WAZ91 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Hi All, Im sure most have read about what happen to Jeebs in a previous thread and I too have a story to share about a garage. It didnt happen to me personally but through my work I deal with people buying cars and also dealers that sell them. I had a call from a customer who was due to take their vehicle in for a service but was nervous taking it to the garage she got it from (we lease disabled people vehilces) whilst asking some questions she advised me that when she went to test drive a car the garage didnt have what she was looking for in stock. They did however have someone elses in for an MOT which the salesmen swiftly grabbed the keys and took the customer out in someone elses car! the customer wasnt to keen on this but the dealer informed her it is fine and they do it all the time! After seeing the other thread and being made aware of TWOCing i advised the customer of this and that she does not have to go to them and that she should probably look at going to tradeing standards. It seems that dealerships and garages do take a bit of liberty with our cars so im happy ive got my dash cam in now as ive lost a lot of trust in them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kye Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 We should trust them. But a lot of them give us cause not to. I took my Focus to Ford to get a gear box seal replaced. After 3 weeks of driving afterwards, I discovered that my brake light fuse had been removed. One was not best happy thinking my life had been played with in such a fashion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianb Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Very difficult to trust them! That sounds awful. My horror story is that I have just found out that a garage back in March decided to jack my car up using the skirt on one side!!!! Naturally they didn't tell me and I've only just discovered. Kicked up a massive fuss seeing as that was the LAST time the car was jacked up and I've never seen that damage before then! They're quite a big set up on a very small island so word travels, their managing director has got back to me saying she'll 'investigate'... doubt it, but I'll spread word like no tomorrow if nothing good comes back! So yeh, trust garages? These guys can't even jack up a damn car properly, hardly going to trust them with a spanner now am I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAZ91 Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 They seem to think as we are not watching we will never find out.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney871 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 The big problem is that garages know they have us over a barrel. We have to go to them the same as we see Doctors when unwell and Dentists when out teeth hurt. They know we have to trust things to those 'in the know', unfortunately garages often play on our 'ignorance' and unscrupulous ones really push their luck. Unfortunately it often seems that they trust the aprentices to do the work and just do a cursory glance afterwards (most likely to make sure that an expensive tool hasn't been left somewhere). Sent from my SM-G900F using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattDRX Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Simple thing to do, check the credentials and qualifications of the staff working there, no certificates on the wall, no marks of BSI compliance ( Garages can work to this, Kite markings for the old boys on here ) then walk away, issue is most people take their cars for servicing and works just because they are the closest one. Another good signal is uniforms, clean clothes, clean hands, people that are working in a clean garage and using proper equipment are generally better at their jobs rather than of the dirty lot who couldn't care less about getting dermatitis and chemical burns, hardly going to care about your car are they. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianb Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Simple thing to do, check the credentials and qualifications of the staff working there, no certificates on the wall, no marks of BSI compliance ( Garages can work to this, Kite markings for the old boys on here ) then walk away, issue is most people take their cars for servicing and works just because they are the closest one. Another good signal is uniforms, clean clothes, clean hands, people that are working in a clean garage and using proper equipment are generally better at their jobs rather than of the dirty lot who couldn't care less about getting dermatitis and chemical burns, hardly going to care about your car are they. Garage I took mine to had all of that, certificates, uniforms, friendly manner, office reception, tidy employees... and they jack my car up using the skirt.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney871 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 I had a garage I used for a while due to a recommendation by a good frriend. 2 years in a row I used them for an MOT. Both times I was given an advisory for worn brake discs (front & rear). Each time I was advised to get them done within 2-3 months. I knew they were talking cobblers for two reasons- 1/ The disca were less than a year old on the first MOT. 2/ The real giveaway-- how could I have worn rear discs when they were drum brakes? :d Suffice to say I don't recommend this garage to anyone. Sent from my SM-G900F using Ford OC mobile app 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney871 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 One thing I was advised years ago is Never take your car to a garage that does a lot of taxis as the garage tends to do them cheap then make up the difference by overcharging Joe Public. Sent from my SM-G900F using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAZ91 Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 When we get MOT requests come through i'd say 90% of them request brake discs and pads on top! its an easy way for to make extra money. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlos1987 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 To be fair I don't know if I would trust a mechanic with clean hands. Maybe it's just me. Dirty hands come with a dirty job. Sent from my C5303 using Ford OC mobile app 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianb Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 To be fair I don't know if I would trust a mechanic with clean hands. Maybe it's just me. Dirty hands come with a dirty job. Sent from my C5303 using Ford OC mobile app Most/some tend to wear gloves these days though... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Oddly your reminder Warren of my situation also reminds me of a phone call I recieved from the aforementioned garage.... "James?" "Yes" "Hi Its Pam calling from the garage" "Yes, what can I do for you" "James, we seem to have lost a car key! - the guy remembers putting the key on the top of the engine bay in your car and we cant find it, could you have a look?" I went out to have a look, no key inside, outside or in the engine bay! having said that I have just driven about 5 miles, so it could be anywhere between these two points!!! I seriously feel sorry for the owner of that car!!! Should we trust them? absoluytely, but I echo Kye's thoughts! You always need someone in life you can trust when you dont know, or have the tools to do a job. the thing is though, most tradesman do the work when your there, or you can checkup, so they dont play silly goats (unless you feature on Rogue Traders!) because they know they are being watched, but garages are different! "We need your car for a day" - seriosuly? why? you need to plug it in, see a message, poke a few cables and that does not take 7.5 hours!!! The irony is I have nothing but trust in my local ford dealership! I would leave the car with them for a month to change a lightbulb, because they have high standards and morals and I know when I go back I wont have been mugged off (never have been, doubt I will be!) but indie garages, I have lost trust in. My car is going back to a different garage next week for the airbag to be looked at, I am staying with the car, watching them and have no problems voicing any BS I see commited. Likewise, the air con needs looking at and that will be going back to the garage and I will be over his shoulder with a death ray stare, watching exactly what is doing. Heck, I will offer to do some of the work myself, so I can know exactly what is going on! slightly off topic, I went to get a part worn tyre the other day, asked the indie tyre shop can I have a look at the tyre first (didnt want one that was clearly damaged) they were more than happy for me to do so, I checked it over, got the spare alloy out the car, they grabbed it from me, took it in, put the tyre on, and called me over. Gave span the balancing wheel and advised me it was buckled (I knew it was anyway!) anyway, we got chatting, and he said no point balancing as there is no way this could balance (fair enough) so I asked him about the fact I might refurb my own wheels and some hints and tips etc. The guy was chatting away, offering advice, and said if you need new weights, pop by, let us know what sizes you need and we can sort you a few out. How many garages would do that? Offered to take the wheel to the car for me and lob it in the boot, I said not to worry, I felt I would burden him by him doing it - they where great! On the way out I read a sign "Customers remember the experience.... Long after they have forgotten the price!" this sign was stuck up in the garage area, all the guys rear it and stick to it. THAT was a garage I know I could trust! I somehow felt reassured by the end on my way out.... the fact that they put these "inspiring" (perhaps the wrong word) words on the wall, just reminds the guys why they do the job - for the happy customer at the end of the day! I never saw any signs like that at the garage that mugged me off - excuse the pun, but perhaps... its a "sign" Should we trust them? Yes? Do we trust them? - Do we have anywhere near enough reason to? I dont think so! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlos1987 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Your joking? Why on earth would you put a key on an engine? A key for a different car aswel. Wow if that was my key I would be raging. Surely they have got to replace all locks and ignition as someone might of found the key and walking around with it in his pocket. Sent from my C5303 using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattDRX Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 No, Any garage these days is required to issue PPE for dealing with hazardous substance under COSHH regulations and PPE is also part of the H&S at work act 1974, so any garage that doesn't even follow a thoroughly enforced law.... well what else do they follow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianb Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 A group of sub primates with wrenches managed to break one of the wheel nuts off my old clio many years ago and put the nut in the hubcap and put it back on without telling me... Driving round with 3 nuts holding the wheel on! What a garage! Maybe I'm going to all the wrong places? Actually I remember another story when I needed to get some new discs for my clio or have the old ones spun. I turned up to a garage and there were a group of guys all sitting round eating sandwiches, I walked up and one guy; King Dunce I think he was called, said "We're having lunch, we've got another 5 minutes left".... Told him I didn't realise the economy was so great everyone could turn away customers and all that customers contacts and left them to it. Went past that place a month later and it was out of business... Don't get me wrong, lunch is important, but do garages literally have NO one available to even request a quote from when it's 1pm-2pm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeebowhite Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Went past that place a month later and it was out of business... Don't get me wrong, lunch is important, but do garages literally have NO one available to even request a quote from when it's 1pm-2pm? haha, serves them right to be honest! I personally dont agree with everyone on lunch at the same time! Every job I have worked with customer interaction staggers the lunch hours, so that there is always someone available to help. If we dont have customers, we used to go at the same time as our colleagues new where to find us, how to get hold of us and knew that it wasnt important enough to jump there and then. When it comes to garages though, I think there should be a point where they can at least have someone around so that you can be helped! Its like Doctors down here, our doctors opening hours are 09:00 - 12:00 and 15:00 - 17:30 - Why? why does a doctors surgery need all doctors out for lunch for 3 hours? Each appointment is roughly 10 minutes, so in the time that they are all at lunch they could have easily helped another 18 people per doctor who is still there? and yet instead, they all whinge about how under pressure they are and how ludicrous it is that their patients have to wait 2 weeks for an appointment, yet in one week they waste each on average 15 hours, where they could easily see near a hundred people. Granted they need a lunch, but surely 3 hours?!? No, Any garage these days is required to issue PPE for dealing with hazardous substance under COSHH regulations and PPE is also part of the H&S at work act 1974, so any garage that doesn't even follow a thoroughly enforced law.... well what else do they follow? Couldn't agree more Matt! Your joking? Not a word of a lie, I have no idea how they managed it, but I doubt very much that they would have replaced everything, probably would have delayed the customer coming back and got them a new key cut and coded! I do wonder if they may have found it in the end, but I wasnt going to ask! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenny Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 I wouldn't trust a ford dealer thats for sure, Ive had various issues with them breaking two parts on me and then billing me for the replacements But they are a franchise business you can expect to be fleeced they use our wallets as a ladder to keep them on top. It takes time to find a good reliable mechanic, Theres atleast four here where i live but i travel 92miles to one guy i would trust with a kidney transplant aswell as my oil changes i know im in good hands and he specializes in custom exhausts, hes a mechanic aswell and has a passion for his job, Cares about the motor more than the cash. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philf1 Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 My family use a local guy who is excellent. He only relaxes parts when they need it. Few years ago had an Impreza turbo. Serviced at Subaru dealer and they say "you need new brake pads" and it's £200 told them not to bother and took it to the local guy. He rings me half an hour after dropping it off to tell me the pads were still over 50% left on them. Needless to say kept them on. Next service 7500 miles later at Subaru they never even mentioned the pads! Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC mobile app 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenny Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 My family use a local guy who is excellent. He only relaxes parts when they need it. Few years ago had an Impreza turbo. Serviced at Subaru dealer and they say "you need new brake pads" and it's £200 told them not to bother and took it to the local guy. He rings me half an hour after dropping it off to tell me the pads were still over 50% left on them. Needless to say kept them on. Next service 7500 miles later at Subaru they never even mentioned the pads! Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC mobile app had the same story eith ford last time i wad there said i needed new discs and pads, Got another mechanic to check th8s time and no there good for another 20-30,000 dealerships have to take in a certain amount of money per month and shift a certain amount of parts or there gone and someone else is brought in there place, As i say using our wallets as stepping stones to keep themselves above water, no truth in it, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAZ91 Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 Through my work I see all sorts. Most commenly salesmen pressuring vulnerable people into taking cars that just arnt suitable for them because it's been sat on the forecourt for a while. But brakes and pads most common as we cannot acctually see the car so have to trust them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevzs960 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Simple thing to do, check the credentials and qualifications of the staff working there, no certificates on the