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#1
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this is my first time posting to either of these forums... apologies for the long rambling rant..... but I'm looking for some advice if anyone can offer it :-) my car recently broke down, with the same fault that occurred 6 months earlier - car was progressively becoming more difficult to start (just silence when turning the ignition key.... occasionally starting) |
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6 months ago this happened, and it turned out the car needed a new ignition switch. 133 quid (2 and a bit hours labour and part cost) 6 months later... the same thing has happened again... Id put up with it for about a month.. but eventually the things just given up on me again... so needed to call the RAC out, who got the thing fired up and I drove it back to garage. I checked my original receipt to see if the work was guaranteed, and according to the receipt there is a "12 month guarantee on workmanship". As it happened my car also needed its MOT done, so I returned it to the original garage, for both what I presumed would be a repair under guarantee and the MOT. On speaking to the garage, they agreed the ignition switch had indeed failed again, and they had established that it was due to excessive current coming from the starter motor, which would need replacing. Grand total for both being replaced, 320 quid (!) I enquired that the very same problem had happened before, which seemed more than mere coincidence and presumably this would be covered under the guarantee. |
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There answer was that the intial switch failure couldnt have been caused by the excess current, as this would have burnt out any replacement switch in about a week. |
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I think they also admitted that the excess current issue wasnt something they would have checked anyway. Hmmm... well the former sounds a bit suspect, as Ive been experiencing the problem for about a month before its packed up again now... and the latter suggests, why didnt they look for this excess current problem the first time, if theyve done so this time? By now of course my car is in something of a dismantled state, they have no doubt spent several highly chargable hours of labour getting it to this state, so I didnt really feel I could tell them to bugger off and end up being given back a car in an undrivable/unworking state |
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and a demand for payment for time spent so far. So I said.. ok.. go ahead and replace the starter motor... I figured I could knock them down on the cost of the new ignition switch + labour later. Anyway.. the car has now gone through its MOT, and failed it, and a whole range of further problems have shown up... I asked them to get back to me with a quote for what it would cost to fix all these and the price quoted is 660 quid (!) I asked what the bill would be if I were to have the car back with no further work done, in its un-MOTed state, and the bill drops to a mere(!) 450 quid for the work thats been done on it so far(!). Rather annoying as this has jumped from the earlier figure of £320, as apparently the mechanic had taken it upon himself to commence work on the brakes which was one of the reasons it failed the MOT. Of course I was told he had to dismantle the wheels/brakes etc first in order to establish what the problem was..... hmmmmm |
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You could say Im between a rock and a hard place here... especially as the vehicle itself is probably worth less than a grand. |
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Im tempted to walk in, and say "Im not going to pay such an outrageous bill, what are you going to do about it". Im curious to know what they could do about it? Obviously they could keep my vehicle... but if the final bill and the value of the car isnt much different, I dont have much to lose. What would happen then? do they have any legal right to hold onto the vehicle.. sell it, etc? |
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I do feel they should have put the vehicle through its MOT first before doing anything - even though obviously it was going to fail, and let me know a quote for all the things that needed doing so that I could decide if it was worth it... rather than doing bits here and there and leaving me with an intial high bill. |
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Is there some code of conduct that garages should really be able to give you a quote without excessive intiial labour charges? If as I suspect will happen, I have to bite the bullet and pay this exhorbitant bill, I will never ever be taking any business back there again.. and I will be advising any family and friends and work colleagues to do the same... I figure this is really the only way in the long run I can really "hurt" them finanically to the same level they are charging me. |
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A few other people have suggested I approach Trading Standards about this... not sure what if anything this might achieve.. apart from possibly officially registering a black mark/complaint against their name. Maybe everything they've done is entirely legal, and simply "sharp business practise" |
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Anyway... Ive grudgingly told them to get on with it then, as I dont feel I have any choice... and I will be having words with them, when I pick up the car sometime tomorrow or the day after.... if anyone has any advice before then, I would be glad to hear it. ps. you wouldnt believe this is a small local garage that our family has used for many years! |
#2
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Insert_Clever_Pseudonym_Here (clever_pseudo... (AT) hotmail (DOT) co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying : my car recently broke down, with the same fault that occurred 6 months earlier - car was progressively becoming more difficult to start (just silence when turning the ignition key.... occasionally starting) (Left in full, x-posted to uk.rec.cars.maintenance. Comments in-line.) |
