Garage Advice

jeffk

I put my car in for a service today in a local garage; it had a noise than went away when the clutch was pushed in. He’s come back with the calliper’s need changing and the noise is from the front wheel bearing, that also needs changing.

He wants €440 to change the calliper’s and the bearing and then it needs a wheel alignment. I had the brakes/tyres changed in there a year ago and they balanced the tyres. They never said anything was wrong then and now all this a year later.

The car passed the NCT Saturday and last year another mechanic cleaned up the brakes because they were squeaking after this garage changed them and they also mentioned nothing about calliper’s/bearings then.

Does it just sound like he’s making up business? He’s also said I need to get them balanced every six months, yet I’ve read it’s meant to last two to three years.

Kenny Logins

Clutch release bearing?

djimi

Get a second opinion if you dont trust him. Say nothing about what you were told and see if they say the same thing.

clogher71

I might be missing the point, but you were in last year???, of course the wheel bearing etcs could have been ok then and on the way out now, but by all means get a second opinion.

jeffk

Just back,yes the clutch release bearing as well.

So a car that passed the NCT Saturday now needs the guts of €800 of work for two calipers,a clutch release and a wheel bearing

Mech1

Sounds quite plausible to me. Nct wouldn't fail you on any of those points unless wheel bearing had excessive play or the brakes where not strong enough. Both could easily pass.

Bigus

What car is it and how old, how many miles ?

It might be a case of drive on, until things get much worse seeing as NCT deem it roadworthy ?

Clutch release bearing will get an awful lot louder before failure,

however if noise is going away when clutch is pushed in; its gearbox bearings rather than release bearing,

again this could last years before letting you down.

A certain amount of wear and tear noises are unavoidable as a car gets older , but are perfectly safe to live with.

JC01

The fact it passed NCT doesn't mean toss all iv seen cars hanging together get through.

The noise from the clutch is the release bearing as for the other stuff, well ya either trust your mechanic or ya don't. If you don't get a second opinion, if you do then you already know the answer.

jeffk

Bigus wrote: »

What car is it and how old, how many miles ?

It might be a case of drive on, until things get much worse seeing as NCT deem it roadworthy ?

Clutch release bearing will get an awful lot louder before failure,

however if noise is going away when clutch is pushed in; its gearbox bearings rather than release bearing,

again this could last years before letting you down.

A certain amount of wear and tear noises are unavoidable as a car gets older , but are perfectly safe to live with.

Its a Toyota Corolla.2002,just over 92k on the clock,the secondhand gear box that i got put in had around 40k on it two years ago.

Im between doing as you said and keep driving and getting another mechanic to check it out.

I did ask the original mechanic about the bearing and he said this place was dear for labor,they wanted over €300 and the original mechanic wanted €180

jeffk

Just a note re original mechanic.

Herself lives in Navan and the gearbox locked en route to hers,the breakdown truck happened to be from a mechanic beside hers,so i got the work done there. But I get my day to day stuff and service done local

Bigus

jeffk wrote: »

Its a Toyota Corolla.2002,just over 92k on the clock,the secondhand gear box that i got put in had around 40k on it two years ago.

Im between doing as you said and keep driving and getting another mechanic to check it out.

I did ask the original mechanic about the bearing and he said this place was dear for labor,they wanted over €300 and the original mechanic wanted €180

I wouldn't be spending a whole lot until after you put it through next years test.

As for the noise that goes when you put down the clutch , it could well be a release bearing,

but because the noise disappears when foot is on the clutch it's more than likely in the box, no way of telling over the internet, good mechanic will tell by listening.

barney4001

could be your push rod a simple job to be done

porsche boy

the NCT is literally not worth the paper it's printed on, so ignore that.

It definitely sounds like your release bearing for thr clutch is an issue, if as you say the noise stops when you depress the pedal. Replacing a three piece clutch is the solution.

if your calipers are siezed then replacement is the best option. This is a safety issue and should not be put on the long finger.

do you get a whining noise when you drive? I'm just trying to narrow down the wheel bearing issue... the nct should have spotted any unwanted play in the bearing but thats not a given. either way wheel alignment after replacement is for the best as otherwise you ncould end up prematurely wearing the feont tyres.

get your wheels balanced as often as the vibration on the motorway annoys you.

to be honest it seems like fairly sound advice but if you're in any doubt then take it to a second mechanic for his opinion on it.

jeffk

I have it booked in with a local mechanic that’s recommended, he’s going to drive it tomorrow and see and then I have a number for another, ill ring him and see.

I’ll take all the advice given thanks, going to see what prices I’m being given and see from there. As I have seen from €400 to €200 ish on one call leans me towards a cheaper price and do the work soon if mechanics think I need it.

swarlb

porsche boy wrote: »

the NCT is literally not worth the paper it's printed on, so ignore that.

