Sick of thieves.

[BENT_8]

I've used the same mechanic since I bought my first car and my old man used them for 20yrs before that, I'm more worried about them retiring than ripping me off..lol
Last fortnight I did a service on my old girls Hyundai Accent that she had recently bought, found the sump plug hinging in by a thread and the whole underside covered in blow back from the leaking oil so I gave it a degrease and blast with the Karcher to clean it up.
Bloody thing ran like a dog and threw up the check engine light, obviously moisture in the plug tubes so I pulled the coils and blew the whole lot out with compressed air, no problems.
2 days later it throws the CEL again, this time, no miss.
I didn't have time to look at it so I told her to call into my mechanic, he did a scan and reset the CEL, next day it came back so she took it back.
He swapped a couple of sensors around and sent her on her way, told her to drive it for a week and see how it goes, how much she asks, wait and see if its ok first.
So yesterday I called in to catch up, thank them for looking at it, give them the all clear that its fixed and ask how much they want for the labour.
Nothing he says, you've been a loyal customer to us and it was for your mum, were happy if she's happy.
Wouldn't even accept a slab of beer.

Told them my Sons VE needed the A/C looked at as someone told him the compressor was stuffed, they don't do A/C work and forwarded me onto a mobile guy with strict instructions to look after us.
Bloke turns up at 6pm last night, checks the compressor, all good just low on gas, charges it up, ice cold.
I said have you got a spare half hour, he says why, I said I've got 2 Hyundai's across the road that could do with a check and regas.
Half hour later all 3 cars are done at a VERY good price.

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

The mechanic I use for anything greater then driveway repairs is a Korean mob. No they don't just work on korean cars, they take pride in their work and have an extreme honour system. Righto they aren't the easiest to understand as I only speak bogan English, but they're more then willing to call you down to show the faults they found. They did me a second hand tyre for my trailer for free as i had a flat, and they refused a carton of asahi as payment (Johnny likes asahi) and I had to just leave it in the waiting room. The next rego check they were appreciative of that gesture. Honestly the tyre meant more to me then the case of beer. Prior to that before he moved away I used a mobile guy who was a 1 man show who was brilliant. To keep repeat business he didn't stooge you. If it was too much for a driveway fix he would ask to take it to his house and use his garage. He did a cylinder head for me once and asked if it was ok for him to pick his son up from school on the way to drop the car off and if I could give them a lift home. He lived 4 streets away so of course I had no problems. That was genuine service. The bloke didn't mess around because being a 1 man band he had to get things done, work was always good and things were cleaned up creating repeat business. Price was cheaper then a dealer and the work was good. There's probably cheaper shops that do questionable work, but this guy was proud of his work.

Asahi? Have you tried it? I would turn it down too haha. One of the worst beers I've tried since coming to this big dry piece of land.

[BPXR6T]

Used a new mechanic last time. Read the invoice when I got home and they added a complimentary car wash for $8. Nice of them to decide my car needs a wash then take it upon themselves to wash it and charge me for it.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

Asahi? Have you tried it? I would turn it down too haha. One of the worst beers I've tried since coming to this big dry piece of land.

I like asahi. They go alright.

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Told them my Sons VE needed the A/C looked at as someone told him the compressor was stuffed, they don't do A/C work and forwarded me onto a mobile guy with strict instructions to look after us.
Bloke turns up at 6pm last night, checks the compressor, all good just low on gas, charges it up, ice cold.
I said have you got a spare half hour, he says why, I said I've got 2 Hyundai's across the road that could do with a check and regas.
Half hour later all 3 cars are done at a VERY good price.

But why was it low on Gas?

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

But why was it low on Gas?

Ex cop car so would have spent most of its life with the A/C on and that rubber is porous and will lose gas over time.
VE's are notorious for faulty A/C compressors, they just stop pumping. His was still pumping but had not enough gas to engage when the button was pressed.
I read about it on JC, if the light wont come on its generally a gas issue.
He said theres no guarantee it wont pack in eventually and that the Holden badge has kept him employed for years, he wasn't hiding anything but whilst its working, why mess with it until it stops.

The thing with A/C is that it doesn't just lose efficiency over night, it takes a while and as a result isn't noticeable until it either stops working due to low gas or it stops blowing cold.
He showed me how to tell by holding the larger of the alloy pipes on the old girls Accent, before recharging was only slightly cool, after charging was freezing to touch.

[Lunch]

This thread has inspired me to look more closely at the paperwork from my last service which was 3 days ago, I informed them that they would need to remove the 'replaced air filter' from the invoice due to them not touching it ( at my previous request ) prior to collecting it but the paperwork shows they've charged me for 2x oil filters, both as individual items.

[Lunch]

Originally Posted by BPXR6T

Used a new mechanic last time. Read the invoice when I got home and they added a complimentary car wash for $8. Nice of them to decide my car needs a wash then take it upon themselves to wash it and charge me for it.

Doesn't 'complimentary' generally mean free?

[commodorenutt]

My VE is coming up on 11 years old. Never touched the A/C. Still runs to freezing real fast (way better than the FG's air). A/C is never off, and the car is used regularly - at least 10-15 minutes of running, 4-5 days a week.

R134a uses barrier hose which prevents gas leeching through rubber.

The best thing to do with an A/C system is to use it all the time - the more it's used, the better everything (moving) stays lubricated and protected by the even distribution of the refrigerant oil in the system.

The ones that fail early are generally from an impact, a poorly fitted or torqued joint at a fitting, or people who never use it until summer comes around, and the poor old compressor seal ****s itself.

Mind you, it never ceases to amaze me how there are still people out there that think A/C gas is like BBQ gas - don't use the A/C too much or you'll use up all the gas faster. The concept of a sealed system is foreign to them.

[chrisandsharon]

My kids would hate the VE then - in our FG it’s constantly ‘it’s too cold’, ‘can you turn the aircon up’ whinge whinge - ahh the problems they have these days.

We’re off to QLD shortly. I’ll leave the aircon off for half hr when we leave and tell em it’s broken

Regarding OP, bad service or thievery and I’ll never go back after voicing my opinion.
Our Hyundai has the 5yr factory and an extra 3yr dealer (BS) warranty if I get it serviced through the mob I bought it off. The relationship didn’t last past the 1000km check up. I will not put up with being ripped off or with bad service, they are equally on the top of my pet hate list.

.

[flightstrike]

Originally Posted by eaglem

That would'nt happen to be the one on Wanneroo Road in the Wangarra area would it??????

When I had the AU Falcon I took it up there to have the Powersteering Pump hose replaced as it was leaking. They had an apprentice do the job and she had powersteering fluid spray all over the firewall. To clean it off she used a high pressure cleaner which ripped all the insulation from the firewall. I asked them what they proposed to do to fix the problem and they said they would paint the firewall with insulation paint because to replace the insulation they would need to remove the motor. I was not happy and never went back.

I’ve used them for the two services including warranty work. Found them quite friendly and the Servide Manager looked after me.

Much better than one that’s repeatedly tried to screw me over, you’ll find them on a road named after a local beach.

[Mercury Bullet]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

I've only ever taken warranty cars or company cars in for service.

One such company car was a "heavy industries" brand. Not really my choice, but the pick of a bad bunch due to fleet rules at the time.

Normally the service guys have to fight it out with lease companies for authorisation to do additional work (at additional cost) and most don't even try it, as the lease companies are tight-asses, and they also know all the tricks in the book. But this particular car wasn't through a lease arrangement, and we had to pay for servicing on the company credit card.

Went in for the usual 1500km or whatever it was inspection, which was noted as free, but they still wanted me to fill out paperwork. Having learnt in the past, I always wrote "no additional work or products without prior approval" and my mobile number. I got a call asking if I wanted the tyres rotated, which I declined. That should have rung the warning bells... 1500km and the tyres need rotating on an AWD car...... sheesh!

At 3 months, it went in for it's first service (something like 10 or 12K from memory?). Asked the price beforehand, knowing it was really just a filter & oil.
Filled the paperwork out as usual, including the authorisation line I always write before sigining.

Go to pick it up, and the total requested was almost double what was quoted that morning. On top of the scheduled service, they wanted $20 something for wiper blades (they were 3 months old!) but the real ripper was the twin-pack of "fuel system cleaner" that they put on the counter - with one empty bottle. He told me I needed to put the 2nd bottle in next time I filled the tank. I questioned why a 3 month old car would need 2 bottles of "fuel cleaner" put through it, and was told "you can't trust fuel companies."

