mechanic troubles.

Day-mow · 23-11-2010, 06:06 PM

so i just got my car back from the mechanic (west performance auto- Coro Valley) and i got a bill for just under $600.
i explained i was having issues with the ABS light coming on and i asked if this could be looked at. he said the FLS wheel bearing was dead and needed replacing. i said fair enough sounds important and he explained this also may of been the case for my ABS sensor not working. $119.55 for repco wheel bearing

i was also contacted about a few other things that needed repalcing.

-the hose on my rocket cover on the rear to the TB intake was coming off i was asked if that wanted to be replaced and had a Right angle bend put init to prevent this. i said ok to that it sounded important. $13.64 in parts

-apparently windscreen wipers where so stuffed and they didn't get replaced last service and they badley needed replacing (even tho i had done them at the start of winter) and so i said that was ok just to stop him from winging. each wiper was $16.60 ($33.21 total). im pretty sure their like half that from auto barn

-was charged $45 for use of diagnostic tool to sus out the ABS fault. could my X3SCT tuner have done this?

-5Lt of 15w40 oil was put in @ $36.15. ryco filter $9.05
unsure if this is synthectic but the service manual suggest a 10w30 can i take this back to him and get him to put a different oil in or do i just cop it on the chin?

-enviroment waste levy- $18.14

-Clean my K&N air filter was $16.59 (should of told him it didn't need doing cos its new)

-Injcector and fuel system cleaner -$15.91 does this stuff even work on fords???

-engine flush and conditioner as requested by me because there was a heap of sluge in my rocker cover. i would of done this my self but i figured seeing as there was a service coming up there would of been no point in doing it and then have the mech dump all my nice oil on me
-$16.32

labour total 220.63

was also told my rear RHS wheel is buckled. havn't had a proper look but bob jayne never said anything about this when i got tyres put on last week. but this probably needs looking into.

also suspects the diff pinion bearing is very close to being dead. he said its probably worth just getting a new diff. oh no we need to do a diff bring it in sometime. but it will be a pretty costly exercise and its probably to far past using an additive.

service total 599.10

is this legitimate or have i been given a run. i had to call dad to pay for it because i didn't have enough $$$ so blessed to have amazing parents but at the moment im pretty unhappy about the whole situ.

thanks for the thoughts/feedback.

**Uncle_Ken** · 23-11-2010, 06:24 PM

Are the old just one more thing ploy.
Did you ask for a quote for the ABS light coming on?

I make up my mind before I take the car to be looked at/fixed how much I am prepared to have done. Now I am no mechanic so if was me and my car I would have got at least to quotes to fix what they reckon is working.
I reckon in your case they could have left undone:

- the hose on the rocket cover on the rear

- the windscreen wipers

- 5Lt of 15w40 oil and therefore the environment waste levy

- Cleaning the K&N air filter

- Injector and fuel system cleaner

Most of the above you can do your self or again get some quotes to get it done.

Labour is a killer of course, as can be seen by your story it doesn't take long for a bill to run up. Find a good, fair mechanic and stick with them ( and let everyone know on the forums if you find one )

UK

Day-mow · 23-11-2010, 06:25 PM

yeah i could of done that stuff all my self forsure. but i thought i'd get a logbook service done for peace of mind to the next person who has the car.

altho that being said he didn't even look @ the service book and didn't stamp it. i was pretty unhappy when i checked it and it was blank

blueoval · 23-11-2010, 06:43 PM

My reply in red

so i just got my car back from the mechanic (west performance auto- Coro Valley) and i got a bill for just under $600.
i explained i was having issues with the ABS light coming on and i asked if this could be looked at. he said the FLS wheel bearing was dead and needed replacing. i said fair enough sounds important and he explained this also may of been the case for my ABS sensor not working. $119.55 for repco wheel bearing

First of all, its rare wheel bearings need doing on AU's as they are a sealed unit. Not like the wheel bearings of earlier models. I have checked what the cost is for replacement of sealed wheel bearing units and they are over $200. Sounds to me like he has swindled you here.

i was also contacted about a few other things that needed repalcing.

