DODGEY MECHANIC

alycat05

Hi,

I've recently had a truely AWFUL experience with a garage in the Tallaght area.

Long story short... this guy charged me 500euro to put a new timing belt and water pump into my golf. Car breaks down 2 months later, turns out the guy in fact didn't install a new pump or a new timing belt. I paid him 500 euro for doing NOTHING!

This mechanic insists all the work was carried out and refused to give me a refund. I have since paid another 500 euro to another mechanic to do the job which has left me 1000e out of pocket.

What are the rules here, can i name and shame?!

This garage are a DISGRACE and people should know what kind of operation they're running!

Thanks

Anan1

Have you proof of what you say happened?

EPM

I doubt you can name and shame unless you have undeniable proof that the job wasn't done (independent inspection) and have a receipt from him stating it was done.

When you say it broke down, did the belt snap? Would have thought it would do a fair bit more damage than that usually if it did. €500 is a crazy price for a replacement too imo...

I'd be incredibly careful about doing that to someone unless you knew without any shadow of a doubt

neilthefunkeone

Did you keep receipts from the original work.. did you keep the supposed replaced timing belt and pump?? Get em checked to see if they are infact the cars originals and as u said the guy did nothing....

kasper

maybe the mechanic over tightened the new timing belt which would accelerate the wear on the belt and water pump , not an excuse but it could be a case of some one not properly qualified more than dishonest

MagicSean

Get the "new" timing belt from mechanic. I would suggest going to the Gardaí. He could be guilty of making a loss by deception if it can be proved. The second mechanic would have to be prepared to give a statement though.

biko

Indeed, get all the parts supposedly put in by the bad mechanic.

upandcumming

kasper wrote: »

maybe the mechanic over tightened the new timing belt which would accelerate the wear on the belt and water pump , not an excuse but it could be a case of some one not properly qualified more than dishonest

No.
He'd have to tighten it tighter than any man on earth could to make it wear so much in two months!

daveharnett

kasper wrote: »

maybe the mechanic over tightened the new timing belt which would accelerate the wear on the belt and water pump , not an excuse but it could be a case of some one not properly qualified more than dishonest

Premature or wear or no, it should be visually very easy to tell the difference between a part that's been on the car for 2 months vs 5+ years.

This is disgraceful if true - it's more than a €500 robbery - the op is lucky it didn't end up costing a new engine.

alycat05

well initially the car was having trouble starting so the mechanic said it was the timing belt, he also suggested i get the water pump replaced at the same time - so i did. for 500 quid.

Then a month later i got a service done on the car by a totally different garage (as i thought i had a coolant leak) but the mechaninc said the water pump was leaking badly and needed to be replaced. I told him it was a new pump and he told me to bring it back to the original guy who replaced it.
I brought it back and he told me the pump was faulty so he 'replaced' it with a new one.

THEN, another month later the car starting giving touble again and i brought it to the garage that i'd had the service at. He told me the timing belt needed to be replaced, and my pump was leaking AGAIN!

He showed me how the timing belt was off by 4 cogs and had been aligned using TIP-EX, and the water pump had been plugged with silicone. In his opinion neither part had been changed.

This guy put in a new belt, tensioner?, and water pump and since then the car has been running like new.

I don't have the old parts so I can't prove it, unfortunately its one mechanic's word against another! Suppose i'll just learn a lesson from it and give up any hope of getting my money back from the dodgey mechanic!

slave1

Tossers, reminds me of when I asked the missus to get a new tyre on the car and when she was in the garage with the car hoisted the guy says the car needs a new cat. converter that the current one is blown, except I had the cat replaced a month earlier in THE SAME GARAGE, I phoned the boss, told him to fit the tyre as requested, consider himself lucky and have not been back there since.
Very popular national company.

alycat05

alycat05 wrote: »

He showed me how the timing belt was off by 4 cogs and had been aligned using TIP-EX, and the water pump had been plugged with silicone. In his opinion neither part had been changed.

Tip ex or similar is often used by if the correct cam locking tool isn't handy. I would have thought the guy who replaced the parts would have retained the old ones for you, specifically the silicone sealed water pump.

slave1

slave1 wrote: »

Very popular national company.

The ones we are all thinking of no doubt

dirtydiesel

RoverJames wrote: »

The ones we are all thinking of no doubt [/QUOTE
The ones with the fully qualified mechanics /:D:D:D:D

slave1

yeah, they're real fast

BennyBlanko

k_mac wrote: »

Get the "new" timing belt from mechanic. I would suggest going to the Gardaí. He could be guilty of making a loss by deception if it can be proved. The second mechanic would have to be prepared to give a statement though.

The guards don't get involved in civil matters.:rolleyes: