Have I been fleeced

spank_inferno

2 days ago my car (01 skoda fabia) had a bit of a major problem.
When I got into work there was a lot of smoke coming from the engine bay.
The coolant seemed to have completly leaked out of the engine as the container was empty.
not wanting to potentialy damage the engine i brought it to the nearest garage in the area (one on heather road, Sandyford ind est - who shall remain nameless)

The said they have fixed the problem, It turned out to be a faulty pump.

the price they have charged is: €624 incl vat (515 excl)
€200 of which was for the pump.

I'm gobsmacked by this!
Have I been ripped off? It seems very expensive.

thoughts would be appreciated.

pvt.joker

spank_inferno wrote: »

2 days ago my car (01 skoda fabia) had a bit of a major problem.
When I got into work there was a lot of smoke coming from the engine bay.
The coolant seemed to have completly leaked out of the engine as the container was empty.
not wanting to potentialy damage the engine i brought it to the nearest garage in the area (one on heather road, Sandyford ind est - who shall remain nameless)

The said they have fixed the problem, It turned out to be a faulty pump.

the price they have charged is: €624 incl vat (515 excl)
€200 of which was for the pump.

I'm gobsmacked by this!
Have I been ripped off? It seems very expensive.

thoughts would be appreciated.

Sounds very expensive. You'd get a timing belt changed, or a clutch changed with change from that price.

What did the rest of the breakdown show?

They obviously refilled your coolant, but thats a negligible cost.
300 euro for labour?
How many hours did they spend on it?

spank_inferno

I'm going down at 4:30 to pick it up so I will know then.
I'm absolutely gutted I have to say.

geoff29

that is a joke. as mentioned, break-down of the cost req'd.

prob in future you need to find someone you can trust - there's a lot of dodge out there and if they even *scent* that you aren't a car person, they will load up on you.

possibly in future - check or agree with the garage what it is that they plan to do. ie, like in the building trade - try to agree a price beforehand.

I hope that there was a prob with the pump at least...!

mike65

Demand a fully itemised bill. Water pumps are cheap as chips if bought from GSF (even a dealer won't rape you for them).

Mike.

BrianD3

Assuming the pump is timing belt driven then replacing the pump is much like replacing the timing belt and may be 3+ hours labour. 200 quid for the pump itself does sound too much but are you sure the pump is not part of some sort of kit that includes a timing belt, tensioners etc. as well.

Anan1

If that's the case, and if the car was die a TB change anyway, then that price might not be too bad. I'd have expected the garage to call and explain first, though.

peasant

for that money, timing belt and pulleys should be part of the bill (and most likely will be)

spank_inferno

Thanks for the replies
Well this is what was on the work sheet
it was 4hrs labour @ 95eur per hour

check for coolant loss, over heated.
Checked acr for coolant loss.
Losing coolant near water pump area/rear of cylinder head.
Removed engine mounts, stripped timing cover, isoolated leak to water pump bearing seal.
Replaced pump and sealed to cylinder.

Replaced coolent bottle refilled coolent system and bled air from system.
Pressure test for leaks - no leaks found.
Got engine to nomal operating temererature and checked for exhaust gasses in cooland system - found none.


the largest part was the water pump which was €133
& coolant tank @ €15
the other charges were for coolant/some oil and bits etc.


I'm no mechanic but I dont think this was worth the cost.

thanks again

Lord Nikon

You brought it to the nearest garage, but did you ask them to just fix it, or take a look at it?

spank_inferno

I think i said - 'There seems to be a problem with the coolant, can you have a look at it', or something to that effect.