-the hose on my rocket cover on the rear to the TB intake was coming off i was asked if that wanted to be replaced and had a Right angle bend put init to prevent this. i said ok to that it sounded important. $13.64 in parts

This is subjective. I would have personally wanted to see the unit firsthand prior to allowing him to work further on the car.

-apparently windscreen wipers where so stuffed and they didn't get replaced last service and they badley needed replacing (even tho i had done them at the start of winter) and so i said that was ok just to stop him from winging. each wiper was $16.60 ($33.21 total). im pretty sure their like half that from auto barn

This to me is a blatant rip off excuse to swindle you out of more cash. A typical way of extracting more cash out of someone who may not know better. Considering you had them replaced only 6 months ago, what he told you is total crap. $16 per blade? wtf? more like $5 from autobarn. Sorry but you got bent over there

-was charged $45 for use of diagnostic tool to sus out the ABS fault. could my X3SCT tuner have done this?

Doubtful the SCT had anything to do with the ABS. If hit hasnt happened before with the SCT, its got nothing to with it. An ABS fault code could be a few things. I would have got a second opinion.

-5Lt of 15w40 oil was put in @ $36.15. ryco filter $9.05
unsure if this is synthectic but the service manual suggest a 10w30 can i take this back to him and get him to put a different oil in or do i just cop it on the chin?

The cost of this is about right. Doubtful that its synthetic being that price. 15w40 shouldn't be used unless your engine is a high miler. Sounds a tad thick to me, but wouldn't let it worry you, unless the car is running differently with it. Stick with manufacturers recommendations otherwise.

-enviroment waste levy- $18.14

Standard issue fee and but normally included in standard service cost.

-Clean my K&N air filter was $16.59 (should of told him it didn't need doing cos its new)

If your filter was new, this is an obvious ploy to extract more cash from someone unknowing. What a croc of crap. If he is worth his weight in salt, he would have washed the filter out under running water thoroughly & used the recommended cleaning agent and oil. He would have needed 2-3 hours to dry the filter out prior to re-oiling and refitting the filter. The K&N filters can be used up to 20,000km before needing a clean without it hampering performance. Can this be proven? Unlikely.

-Injcector and fuel system cleaner -$15.91 does this stuff even work on fords???

wtf? how did he do this I wonder? put a cap of metho in the fuel tank? Just say its done and bobs ya uncle? pig's bum. If you wanted to have fuel system cleaned, a bottle of nulon injector cleaner in fuel tank would have sufficed. You could have done this at anytime. Plus the diagnostics check would have picked up any fault in the fuel system in the first place. Again, a doubtful scenario.

-engine flush and conditioner as requested by me because there was a heap of sluge in my rocker cover. i would of done this my self but i figured seeing as there was a service coming up there would of been no point in doing it and then have the mech dump all my nice oil on me
-$16.32

If you asked for this, then fair enough. The cost is about right.

labour total 220.63

With all the added extras he added onto the bill, the labor cost would have definitely reached this amount. But he has also padded the parts cost too, so he isn't losing.

was also told my rear RHS wheel is buckled. havn't had a proper look but bob jayne never said anything about this when i got tyres put on last week. but this probably needs looking into.

wheel buckled??? Sounds like scare tactics to me. Again, a second opinion is required. Could be wheel out of balance. But if it was recently checked, probably doubtful. Again second opinion required.

also suspects the diff pinion bearing is very close to being dead. he said its probably worth just getting a new diff. oh no we need to do a diff bring it in sometime. but it will be a pretty costly exercise and its probably to far past using an additive.

My diff pinion bearing has been a bit noisey for months. I still have to do something about it. But it hasn't collapsed. Not saying it will. But generally the AU carrier bearings are cheap chinese bearings that Ford used from factory. Unless it becomes unbearingly noisy, I'd leave it.