He then proceeded to put a bottle of "genuine" washer detergent on the counter - with about 10mm missing from the top. The price for that was also exhorbitant. I told him I didn't request it, and the answer was "well it's in the car now, you have to pay for it" - so I replied "I'll pay for the % of the bottle you used, and you can wear the rest" - his reply "doesn't work like that, you have to buy the whole bottle, it's in your car now" - so I told him, loud enough to get the attention of others in the waiting area "well you can go & get a straw & suck it back out, because I am not paying for something that wasn't authorised."

It then became a standoff - they wouldn't let me pay the original quoted amount, and wouldn't hand over my keys until I paid the new total. But I stood my ground & asked for someone higher up. Got the "I am the boss" line from a guy in a polo shirt, so I requested the dealer principal. He laughed, making a joke to his colleagues that sure, the customer thinks the DP has an office here in the service dept (it was a separate site to the sales yard). I may or may no have called him a farmyard animal, but told him to get him on the phone, which they did - but they wouldn't let me talk to him. They gave a "softer" version of events, bordering on lies, but were careful not to say too much.

Eventually they came to the realisation that nobody called me for authorisation, and I was in the right. The bill was cut back down to the original service charge. I suggested (being a smart ***) that he might want to put my old wiper blades back in, so he can keep the new wiper blades for the next stooge job. All I got was a growl......

The problem then, was this was the only service outlet for that brand, that was convenient for me to get to, so I was kinda stuck knowing I'd have to go back. Fortunately I only had that car for 2 more services, and each time I warned them no additional work was allowed without authorisation. They tried calling & asking for silly things, and I simply refused each time.

But it makes me wonder how many people, when given the "empty" fuel system cleaner bottle (clever suck-in marketing in the twin-pack), or the freshly opened washer detergent, simply pay up. The waiting room was probably 75% female customers, some of them with school age kids in tow, some young, some elderly - all of them ripe for the picking. If they tried it on me, were they going to to the same to all of them too?

I have a little trick for this.

I attach a genuine afp keyring complete with logo.

Thankfully in all my years I've never encountered what you endured but if I did I would mutter under my breath that fraud really isn't nice and maybe you shouldn't do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-avpx8UTakI

[vbvbvb088]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

My VE is coming up on 11 years old. Never touched the A/C. Still runs to freezing real fast (way better than the FG's air). A/C is never off, and the car is used regularly - at least 10-15 minutes of running, 4-5 days a week.

R134a uses barrier hose which prevents gas leeching through rubber.

The best thing to do with an A/C system is to use it all the time - the more it's used, the better everything (moving) stays lubricated and protected by the even distribution of the refrigerant oil in the system.

The ones that fail early are generally from an impact, a poorly fitted or torqued joint at a fitting, or people who never use it until summer comes around, and the poor old compressor seal ****s itself.

Mind you, it never ceases to amaze me how there are still people out there that think A/C gas is like BBQ gas - don't use the A/C too much or you'll use up all the gas faster. The concept of a sealed system is foreign to them.

I recall Nissan Pulsar hatches / Vector sedans (the early 90s Reebok ones) had a good feature that whenever reverse selected aircon would turn on to keep things oily and fresh.

[OzJavelin]

"Miscellaneous shop supplies" ... always an appreciated invoice line item.

[GO FURTHER]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

Please tell me your taking the ****?

Why would an employee of "Ricks" "Rick's" take their car to "Any town ford" to have it circused fixed?

As a mechanic I can't think of anything more rediculus ridiculous to impersonate than a mechanic.

Number one... You are assuming that because someone is wearing a shirt with an automotive trade emblem, that they are a mechanic. Like 99% of the population you are judging a book by its cover. See how it works.
The person wearing it could simply be a non-trade employee of that company such as the account person or receptionist.
If I turn up wearing a V8 Supercar shirt I bought at a race meet merchandising stand, does it mean I work for the race team?... Maybe I do or maybe I don't... Life is all about perception and illusion.

Number two... Why is it okay for the dealership to get away hoodwinking the customer with parts or procedures not needed or inflated invoices but not okay for a customer to hoodwink them in return?

