what is the worst mistake your mechanic done to your car ? - Page 4

mike_nofx · 03-09-2012, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pottery beige

auto sparkies where i work are on $37hr..

The Auto sparky where I work is on $65/h! (Shift Work) Is this a contest?

BlueOvalPrint · 03-09-2012, 03:29 PM

About 15 years back I bought a VB Commodore 4.2 (hey, don't judge me, i was young and dumb...) that was running rough. My dad used to do pretty much all his own work on cars (and passed that on to me) but this VB just wouldn't play nicely. So I decided to take it to a realy truly qualified mechanic at a carb specialist (remember them?) to get the 253's Rochester carb overhauled and a tuneup. Picked it up and paid through the (ahem) for it, drove it home, felt pretty good about the experience. Got out of the car, to open the backyard gate to drive it in and heard "whoomf" under the bonnet, Then saw smoke. And flames...

I managed to grab the fire extenguisher from the garage and popped the bonnet enough to douse the flames - though adding the extra air to the fire when opening the bonnet wasn't nice! A quick check of the engine bay afterwards showed that when they changed the fuel filter (one of the small plastic Ryco ones, on a fuel line right on top of the hot engine) they didn't put the metal clamps on - at either end of the fuel line, so it just popped off!!! At least it happened at a standstill, rather than having petrol pump over the engine while I was driving. I'm pretty sure that the tow back to the workshop, replacement of the burnt underbonnet items and the repaint of the bonnet cost the workshop a bit more than those two clips...

jackson105 · 03-09-2012, 03:39 PM

A mate of mine who was an apprentice at toyota backed a new land cruiser of the hoist and half over the bonnet of a supra, And me left the thermo off the xa one day when I had replaced the radiator, got halfway round the block and steam, and burning smells coming from the front, heat guage in the red :(

red_hotxr6 · 03-09-2012, 04:08 PM

How about panelbeaters, the xf was being repaired as a bus in a large parking area, with no other cars in the car park clipped the rear of the svo, wouldnt be too bad for an xf, but the rear wing, skirt and panel not only had to be repaired it had to be painted in pearl white...anyway the panelbeaters did the work and i went around to get the car. It was parked facing forward towards the wall, i had a good look at it, it was great, especially the pearl, it all matched up. I was so impressed i asked the foreman how much would it cost to do the bonnet as it had some stone chips on it. As i walked to the front of the car with him, i noticed that the whole front of my spoiler was damaged. They must have driven the car over rocks or something, and he wasnt saying a word, he was going to let me drive away with it like that....well they gave me a drive car for 2 days and i got a newly fixed and painted spoiler...
This would not have happened in days gone by were "tradies" took pride in there work...no grease on the car in the car, no electrical bits and pieces left on the carpet, covers were used inside and outside...any problems were met with an agreement they would look at and fix the problem....nowadays its the quickest fix up and give me the money...dont tell me there is a problem....

purnong · 03-09-2012, 09:03 PM

Put my Nissan Patrol in for a new exhaust at an agreed written price and for them to call me when job was done
Anyway 5pm comes and I decide to give them a ring, Yes car is ready and would I be interested in paying an extra $80 because the job took them longer than they thought it would which I politely declined citing the written quote
Get the car home and decide to crawl under and look at the new exhaust

Nice work

I contacted the manager the next morning and showed him the work which he offered to fix in a weeks time, No thanks says me I would like it fixed today please
Well it wasn't quite that polite but it was fixed that day

XARATE · 03-09-2012, 09:15 PM

Hahahah you dont live in tumut do you? Thats looks exactly like the local exhaust and brake mechanics trademark quality weld

Dusty1 · 03-09-2012, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaniSS

Jesus Christ, After reading this all I can think about is a monkey sitting on the floor with a wrench in its hand hitting an engine block and scratching its head.

I know a cam belt change was a bit of work, and I suspect he didn't care how stupid he sounded he just didn't want to do it.

samsy351 · 03-09-2012, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkgirl

ahh yes, those idjits....

some years ago my mum took her zd fairlane to the local one for a straight service. My dad was a mechanic & the car was perfect motorwise, but he had died since & the car just needed a service....

