My car

[Man]

Hey JC'ers. I havent been online for say 2 years but I just wanted to get some feedback on incompetent mechanics you have encountered and to have my own little bitch...
A little while back, i decided it was time for my VR ute to get a clutch/brake overhaul and rebushed. Long story short and $1500 later i received my ute with a permanently grinding clutch which i suspect the throw out arm is rubbing against the pressure plate. The speedo has ceased all operation and i now rely on the tacho to give me a "fair idea" about my speed. The temperature gauge went on holidays with the speedo which as we all know isn't a good thing. The check engine light comes on after 30 minutes driving and stays on, the codes returned a 36 - vacuum leak which causes idle speed to climb as high as 2000rpm (not a good thing when parked at the lights next to a cop car) and the brakes are piss poor, the pedal reaches the stop mark and feels like i'm trying to pull up a fully laden semi-trailer... I've returned it twice and not a thing has been fixed. The reply of the mechanic is to take it to the holden dealer so they can fix everything before they redo the clutch but why should i..?? The ute was in 100% working condition bar the worn clutch and bushes, the brakes were just a may as well job so i got them to replace the discs...

Anyway, thats that off my chest.. Anyone else had problems with crappy workmanship/customer service?? I might add that the workshop i took my ute to is a national company with a "respectable" reputation but if you ask me theyre just a bunch of cash grabbing grubs.

[JustDylan]

Thread title very misleading, was hoping fo girlfriend pics

[Man]

haha.. sorry :P

[ari666]

Anyone else had problems with crappy workmanship/customer service??

can we do "idiot customers, their POS cars and spastic expectations?"

[Blown V6 Hatch]

can we do "idiot customers, their POS cars and spastic expectations?

Mabye we should do that some time? That'd make for some interesting reading.

LOL @ national company with a "respectable" reputation...I can't think of 1 company that fits that description.

[vx_commodore]

i have been in a simluar situation, Its not the best feeling when these "professinals" do a half assed job and leave you with the mess and they just turn there back!!,when you take it back to Atleast get your car back to the way it was they just get pissed off that you are questioning there work!
Wierdly enough i have found taking my car to independent small town mecanics they seem to do good work and if anything does go wrong they will happly keep at it till its all good because they rely on word of mouth to keep there busness going so they cant afford to send out unhappy customers, unlike big busy buisness's they dont care if a few customers tell some friends not to go there because they will never run short on work!...
Hope you get it sorted! free of charge...

[ucwepn]

wasn't _ltratune was it? I had nothing but problems with them a few years back when I had a VL 6, I took it there for a minor service and they didn't change the 2 middle sparkplugs, caused me huge hassles and the car would cut out randomly and they couldn't/wouldn't diagnose their own F*ckup.

[ari666]

Wierdly enough i have found taking my car to independent small town mecanics they seem to do good work and if anything does go wrong they will happly keep at it till its all good

thats not weird at all.

mechanics make bollucks all. there are so many threads where people accuse mechanics of making so much money and not doing their job, when really they are a making a piss poor amount.

people seem to get this idea that if they take their car to a 'name brand' national mechaics they will get their car serviced by robots and everything will be faultless. when really it will get serviced by a 17 year old pleb apprentice who has learned how to cut all the corners on a service to get the car out faster so the company can stay profitable.

a local mechanic is a PERSON. a human. often they will enjoy a quick chat, and the more you see them, the more you will find they will do for free for you. but most importantly they need appreciation for the work they have done. its not always easy diagnosing a fault, and when you have busted your arse for 4 hours trying to figure out why a fuse is constantly popping, its just nice to have someone really say "thank you". rather than the usual attitude you get.

i think so many people would be surprised with the result if they just drop their attitudes before they go to the mechanic and treat them like people.

[VS 5.0]

Couldn;t agree more. I've been going to my independant mechanic for years now and recommend him to anyone who asks. He is normally booked out a couple of weeks in advance but will try and squeeze me in if needed at short notice. When the dizzy cacked itself, he only got the car late on a Thursday and finished the job about 8pm Friday. I slung him a 6 pack as thanks on top of the bill. How many name brands would work till then ?

[MikeCuzzy]

Yep I'm gonna back Ari and VS 5.0, a local mechanic is the best way to go.

Treat your mechanic like the highly skilled individual they are and maybe throw in a "thanks for that mate" when you go to pick up your car. When I drop off my car, my mechanic is happy to give me a lift home and if he can't, his wife who works in the office is always happy to help if I'm stuck and can't get a family member to get me back home. That's just an example of what happens when people are nice to each other, and he will do this for everyone who comes up to get there car serviced with him.

Another time my car's temperature gauge was going really high (luckily was just a sensor issue), but it happened just near his shop, I pulled up at like 5pm - just before him and his apprentice were about to head off. Feeling kinda bad for keeping him but knowing the car might be about to cark it, I asked if he could have a look. He checked it out, made sure it was all good, checked to see if the head gasket was gone, and then filled up the coolant as this had been leaking (without my knowing, wasn't my car back then). No charge and said to let him know if anything else happened before the next service (about a 2 weeks away at that stage) and he'll get me in earlier.

I recommend this guy to everyone, he is very good, and the car is still soldiering on. Be nice to people, and generally, they are nice to you.

Mike.

[cor3yz]

I'm an apprentice for a small mechanics shop and sometimes we spend hours chasing a problem around. Then only charge one hour labour. I reckon the boss loses a lot of money this way, but you have got to keep the people happy at the end of the day

[MikeCuzzy]

I'm an apprentice for a small mechanics shop and sometimes we spend hours chasing a problem around. Then only charge one hour labour. I reckon the boss loses a lot of money this way, but you have got to keep the people happy at the end of the day

It's a shame, you think they'd be happy to pay the money given all the time and effort you put in. Especially when most people description of a problem is "it broke" or "it just stopped". I can only imagine it's the same with cars as it is with computers (what I am in involved with).

[ari666]

its kinda funny how this thread started as a thread for complaining about dodgie mechanics, but we turned it into a "mechanics are unsung heroes"

good work fellas

[GothicKidd]

I took my car to local workshop.. told them to check out my car after I hit a curb.. they said car was fine..
took it to holdens told them about the curb.. Subframes bent, Rods bent.. Mags slightly bent.. and also engine mount was slightly cracked..

[Calaber]

I'm intriguede at the perception held about Ultratune. Obviously, there are good and bad franchises out there, but the local one near me is one I would not hesitate to recommend. Although I don't get much done there apart from rego inspections, I have sought their assistance on a couple of problems (like busted retaining clips on my fuel filter - they farted round for about half an hour wangling the old one off and didn't want to charge me at all) and I have watched them work. They have provided me with help and even lent me the tools necessary when I had to replace a timing belt on my XC Barina a few years back - again, no charge. "Air bag fault light came on in the VY - cleared and again, no charge. If anybody wants a mechanic that can be trusted on the Central Coast, PM me and I'd be happy to pass on their details.