Diff

service total 599.10

is this legitimate or have i been given a run. i had to call dad to pay for it because i didn't have enough $$$ so blessed to have amazing parents but at the moment im pretty unhappy about the whole situ.

thanks for the thoughts/feedback.

My guess is, at most, he should have charged you $350 at the most in total if you take off the unnecessary items like wiper blades, rubber hoses, diagnostics, 'wheel bearing' etc. Unfortunately, I think you are best off learning from this lesson. Sadly this person has exploited your inexperience in this. Doubt you will see any cash back. These small time cowboys are the ones you need to watch out for. If you are ever asked if you want stuff done, just tell them to leave it for now and get a second opinion straight away. Otherwise call me and I can recommend you some more reputable mechanics that know fords without providing you with the 'rip off' factor.

blueoval · 23-11-2010, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Day-mow

yeah i could of done that stuff all my self forsure. but i thought i'd get a logbook service done for peace of mind to the next person who has the car.

altho that being said he didn't even look @ the service book and didn't stamp it. i was pretty unhappy when i checked it and it was blank

This is more evidence to show that this bloke did not have you best interests in mind. This bloke is a shark

If you want a decent mechanic down south, call me and I will forward you some numbers.

Day-mow · 23-11-2010, 06:50 PM

yeah cheers shav.
i think from now on im going to get my bosses bro inlaw (who is an X ford Mech and worked for ford from apprentice ship for 10+ yrs to service my car. may as well give him the money and he wont have a hidden agenda and i'll get parts from my parts boy mate. it just sucks that this has happened and i had to call dad to help me out. while im grateful that he did it makes me still feel like a child. not a 21 Y.O

Roger west performance auto will not see "daisy" again.

blueoval · 23-11-2010, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Day-mow

yeah cheers shav.
i think from now on im going to get my bosses bro inlaw (who is an X ford Mech and worked for ford from apprentice ship for 10+ yrs to service my car. may as well give him the money and he wont have a hidden agenda and i'll get parts from my parts boy mate. it just sucks that this has happened and i had to call dad to help me out. while im grateful that he did it makes me still feel like a child. not a 21 Y.O

Rogered by west performance auto will not see "daisy" again.

Fixed

Its always best to give your car to someone you can trust. I tend to meet the person up front and see who I am dealing with first prior to handing over the keys. That way I can usually gauge and distinguish what type of person they are first off.

Day-mow · 23-11-2010, 06:57 PM

my boss has used him for years and only speaks good things of westy but im not keen. appreciate your opinion.

blueoval · 23-11-2010, 07:05 PM

Recommendations by people are hard to judge. That's why its best to meet with the person up front and show them what needs to be done prior to approving the job to be started. You can usually ask them what they charge and what you want done.

Doesn't matter now. Just means you more are aware of cash hungry sharks out there.

Day-mow · 23-11-2010, 07:10 PM

Oh and forgot to add dte was pretty low when I picked the car up. Guessing he was pretty throttle happy :/

blueoval · 23-11-2010, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Day-mow

Oh and forgot to add dte was pretty low when I picked the car up. Guessing he was pretty throttle happy :/

You see, that would just P*** me right off knowing that. This guy could not give 2 stuffs about you regardless of what recommendation your boss gave. A serious lack of respect.

ratter · 23-11-2010, 07:19 PM

wheel bearings do fail on AU's we had to replace 1 last week and it was also trigering an ABS code

Did he put on new wiper heads or just the rubbers?, if rubbers it sounds a bit pricey but some brands are dearer than others.

No the X3 will not check or clear ABS codes

No it will not be synthetic oil at that price, but a quick look on Castrols web site list 10/40 or 15/40 motor oil for the AU

Some shops do charge the environment levy as they have to pay for oil and used oil filters to be taken away.

K&N's require cleaning based on how dirty they get not by mileage, some areas may require a filter to be cleaned every 5000 klms

Most those fuel cleaners you add to the tank are a waste of time and no, not all injector faults will show on a scan tool

A wheel can have some run out (buckled) but still balance up ok

If he has done this work with out your authorisation, there is a major problem, if you agreed, there is probably not much you can do except not go back there again. If you agreed you should queried the price before hand.

No body on the forum is going to kow exactly to whether your car needed this work, only you and your mechanic.

Good luck with it

ratter · 23-11-2010, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Day-mow

Oh and forgot to add dte was pretty low when I picked the car up. Guessing he was pretty throttle happy :/

yes he may have driven it hard but it could have been done form the car idling in the workshop

AUIIPURSUIT · 23-11-2010, 07:31 PM

also, id remove the company name from this thread... i know your trying to ward others off and stick it to them, but if it gets back to him, regardless of how you feel you were treated, youre liable to be sued...

;)

blueoval · 23-11-2010, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ratter

wheel bearings do fail on AU's we had to replace 1 last week and it was also trigering an ABS code

Did he put on new wiper heads or just the rubbers?, if rubbers it sounds a bit pricey but some brands are dearer than others.

No the X3 will not check or clear ABS codes

No it will not be synthetic oil at that price, but a quick look on Castrols web site list 10/40 or 15/40 motor oil for the AU

Some shops do charge the environment levy as they have to pay for oil and used oil filters to be taken away.

K&N's require cleaning based on how dirty they get not by mileage, some areas may require a filter to be cleaned every 5000 klms

Most those fuel cleaners you add to the tank are a waste of time and no, not all injector faults will show on a scan tool

A wheel can have some run out (buckled) but still balance up ok

If he has done this work with out your authorisation, there is a major problem, if you agreed, there is probably not much you can do except not go back there again. If you agreed you should queried the price before hand.

No body on the forum is going to kow exactly to whether your car needed this work, only you and your mechanic.

Good luck with it

I think you hit the nail on the head there ratter. Comes down to whether or not Day-mow agreed to this prior to handing over the cash. That being said, the 'work' done is still questionable.

chrisfpv · 23-11-2010, 07:39 PM

It's all a learning experience mate.

The last time I had my car serviced I ended up forking out around $900. I got the major service they offered, then when they called me up on the day after they had gone over my car they said I needed a new radiator (which I suspected beforehand), a couple of things to do with the steering, labour, scan tool costs etc etc.

I have my car booked in for another service tomorrow and i've told the shop that they are to do the service and no more. Every mechanic should give you a list of things on the invoice that may need attention in the near future.

Look these over when you get home and decide when and if you want the items looked at or fixed and book in a new day to do it.

This is what I will be doing from now on.

Maka · 23-11-2010, 08:26 PM

Day-mow, i would be 100% ringing Dept of Fair Trading in your state for their opinion on the logbook not getting stamped. Get their opinion then get back to place who done the work and tell em they forgot to stamp the logbook. If you asked for a logbook service and the logbook wasnt stamped could it be a breach/break of contract? After all, thats why you went there in the first place right? Ring DoFT and get their opinion mate. Hope it all works out for you.

Cheers Maka

Day-mow · 23-11-2010, 08:59 PM

I might do that thanks mate.

I Ok'd the bearing replacement of 150 so I was guessing about $400 ish I was pretty dossapointed when I rocked up to pick up my car and got dropped with $600.
So in that extent I was disappointed that I wasnt advised it would be this much.
Partially my fault partially not my fault.

JC · 23-11-2010, 09:04 PM

I'd say everything he did is at a fair price. You are the one that OK'd the extra work without finding out cost - no good complaining about it now.

Nothing in the charges you have posted up raises a red flag.

BTW, my LHS wheel bearing is woosh, woosh, wooshing, so just ordered a pair from eBay at $120 the pair, and will install them myself. What he charged you for the part is about right (eBay ranges from $60 each up to around $150 each).

Day-mow · 23-11-2010, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JC

I'd say everything he did is at a fair price. You are the one that OK'd the extra work without finding out cost - no good complaining about it now.
.

the thing that i guess i didn't know what to do is i asked roughly what he thought it would come to and he had no idea. so i didn't know what to expect.
all i can say is im thankful my parents are good with money.