wall, no marks of BSI compliance ( Garages can work to this, Kite markings for the old boys on here ) then walk away, issue is most people take their cars for servicing and works just because they are the closest one. Another good signal is uniforms, clean clothes, clean hands, people that are working in a clean garage and using proper equipment are generally better at their jobs rather than of the dirty lot who couldn't care less about getting dermatitis and chemical burns, hardly going to care about your car are they. Sorry but what a load of b.s. you really expect a ford garage to have certificates up of every employee? Ive got 3 main qulaification after becoming a qualified technician.. before that ive got 20+ thru my apprenticeship. If they put all the qulaification up of a garage that holds say 7 technicians ( small-medium company) youd need a big wall and plus it will look god damn awful!. Ford motor company its self fines the garages (that run the ford flag) for so many things you wouldnt belive. Has to be spotless. Minimal inside. Big lettering to attract customers to offers. Cars in certian posistions. Outside has to ha e certian ammount of space for customers. No weeds and thats to name a few. Most if not all ford technicianz should be A.T.A qualified as it was introduced around 2-3 years and it have to be manditory that all technicians have to have this qualification. It isnt enforced by law only for bodyshops at the moment. And you have assesments every year for it. And the the main qulification to see you "fit" to work on cars. Technicians are humans at the end of the day. People make mistakes and you get put under pressure from left right and centre to hit targets. Get this car sorted as there ALWAYS going on holiday etc. And for clean uniforms and clean hands. If your referrig to technicians... do a weeks work in an actual garage even with clean uniforms and correct ppe its impossible to stay clean in this industry. Alot of people dont trust garages becuase they try to fix the jobs themselves vecuase they saw a possible solution on a forum and its not the genuine fault/fix. So the technician has to start from scratch sometimes putting it back to complete standard and doing all of his checks (that could take hours) and find the problem. Yes there are real bad places out there but we aint all bad in your actual jobs. How many of your cut corners or take things for granted or do things half a****. Its the same for any job Sent from my GT-I9195 using Ford OC mobile app 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianb Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Technicians are humans at the end of the day. People make mistakes and you get put under pressure from left right and centre to hit targets. Get this car sorted as there ALWAYS going on holiday etc. Alot of people dont trust garages becuase they try to fix the jobs themselves vecuase they saw a possible solution on a forum and its not the genuine fault/fix. So the technician has to start from scratch sometimes putting it back to complete standard and doing all of his checks (that could take hours) and find the problem. Yes there are real bad places out there but we aint all bad in your actual jobs. How many of your cut corners or take things for granted or do things half a****. Its the same for any job Pretty much disagree with that... Read above, I've had some twit with a wrench break a nut off my wheel, stick it back in the hub and stick it back on the car without telling me - that is not cutting corners, that is moronic and dangerous! Quite simply, a phone call to say "mate your wheel nuts were rusted on and one broke off, you're gonna need a new hub cos we can't get it out" and make me front up the bill is what someone with half a brain cell would do. 2nd thing is some halfwit who thinks its a good idea to jack a car using the body work (skirt)... Honestly that is the kind of error you'd expect someone with ZERO knowledge of cars to do on a dark, windy, wet night while their panicking as traffic goes past. Yes, everyone is allowed bad days, I'd just appreciate it if they wouldn't have them when dealing with my car! Surgeons, Pilots etc can't turn around and say "yeh a few people died, but I was having a bad day so it's ok right?" So why should a mechanic get away with messing up, just because the errors can be less obvious, at least initially?! Especially if he is going to lie about what he's done and cost me to pay more money to have it rectified. I appreciate the fact you seem to have a wealth of experience and knowledge about the industry, I'd just hope that with that knowledge you'd have a large amount of respect and honour the responsibility, so if you have a bad day and stuff up, you fix it! Seems fair enough no? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney871 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 TBH there's very few real mechanics anymore just technicians. Most car repairs nowadays involves swapping parts and very little repairing. Sent from my SM-G900F using Ford OC mobile app 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevzs960 Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 TBH there's very few real mechanics anymore just technicians. Most car repairs nowadays involves swapping parts and very little repairing. Sent from my SM-G900F using Ford OC mobile app When you spend a few hours traceing a wiring problem and finding a faulty part. Then your a technician/mechanic. Plus its easier to replace parts becuase its more cost effective and faster to do so Sent from my GT-I9195 using Ford OC mobile app 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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