..car came back with a major valve problem. They denied everything & tried to bs her ( 50 year old woman- what would she know about cars?) - she was more upset that they had broke my late dads pride & joy than anything else.

While this was happening, my brother had also booked his 75 LTD in for a service the day after. He forgot some papers he needed, so went back about an hour later to get them. What he found was his car being thrashed on the dyno -they were apparently pushing it so hard it was almost cresting the rollers

. He stood & watched for a few minutes, when one of the "mechanics" watching noticed him (but didnt realise he was the cars owner). The guy said "can we help you?" and he said "yes you can get my #%%(*& car off that dyno right now". Oops.

When they realised that the ZD & the LTD came from the same household, in light of what my brother had caught them doing they offered to fix the ZD for half price but still denied any responsibility. I believe mum took them up on the offer but in the meantime had found a mechanic she trusted (who we are still using) who "vetted" the work.

That wouldnt be the one that was at St Marys was it ??? I had an XF that got similar treatment from them many moons ago...

samsy351 · 03-09-2012, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homegrown

Wondering if some mechanics tamper with things to make you come back. Wife took her car for a radiator flush and then after having troubles later that night found the starter motor nuts hanging by a thread.

Aah the old starter motor trick , yeah a mechanic tried to get me with that one too !

Ford_The_Win · 03-09-2012, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkgirl

ahh yes, those idjits....

some years ago my mum took her zd fairlane to the local one for a straight service. My dad was a mechanic & the car was perfect motorwise, but he had died since & the car just needed a service....

..car came back with a major valve problem. They denied everything & tried to bs her ( 50 year old woman- what would she know about cars?) - she was more upset that they had broke my late dads pride & joy than anything else.

While this was happening, my brother had also booked his 75 LTD in for a service the day after. He forgot some papers he needed, so went back about an hour later to get them. What he found was his car being thrashed on the dyno -they were apparently pushing it so hard it was almost cresting the rollers

. He stood & watched for a few minutes, when one of the "mechanics" watching noticed him (but didnt realise he was the cars owner). The guy said "can we help you?" and he said "yes you can get my #%%(*& car off that dyno right now". Oops.

When they realised that the ZD & the LTD came from the same household, in light of what my brother had caught them doing they offered to fix the ZD for half price but still denied any responsibility. I believe mum took them up on the offer but in the meantime had found a mechanic she trusted (who we are still using) who "vetted" the work.

That's an absolute disgrace! I would be seeing red if they treated my mother like that. Just reinforces why I avoid mechanics like the plague, I won't go near the con artists (sorry to mechanics reading). Asked a mechanic how much he'd want to machine a set of brake rotors..."Well, you've got a special kind of rotor that needs special machining, $250 for that...." Special? It was an EA Falcon FFS...

Nobody in this country takes pride in their work anymore..

OffRoadFalcon · 03-09-2012, 10:53 PM

The AUII came back after a service once with squeeling brakes... most adults can't hear them but they kill my ears with the windows down!!!
Not as bad now but still there

GCRXR6 · 03-09-2012, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by purnong

Put my Nissan Patrol in for a new exhaust at an agreed written price and for them to call me when job was done
Anyway 5pm comes and I decide to give them a ring, Yes car is ready and would I be interested in paying an extra $80 because the job took them longer than they thought it would which I politely declined citing the written quote
Get the car home and decide to crawl under and look at the new exhaust

image

Nice work

image

image

I contacted the manager the next morning and showed him the work which he offered to fix in a weeks time, No thanks says me I would like it fixed today please
Well it wasn't quite that polite but it was fixed that day

It's true ... ducks do crap anywhere.

GCRXR6 · 03-09-2012, 11:50 PM

Some years ago the wife took the EF in for a warranty service on the cooling system due to temperature fluctuations. They forgot to tighten up the top radiator hose. Hose poped of about 15 kilometers from home and the engine was fried. Luckily, the service manager was five minutes behind her. Arranged to have car carried back to town, loan car given. They rebuilt the engine as you would expect. The thing ran better than ever with better performance and economy after that.

pottery beige · 04-09-2012, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

The Auto sparky where I work is on $65/h! (Shift Work) Is this a contest?

no contest.. just musings at disparity in wages out there..

$37hr is in the burbs.. you get to go home every night sleep in your own bed..

svo supporter · 04-09-2012, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GCRXR6

Some years ago the wife took the EF in for a warranty service on the cooling system due to temperature fluctuations. They forgot to tighten up the top radiator hose. Hose poped of about 15 kilometers from home and the engine was fried. Luckily, the service manager was five minutes behind her. Arranged to have car carried back to town, loan car given. They rebuilt the engine as you would expect. The thing ran better than ever with better performance and economy after that.

Whilst it's not a good thing this sort of thing occurring, one plus for the said mechanic is he did correct his stuff up....Most would duck and weave at the problem. So he should be given a big tick of approval

**hawkgirl** · 04-09-2012, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samsy351

That wouldnt be the one that was at St Marys was it ??? I had an XF that got similar treatment from them many moons ago...

why yes it was... guess thats why they're not in business there anymore.... same morons different trading name

the mechanic i use for most stuff worked on my temperamental ambo and never did wrong by me that I know - i was a young teen when my dad died but I do know some stuff

and they drag race & maintain & build their own cars.

my backup mechanic is someone who was my dad's apprentice.

Dusty1 · 04-09-2012, 06:35 PM

Go to Kmart auto for anything and there's the very real possibility that your car will need brakes and shocks done.

They must get a few people with this.

GCRXR6 · 04-09-2012, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svo supporter

Whilst it's not a good thing this sort of thing occurring, one plus for the said mechanic is he did correct his stuff up....Most would duck and weave at the problem. So he should be given a big tick of approval

Yep ... impressed to the point that I have bought a BA XR6, FG XR6 and XR50 from the dealership. Daughter on her second Focus and son waiting for delivery of his Focus. Go TAG.

knowsfords · 04-09-2012, 10:11 PM

Had the EB getting a transmission service... got a call "um yeah, you need to come collect your car" "what? is it done?" "uh yeah just come get it"

Got there, and it was sitting up very high... "yeah your shocks are stuck and we're not going to be taking the blame... kthxbai"

PlukaDuck · 04-09-2012, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GCRXR6

It's true ... ducks do crap anywhere.

No they dont.........Thats chook crap

SteveJH · 04-09-2012, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusty1

Go to Kmart auto for anything and there's the very real possibility that your car will need brakes and shocks done.

They must get a few people with this.

I just nodded my head, smiled and said that i'd get my normal mechanic to look at it!!

I have to admit, it probably does need suspension...but...i'm only driving it around town...and new suspension and bushes would probably cost more then the car is worth.....

Dezza · 05-09-2012, 12:23 AM

Not doing my wheelnuts up tight. Driving home, stopped and got petrol, the car felt fine, then going around a left hander, the front right drops down and I see a turboblade crossing the road! Thankfully next to no damage. It came off quite cleanly, probably due to the deep-set holes with long wheelnuts that those wheels use.

scottyg938 · 05-09-2012, 01:58 AM

When I bought my old EF XR6 the dealer got the roadworthy done at a workshop up the road from them.
A few things got replaced for it, one of which was the exhaust from the cat-back (had a few holes in it)
picked the car up the next day and went for a drive around in my new car, stopped at a set of traffic lights and the thing starts sounding like a tractor and everything is vibrating.
Pull over and have a look, they must not have tightened the bolts holding the exhaust to the cat up tight enough or needed to put a drop of lock tight in it so it had fallen off being held to the car by the hangers.

Stopped at the nearest exhaust shop and they chucked it up on the hoist and fixed it for free.

scottyg938 · 05-09-2012, 02:04 AM

Just remembered another one.

A while after I got that same XR6 turbo'd I was driving up the north side of canberra late at night when suddenly the engine stalled.
didn't think too much of it and tried to start it again, wouldn't fire at all.
try a couple more times then see what looked like smoke coming from the left side of the engine out the side of the bonnet.
Pop the bonnet and check it out, all the wiring to the fuses for the gas system had melted and were smoking, luckily no fire.

hired a car trailer and got a mate to come pick me up because I didn't want to leave it out there all night, next day dropped it into the workshop and told them what happened.
came back to pick it up the next day and expected them to either apologize or try weasel out of it, Got neither, just handed me the key and said 'here ya go, she's all fixed'

at least they didn't try to charge me for it at all

H.G · 05-09-2012, 10:31 AM

apologies only leave them open for legal action.. remember we are little america these days.