MNM96 · 24-11-2010, 06:26 AM

Mine in blue

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueoval

My reply in red

so i just got my car back from the mechanic (west performance auto- Coro Valley) and i got a bill for just under $600.
i explained i was having issues with the ABS light coming on and i asked if this could be looked at. he said the FLS wheel bearing was dead and needed replacing. i said fair enough sounds important and he explained this also may of been the case for my ABS sensor not working. $119.55 for repco wheel bearing

First of all, its rare wheel bearings need doing on AU's as they are a sealed unit. Not like the wheel bearings of earlier models. I have checked what the cost is for replacement of sealed wheel bearing units and they are over $200. Sounds to me like he has swindled you here.

My cost for a sealed hub for a Falcon is about $80. Have come down considerably in last 18 months. His pricing seems to exclude labour, which is tallied as a stand alone cost. However, easy to disprove, remove wheel and look at hub. A new one stands out like dogs!

i was also contacted about a few other things that needed repalcing.

-the hose on my rocket cover on the rear to the TB intake was coming off i was asked if that wanted to be replaced and had a Right angle bend put init to prevent this. i said ok to that it sounded important. $13.64 in parts

This is subjective. I would have personally wanted to see the unit firsthand prior to allowing him to work further on the car.

Just coming off? could it have been secured using a cable tie? That said, any air in after the filter can be devastating to an engine, so for $14, cheap peace of mind!

-apparently windscreen wipers where so stuffed and they didn't get replaced last service and they badley needed replacing (even tho i had done them at the start of winter) and so i said that was ok just to stop him from winging. each wiper was $16.60 ($33.21 total). im pretty sure their like half that from auto barn

This to me is a blatant rip off excuse to swindle you out of more cash. A typical way of extracting more cash out of someone who may not know better. Considering you had them replaced only 6 months ago, what he told you is total crap. $16 per blade? wtf? more like $5 from autobarn. Sorry but you got bent over there

I doubt they just replaced the insert for that cost. My car, 100k old has wanted for the wiper insert replacing as it flops left to right with the motion of the wipers. Still works ok, but annoying. Again, easy to check. I used to replace wipers on every service as a complimentary part of service, also wash car and wash ashtray and add a smelly tree. If you got $32 for a pair of inserts, not good!

-was charged $45 for use of diagnostic tool to sus out the ABS fault. could my X3SCT tuner have done this?

Doubtful the SCT had anything to do with the ABS. If hit hasnt happened before with the SCT, its got nothing to with it. An ABS fault code could be a few things. I would have got a second opinion.

$45 for diagnostics is fine. Did they find anything? Blueoval, remember, to get a second opinion, first you must get a 1st opinion.

-5Lt of 15w40 oil was put in @ $36.15. ryco filter $9.05
unsure if this is synthectic but the service manual suggest a 10w30 can i take this back to him and get him to put a different oil in or do i just cop it on the chin?

The cost of this is about right. Doubtful that its synthetic being that price. 15w40 shouldn't be used unless your engine is a high miler. Sounds a tad thick to me, but wouldn't let it worry you, unless the car is running differently with it. Stick with manufacturers recommendations otherwise.

Oil and filter pricing is fine. Manufacturers recomendations are best, but change with conditions. Age of car, and wear upon motor. Listed sludge suggests at some time oil life has been extended severely, meaning that wear is likely, and therefore thicker oil not an issue. That said, oil viscosity (the 15W40 bit) is what the oils safe working parameters are in regards to thickness. That means that the difference between a 15 W40 and a 10W30 would be negligible accept in extreme hot times. Don't stress.

-enviroment waste levy- $18.14

Standard issue fee and but normally included in standard service cost.

All workshops use this and we accept it. In Queensland, a business doesn't get slugged a fee as this fee's name suggests. Its a subjective charge, and seems higher than industry standard.

-Clean my K&N air filter was $16.59 (should of told him it didn't need doing cos its new)

If your filter was new, this is an obvious ploy to extract more cash from someone unknowing. What a croc of crap. If he is worth his weight in salt, he would have washed the filter out under running water thoroughly & used the recommended cleaning agent and oil. He would have needed 2-3 hours to dry the filter out prior to re-oiling and refitting the filter. The K&N filters can be used up to 20,000km before needing a clean without it hampering performance. Can this be proven? Unlikely.

Its new? How new? Filters get dirty, dependent upon conditions. That said, if it was cleaned, why the charge. I understand from your description labour was itemized separately. What was the $16 for?

-Injcector and fuel system cleaner -$15.91 does this stuff even work on fords???

wtf? how did he do this I wonder? put a cap of metho in the fuel tank? Just say its done and bobs ya uncle? pig's bum. If you wanted to have fuel system cleaned, a bottle of nulon injector cleaner in fuel tank would have sufficed. You could have done this at anytime. Plus the diagnostics check would have picked up any fault in the fuel system in the first place. Again, a doubtful scenario.

He would have added a Nulon or Wynns additive to the tank. I think all additives are a WOFTAM. Use good clean fuel from a hi turnover bowser, and spring for some 98ron once in a while. All my car has had in 170k now!

-engine flush and conditioner as requested by me because there was a heap of sluge in my rocker cover. i would of done this my self but i figured seeing as there was a service coming up there would of been no point in doing it and then have the mech dump all my nice oil on me
-$16.32

If you asked for this, then fair enough. The cost is about right.

I am happy enough with this.

labour total 220.63

With all the added extras he added onto the bill, the labor cost would have definitely reached this amount. But he has also padded the parts cost too, so he isn't losing.

was also told my rear RHS wheel is buckled. havn't had a proper look but bob jayne never said anything about this when i got tyres put on last week. but this probably needs looking into.

wheel buckled??? Sounds like scare tactics to me. Again, a second opinion is required. Could be wheel out of balance. But if it was recently checked, probably doubtful. Again second opinion required.

Jack up and check. Perhaps missed at tyre shop because wheel is ok, but axle bent. Again, easy to disprove.

also suspects the diff pinion bearing is very close to being dead. he said its probably worth just getting a new diff. oh no we need to do a diff bring it in sometime. but it will be a pretty costly exercise and its probably to far past using an additive.

My diff pinion bearing has been a bit noisey for months. I still have to do something about it. But it hasn't collapsed. Not saying it will. But generally the AU carrier bearings are cheap chinese bearings that Ford used from factory. Unless it becomes unbearingly noisy, I'd leave it.

If its on the way out, so be it. save aside some cash for when it goes, and don't stress about it too much. Just Kodak it (let it develop) Replace complete unit when it does go.

Diff

service total 599.10

is this legitimate or have i been given a run. i had to call dad to pay for it because i didn't have enough $$$ so blessed to have amazing parents but at the moment im pretty unhappy about the whole situ.

thanks for the thoughts/feedback.

My guess is, at most, he should have charged you $350 at the most in total if you take off the unnecessary items like wiper blades, rubber hoses, diagnostics, 'wheel bearing' etc. Unfortunately, I think you are best off learning from this lesson. Sadly this person has exploited your inexperience in this. Doubt you will see any cash back. These small time cowboys are the ones you need to watch out for. If you are ever asked if you want stuff done, just tell them to leave it for now and get a second opinion straight away. Otherwise call me and I can recommend you some more reputable mechanics that know fords without providing you with the 'rip off' factor.

Your service costs what it costs. If you got what was listed, the pricing was fair for the most.

I do have some tips for you however.

Get a sticker made up for your Airbox lid saying DO NOT SERVICE! and to save a few bob, take your own oil. The oil used probably didn't cost more than $3.00 ( and as little as $1.00) so take your own bottle. You get it cheaper and can choose your own brand and quality, both things are great positives for your engine.

Find a Mechanic you can trust stick with them. They have a bad rap, but a good one is gold.

Anyone been to the dentists lately!

MNM96 · 24-11-2010, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ratter

yes he may have driven it hard but it could have been done form the car idling in the workshop

Times ten!