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I checked my original receipt to see if the work was guaranteed, and according to the receipt there is a "12 month guarantee on workmanship". As it happened my car also needed its MOT done, so I returned it to the original garage, for both what I presumed would be a repair under guarantee and the MOT. Why? The *workmanship* on the lock replacement wasn't faulty. |
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There answer was that the intial switch failure couldnt have been caused by the excess current, as this would have burnt out any replacement switch in about a week. Seems reasonable to me. |
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By now of course my car is in something of a dismantled state, they have no doubt spent several highly chargable hours of labour getting it to this state, so I didnt really feel I could tell them to bugger off and end up being given back a car in an undrivable/unworking state In a state you knew to be illegal to drive. Would you have organised a trailer for the removal? Where else would you have taken it? |
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of the reasons it failed the MOT. Of course I was told he had to dismantle the wheels/brakes etc first in order to establish what the problem was..... hmmmmm Why "Hmmm"? He's not psychic. Of course he needs to strip down to establish what the problem is. |
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You could say Im between a rock and a hard place here... especially as the vehicle itself is probably worth less than a grand. But it's scrap without the work being done. |
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What would happen then? do they have any legal right to hold onto the vehicle.. sell it, etc? Yep. |
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I do feel they should have put the vehicle through its MOT first before doing anything - even though obviously it was going to fail, and let me know a quote for all the things that needed doing so that I could decide if it was worth it... rather than doing bits here and there and leaving me with an intial high bill. Yes, you probably have a point. You say "obviously it was going to fail" - why "obviously"? |
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Are you suggesting that you were knowingly driving around with brakes that you knew were inadequate? Did you tell them of these other MOT-fail problems you knew of? |
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Let's recap. You took your car to them, with known faults, and said "Please fix, and MOT". |
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They spent time investigating, and said "This is the problem, cost £X to fix" You said "Go ahead" They did so, MOTd the car as you requested, and said "It's failed on Y - we've spent some more investigating and it needs £Z spending. What do you want to do?" |
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A few other people have suggested I approach Trading Standards about this... not sure what if anything this might achieve.. apart from possibly officially registering a black mark/complaint against their name. Maybe everything they've done is entirely legal, and simply "sharp business practise" I don't even think it's that. |
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Why wouldn't I? I don't think they've done anything out of order from your initial description. There may well, of course, be a bit more to it. |
#3
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On speaking to the garage, they agreed the ignition switch had indeed failed again, and they had established that it was due to excessive current coming from the starter motor, which would need replacing. Grand total for both being replaced, 320 quid (!) |
#4
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Insert_Clever_Pseudonym_Here (clever_pseudonym (AT) hotmail (DOT) co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying : my car recently broke down, with the same fault that occurred 6 months earlier - car was progressively becoming more difficult to start (just silence when turning the ignition key.... occasionally starting) 6 months ago this happened, and it turned out the car needed a new ignition switch. 133 quid (2 and a bit hours labour and part cost) 6 months later... the same thing has happened again... Id put up with it for about a month.. but eventually the things just given up on me again... so needed to call the RAC out, who got the thing fired up and I drove it back to garage. |
#5
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Insert_Clever_Pseudonym_Here (clever_pseudo... (AT) hotmail (DOT) co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying : my car recently broke down, with the same fault that occurred 6 months earlier - car was progressively becoming more difficult to start (just silence when turning the ignition key.... occasionally starting) (Left in full, x-posted to uk.rec.cars.maintenance. Comments in-line.) |
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I checked my original receipt to see if the work was guaranteed, and according to the receipt there is a "12 month guarantee on workmanship". As it happened my car also needed its MOT done, so I returned it to the original garage, for both what I presumed would be a repair under guarantee and the MOT. Why? The *workmanship* on the lock replacement wasn't faulty. |
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There answer was that the intial switch failure couldnt have been caused by the excess current, as this would have burnt out any replacement switch in about a week. Seems reasonable to me. |
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By now of course my car is in something of a dismantled state, they have no doubt spent several highly chargable hours of labour getting it to this state, so I didnt really feel I could tell them to bugger off and end up being given back a car in an undrivable/unworking state In a state you knew to be illegal to drive. Would you have organised a trailer for the removal? Where else would you have taken it? |
