off and replaced with lower quality parts of parts that don't even work properly.

Scenario - I get into the garage with the Glanza, employee or owner calls mate with abused Glanza and comes over, parts are replaced from my between the two cars (even something like a gearbox can easily be done in the 3-4 hours). I get back to my car to find it has been valeted but upon driving it i find it's an absolute dog and upon further inspection find out parts need to be replaced and parts have been changed. I take car back to valeting garage and they completely deny everything.

I know such a scenario is uncommon but i have heard of it being done before.

If such a thing does happen what can i do legally, do i need to contact the police, my lawyer, trading standards etc.

I am thinking of taking a camcorder and recording everything i have on the car, although some parts won't be accessible by camcorder. I am also going to keep my key with me whilst they are doing it, but they've told me they need access to the interior and exterior of the car at the same time.

Apologies if it sounds a bit too concerning. I can take it too another place but this garage has a good offer on the at moment and they've told me that they've done many cars without any complaints. Although most of these may be the common cars you see on the roads.

Any info much appreciated.

[TrisK]

if you trust a place that little, i wouldnt be taking my car there.

do they have a dodgy reputation?

[ryan lang]

get the hoover and bucket and sponge out then mate if you dont trust them lol

[G6R-Jamie]

I would personally do it myself. Chances are you will do a better job than they do.

Consider the extra out of your time to do it yourself compared to the time and effort to argue a case if they did get stolen.

[Dan507]

I would get a mobile one mate and get it dome while your at work. That's what I did with mine.

[ady2k5]

if you trust a place that little, i wouldnt be taking my car there.

do they have a dodgy reputation?

hi mate

they've never had any complaints from valets they've done before, so they say

However i've been trying to find customer reviews on the website but nothing at all

[ady2k5]

I would personally do it myself. Chances are you will do a better job than they do.

Consider the extra out of your time to do it yourself compared to the time and effort to argue a case if they did get stolen.

hi mate

i'm a bit weary with mobile valeters as the valet i'm doing will involve light machine polishing, i think it's a bit dodgy to do this in the open environment where there could be dust and especially if it starts raining.

So what can be done if something does get stolen/replaced, how would i go about it?

[ady2k5]

get the hoover and bucket and sponge out then mate if you dont trust them lol

hi mate

i don't have a machine polisher and even if i did i've never done it before so could mess up the paint.

[G6R-Jamie]

Not if you use a DA polisher and you get a micron check on different areas of your paint beforehand. Saying this though I have a rotary and unless you use a wool pad and a really tough compound and go nuts you can't easily damage your paint. If you have a garage to do this in away from sunlight and bad British weather then you're laughing.

Personally I like the feeling of accomplishing a nice finish to my car hence why I do it myself. The price you pay taking it to a valet or detailer could easily buy you the kit to do it yourself. It's not difficult to learn and you can spend as much time as you like getting a perfect finish with the peace of mind of not leaving it in the hands of someone else to turn it into swirl city.

If you do decide to take it along and are worried I would just buy a newspaper for that day and find yourself a church or building with a clock on and film that before you go in along with your car.

Anyway that's just my 2p's worth.

[ryan lang]

just stay there at the entrance so you see what goes in and comes out?

they cant pull your gearbox out and stick it in a car once you've left, because you wouldt be able to leave?

[LukeSR]

Simple solution, find a new garage where you can see your car

[shorty]

wooooow paranoid much?? my v cost silly money to build and had some crazy ass rare parts on it but if a company has a good rep then do you think they would throw that away for the sake of a few £k's worth of bits of a starlet? considering an audi s6 gear box is prob worth the value of the average glanza and im sure they have probably had one or two of them in. if you trust them that little dont go there simples. but tbh when i used to drop mine places for bits and bobs the workers used to drool over it not eye up what they can rob!

[ady2k5]

just stay there at the entrance so you see what goes in and comes out?

they cant pull your gearbox out and stick it in a car once you've left, because you wouldt be able to leave?

They can replace it with a part faulty worn one i.e. crunchy gears.

[shorty]

seriously bud i think you going a tad ott?? I've never ever heard of a reputable company robbing bits off a modified motor.

[madmax_926]

i had my usb stick stolen from my car whilst having it cleaned, i noticed it was missing as soon as i got back in the car, i put it in the ashtray to stop them snapping it off from the stereo.

i confronted them and kicked of big time, they emptied all the hoovers and searched all the employees in front of me but the guy who i reckon did it left the shop to remove the sign out the front of their shop when they began searching he came back prety shifty and nervous. in the end they gave me a tenner, i wasn't worried about the money it had 800 songs on it and the time and effort involved was priceless to me.

i dont think your being para at all, they are not going to take your gearbox or dump valve but anythings possible this stuff does happen.

id be more weary of things like ipod, loose change, bank cards etc going missing rather things that are never removed from the car such as aftermarket parts as you would notice it.

im always paranoid of garages damaging parts like cambelt or contaminating your oil so you have to come back and they get more business from you or qoutes or repeat buisiness.

answer is go to a place which is recommended, specialist, high reputation or were you know a regular who will refuse to take their car any wehere else thats my opinion anyway, and above all i would go were you can watch them work a friendly place that doesn't mind you being in the garage because they understand the money, and emotions involved in your car

[ady2k5]

i had my usb stick stolen from my car whilst having it cleaned, i noticed it was missing as soon as i got back in the car, i put it in the ashtray to stop them snapping it off from the stereo.

i confronted them and kicked of big time, they emptied all the hoovers and searched all the employees in front of me but the guy who i reckon did it left the shop to remove the sign out the front of their shop when they began searching he came back prety shifty and nervous. in the end they gave me a tenner, i wasn't worried about the money it had 800 songs on it and the time and effort involved was priceless to me.

i dont think your being para at all, they are not going to take your gearbox or dump valve but anythings possible this stuff does happen.

id be more weary of things like ipod, loose change, bank cards etc going missing rather things that are never removed from the car such as aftermarket parts as you would notice it.

im always paranoid of garages damaging parts like cambelt or contaminating your oil so you have to come back and they get more business from you or qoutes or repeat buisiness.

answer is go to a place which is recommended, specialist, high reputation or were you know a regular who will refuse to take their car any wehere else thats my opinion anyway, and above all i would go were you can watch them work a friendly place that doesn't mind you being in the garage because they understand the money, and emotions involved in your car

hi mate

thaks for the info

I won't be leaving anything in the car at all as i'll just bag it the night before and leave it at home.

I would only use this garage in order to get the valet done as its been offered to me at a good price with me being a new customer.

Any work related to servicing or parts changing is carried out by another japanese specialist, but they don't do valets.

[shorty]

id be more weary of things like ipod, loose change, bank cards etc going missing

in fairness why would you leave stuff like that in a car when sending it some where anyway? and clearly you have alot of dodgey garages around. finding a good honerable garage is no harder than finding a decent pumber ect. id say its paranoide when your talking about swaping gearboxes ect hes not on about pinching change ect is he. i have a quite a few mates working in motor based trades and im a tad offended that people assume they are less honest than a shop worker or whatever. as stated before if your that concerned take it some where else.