Well Fooked off now!

Took my classic in for the now well documented Autobox work.

Apparently the down pipes have to come off and in my case the manifolds off too as the studs snapped on the down pipes. No problem I can understand that and am happy to pay the bill.

Pay , start it to drive off and the exhaust is blowing , ask him and he says "yeah I thought it was a tappet??? I checked the manifold anyway and couldnt feel it blowing, it will prbably seal itself up" yeah right it sound like a helicopter. I ask him which manifild gaskets he used , "oh I didnt change those it wasnt part of the job" er no mate once a gasket is compressed once it need replacing, thats my thinking anyway.

Anyway I take it up the road and back and it only gets worse as it would.

I go back in and say that exhaust is no good mate it need sorting, he doesnt even look at me and says I'll look at it tomorrow.

Sorry about the rant but I am just peed off that I spent £350 on that work and drove an hour and half to pick it up and it wasnt even finished.

I think I should bill him at the rate he charges me, for two people for an hour and a halfs driving!

you seriously need to buy a set of good spanners mate!

if he doesn't sort it.... for free as its his fookup (you took it in for a repair and it wasn't done to a acceptable standard) have a word with trading standards


when you get it back check round the manifolds for exhaust sealing putty, its a common bodge to get round cleaning the mating faces and fitting a new gasket( will most likely be a black/grey putty

Yeah he did say he had used it when he put back on the old gaskets, not happy with that either as it can block the ports.

what a useless ****, ffs

gavbriggs said:

you seriously need to buy a set of good spanners mate!

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I have some nice snap-on ones mate but just didnt fancy trying to get the transfer box in and out on my own in the dark after work with the car up on blocks on the driveway.

fanatic said:

what a useless ****, ffs

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Yeah I know , arghhhh!!!!

I used to work in a garage (NVQ3) I have to say I can't understand why they do it-do it right do it once.
I still have a selection of vehicles I service and to me a perfect job comes above all else.

Even I'll end up spending more on my Land Rover than most- reason being I ****ing hate unreliable ****box motors.

fanatic said:

I used to work in a garage (NVQ3) I have to say I can't understand why they do it-do it right do it once.
I still have a selection of vehicles I service and to me a perfect job comes above all else.

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same here mate, i'll not spin spanners on any job i don't want to now, (unless its a relatives or mates motor)

yes you know the score, mine is
1) I look at it and you pay me to look at it
(keeps the old **** away-can't pay, won't pay)
2) if it's ****ed/can't afford to repair it-you pay for my diagnosis time
3)Until it's fully paid for-it's not going anywhere.
4)Your problem is not my problem unless I agree to fix it

Newest I do is a 55 plate(serviced from new) and oldest 1998 it's a hobby-I can't just vegetate in front of a tv.

i do just mine, mind you i'm no mechanic, qualified or otherwise, i just don't like paying for something i am capable and willing to do myself!

and as in your case there i dont want to and up with the hassle of someone else making it worse. the uncle's garage and ramp is a bit of a help tho!

gavbriggs said:

i do just mine, mind you i'm no mechanic, qualified or otherwise, i just don't like paying for something i am capable and willing to do myself!

and as in your case there i dont want to and up with the hassle of someone else making it worse. the uncle's garage and ramp is a bit of a help tho!

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Yeah if I had one of them things would be different!

fanatic said:

yes you know the score, mine is
1) I look at it and you pay me to look at it
(keeps the old **** away-can't pay, won't pay)
2) if it's ****ed/can't afford to repair it-you pay for my diagnosis time
3)Until it's fully paid for-it's not going anywhere.
4)Your problem is not my problem unless I agree to fix it

Newest I do is a 55 plate(serviced from new) and oldest 1998 it's a hobby-I can't just vegetate in front of a tv.

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ahh

i will take a look at anything, i hardly ever charge for initial diagnosis, further diagnosis i make a nominal charge if i do the job if not i charge flat rate £20 per hour

depending on the customer i will extend credit on labour, parts don't leave my drive until paid for in full

i don't normally get any problems this way

although saying that i said i would do a full service and look into a running fault on a car for a girl i know.......... i said (as i know she is hard up and doesn't earn much) i would do the service for £50 plus parts at cost to me then unless its something major i would do the fault at no labour plus parts (i suspect it just needs a service) she said thats expensive ........ ffs you can't help some people

G-man said:

ahh

i will take a look at anything, i hardly ever charge for initial diagnosis, further diagnosis i make a nominal charge if i do the job if not i charge flat rate £20 per hour

depending on the customer i will extend credit on labour, parts don't leave my drive until paid for in full

i don't normally get any problems this way

although saying that i said i would do a full service and look into a running fault on a car for a girl i know.......... i said (as i know she is hard up and doesn't earn much) i would do the service for £50 plus parts at cost to me then unless its something major i would do the fault at no labour plus parts (i suspect it just needs a service) she said thats expensive ........ ffs you can't help some people

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if she's nice tell her i'll service her for free!!!

she in't bad but she in't into menfolk

Pooling information with people helps, In fact i'm amazed how committed people are and how ingenious they are.

But with only handtools- fecking hard work

my arsenal includes
3/8 miniature air ratchet
1/2 inch airgun (2)
single hex sockets

mine includes fully equipped garage, plenty of people on hand to lift push pull take the ****!

uncle with proably 35 years in the trade(old style, knows all the tricks not just a computer nerd like in most dealerships)

ramp, air tools, large hand press for bearings etc etc etc.

body shop/spray shop. and plenty of bits and bobs of cars to steal stuff from like the odd bolt you lost. loads of plugs/filters and consumables.

I've a press- don't know how people manage without them.
My next buy will be a lift along with altering the doorway to get bigger vans in

fanatic said:

I've a press- don't know how people manage without them.
My next buy will be a lift along with altering the doorway to get bigger vans in

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press is one of the next things on the list...... i might end up making it myself out of I section steel and a bottle jack

ive always said if i ever get the money to buy a large house and land i would have a workshop and ramp just to potter around in. even doing brakes at waist level is a much easier job!!!

its essential for taking engines etc out and you can even sit under the car when doing multiple bolts up, i.e bell housing!!