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of the reasons it failed the MOT. Of course I was told he had to dismantle the wheels/brakes etc first in order to establish what the problem was..... hmmmmm Why "Hmmm"? He's not psychic. Of course he needs to strip down to establish what the problem is. |
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You could say Im between a rock and a hard place here... especially as the vehicle itself is probably worth less than a grand. But it's scrap without the work being done. |
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What would happen then? do they have any legal right to hold onto the vehicle.. sell it, etc? Yep. |
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I do feel they should have put the vehicle through its MOT first before doing anything - even though obviously it was going to fail, and let me know a quote for all the things that needed doing so that I could decide if it was worth it... rather than doing bits here and there and leaving me with an intial high bill. Yes, you probably have a point. You say "obviously it was going to fail" - why "obviously"? |
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Are you suggesting that you were knowingly driving around with brakes that you knew were inadequate? Did you tell them of these other MOT-fail problems you knew of? |
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Let's recap. You took your car to them, with known faults, and said "Please fix, and MOT". |
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They spent time investigating, and said "This is the problem, cost £X to fix" You said "Go ahead" They did so, MOTd the car as you requested, and said "It's failed on Y - we've spent some more investigating and it needs £Z spending. What do you want to do?" |
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A few other people have suggested I approach Trading Standards about this... not sure what if anything this might achieve.. apart from possibly officially registering a black mark/complaint against their name. Maybe everything they've done is entirely legal, and simply "sharp business practise" I don't even think it's that. |
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Why wouldn't I? I don't think they've done anything out of order from your initial description. There may well, of course, be a bit more to it. |
#6
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Insert_Clever_Pseudonym_Here (clever_pseudo... (AT) hotmail (DOT) co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying : my car recently broke down, with the same fault that occurred 6 months earlier - car was progressively becoming more difficult to start (just silence when turning the ignition key.... occasionally starting) (Left in full, x-posted to uk.rec.cars.maintenance. Comments in-line.) |
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I checked my original receipt to see if the work was guaranteed, and according to the receipt there is a "12 month guarantee on workmanship". As it happened my car also needed its MOT done, so I returned it to the original garage, for both what I presumed would be a repair under guarantee and the MOT. Why? The *workmanship* on the lock replacement wasn't faulty. |
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There answer was that the intial switch failure couldnt have been caused by the excess current, as this would have burnt out any replacement switch in about a week. Seems reasonable to me. |
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By now of course my car is in something of a dismantled state, they have no doubt spent several highly chargable hours of labour getting it to this state, so I didnt really feel I could tell them to bugger off and end up being given back a car in an undrivable/unworking state In a state you knew to be illegal to drive. Would you have organised a trailer for the removal? Where else would you have taken it? |
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of the reasons it failed the MOT. Of course I was told he had to dismantle the wheels/brakes etc first in order to establish what the problem was..... hmmmmm Why "Hmmm"? He's not psychic. Of course he needs to strip down to establish what the problem is. |
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You could say Im between a rock and a hard place here... especially as the vehicle itself is probably worth less than a grand. But it's scrap without the work being done. |
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What would happen then? do they have any legal right to hold onto the vehicle.. sell it, etc? Yep. |
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I do feel they should have put the vehicle through its MOT first before doing anything - even though obviously it was going to fail, and let me know a quote for all the things that needed doing so that I could decide if it was worth it... rather than doing bits here and there and leaving me with an intial high bill. Yes, you probably have a point. You say "obviously it was going to fail" - why "obviously"? |
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Are you suggesting that you were knowingly driving around with brakes that you knew were inadequate? Did you tell them of these other MOT-fail problems you knew of? |
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Let's recap. You took your car to them, with known faults, and said "Please fix, and MOT". |
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They spent time investigating, and said "This is the problem, cost £X to fix" You said "Go ahead" They did so, MOTd the car as you requested, and said "It's failed on Y - we've spent some more investigating and it needs £Z spending. What do you want to do?" |
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A few other people have suggested I approach Trading Standards about this... not sure what if anything this might achieve.. apart from possibly officially registering a black mark/complaint against their name. Maybe everything they've done is entirely legal, and simply "sharp business practise" I don't even think it's that. |