The amount of times I have been asked. I would make a point of assessing the kilometers of a car with the customer at drop off and the car was never driven off the premises by anyone but myself, and only ever with the customers permission.

Park your car in the carpark and run it for ten minutes and look what it does to your DTE!

MNM96 · 24-11-2010, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JC

I'd say everything he did is at a fair price. You are the one that OK'd the extra work without finding out cost - no good complaining about it now.

Nothing in the charges you have posted up raises a red flag.

BTW, my LHS wheel bearing is woosh, woosh, wooshing, so just ordered a pair from eBay at $120 the pair, and will install them myself. What he charged you for the part is about right (eBay ranges from $60 each up to around $150 each).

I posted my epic before reading your input! In short, well said.

MNM96 · 24-11-2010, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Day-mow

the thing that i guess i didn't know what to do is i asked roughly what he thought it would come to and he had no idea. so i didn't know what to expect.
all i can say is im thankful my parents are good with money.

Mum and Dad rocks!

MNM96 · 24-11-2010, 06:44 AM

Rep points for

Blueoval for offering an insightful reply. Only thing is you mentioned the importance of a face to face to judge someone, yet some of your posts are judgmental of workshop without having given them the chance!

JC because he is rarely wrong, level headed and giving to this community for a million miles! Nice one Mate

Ratter because he adds real world Dealership input. Rarely does a sponsor have as much input as Ratter. Why? Because he is one of us, trying to sell cars rather than a car salesman trying to be one of us!

Day-mow's Parents, because Mum and Dad are there to bail us out when we get in a jam! I think, with a nic like Day-mow, dropping around and mowing the lawn at home would be a nice thanks! (mum might spring for lunch) lol

Sizey · 24-11-2010, 07:30 AM

Waste levvy should be about $5-$10. The PCV hose sounds ok for $13, it would have just been some 3/8" hose more than likely. Why not put a cable tie on it? Because they are clearly not backyarders and will rectify a situation correctly thus replacing the hose.

Labour is usually documented as a standalone charge on a large job like this to show the customer how much labour they are actually being charged. If it was LHF wheel bearing, it doesn't surprise me. Although it is rare, it does happen. And wheel bearing prices (even more so after market ones) have come down a large amount in the last year or so.

**Mont5.0** · 24-11-2010, 07:31 AM

$600 bucks for all that dont sound that bad. the blokes still got to make a living. If $600 service with a few repairs gets you excited- Dont Break any big parts!!

blueoval · 24-11-2010, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNM96

Rep points for

Blueoval for offering an insightful reply. Only thing is you mentioned the importance of a face to face to judge someone, yet some of your posts are judgmental of workshop without having given them the chance!

JC because he is rarely wrong, level headed and giving to this community for a million miles! Nice one Mate

Ratter because he adds real world Dealership input. Rarely does a sponsor have as much input as Ratter. Why? Because he is one of us, trying to sell cars rather than a car salesman trying to be one of us!

Day-mow's Parents, because Mum and Dad are there to bail us out when we get in a jam! I think, with a nic like Day-mow, dropping around and mowing the lawn at home would be a nice thanks! (mum might spring for lunch) lol

Thanks Mike. Sometimes I get ahead of myself and probably judge unfairly as in this instance. What you say is true. But I guess I do things differently to this young fella. Im probably what you call a fastidious, suspicious and skeptical customer in the way of making sure the person touching my car is trustworthy enough. I've been burnt in the past as well and I guess its just a sensitive area for me. That being said, asking the question of cost prior to approving such work is a given for any person. Something Day-mow has learned from in this regard.

Day-mow · 24-11-2010, 01:35 PM

"a lesson lived is a lesson learned" -hatebreed

**Peuty** · 24-11-2010, 01:41 PM

Sorry mate, at least he did you the courtesy of running through everything that needed doing before they did it. At the end of the day you asked them to service the car and thats what happened.

Maybe put aside the $600 odd dollars next time and buy some tools etc to learn to do it all yourself.