Post by charlotte on Jul 5, 2018 21:09:28 GMT
When you loose a huge post :/
My car overheated rather spectacularly when I was in the M25 a fortnight ago. I had a flight to catch and sent it to my parents garage. It was caused by heavy traffic and the fan not kicking in. Oh, and the idiot behind the wheel singing Jenny Lewis songs instead of watching the temp gauge. So I waited 2 hours on the hard shoulder for a tow truck. Happy days!
It split the hose off the water pump and took the water pump with it. So I said that a cam belt, aux belts and brake fluid flush would all be really beneficial for me as I’d only got around to doing the oil and plugs. My health is so so - I’m disabled and can manage a variable amount depending on how it is…..
I got back, the car wasn’t ready, I got a bunch of excuses, had no wheels for a further 4 days, they pointed out the MOT was now due and I told them to go for it. The bill was pretty huge - 7 hrs of labour for cam belt, water pump and diagnosing and changing a dodgy relay. I didn’t question it because I know I’ve landed customers with uncomfortable bills at times - I also always tried to warn them first…..
Thing was, I then drove it following it and it overheated again. Again, the fan failed to kick in. Thankfully the coolant stayed in place and no tow truck was needed but it royally screwed my plans and therefore health/ability to do things. I got to my destination using the a/c button as it seems to have both fans wired to it. They told me this. This sounds like a lash up wiring job to cover for a failed thermostat/switch/other bimetallic dodad.
I need to go have a chat tomorrow. Is 7 hrs realistic for a cambelt/waterpump/hose change? it seems way way way ott in comparison with specialists….and how to I play this? I hate to say this, but is this a "because I'm a girl" thing?
It strikes me that they’ve failed to accurately diagnose things. I now have an added dent in my drivers door thanks to another customer of theirs - and whilst they will put this right at “her” expense - the 7 hrs labour I’ve been billed almost seem to account for this repair too - and I’m sure Chips Away or similar would have it done in 2 hrs not the 2 days they are saying…..the car is my daily driver - and being off the road really affects my ability to get life done.
What’s the best way to play this? I did pay on credit card - which could be beneficial. My impression is that two of the mechanics know their onions and the 3rd one was on my car….
My background - boat electrician - so troubleshooting relays is my idea of a crappy day’s work - I hate the things as much as the next person - but they serve a purpose and it's well within my capabilities; I stopped to pick up my meters today for exactly that reason. I also don't want to take half a bag of tramadol to do the job I paid someone else to do and they haven't done.
Thanks guys
My car overheated rather spectacularly when I was in the M25 a fortnight ago. I had a flight to catch and sent it to my parents garage. It was caused by heavy traffic and the fan not kicking in. Oh, and the idiot behind the wheel singing Jenny Lewis songs instead of watching the temp gauge. So I waited 2 hours on the hard shoulder for a tow truck. Happy days!
It split the hose off the water pump and took the water pump with it. So I said that a cam belt, aux belts and brake fluid flush would all be really beneficial for me as I’d only got around to doing the oil and plugs. My health is so so - I’m disabled and can manage a variable amount depending on how it is…..
I got back, the car wasn’t ready, I got a bunch of excuses, had no wheels for a further 4 days, they pointed out the MOT was now due and I told them to go for it. The bill was pretty huge - 7 hrs of labour for cam belt, water pump and diagnosing and changing a dodgy relay. I didn’t question it because I know I’ve landed customers with uncomfortable bills at times - I also always tried to warn them first…..
Thing was, I then drove it following it and it overheated again. Again, the fan failed to kick in. Thankfully the coolant stayed in place and no tow truck was needed but it royally screwed my plans and therefore health/ability to do things. I got to my destination using the a/c button as it seems to have both fans wired to it. They told me this. This sounds like a lash up wiring job to cover for a failed thermostat/switch/other bimetallic dodad.
I need to go have a chat tomorrow. Is 7 hrs realistic for a cambelt/waterpump/hose change? it seems way way way ott in comparison with specialists….and how to I play this? I hate to say this, but is this a "because I'm a girl" thing?
It strikes me that they’ve failed to accurately diagnose things. I now have an added dent in my drivers door thanks to another customer of theirs - and whilst they will put this right at “her” expense - the 7 hrs labour I’ve been billed almost seem to account for this repair too - and I’m sure Chips Away or similar would have it done in 2 hrs not the 2 days they are saying…..the car is my daily driver - and being off the road really affects my ability to get life done.
What’s the best way to play this? I did pay on credit card - which could be beneficial. My impression is that two of the mechanics know their onions and the 3rd one was on my car….
My background - boat electrician - so troubleshooting relays is my idea of a crappy day’s work - I hate the things as much as the next person - but they serve a purpose and it's well within my capabilities; I stopped to pick up my meters today for exactly that reason. I also don't want to take half a bag of tramadol to do the job I paid someone else to do and they haven't done.
Thanks guys
lol
le sigh