Some mechanics must think people are stupid!

[atec77]

Originally Posted by Rapid_Axe

Got quoted $669 by Bitsaremissin in Southport for a 75,000km service. Nearly died then and there. I asked them what the bloody hell do I get for that price?

Answer. Oil and filter changed, air filter changed and valve clearance check.

That's it. I can imagine the valve clearance check would be the bulk of that quote but the only reason I got a quote was cause I found out they introduced capped servicing cost.

I took one of my v8's into a Euro dealer for some chassies work and they rang to tell me it needed some tuning and engine parts as they felt it wasn't running well , I went straight down and asked for specifics , they rattled some stuff off and then stopped smiling when I pointed out they hadnt even looked or they would have noticed the motor was a jap v8 with a blower and a completly different brand to the body and chassies and almost 2 1/2 times the factory power output , I didn't pay for any of the chassis suspension fitting either , to this day when I drive past I toot and call them names
Silly thing is everyone I know has heard the story and no one in the family takes thier cars there anymore fo work choosing to use a provate bloke who we stumbled over , bad news travels far and fast , my companion on the day certainly has done a similar thing , even he was shocked and he knows nothing about cars

[atec77]

Originally Posted by IntechAU

when i had an ed xr6 a few years ago it developed a vibration from under the car, i took it to the local midas where after inspection was told the exhaust from the cat back was shot. anyway i was quoted $1000 to replace it. the manager even offered to remove the metal plate under that cat for free, which all the problem was.

i ended up taking it to a local tyre fitter that also does exhaust and mech repairs, he fitted a complete redback exhaust for $270. Luckily i didnt let midas butter me up with the free offer. needless to say i never darkened thier door step again.

Couple of hyears back I had a shot resonator on the xf van , local muffler place messed about squeezing the pipe claiming the exhaust pipe was buggered , wouldn't remove the resonator and replace it with some pipe so I took it elsewhere and had it done , the pipe was still going strong when I sold it several years later and was quite without the resonator and far as I know 5 years later is still working quitly

[janddbone]

For what it is worth... I have swapped a valve out on an OHC engine before, so it may very well be possible with the GT depending on the situation...

[sudszy]

Originally Posted by Scott

Just be prepared for a quote and list of defects that closely resembles the yellow pages.

and that would be for a new car!

[fordman302]

the sad thing about it is that it is so hard to find a mechanic you can trust, i am sure there are plenty out there but how many bad experiences do you need?
Im one of those self trained people with the help of some mates, so when i bought my au xr8 i thought stuff it i will get it serviced by a well known local mechanic, upon picking up the car he stated " the old plugs looked like they had been dropped on the ground to set the gap" i didnt think anymore of this at the time, two weeks later the engine developed a miss so i took it to him and explained what was happening, he kept the car for a few hours and when i came back he told me it needed new plug leads which he sold to me for 300 odd bucks, went home put them in and the miss was still there, at was at this stage getting quite cranky i decide to have a look myself, i thought i would pull out the plugs and check them sure enough my brand new iridium $160 plugs were stuffed as they had been hitting the pistons or "looked like they had been dropped on the ground to set the gap" turns out the aftermarket heads i had placed the plugs to low and caused this problem, i paid another 180 bucks for a different plug and i was away, dont we pay people to do these jobs to work out these sort of problems, i would have been just as well of throwing a few fifties into the breeze and watching them fly away

[EB#]

Two small stories from my local Ford Workshop:
1. Bonnet release cable replaced. The cable handle fell off when I
tested it in their garage, upon collection of the car.
2. Rear brake hoses replaced under Ford recall. It took me another two days
to actually get a written job sheet/receipt for the work.
Radio was blaring when I started the car (I never use it) and I can only
assume that some nob apprentice did the test drive.

I will never go there again. For the second item above, I was forced to
as they would not give me the parts. I felt a bit crook all the while the car
was there.

[geckoGT]

I had a comprehensive service done on my VH commodore prior to a trip to the snow one year, done at a reputable service centre. The car was a bit of a hack and was idling a bit rough before the service, I knew there was something wrong. I specifically asked for all spark plugs to be changed and all leads tested as I suspected that was where the fault was.

Anyway, I got the car back and it was still running a bit rough, they said that there was nothing more to do, the plugs and leads had been changed and those parts appeared on the bill accordingly. I was happy, yeah it was a bit rough but it would still get me around, I was looking for a new car anyway (bought a VL turbo later).

So off on my trip to the snow I go and about 500 km into the trip the car runs really rough and then refuses to start. So with a bit of mechanical knowledge and some tools I bought in a town, I do some investigating while parked in the local shopping centre car park.

I found the leads were not new, the were cleaned up old ones and still had old stains on them if you looked carefully. I then pulled the plugs out and these were not new at all (they should have had less than 1000 km on them), the electrodes were heavily eroded and the gaps not even close. In my experience they looked like standard plugs with more than 50 000 - 100 000 km on them, they were in terrible condition. I bought new plugs and fitted them, checked the spark condition from each lead and the car ran beautifully for the rest of the trip. I also noted that the engine oil did not look the colour of engine oil with less than 1000 km on it and looked more like old oil, I changed that too when I got back.

I then took the plugs I had removed back to the place that did the service and asked them to explain why I had been charged for plugs and not given new plugs. He said that the plugs being in that condition after such a short time period meant my car had serious issues and I should book it in and get him to fix it. I said I don't think so but lets see, I removed a number of the plugs that I fitted and dumped them on his desk, they looked fine and were in good condition. He then proceeded to tell me the other plugs I had removed were not from my car and I was trying to get free parts from him.

I thanked him for his time, advised him I would no longer be using his services and then proceeded to let all my friends know what happened, who would have let their friends know and before you know it, all 6000+ soldiers at Holsworthy Barracks would know.

As it would be difficult to prove the plugs were from my engine, I could not take it any further but I have never gone back to that place nor any other member of that franchise chain, nor will I. Dishonesty only gets one bite, there is no three strike rule.

[2011G6E]

I never "generalise" with mechanics.

However, a mechanic I am trusting with one of my cars will have to prove himself over a decent period of time that he isn't going to rip me off and will treat my vehicle with respect. The problem with this philosophy is that you have no idea what they are really like at first.

Where we live now, the nearest mechanics are 20km away in Blackwater. We've been here three years now, and I still don't really know how "good" they are, apart from one shop we were told immediately to avoid like the plague...most people have lease cars so don't really care who does the servicing, so it's hard to rely on "local knowledge". For most things on our older cars (that I can't do myself that require special tools) we take it to the husband of a friend who used to be a mechanic. Our new G6E we take down to Rockhampton to the Ford dealer of course, and they seem to be pretty switched on.

[shedcoupe]

Originally Posted by mr_br_johnstone

For what it is worth... I have swapped a valve out on an OHC engine before, so it may very well be possible with the GT depending on the situation...

Not saying it can't be done, but how is it done ? Sump and crank out ?

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by mr_br_johnstone

For what it is worth... I have swapped a valve out on an OHC engine before, so it may very well be possible with the GT depending on the situation...

How can you remove a valve from a cylinder head without removing the head, the valve by design and function is a larger diameter than the valve seat?

Change valve springs without removing the head yes, but not the valves themselves, not without removing the sump, crank, conrod and piston in order to pull the valve out through the bottom. It would be much easier to remove the head.

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by mr_br_johnstone

For what it is worth... I have swapped a valve out on an OHC engine before, so it may very well be possible with the GT depending on the situation...

No you haven't.

[shedcoupe]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

Change valve springs without removing the head yes, but not the valves themselves, not without removing the sump, crank, conrod and piston in order to pull the valve out through the bottom. .

Reminds me of the old joke about the former gynaecologist who wins a motor mechanic apprentice-of-the-year award for doing a top-end service.

"Why did he win it for that ? - that's not a difficult job".

"True, but he did it through the exhaust pipe".

[Gavin Thomas]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

....Change valve springs without removing the head yes, but not the valves themselves, not without removing the sump, crank, conrod and piston in order to pull the valve out through the bottom......

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

True above, same as Stefan said also = "BS".....

Cause even though it may be "physically" possible to remove a valve as per above - - you would never be able to assemble the engine correctly again WITHOUT removing the head. This is because the pistons need to be fitted from the top of the cylinder. Done by using a ring compressor and "dropping" the "slugs" into the bores. I'd like to see someone do that from the crank case..... ...

Never tried it and never would because apart from being stupidly assaboutfaced & upside down miss jane, i don't think it would be possible.

Cheers...

[blownv8au]

this is going to sound silly and if it could be done why would you but... What if it was the exhaust valve that needs changing and you drop the intake down into the bore then pull the exhaust valve out through the intake port. if it is that much smaller than the intake on any kind of motor like maybe a 3v. But putting back together would be awesome fun lol.

[Gavin Thomas]

Originally Posted by blownv8au

.....this is going to sound silly.....

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Yes it does - now i'm not putting this as a personal attack on you, cause i'm sure you are just having a joke.... But this would make a good example of the heading for this thread !