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Why wouldn't I? I don't think they've done anything out of order from your initial description. There may well, of course, be a bit more to it. |
#7
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#8
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On May 15, 9:52 pm, Adrian <toomany2... (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote: Insert_Clever_Pseudonym_Here (clever_pseudo... (AT) hotmail (DOT) co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying : my car recently broke down, with the same fault that occurred 6 months earlier - car was progressively becoming more difficult to start (just silence when turning the ignition key.... occasionally starting) (Left in full, x-posted to uk.rec.cars.maintenance. Comments in-line.) ah ta for that... I was looking for a more suitable 2nd forum to post it to, concerning motoring stuff, but couldnt find one that seemed apt. I checked my original receipt to see if the work was guaranteed, and according to the receipt there is a "12 month guarantee on workmanship". As it happened my car also needed its MOT done, so I returned it to the original garage, for both what I presumed would be a repair under guarantee and the MOT. Why? The *workmanship* on the lock replacement wasn't faulty. You wouldnt consider the term workmanship, to encompass finding out why the original component failed then, but merely the physical act of installing a new component? |
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If thats the case, why was the cause investigated the 2nd time, but not the first? |
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There answer was that the intial switch failure couldnt have been caused by the excess current, as this would have burnt out any replacement switch in about a week. Seems reasonable to me. Indeed, except of course my experience suggests the switch would in fact last much longer than this, thus undermining the credibility of what he told me. Which might imply that the excess current problem was there the first time around. |
#9
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Why? The *workmanship* on the lock replacement wasn't faulty. You wouldnt consider the term workmanship, to encompass finding out why the original component failed then, but merely the physical act of installing a new component? |
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If thats the case, why was the cause investigated the 2nd time, but not the first? |
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There answer was that the intial switch failure couldnt have been caused by the excess current, as this would have burnt out any replacement switch in about a week. Seems reasonable to me. Indeed, except of course my experience suggests the switch would in fact last much longer than this, thus undermining the credibility of what he told me. |
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Which might imply that the excess current problem was there the first time around. |
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By now of course my car is in something of a dismantled state, they have no doubt spent several highly chargable hours of labour getting it to this state, so I didnt really feel I could tell them to bugger off and end up being given back a car in an undrivable/unworking state In a state you knew to be illegal to drive. Would you have organised a trailer for the removal? Where else would you have taken it? Well exactly... you are agreeing with what I just wrote! ie. they had me over a barrel. Keep up! |
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Why "Hmmm"? He's not psychic. Of course he needs to strip down to establish what the problem is. Well from chatting to various people since this has happened....the consensus is that you take your car to be MOTed... you pay the MOT price.... you then get a quote for any work that needs doing. |
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You arent obliged to get the work done at that garage... in fact you can take it wherever you so choose. A form of "putting out to tender" I guess. Maybe I didnt make it clear, but it seemed that labour charges had been incurred in stripping down etc, without my authorisation The car had failed and then they'd gone ahead and started stripping it down.. spending (chargeable time) finding out whats wrong with it, without any indication of what I was going to pay! |
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But it's scrap without the work being done. Technically true, but I would imagine it still has some resale value without an MOT. |
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If its possible for me to sell if for more than scrap value |
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then well... its not scrap is it? :-) |
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What would happen then? do they have any legal right to hold onto the vehicle.. sell it, etc? Yep. Yep to what? both questions? |
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Yes, you probably have a point. You say "obviously it was going to fail" - why "obviously"? well the fact it had broken down in the first place was probably a bit of a clue :-) |
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Im suggesting that perhaps they were in a better position to suggest MOTing first... |
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Maybe everything they've done is entirely legal, and simply "sharp business practise" I don't even think it's that. Would you be happy paying the £660 bill based on the above then? |
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Everyone Ive told this to so far, has been stunned into silence when I mention that figure. |
#10
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Excessive current through the starter motor I think is what they mean to say. Except there is absolutely no way the starter motor is wired directly through the switch - the thing would evaporate in a tenth of a second even with a normal starting current. Sounds like this guy has been spun a load of b*ll*cks by the garage. |
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