Number three... Firstly, non-dealers can only do servicing, they can’t do warranty work.
Even people in the automotive trade who own a new car will take it to a dealership to have it fixed under warranty. If parts need to be replaced under warranty, only the dealership can provide them at no cost.
Non-dealers will also generally not have access to complete service information, technical support, factory knowledge, special service tools and fixes for any problems that may occur. A non-dealer cannot perform recalls or flash the computer with upgrades to overcome specific issues.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

My VE is coming up on 11 years old. Never touched the A/C. Still runs to freezing real fast (way better than the FG's air). A/C is never off, and the car is used regularly - at least 10-15 minutes of running, 4-5 days a week.

R134a uses barrier hose which prevents gas leeching through rubber.

The best thing to do with an A/C system is to use it all the time - the more it's used, the better everything (moving) stays lubricated and protected by the even distribution of the refrigerant oil in the system.

The ones that fail early are generally from an impact, a poorly fitted or torqued joint at a fitting, or people who never use it until summer comes around, and the poor old compressor seal ****s itself.

Mind you, it never ceases to amaze me how there are still people out there that think A/C gas is like BBQ gas - don't use the A/C too much or you'll use up all the gas faster. The concept of a sealed system is foreign to them.

My Sons only had the car 15 months so we don't know much about it other than it was ex police, i'd imagine they would have used the A/C regularly.
It didn't work over last summer apparently but he didn't mention it to me until recently.

I cant tell you anymore than what I was told firstly by my mechanic and then by the A/C bloke and that is that VE's have compressor issues which we were told so that if a regas didn't work we were prepared for the worst.

After regassing the A/C worked straight away and ice cold, was it involved in a hit, obviously not because it responded to gas, is there a leak, maybe but I cant see how that could be identified without hooking up the gauges and checking for vacuum or filling, he also added dye and said if it gives us trouble he'll come back and find the leak.
Again, I'm not sure how you could find a leak throughout the system without adding dye and running it which would require gas for it to cut in.

He did this for $80, the boy is stoked that he drives home from work with A/C so i'd say that's $80 well spent at this stage, if it turns out to be something else, what's $80 when we were given sufficient warning before he started the job.
If we'd dropped it off at a Holden Dealer he'd have paid that just for a diagnosis and would have been up for a compressor too knowing how they work, as it is now he has working A/C and the offer of a return visit to diagnose the exact issue if it gives him trouble, free of charge.

Time will tell I guess.

[au350hp]

I bought front & rear struts & springs today and being a lazy bugger, I asked for a quote on installing the rear's only. It was $2150 plus GST, better if you pay cash he says. I assume adding the front in would double that price.... $4300 for no more than 6 hours maximum? Daylight robbery. I won't name this mob yet because I haven't installed the gear I bought so if returns are needed,well, you know the rest. Pays to shop around, that's for sure. Busy weekend coming up. Hopefully I was supplied the right gear.

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by Roostercam

I bought front & rear struts & springs today and being a lazy bugger, I asked for a quote on installing the rear's only. It was $2150 plus GST, better if you pay cash he says. I assume adding the front in would double that price.... $4300 for no more than 6 hours maximum? Daylight robbery. I won't name this mob yet because I haven't installed the gear I bought so if returns are needed,well, you know the rest. Pays to shop around, that's for sure. Busy weekend coming up. Hopefully I was supplied the right gear.

And the annoying thing is they don,t care whether they get your job or not,or even if you tell others that they are a rip off.There are a lot more unsuspectng bunnies out there than you can tell,so another will come along soon enough.If you had the job done there the invoice would have detailed the whole procedure (about 1 whole page of worthless prattle) just to try to justify the cost.

[roddy1960]

G'day all , Ball park cost for a late model Falcon at a Ford dealership . Assume when it's just oil/filter/s , fluid top up , coolant pH check , general check over , scan tool check and no parts replacement. Just a scheduled interval service .
My local Caltex mob does this for me with written report for about $170 these days. Any-one use one of those cut price Lube Centre mobs too out of curiosity ?
Cheers Rod..

[jackute23]

"Miscellaneous shop supplies" I got charged that B/S one as well.
US video of scamming service places is cool, very accurate about what's going on.
I'm not sure about the wisdom of leaving police (AFP) stuff in a car. Might encourage someone to do something regrettable to the car. But, the fraud bit is right on, that's exactly what it is and if you added up the total of what they get in a week doing these scams it would probably amount to a serious criminal offence.

[chrisandsharon]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

The bill was cut back down to the original service charge. I suggested (being a smart ***) that he might want to put my old wiper blades back in, so he can keep the new wiper blades for the next stooge job. All I got was a growl......