Keep the laughs coming guy's....

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by blownv8au

this is going to sound silly and if it could be done why would you but... What if it was the exhaust valve that needs changing and you drop the intake down into the bore then pull the exhaust valve out through the intake port. if it is that much smaller than the intake on any kind of motor like maybe a 3v. But putting back together would be awesome fun lol.

Imagine trying to reach down the exhaust port, grab the stem of the loose valve and pull it back up into the valve guide to re fit it, 32 times!

Hang on, imagine trying to get an exhaust valve down the intake port, even more fun.

No offence mate, just a bit of fun. Theory might be there purely in terms of valve and seat diameters (I very much doubt the exhaust valve is that much smaller) but in practice, impossible.

[Gavin Thomas]

Yes i would very much doupt that the lenght of the valve stem would allow it to physically fit thru the relatively narrow / small and tight curves of the induction ports and runners.

Also i agree that it would proberly not even get past the valve opening let alone the other above mentioned route....

Yes people can say " i'll use a long telescopic magnet" etc, etc,etc,
BUT.... here's the deal breaking pepsi challenge - if some of you guys suggesting "it may be possible" want to take it up..... You will be paid all costs involved, plus labour + bonus if you can actually carry this task out on the nominated Multi valve V8 Ford engine. Remove and re-fit any 1 intake or exhaust valve WITHOUT removing the cylinder head. Obviously engine must run as per normal afterwards....

Any takers ????

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by Gavin Thomas

Yes i would very much doupt that the lenght of the valve stem would allow it to physically fit thru the relatively narrow / small and tight curves of the induction ports and runners.

Also i agree that it would proberly not even get past the valve opening let alone the other above mentioned route....

Yes people can say " i'll use a long telescopic magnet" etc, etc,etc,
BUT.... here's the deal breaking pepsi challenge - if some of you guys suggesting "it may be possible" want to take it up..... You will be paid all costs involved, plus labour + bonus if you can actually carry this task out on the nominated Multi valve V8 Ford engine. Remove and re-fit any 1 intake or exhaust valve WITHOUT removing the cylinder head. Obviously engine must run as per normal afterwards....

Any takers ????

Not me

Can I watch though?

[starkersEB]

Not ripped off because it was warranty work, but a certain Ford/Hyundai/Jeep dealer in southern Adelaide gave my wife and I a heap of attitude and stuff arounds a few times when her Getz was getting some work done.

Just a couple of quotes.

Ariel mount snapped, comon fault, I even rang head office before going there just to make sure.

"you broke it Im not fixing that under warranty" (they did fix it after me getting head ofice on the phone)

When getting serviced (not by them of course) there was metal shavings found in the oil.

"mate your always going to get some metal in the gearbox nothing you can do about it"

A seal finally let go in the box I saw the oil and ill tell you what it was like looking at a pool of metalic paint. Finally after that they looked at the box and supprise supprise we got a new one but apparently it takes 3 weeks to install!!!

I will never take a car back there again. Like I said not ripped off money wise but with all the wasted time and BS spun I was more just shafted.

[GTENVY]

Well guys here's the verdict.

Took the EL back to Daniel at Pedders in Midland. He tested both front and rear shocks and they came back fine. This has just confirmed what I though and I certainly wont be going back to that workshop again.
Will ring them next week just to kindy advise them that their diagnosis was incorrect and depending on the reaction may ask for an explanation, not that that's going to get me anywhere. Just another place I cant trust to take my cars for a simple service

[shedcoupe]

Thanks for getting back with the results.

[ZDI-970]

everytime i go into repco they try ripping me off lol.. i went in there a while ago and they said $140 for a water pump?? i can get one for less than 50 off my uncle and its better quality lol

[Gavin Thomas]

REPCO = R..ip - E..very - P..oor - C. - O..ff !

[Papa Smurf]

Amazing, this thread started out about mechanics ripping people off (supposedly) and degraded into a hit against dealerships, spare parts places and a small argument about how to remove an engine valve. I wonder how long before this one turns into another I HATE this or that dealership??
Don't forget, some people who start these kind of threads don't always give impartial comments about what was said and done.

[Ford_The_Win]

Originally Posted by Papa Smurf

Amazing, this thread started out about mechanics ripping people off (supposedly) and degraded into a hit against dealerships, spare parts places and a small argument about how to remove an engine valve. I wonder how long before this one turns into another I HATE this or that dealership??
Don't forget, some people who start these kind of threads don't always give impartial comments about what was said and done.