Off topic I know, but the statement above is a bit of daft advice.
You need a valid NCT, like it or not, you need one. The same as a valid tax disc, and a valid insurance policy and a valid driving licence.
Selling a car ??? Is a potential purchaser going to buy with no valid NCT, if you simply say "It's not worth the paper it's printed on, ignore it, and give me the asking price"

JC01

swarlb wrote: »

Off topic I know, but the statement above is a bit of daft advice.
You need a valid NCT, like it or not, you need one. The same as a valid tax disc, and a valid insurance policy and a valid driving licence.
Selling a car ??? Is a potential purchaser going to buy with no valid NCT, if you simply say "It's not worth the paper it's printed on, ignore it, and give me the asking price"

Ah that's picking at things, you know exactly what he meant and he's dead right

jeffk

Brought it to a local mechanic today,checked and drove it with me in it:

• Clutch release bearing,just noisy,leave it its grand,gearbox etc is ok
• Calipers are grand,just need to grease up some of the parts as they squeak/whistle(saying its in a place a lot of places don't bother doing it)
• Wheel bearing is gone and needs to be done.

Total for greasing brake parts and supply and fit wheel bearing €120, I wont be in a rush to go back to the place i went with its "discount" prices.

Going to another mechanic tomorrow as hes in the area to double check,but likely going with the one from today as he done his time on Toyota cars

porsche boy

swarlb wrote: »

Off topic I know, but the statement above is a bit of daft advice.
You need a valid NCT, like it or not, you need one. The same as a valid tax disc, and a valid insurance policy and a valid driving licence.
Selling a car ??? Is a potential purchaser going to buy with no valid NCT, if you simply say "It's not worth the paper it's printed on, ignore it, and give me the asking price"

yes it is off topic and a bit silly for that much to be read into it in this context.
Just for you I will say that that statement was not a literal one, I was refering to the fact that the OP was highlighting the recent NCT as an indicator that the car was in good mechanical condition. The fact can be quite the opposite, a car with a slipping clutch can be passed. A car with a rumbling wheel bearing can be passed. have I made it clear enough for you now?

swarlb

porsche boy wrote: »

yes it is off topic and a bit silly for that much to be read into it in this context.
Just for you I will say that that statement was not a literal one, I was refering to the fact that the OP was highlighting the recent NCT as an indicator that the car was in good mechanical condition. The fact can be quite the opposite, a car with a slipping clutch can be passed. A car with a rumbling wheel bearing can be passed. have I made it clear enough for you now?

The 'fact' as you put it, is that by law, you need an NCT. There is no need to make anything clear to me.

porsche boy

swarlb wrote: »

The 'fact' as you put it, is that by law, you need an NCT. There is no need to make anything clear to me.

oh. my. god.

Please take a second to read the posts, then when your quite ready, acknowledge that my comment is in reference to the condition of the vehicle NOT the legality of the NCT. The legality of the NCT is not in question here. Have I made myself clear enough? do you understannd my view now? Can I be any clearer? is there anything else you need spelling out?

seriously like.

colm_mcm

porscheboy and swarlb, I think we can all agree that an nct is not a guarantee of a mechanically perfect car, and that an nct is a legal requirement. Can we finish this now?

jeffk

Had another mechanic look and drive it today,same story wheel bearing and grease the brake parts.
Still waiting on him to price it,but likely will be around the same as the other fella.

So from a place I used to trust(and is always recommended on the D15 forum)wanting almost €800 for work to two different mechanics telling me i need about €120 of work on one thing.

Time to change mechanic/garage once again

Mech1

jeffk wrote: »

Had another mechanic look and drive it today,same story wheel bearing and grease the brake parts.
Still waiting on him to price it,but likely will be around the same as the other fella.

So from a place I used to trust(and is always recommended on the D15 forum)wanting almost €800 for work to two different mechanics telling me i need about €120 of work on one thing.

Time to change mechanic/garage once again

Not Quite, remember the 1st mechanic was also including a clutch release bearing, which in reality means a complete new clutch kit, and also quoted for wheel alignment, probably gearbox oil as well.
Just cause your not doing the clutch job yet doesnt mean you dont need it done.

jeffk

He made up the caliper issue's, the bearing was just that, E30 part with E300 labour to change it,no kit or oil quoted.

Wheel alignment is about E40,so if that's done with bearing it's E160 for work that needs to be done
Big difference to the made up and distant work costing almost E800

Mech1

Did you get a written quote from the first guy?

Sometimes customers seem to pickup technical type oral quotes in a way that would leave any mechanic dumbfounded to hear repeated second hand.

jeffk

Mech1 wrote: »

Did you get a written quote from the first guy?

Sometimes customers seem to pickup technical type oral quotes in a way that would leave any mechanic dumbfounded to hear repeated second hand.

Booked in the service and told the girl about noise
Dropped car in for service and the fella says could be a clutch release bearing well let you know
Had to ring at 415 to see was it ready, dropped it in at 10ish and said 4 was the latest I could leave it
Went up to collect it, same fella who I dealt with and who I was on the phone to talked to me like he never dealt with me
Said it about the noise to him, tells me “I did not hear that as the door was closed” and said it was the bearing and it will make “big noise and then go”

Told me over the phone the calliper’s are hard to open and they put WD40 on them and to come back in a week, also the wheel bearing is gone and you’ll need a wheel balance(says you need them every six months)

So I heard him loud and clear, even in his broken English

corktina

What he's saying is that the NCT only records that the car was OK that day, something could go wrong on the way home or the next week. It's no guarantee of the car's condition. Selling the car is a different matter

jeffk

Rang the second mechanic back(as he never rang with price),didn't seem too interested in doing it. €120 and he reluctantly was doing the front breaks(as far as he knew they only needed doing),wanted €20 more for back ones.

So booked in with the first one for next week,new wheel bearing and grease all brake parts €120,plus he done his time on toyotas