That’s gold

[GO FURTHER]

Originally Posted by roddy1960

G'day all , Ball park cost for a late model Falcon at a Ford dealership . Assume when it's just oil/filter/s , fluid top up , coolant pH check , general check over , scan tool check and no parts replacement. Just a scheduled interval service .
My local Caltex mob does this for me with written report for about $170 these days. Any-one use one of those cut price Lube Centre mobs too out of curiosity ?
Cheers Rod..

If it's an FG or later model you bought new, most were sold with fixed price capped servicing for the scheduled service intervals.

You can look up the Ford site for the costs.

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by GO FURTHER

Number one... You are assuming that because someone is wearing a shirt with an automotive trade emblem, that they are a mechanic. Like 99% of the population you are judging a book by its cover. See how it works.
The person wearing it could simply be a non-trade employee of that company such as the account person or receptionist.
If I turn up wearing a V8 Supercar shirt I bought at a race meet merchandising stand, does it mean I work for the race team?... Maybe I do or maybe I don't... Life is all about perception and illusion.

Number two... Why is it okay for the dealership to get away hoodwinking the customer with parts or procedures not needed or inflated invoices but not okay for a customer to hoodwink them in return?

Number three... Firstly, non-dealers can only do servicing, they can’t do warranty work.
Even people in the automotive trade who own a new car will take it to a dealership to have it fixed under warranty. If parts need to be replaced under warranty, only the dealership can provide them at no cost.
Non-dealers will also generally not have access to complete service information, technical support, factory knowledge, special service tools and fixes for any problems that may occur. A non-dealer cannot perform recalls or flash the computer with upgrades to overcome specific issues.

Dude if all you have is picking on spelling and grammar, you haven't got much

And I meant circused because dealership workshops are a circus

Oh and even if you were a non trade employee for Ricks (left the ' out just to mess with your head) you'd still get them to do it over a dealer, unless your a complete fool

As for warranty, you just book it I for the warranty work and you don't need to worry about the bill

[marty351]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

Dude if all you have is picking on spelling and grammar, you haven't got much

And I meant circused because dealership workshops are a circus

Oh and even if you were a non trade employee for Ricks (left the ' out just to mess with your head) you'd still get them to do it over a dealer, unless your a complete fool

As for warranty, you just book it I for the warranty work and you don't need to worry about the bill

Until.....

[ronwest]

Originally Posted by Roostercam

I bought front & rear struts & springs today and being a lazy bugger, I asked for a quote on installing the rear's only. It was $2150 plus GST, better if you pay cash he says. I assume adding the front in would double that price.... $4300 for no more than 6 hours maximum? Daylight robbery. I won't name this mob yet because I haven't installed the gear I bought so if returns are needed,well, you know the rest. Pays to shop around, that's for sure. Busy weekend coming up. Hopefully I was supplied the right gear.

Jeez!

My daughter recently rang a suspension mob for her SS.

Around $1200 for lowered fronts and rears, supply and fit.

Her husband rang a couple of weeks later...

$150 less.

[marty351]

Bingo

[au350hp]

I think there was some film where Angelina Jolie was pretending to be a mechanic. I don't think I would be telling her it's ridiculous...

[Maka]

A workshop recently tried to sell me a damaged 2nd hand part passed off as good, then found out this same workshop dosent like answering phones either lol.

Thieves dont like it when you stand up for yourself, i got my money back swiftly, not a peep out of the owner lol..

After asking some of my mechanic mates / business owners around town, this supposed tradesman & business owner had a reputation as a muppet & i was told to steer clear.

Whats that about hindsight

cheers, Maka

Originally Posted by Roostercam

I think there was some film where Angelina Jolie was pretending to be a mechanic. I don't think I would be telling her it's ridiculous...

I actually don't mind that movie
While I don't know of any personally, I am sure there must be female mechanics around and I am sure that they would be very capable.

If a chick gets it wrong it's because she's a chick and isn't good enough for any sort of technical work. If a dude gets it wrong it's because he just made a mistake.

Any error made by a chick seems to be used as evidence that she's not suitable for any sort of technical work. I'd be willing the bet that as a result they probably work/study/practise twice as hard because they know they're under such unfair scrutiny and can't afford to ever get it wrong.