dazstarlet Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Just posted in the engines section about my woes with a problem which despite shelling out over £200 to have fixed actually hasn't fixed the problem at all. This is becoming quite common in my experience with both mechanics and some DIY / home improvement tradesmen, as maybe skills are on the wane what with no apprenticeships and such like these days. But wondered how others deal with this sort of thing? Assuming you don't do your own work on your cars (and I know a lot do on the forum), do you drive a car away from a garage without paying first and take it back if it's not fixed teling them you won't pay unless they sort it, or do you pay up front and go back and complain? If like me you've paid for parts that have not fixed the issue, together with the labour cost to fit them it isn't likely you will get refunded so what can you do without causing a major row and accusing garage / mechanic or being incompentent? Just wondered if others have experiences like this and how you handled it. I am truly fed up of paying out for substandard work, and like I say it seems to becoming more and more common these days. I've had problems with several garages in the last few years, maybe I just pick the bad guys! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
5e colin Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 (edited) fuck the apprenticeship thats for school boys ha ha ha but i understand what you meen with it !!! its simple to your question no fix no pay you guys have the sales of good laws wich are very strong in the uk id use them and get the boys in blue involved if needed be !! you must find a good friend who is a mechanic and always go same place 1s you found the place/person so they get to know your car / you i hate working on cars i havent worked on before Edited January 2, 2016 by 5e colin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sefton-EP91 Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Agreed with the above no fix, no pay! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dazstarlet Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 (edited) This bloke was in Peterborough Sefton. Small world! I guess if they don't know what the problem is then you are on to a loser right from the offset, that's the problem I am finding more of these days. I mean the Starlet must be one of the simplest cars to work on! How much free labour will a garage give you before they find the root cause and fix it? The small guys don't have the expensive diagnostic machines, so it's a case of trial and error which eats the hours up and it's not something they seem to want to get involved with for maybe just a few hours of 'actual' fix labour. Plus if you give someone permission to go ahead and do work based on what is effectively their best guess (if they tell you that they are not 100% sure) are you not ultimately liable to pick up the tab if it's not fixed, even just for the parts they have used? The same was true of 3 different garages with my suspension problems this year too. None of them fixed it totally. I am running out of mechanics to try Edited January 2, 2016 by dazstarlet Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AdamB Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Issue's stem from people that aren't familier with certain cars, unlike specialist they don't have parts just laying around that they can swap out to see if it cures a problem. Starlet's are old, not many people will know even what they are, let alone know any common faults, or even where to start fault finding especially when most people use some electronic diagnostic equipment that tells them everything if their used to OBD fault codes and CANBUS systems. People like that I like to just class as "fitters". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gainzy Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 If they haven't fixed the problem then what have they done lol best thing to do imo would of been to take the guy out in the car discuss the problem then if you have to come back then he can't say well it wasn't like that before hand etc you can't be expected to pay for a job they said they could fix and they basically can't..you have your rights. If it's a legit garage you should get a receipt to say what's been replaced.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gainzy Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Issue's stem from people that aren't familier with certain cars, unlike specialist they don't have parts just laying around that they can swap out to see if it cures a problem. Starlet's are old, not many people will know even what they are, let alone know any common faults, or even where to start fault finding especially when most people use some electronic diagnostic equipment that tells them everything if their used to OBD fault codes and CANBUS systems. People like that I like to just class as "fitters".Issue's also stem from people who have issue's lol it doesn't take a specialist to ring Toyota for a part..it just sounds like there a bunch of lazy bastards taking it for a small drive would be a good way to start! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
5e colin Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 most people use some electronic diagnostic equipment that tells them everything if their used to OBD fault codes and CANBUS systems. People like that I like to just class as "fitters". ha ha adam thats spot on cracked me right up , its true modern day mechanics dont know how to fix without diagnostics tools if the computer didnt tel them there clue less would love to see them mess with the old carbs and points setups ha ha most cant even set up a carb without help Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sefton-EP91 Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 (edited) This bloke was in Peterborough Sefton. Small world! I guess if they don't know what the problem is then you are on to a loser right from the offset, that's the problem I am finding more of these days. I mean the Starlet must be one of the simplest cars to work on! How much free labour will a garage give you before they find the root cause and fix it? The small guys don't have the expensive diagnostic machines, so it's a case of trial and error which eats the hours up and it's not something they seem to want to get involved with for maybe just a few hours of 'actual' fix labour. Plus if you give someone permission to go ahead and do work based on what is effectively their best guess (if they tell you that they are not 100% sure) are you not ultimately liable to pick up the tab if it's not fixed, even just for the parts they have used? The same was true of 3 different garages with my suspension problems this year too. None of them fixed it totally. I am running out of mechanics to try Great lol what garage was it mate? Can PM me if you like? I currently work at a VW main dealer, it's not uncommon to get it wrong sometimes but when it does we usually carry out repairs and depending on extent of damage or parts required we will take a shot. We usually throw in the labour free of charge and pay for 50% of the parts! Edited January 2, 2016 by Sefton-EP91 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MARC MOSS Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Test drive it first always before paying if it's something that's a noticeable problem they cannot argue then Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Justforfun Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 If the problem wasn't fixed they wouldn't be getting any money off me. Simple. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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