Disputed mechanics bill

HighMan

Let me give you a bit of background. I had a second hand engine and turbo fitted last April. I have since had to get three more turbos (two second hand) fitted . On the third occasion I bought a brand new turbo to be fitted. Now after four turbo failures I assumed my mechanic would investigate why the turbos keep failing. I assumed wrong. He fitted the new turbo and blew it on a test drive. He gave some excuse of an oil feed problem which I would have thought he would have checked and fixed first. He bought another new turbo himself and subsequently blew that too. It is only now that he decided to drop the sump and check the oil feed. Which in turn he has fixed. He got the most recent blown turbo reconditioned and fitted. Everything is working good now. My problem now is the bill. He is trying to charge me for the turbo he bought and for the repair to that same turbo plus the extra labour. My question to any mechanics reading this - After four turbos failing would you not have first investigated why this happening before fitting a new one? I feel I shouldn't have to pay for the mistakes that he has made. Any thoughts welcome.

EPM

has he actually bought all these turbo's or is he being...hmmm...economical with the truth. I find it really hard to believe that any quarter decent mechanic would let something like this happen to begin with. I'd be taking my car somewhere else in future if i was you

mickdw

Thats madness, To be honest after 2 turbos blown, I would have insisted on finding the cause.

HighMan

EPM wrote: »

has he actually bought all these turbo's or is he being...hmmm...economical with the truth. I find it really hard to believe that any quarter decent mechanic would let something like this happen to begin with. I'd be taking my car somewhere else in future if i was you

I sourced and bought all the turbos that were fitted except the most recent one which he paid for himself and its this one he is trying to charge me for. I feel disgusted that he is treating me like this. I have been bringing any car I have had over the last ten years to him and so have all my family. Not anymore i can tell you.

Darragh29

Was your oil pressure light on when this oil supply problem was present?

HighMan

Darragh29 wrote: »

Was your oil pressure light on when this oil supply problem was present?

No. Every time they failed I would just loose power and would hear a rattling noise.

Bearcat

turbo's are not cheap, what type of money are we looking at? i think you have grounds to very much dispute this.

ford jedi

its not a focus 1.6 tdci is it?? we looked at one the other day for another garage with the same problem it blew four turbos in a few months

cantdecide

You will find that garages aren't in the business of fixing cars. They are in the business of billing time and marking up parts they supply. That's typically the only part that they will do properly every time.

We have all, had the pleasure of paying for mechanics to be incompetent. We have had to pay them to educate them. We have had to pay them for not doing the right thing and recommending a specialist. I have yet to hear of any customer getting satisfaction from a mechanic being cavalier with their money. They don't give a s***e about saving you money. Their attitude is 'we have no responsibility- after all, it was you who broke it in the first place'.

My prediction is that you will be encouraged to take him to the cleaners. In the end, you will be so baffled at how a 'businessman' will be so outrageously and conveniently ignorant of his customers rights, for the sake of your mental health, you will give up, pay the outrageous bill, go somewhere else in future and badmouth him to anyone who will listen.

Michael Mc

Highman, I had a similar just over a week ago where the problem on my Volvo was diagnosed incorrectly which ended up in me spending/wasting 450.00 euro & the mechanic didn't want to know that he had done his job wrong & certainly didn't want to hand back the cash or even compromise.
My problem was brake related where as yours is turbo & I would think your episode is alot more expensive.

I have learned that if I had of gone to the main dealer it would have been diagnosed properly & would have cost me a lot less & without all the hassle (time of work,arraging lifts,taxi costs etc), even though my car is outside of the manufacturer's warranty the manufacturer in this case will cover the cost of the part. I have found the main dealer to be nothing but helpful & even symphethic to my situation.

I asked the service manager of the Naas Rd Volvo dealer if mis-diagnosis happens in his workshop & he very honestly told me "yes", that we have to remember that mechanics are only human & that the technology is moving on very quickly & it can at times be very difficult to get it right all of the time as the problem isn't always visibly evident & that alot of problems can be intermittent. He also said that the important thing is how a mis-diagnosis is dealt with, if it's something that needs to be done in the course of a process of elimination & the customer has been told prior to starting the repair then the customer has to pay, but if the mechanic has as he says "got it wrong" then it becomes a dealer problem & cost.

