Dodgy Mechanic?

chuckyarelaw

Hey

How likely is it that a mechanic would make a genuine error like this?

Brought car for service, needed pads and discs , nothing major

When collecting car I was told by the garage owner that I should get my timing belt done. Problem is there is no belt on the car in question.

Could he have made a genuine mistake? He even quoted me for replacing it .

CAL

Row

Whats the make/model/engine/year of your car..?

bazz26

What car is it?

coylemj

I think the owner's gender is usually more relevant in cases like this! Previous threads point up an alarming tendency for women to be the victims of this attempted scam.

JohnBoy26

chuckyarelaw wrote: »

Hey

How likely is it that a mechanic would make a genuine error like this?

Brought car for service, needed pads and discs , nothing major

When collecting car I was told by the garage owner that I should get my timing belt done. Problem is there is no belt on the car in question.

Could he have made a genuine mistake? He even quoted me for replacing it .

CAL

What car? How much did he quote you?

keithsfleet

Half assed attempt at getting a bit of repeat business.

Probably noticed your mileage/year is at the time for cam belt changing and thought he'd mention it to you without actually looking to verify if it had been done or if there is even a cam belt.

RandomAccess

I believe timing chains can also need replacing in some cars as they can stretch. There might be an innocent explanation for this. Maybe post the make/model of car and its age/mileage for a better answer.

JohnBoy26

keithsfleet wrote: »

Half assed attempt at getting a bit of repeat business.

Probably noticed your mileage/year is at the time for cam belt changing and thought he'd mention it to you without actually looking to verify if it had been done or if there is even a cam belt.

maybe your jumping the gun a bit there. Nobody even knows what kind of car the op has yet

George Dalton

I agree. The type of car is central here.

I once told somebody that their chain driven 2006 Avensis D4D was due a timing belt change. Thing is the Avensis changed engine in 2006, the older engine used a belt but the newer version is chain driven. I had assumed it was the older engine as they both look similar with the covers on

So this could be a similar genuine mistake.

lynski

I was quoted 240 to replace shock mounts in my car coming up to Christmas as that is what my usual mechanic said was making the alarming noise from the front drivers side. This was after two different look-sees and a drive around the block. This is my mechanic for seven years.
Naturally I went for a second opinion, after a drive and a hoist I was told my front drivers wheel was so loose it could have come off. Ten euros was the reluctant price he gave me after I insisted I pay for his time.
They can make mistakes and it pays to double check.

chuckyarelaw

Row wrote: »

Whats the make/model/engine/year of your car..?

It's an Avensis, 2004 petrol

I rang Toyota and they confirmed its a chain that doesn't need replacing.

Anan1

chuckyarelaw wrote: »

It's an Avensis, 2004 petrol

I rang Toyota and they confirmed its a chain that doesn't need replacing.

I suppose you could book it in for the belt and see what happens then..

JohnBoy26

chuckyarelaw wrote: »

It's an Avensis, 2004 petrol

I rang Toyota and they confirmed its a chain that doesn't need replacing.

How much did the mechanic quote?

dr.fuzzenstein

Anan1 wrote: »

I suppose you could book it in for the belt and see what happens then..

They will probably "replace" the "belt" and charge €350 for it.

biko

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

How much did the mechanic quote?

Yeah, I'm thinking maybe it's a simple mistake and mech meant another belt needs attention. We'll see how much the quote was.

bucketybuck

chuckyarelaw wrote: »

When collecting car I was told by the garage owner that I should get my timing belt done. Problem is there is no belt on the car in question.

Could he have made a genuine mistake? He even quoted me for replacing it .

CAL

As others have said, we really need further information to judge. For example, was it a formal quote, or did he just say something like "It'll probably set you back around €350".

I could easily see a garage owner handing you the keys and telling you that your car is near the mileage where you should be doing the timing belt, and giving you a ball park figure of what it usually costs. He won't have checked at that point, and then when he does check he comes back and says, "actually, you have a chain, you don't need one".

If thats the case then its not even a mistake, its just a mechanic making you aware of something.

If it is a formal quote, on paper with itemised prices, then thats a different story!

djimi

Anan1 wrote: »

I suppose you could book it in for the belt and see what happens then..

Is what I would be tempted to do if I had time on my hands! Hand him the keys and see what he "fixes".

toyotaavensis

It could be the drive belt needs changing. These should be inspected at every service.

daRobot

Why all the messing about, asking on here etc, instead of simply asking the man what did he mean by a belt change as you know that it has a chain, and letting him explain it?

chuckyarelaw

Quoted €750-800 for new clutch and timing belt

Pressure pads wearing on clutch so needs replacing - allow €400 for that