Service - Good points & mainly bad points

The Soop went in for a oil & filter change....

After speaking to Alex I decided to get the gearbox oil changed to V160 as the garage that imported it admitted they had changed it with something else.

I also told them about a few other little things...

1. A small oil leak from the front, nothing major, just a few drops.

2. The air-con doesn't work, due to a leak somewhere.

The results..............

Had the car for two weeks! after telling me they were busy and kept leaving it and leaving it... I also had their loan car.

Turned up to collect the car and it was still being put back together again.

After asking numerous times "is the air-con fixed" they said "well it's seems to be fine"

Thery admitted to only just finding out where the oil was leaking from (oil pressure switch - only seems to leak when under pressure), so still not fixed.

Discovered a large scrape across the front bumper.

They had attempted to fit the stereo (long story) and managed to mark the dash, nothing serious, but annoying anyway.

They denied the scratch on the bumper, my word against theirs!

The air-con still doesn't work!

I still have a small oil leak!

On the way back from JAE the undertray came off!

( I watched them re-fitting this when I went to collect the car, and commented on that it didn't look as though it was fitted very securly)

Not a happy bunny! Will let you know how I get on before saying who it is to givethem a chance to redeem themselves. After all many businesses are built on word-of-mouth!

Now in a bit of a position where I don't want them to do the work, would rather do it myself, but feel they should pay for all faults to be rectified.

Ohhh and it cost me £200 for the privilege.

Ohhh and nearly forgot..The good bit..They gave me a FM expander for free (for the stero that doesn't work)

Oh dear mate, not good.

Local place was it?

Half way betwen Me and London, on the coast.

Anyone got any ideas of the cost of an undertray, it's uses, etc.

i had the same expierience with my local village idiots so i decided from them on i'de do it all myself at least if anything goes wrong i've no one to blame, finding a decent garage is a real PITA

Half way betwen Me and London, on the coast.

Cheers

A bit too close to me for comfort Shovels. Could you PM the place so I know where to avoid?

 

Cheers

Ohh yeh, just seen from your info your both fairly close, gonna try to resolve this before posting names, as I feel this is only fair, after all they have been pretty up-front with me when buying the car.

The owner is a real enthusiats, just sometimes popularity can make your service suffer if your capacity to do the work can't stretch far enough.

Gonna be speaking to him tomorrow hopefully.

I know exactly how you feel.

I operate on a 1 chance, and 1 chance only basis.

I've yet to find anyone that I would be willing to take my pride and joy back to.

I keep seriously thinking that I should open a garage and operate it on the principles that a job has to be done 100% right. But I think it would never survive a business as it takes a more time to do a job to what I believe to be an exceptable standard, than it would be viable to charge a customer for.

I know exactly how you feel.

 

I operate on a 1 chance, and 1 chance only basis.

 

I've yet to find anyone that I would be willing to take my pride and joy back to.

 

I keep seriously thinking that I should open a garage and operate it on the principles that a job has to be done 100% right. But I think it would never survive a business as it takes a more time to do a job to what I believe to be an exceptable standard, than it would be viable to charge a customer for.

funny that, I was thinking exactly the same thing. If only people would put as much pride into their work as we would, but then that wouldn't be a business, it would be a charity (or you would pay through the nose - and then you might as well do it yourself) bugger! I wish I knew more about cars, and had a ramp, and thousands of £ of tools... Ahh well

Ohh yeh, just seen from your info your both fairly close, gonna try to resolve this before posting names, as I feel this is only fair, after all they have been pretty up-front with me when buying the car.

 

The owner is a real enthusiats, just sometimes popularity can make your service suffer if your capacity to do the work can't stretch far enough.

 

Gonna be speaking to him tomorrow hopefully.

I see this as a massive problem for small business'. They want to grow so they take more work on, but haven't grown enough to be able to take on the staff to do the extra work. The quality of the workmanship then falls due to less time to do each job, and then due to poor reputation the opportunity to grow dissapears. Catch 22.

I guess the only way out is for the business to invest in new staff, taking the hit to start with, but knowing that the business as a whole will expand in the future.

Hope it all gets resolved, and that as a good will gesture they put right the scratch on the bumper.

Best of luck

I know exactly how you feel.

 

I operate on a 1 chance, and 1 chance only basis.

 

I've yet to find anyone that I would be willing to take my pride and joy back to.

 

I keep seriously thinking that I should open a garage and operate it on the principles that a job has to be done 100% right. But I think it would never survive a business as it takes a more time to do a job to what I believe to be an exceptable standard, than it would be viable to charge a customer for.

My thoughts exactly . Doesn't always pan out like that as quite a few of us always want it done now and quick and as cheap as possible ...so bit of a catch 22....believe me i've tried.

I think I always open myself up to dissapointment though. I guess I get spoiled at work and get into the thinking that when I take my car somewhere they are going to give it the same care as the mechanics at work give our cars.

Just thinking about this actually how much would people be willing to pay an hour for the *perfect job* so to speak? I'll do a poll....

I think I always open myself up to dissapointment though. I guess I get spoiled at work and get into the thinking that when I take my car somewhere they are going to give it the same care as the mechanics at work give our cars.

 

Just thinking about this actually how much would people be willing to pay an hour for the *perfect job* so to speak? I'll do a poll....

Yup I can also see that ..seeing as I have worked front line on prestige and sport in clinical fashion ( nothing to what you do *jealous*) then to see what goes on in "under the arches" does make you think. We are just spoilt I think...either that or too anal ..still not always good to judge by the cover as I have also seen some Sh1t tips do some cracking work ...just no time to clean up.

Sorry to hear this mate.. Finding a real good and trustworthy garage is very hard these days I think.

Thats why I try now to learn as much as possible and do the jobs I can myself. You should of been able to do an oil change etc yourself mate.. Hardly anything to it.

Oil and filter change - not too much of a problem, but it was the other faults I wanted checking out, so seemed like a good idea, at the time, to just let them do all of it.

It doesn't matter how large or small your business is, it comes down to lack of care and attention to details.

Scrapes and scratches on the car your working on simply isn't acceptable and just carelessness.

Never mind not even fixing the job in hand.