AU Mont · 05-09-2012, 11:30 AM

i take the car into the biggest flashiest mechanic workshop in town (i was new there) to fit a reground cam to my falcon. Gave them the shims & cam, and told them what to do with it. Car is in there for 2 days, after 'delays'

finally get the car back ticking like buggery, boss man says he doesnt know why might be my faulty cam, comes round next morning on his way to work to see if it got better, tells me to bring it back in about 3 days so he can have a look at it

I say get .......... i'll fix it myself, never having seen the inside of a motor before i google forums like this for instruction and get to work. See that half the shims are turned backwards, and half the extra shims are missing, most probably dropped in the sump when the rocker gear was removed

Go to Ford and order the required shims again, turns out the mechanic had already placed his order for some shims couple days before.................

Same mechanic turns out i didnt learn my lesson, take wife's 08 liberty in for wheel alignment, only slightly pulling to left. Get the car back and told i need camber kits & this & that because theres not enough adjustment left to fix it properly. then am charged full price for the alignment. Bite my tongue and get in the car only to find theyve purposly put the wheel alignment out so far that i nearly drove of the side of the road.

Went straight to Holden after good recommendations, and wheel alignment was done 1 hour later, drove perfect.

*cough* B&K *cough* tossers.

OLDFORDNUT · 05-09-2012, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dezza

Not doing my wheelnuts up tight. Driving home, stopped and got petrol, the car felt fine, then going around a left hander, the front right drops down and I see a turboblade crossing the road! Thankfully next to no damage. It came off quite cleanly, probably due to the deep-set holes with long wheelnuts that those wheels use.

Got boss.s short wheel base F100 and needs front brakes done,as we were taking it home for weekend and we were working in Bendigo (home was at Numurkah we got brakes done at local Bendigo brake and Tyre place,pick up Saturday morning and start driving ,got about 40kms from Bendigo and as we were going along a straight section the wheel fell off and jammed in left guard nosediving effy into ground and spitting us across the oncoming lane into a paddock as the dust settled a big semi trailer roared past ,if it happened 5 seconds later we would have been squashed flat,bendigo tyre joint refused to take blame in any form, my boss gave them a surprise a few weeks later after they had time to forget about us,very nasty bloke my old boss,say no more

OLDFORDNUT · 05-09-2012, 12:32 PM

My other nasty experience was when i was a young bloke i had nice tough FC Holden and took it to local mechanic to put new front brake shoes on ,picked it up after work and drove across the road to my flat ,in morning i hopped in and was driving down Hoddle st Melbourne and little girl stepped onto the crossing and i started to stop and brakes went to floor,as i was still doing 20mph i took evasive action and went around kid nearly on two wheels,stopped car with handbrake and got out where i was attacked by several men who had witnessed close call, went to Police and told them what had happened and no one believed me ,young bloke tattoos and hot car,went to mechanic who did work and got told to eff off,after that i did all work myself and have ever since unless it was something i had no clue about and then id watch so i learnt

red_hotxr6 · 05-09-2012, 01:09 PM

It must just be the mentality of people now a days..do a half *** job, get the money and bugger if they like you or not

AndrewR_AUII · 05-09-2012, 04:14 PM

Jap 540cc 3 cylinder East-West motor.
Got mechanic to replace water pump as its behind timing belt and timing belt and rear timing belt cover had to be removed to do it (the Falcon is Soooo easy compared to this).

#1: Couple of weeks later, new timing belt snapped - bolt had worked loose and cut through it. Valves bent etc etc.

Towed to mechanic for them to sort out, had to get local motoring association (RAA) involved. eventually came to party.

#2: After repair, always sounded 'tappety', not that long after traded car in. Got call a few weeks later, head gasket was on wrong way around...no oil getting to top of head.