Not unbelievable this one.

[Gandalph]

I came across this topic this morning and thought it a good one to post. I have had many arguments with garages about the handling of customers vehicles in the hands of their so-called mechanics. One garage in particular phoned me to say that my car was ready for collection after I had put it in for a service. When I got there the car was still on the ramps. I waited a few minutes then saw the mechanic lowering the hydraulic ramp, get into the car and take off in it while the ramp was still about six inches off the ground, then he shot out of the garage towards the car park at a hell of a rate of knots. I asked for the manager and told him what had happened and asked him if this is what happens to all £28,000 Range Rovers that they service. The manager and mechanic no longer work for that particular establishment. This is not the first time I have seen this sort of thing at garages with other peoples cars.

This seems to be typical of what garages think of peoples cars these days. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20091110/tod-me...er-870a197.html

[andsome]

I must be lucky with the Honda dealer in Cannock. I always get the most courteous treatment possible. I have NEVER had cause to complain about the quality of work, and the car is always given a thorough valeting inside and out as part of the service. :D

[catgate]

I do find some of this unbelievable.

I would not have believed that a Vauxhall could do the sort of speeds quoted without destroying itself and finishing up as heap of rusty bits on the floor.

As for garages ..... We just swapped our car for another, and it had been serviced, MOTed and valeted...they said.

The rear brakes squealed rather to much and it sounded to me like either a wheel bearing problem or worn brake pads. I took it back and they replaced some pads, they said.

It still squealed and so I took it my friend who has the garage. The rear brakes were stuck, seized solid, with the pads worn down below the MOT fail level with steel bits rubbing on the disc.

I did eventually get an apology from the MD of the garage group concerned, and a cheque to cover the cost of the parts and work done by the lads who corrected the situation down at my friends place.

[-pops-]

A few years ago I put my car in for service forgetting I had a hospital appointment that day. I got my son to take me to the hospital and driving along the A3 we were overtaken at very high speed. The car doing the overtaking looked like mine and as we approached the turn off we saw it was, in fact, my car just ahead being driven by one of the mechanics supposedly doing the servicing. He had slowed down now and we managed to get a photo (with date and time on it).

I got a cheque for £500 and a replacement tank of fuel from the garage - a Mercedes main dealer - now out of business.

[Gandalph]

Interesting stuff all this. I wonder how many other stories we will get posted.

It appears, so far, not to be an isolated case.

[AlanHo]

My brother in law had his car serviced last year - dropping it off on the way to work and collecting it in the evening on his way home. All appeared fine and he had no reason to doubt that the work had been done properly.

Two weeks later he had a puncture whereupon he noticed that the tyre was virtually bald - yet his tyres had all been OK. Looking round the car he discovered that no two tyres were the same and all were in dangerous condition. It was clear that all his tyres had been changed recently and he suspected the garage. Needless to say they denied it and he had no means of proving otherwise - so the event cost him 4 new tyres.

To date I have been lucky with garages and have never had reason to complain other than in the 1970's when the garage left all my wheel nuts just finger tight after a service. They had to replace all the wheel studs which were damaged after I drove the car home and back complaining of noise and vibration.

Oh. I forgot. I was one of the original purchasers of the Hillman Imp - my first ever brand new car. It was a nightmare and spent more time in the garage than on the road. Can't blame the garage though - the build quality was terrible and there were serious design problems with the pneumatic throttle, constant velocity joints, steering mechanism and gearbox.

[Belatucadrus]

Fortunately we have a small independent garage locally that handles our MOTs and most services. Big ones with cam belts etc we tend to go to a main dealer. But the local garage are polite, thorough, extremely competent and much cheaper than driving twelve miles to the local factory outlet, they also know they're reliant on customer good will to get repeat business so don't play silly buggers.