You forgot the part about bagging AU Fortes... its a necessary requirement on AFF threads

[Papa Smurf]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

You forgot the part about bagging AU Fortes... its a necessary requirement on AFF threads

While AUs may not be the BEST looking Ford built, they are still a good unit and last well enough. Some people are bums no matter where you go

[onemanempire]

Originally Posted by Giant Cranium

my sister needed two tyres for a 06 corolla and was charged $600 and didint even question it for the factory spec tyres.i blew a nut went down for a quote and was quoted 550 for 4. nearly wanted to deck the bloke but went down with my old man and its always interesting to see how they deal with two 6 foot 5, 120kg blokes demanding money back.

Just reading some old posts, as ya do, and came across this and thought, I have to tell...

After driving my friends Mitsi Mirage I noticed it need a wheel alignment.
Told her to make a booking at a pedders store near her. I use the Keswick store myself, but it's to far away for her. Anyway, she comes back after waiting for over an hour, say they charged her for and fittted a camber kit which cost $65 from memory, and it still didn't track in a straight line without constant steering input / correction. Meaning you have to drive it every inch, there's no: I can rest my thumb on the edge of the steering wheel and it'll drive straight scenario... like we do in the Falcons etc. (It's a fault with the Mirages... electric power steering non return to centre thing).

Anyway I take it to my mate Kev, down at Keswick, and explain. He takes
a look at the receipt and says, you know there's two camber pins in a kit, and they only used one... But they charged her for 2. I was angry. I didn't pick up the phone. I just grabbed the receipt and headed off down there and spat the chewy. They offered me a credit. I said F off. They offered me the extra camber pin. Again, I said what the F am I going to do with that?
I was just maddened at the fact that just because she is a female, they tried stooge her. Ended up getting the $ back and paying for only one camber pin.. Still ****y about this. And I'm not 6 foot 5 or 120Kgs.
Would have loved to be a fly on that wall that day..

but went down with my old man and its always interesting to see how they deal with two 6 foot 5, 120kg blokes demanding money back.

[Giant Cranium]

Originally Posted by onemanempire

Just reading some old posts, as ya do, and came across this and thought, I have to tell...

After driving my friends Mitsi Mirage I noticed it need a wheel alignment.
Told her to make a booking at a pedders store near her. I use the Keswick store myself, but it's to far away for her. Anyway, she comes back after waiting for over an hour, say they charged her for and fittted a camber kit which cost $65 from memory, and it still didn't track in a straight line without constant steering input / correction. Meaning you have to drive it every inch, there's no: I can rest my thumb on the edge of the steering wheel and it'll drive straight scenario... like we do in the Falcons etc. (It's a fault with the Mirages... electric power steering non return to centre thing).

Anyway I take it to my mate Kev, down at Keswick, and explain. He takes
a look at the receipt and says, you know there's two camber pins in a kit, and they only used one... But they charged her for 2. I was angry. I didn't pick up the phone. I just grabbed the receipt and headed off down there and spat the chewy. They offered me a credit. I said F off. They offered me the extra camber pin. Again, I said what the F am I going to do with that?
I was just maddened at the fact that just because she is a female, they tried stooge her. Ended up getting the $ back and paying for only one camber pin.. Still ****y about this. And I'm not 6 foot 5 or 120Kgs.
Would have loved to be a fly on that wall that day..

They were very accommodating. Apparently was a computer data entry problem

Reading that brought back a fun memory. Dad’s been gone for nearly 3 years. Thanks for the memory jog!

Edit… the memory of being 120kg was good also. The current 145kg is… alarming

[Franco Cozzo]

Used to have women come into my workshop and they'd bring Dad or the boyfriend to do all the talking, assuming I was going to rip her off if she came in by herself.

It's a bit sad really but how much of a clown show the automotive industry is, being chock full of flogs and degenerates it's no surprise that someone on Maccas coin is going to try get one over some unsuspecting victim.

The sad part is the people doing the ripping off aren't even getting any benefits out of it, its usually staff at corporate clowns.

I started out at a dealership and they had an incentive scheme that we got bonuses if we averaged over $10,000 profit per day, they'd throw us all a couple extra bananas for us monkeys.

So the service advisors would upsell power steering flushes and AC deodorizing on new cars and the mechanics would 'find' all these extra issues.

That's the problem with poorly thought out KPIs and incentive schemes, you create incentives to do the wrong thing.

[onemanempire]

Edit… the memory of being 120kg was good also. The current 145kg is… alarming /end quote..

Ya better not stand beside me then.. You'll feel like your 185 kilos... hehehe