Garage problems

[little corrado 0]

Just wondered what you guys thought of this..............bit of a long story Im affraid but try to keep it short.

 

Basically I own a Mk2 Golf GTi as well put it into the garage I have been using for years to get a new clutch. After a few days of not hearing anything from them I phone them up to see if my car is ready, they tell me that I actually need a new gearbox. Took a gearbox out of a car we have sitting and took it up to them. Again after another week of not hearing from them I phone up. They tell me that the car hasn't started since they completed the job. I tell them this is strange as I use the car everyday and it normally starts fine. Another couple of days pass and he phones to tell me that he thinks its the ECU as its flooding itself with petrol and that he has sent it down to somewhere in Glasgow to get tested. Mean while I go up with two other ECU's (one of which I took off of a running car) and still no difference. Garage was at a blank and so was I so I did I bit of reaserch and found out that it is common for ECU's to blow up after gearbox/clutch work if the earth strap isn't cleaned and put back on properly. Mean while ECU company tell me that my ECU is completly frazzled and 200 quid to fix. I Ok this with the ECU company as I was still confused as to why the other ECU's I had tried hadn't work. I go back to the garage and tell them the story about earth strapps. They are accepting no responsibility for it and not even willing to go halves on the 200 quid. Fuming I contact my solicitors but they weren't interested as they said I needed proof that this is what had happened meanwhile garage phone up and tell me that they have new ECU in and car up and running. (with a big F**k off clean earth strap) all my evidence gone! What do you guys think? Who do think is liable for these costs? As far as I am concerned I didn't put my car into the garage with an ECU problem and it was me that told them what they had done (or hadn't done as the case maybe) The stroy doesn't end there!................ Pay the garage bill in the mean time to get my car back. First time I take it on the dual carriageway and go to overtake at about 70mph and the clutch starts slipping! Discover that over 60-70mph and high rev's the clutch is slipping. Take it back up to the garage, he trys to adjust it but still doing it. He then admits to me that he thinks maybe they have fitted the wrong clutch and to put it back into them. Leave the car with them and a few days later he phones me to discuss the situation. Basically they can go ahead and take the gearbox out again and if the wrong clutch has been fitted he will encouter the costs but beacause I supplied him wih the gearbox and it is a gearbox problem I will be liable. Don't know what to do he has told me as much s**t how Im I to believe that it is a gearbox problem as it is obvious that is what he is going to turn round and say and for that matter how do I know a new clutch was fitted in the first place as he has never showed me the old one. Dont know whether to leave the car with him as its his problem and for him to turn round and say this to me or get it out there quick and take it to another garage for their diagnosis and encur even more costs for the car from them.

 

HELP ME PLEASE IM AT MY WITTS END WITH THIS SITUATION!!!

[dazzyvr6 0]

think you would be best to go to the citizens advice and trading standards to see what they say,maybe a nice phone call off either of them might get the garage topay some of the costs,the last thing the garage would want is to be investigated by trading standards

[pimp 0]

whereabouts are you?

Without proof I don't think there's much you can do.

I'd look to go elswhere. Don't know if I would trust them anymore.

 

That's only my two pence of course.

[dazzyvr6 0]

you should ask to see the recipts from the new clutch,still say got to the trading standards even if its just for advice

[little corrado 0]

Yeah already contacted the citizens advise and trading standards but again need evidence.

 

Im in the Aberdeen area I really think I should just get my car out of there and go to another garage but really p***ed off that Im going to have to fork even more money to out and my car has come out of that garage with more problems than it went in with.

 

Cheers for your thoughts.

[skid 1]

Hi ya lass.

 

You might not get receipts for the new clutch from him but they should st least have the delivery note to go with it.

 

Get the car out of there and get another garage to check it out, that way you have backing of another profesional independant company.

If they find any problems with poor workmanship get it all written down and that can be some of your eveidence or back up.

 

As there is plenty os North east/Aberdeen people in the forum please could you name and shame the garage so that other owners can stay clear of garages like this or even tell of similar woes. :shock:

[Majik 0]

i think you have got a case but because u supplied some second hand bits they can point to that. Did you get a reciept for the work they did on your car?

Firstly: if they removed gearbox than they should know what procedures are involved and preventative methods to use, if they havent removed/replaced with care then this is negligence.

Secondly: Its not worth the hassle of taking a gearbox out and not replacing the clutch! the clutch for these cars are fairly cheap as long as they didnt use a reconditioned cheap part its probably not the clutch.

Thirdly: If you supplied the 2nd hand gearbox to them than there is no warranty on the part, however they should garantee their workmanship and rectify things if they went wrong.

Another point they may pick up on if you went to a claims court, is that u supplied the parts like a gearbox which you had at home and you must've taken it out yourself, so why could'nt you do the clutch on your own car, implying that there must've been something more than just the clutch.

[little corrado 0]

Well none of you have probably heard of the garage but its called Cameron Motors at Cuminestown near Turriff.

 

Yeah I got a receipt for the work that they done but come to think of it doesn't actually specify what job was carried out it just says labour and the price (doesn't even say the hours that were spent on it)

 

Yeah my boyfriend took the gearbox out of a car we had lying and he does have mechanical knowledge and could have done the whole job but just thought we would use the SO CALLED PROFESSIONALS and get the job done properly and to get the car back as soon as possible (little did I know that it would take over twice as long)

[Majik 0]

Is it a big company or a one man band?

[little corrado 0]

Its just a small family run village garage basically but with heaps of seventeen year olds working in the place. He tried to tell me that the guy who did the job on my car was 20 year old, time served mechanic with three years experience??!!

[G60 0]

haha he's been at it since grade school then! i'd get the car out of there, take it to someone new who you trust and like someone here mentioned, try to get documentation of any shady worksmanship. but you're probably out of luck for getting any cash back.. might just have to cut your losses.

 

could always balance things out with a well-thrown brick...

 

sorry to hear about you luck, we've all had experiences like this. i paid $1800 (cdn) for a 'rebuilt' engine installation that was put in with BLOWN SEALS and the shop refused to do the seals when i came back just days later... unless i paid full price for the work which they said was half of what i paid for the install/engine! drove the car about 6 months, blew the head into two pieces and scrapped it. now everyone i know knows not to go to LITO'S AUTOMOTIVE in kitchener. :lol: spread the word on shady garages!! word of mouth, good or bad, does more to impact a business than anything else.

[IainT 0]

Little Corrado

 

I have experience of Cameron Motors, put my girlfriends car in for a 'small' amount of work and an MOT. A large bill later and not much proof of work done I got the cat back. Won't going there again. I live in Macduff and use a couple of local garages: County Garage, Banff are very thourogh and cost a little more. No direct Corrado Experience though. Grampian Auto Services, Fyvie is a strange looking place, loads of junk everywhere but bags of experiece and only £20 per hour labour. Both are good for non-specialist work. Cheap wheel geometery etc.

 

Use the garages I mentioned in the post above for more specialist work.

 

Do you own a dark blue LHD G60?

[stevemac 0]

Sounds like a very unfortunate experience. It is very unlikely that you will get any kind of refund from this garage.

 

Do you have a local newspaper ?? I would contact them as this may be your "lever" to use against the garage. Tell your local 'paper the situation. They may decide to run a "story" and ultimately may ruin whatever good reputation this garage may have had. I would imagine the 'paper will be pleased to hear from you as this kind of story will be of interest to many local people and therefore sell more newspapers.

 

Remove your car from this garage (if you haven't already) and use a more reputable dealer/specialist.

 

Any offers from this garage of either compensation or re-doing of any work should be obtained in writing as this is technically an admission of guilt/wrongdoing by them.