He also said that dealers are finding it frustrating that they find people bringing problem cars to them where there own mechanic has not been able to fix & in some cases made things worse making it more difficult to diagnose. He also finds the customer then takes out there frustrations on them.

My faith has been restored in main dealers & I'm not going to listen to any more negativity. The Volvo dealer told me that it's important to build a relationship, but a relationship is a two way street. He also encouraged me to ask as many questions prior to making the appointment & if I was ever unsure to contact him,you can't ask for better that that.

To be honest he made a lot of sense !

greenfingers

My car blew five turbos in six months. After F..d trying to sell me a new engine, I brought it to a different independent garage and they found the reason. There was a filter blocked going into the turbo ( or something along those lines) and this was causing the oil pressure to drop causing the turbo to blow.

Got a bill from the independent garage the other day... you can guess who i sent it to !!!!

Captain Slow IRL

cantdecide wrote: »

You will find that garages aren't in the business of fixing cars. They are in the business of billing time and marking up parts they supply. That's typically the only part that they will do properly every time.

We have all, had the pleasure of paying for mechanics to be incompetent. We have had to pay them to educate them. We have had to pay them for not doing the right thing and recommending a specialist............

Conspiracy Theories forum this way

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>click

rebel.ranter

Michael Mc wrote: »

I asked the service manager of the Naas Rd Volvo dealer if mis-diagnosis happens in his workshop & he very honestly told me "yes", that we have to remember that mechanics are only human & that the technology is moving on very quickly & it can at times be very difficult to get it right all of the time as the problem isn't always visibly evident & that alot of problems can be intermittent. He also said that the important thing is how a mis-diagnosis is dealt with, if it's something that needs to be done in the course of a process of elimination & the customer has been told prior to starting the repair then the customer has to pay, but if the mechanic has as he says "got it wrong" then it becomes a dealer problem & cost.

Some garages do this. An in-law of a friend just last week had a gearbox & various sensors replaced in a 2007 Range Rover Sport because it wouldn't go into 5th & 6th gear, it had numerous return visits. The final cause of the issue was traced to an incorrect tyre (was correct size!) fitted on the rear.
The dealer took the hit on the bill.
To be fair this was a very unusual issue, not the easiest thing to spot!

Oh, the bill was tipping €5k....

cantdecide

Captain Slow IRL wrote: »

Conspiracy Theories forum this way

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>click

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=define%3A+conspiracy

Can I get your mechanics number please?

dingding

Don't claim to be a mechanic or anything but when a turbo goes I would imagine that the oil could get contaminated by metal.

As part of the procedure for reapiring such an expensive part would it not be normal to change the oil and filters and clean out any oil pipes that could get clogged.

Cant get over that it tool 4 turbos to realise that there was a problem with oil flow.

Bit like changing fuses that keep plowing without investigating the problem.

Your mechanic looks like a chancer. Bring him to the small claims court.

Captain Slow IRL

dingding wrote: »

Don't claim to be a mechanic or anything but when a turbo goes I would imagine that the oil could get contaminated by metal.

As part of the procedure for reapiring such an expensive part would it not be normal to change the oil and filters and clean out any oil pipes that could get clogged.

An oil change, including filter, would (should!) be common practise when changing a turbo along with with an oil feed pipe, where applicable. The problem with diagnosis or delayed diagnosis could have been partially blamed on the use of 2nd hand turbo's. Granted, suspicions should have been raised when the 2nd unit blew so quickly, but there is no way of telling the condition of the turbo unless it is brand new or reconditioned.

@ OP - You supplied a brand new turbo, which the mechanic fitted (knowingfully what was happening with the car). Ignoring the 2nd hand turbo's, he ended up blowing the new turbo you supplied, then one he supplied and the repair work that followed?

At the most, you should be liable for labour charges, anything else and he's taking liberties.

HighMan

Since last April I have paid out over €7k and that is not including the disputed bill. That is for €2k! I will be fighting this. It just disgusts me that I considered this mechanic a friend. I can assure you I will let everyone know about him. Thank you for all the replies. I will keep you posted.

BostonB

€9k - :eek: