Repairs recommended when not required

Redgirl82

Not sure what to do, so I had to get tires recently and went to a local supplier. He would be a well known dealer in the area. Anyway after getting the tires I got a list of recommendation to be fixed on the car. Was told to get them done ASAP as it could ruin the new tires. Below is what was required

Inner tie rod
CV boot joint

I didn't bother as I have extended warranty on the car when I bought it. So I went this morning to the company I had the warranty with. Again a large main dealer who had serviced the car about 3 months ago.

The manager came out to me after about 10 mins. He said the car was perfect, ok the CV boot had a small bit of a tear but nothing major to affect driving or tires. It could be swapped on next service or he could book in but the inner tie rod was perfect. When I asked why they would tell me, he laughed and said they wanted to make a few quid for Christmas....I am not happy

I rang the tyre dealer, he said it is a difference of opinion, his mechanic could think it needs changing but another mechanic might not. I have no idea.

Would this be correct? or did they see a girl and tried to make a quick few quid off her

I didn't like the fact either I was told to get it done straight away or I would damage the tires. The price for the repairs are about half what I was quoted this morning

IrishGrimReaper

I got my car serviced by the Honda garage in Galway and they told me I needed new brake discs and pads all around; looking €760 and were pushy about trying to get me to do it pretty much that week. I knew the pads were running low but the discs seemed ok and had a friend(mechanic) at home look over them and he agreed they looked fine pads a bit low but a few months in them.

Eventually got my step brother(mechanic) to do it after I got the parts from Cox Honda online for €411, turns out the discs were fine but pads needed to be done, and this was 6-7 months after the service.

Personally I feel they were more than chancing their arm on this occasion. What didn't help their case is I had asked them to look at a radio tuning issue I was having which they told me "because it's a UK car originally it needs to be set to the correct bandwidth for Ireland" or some absolute bullsh##t like it, despite it working fine for months after I bought it. Thanks to Auto Electrical Concepts in Galway, turns out the issue was my dash cam directly under the shark fine antennae on the inside of the car causing interference - moved it 2 feet further away and radio is 100%.

Stallingrad

Tyre fitters do this all the time, you are not alone. Take the tyres and run, let the main dealer cover any warranty work, and if it is deemed 'wear and tear' and not covered, consider an Independent.

peasant

Redgirl82 wrote: »

... did they see a girl and tried to make a quick few quid off her

Unless you have a mechanic you really trust (preferably from experience) a second opinion is always helpful when you're advised to do expensive repairs...whether you're a girl or a boy

Having said that, a tear in a CV joint boot is something I would get fixed sooner rather than later as you don't want water getting in there, especially not the salty brine that's on winter roads.

Redgirl82

Stallingrad wrote: »

Tyre fitters do this all the time, you are not alone. Take the tyres and run, let the main dealer cover any warranty work, and if it is deemed 'wear and tear' and not covered, consider an Independent.

It is not covered, so I will get my local garage man to do.

If this is common then why are people not leaving review to let you know about the dodgy guy.

Slasher

There is nothing new I this - it has been going on for ever.

You did the right thing: you got a second opinion and now you know.

Turbohymac

If you need an inner steering tie rod replaced ..well yes that definitely needs urgency..along with causing very premature tyre wear..its very dangerous if the tierod fails it could be lethal..as for the driveshaft gator yes needs replacement or else a complete cv joint which will be expensive..seems like a car that either isn't being serviced at all or else you seriously need to change to a new mechanic..
In all you might not like what the tyrefitter had to say or the list of faults and dangerous defects he found but if it was my car id be thankful..as he could have prevented an accident..
Wake up or park the defective car up get your car roadworthy and don't kill someone else using the road
I'm a mechanic every thing tyrefitter said adds up

barneygumble99

Turbohymac wrote: »

If you need an inner steering tie rod replaced ..well yes that definitely needs urgency..along with causing very premature tyre wear..its very dangerous if the tierod fails it could be lethal..as for the driveshaft gator yes needs replacement or else a complete cv joint which will be expensive..seems like a car that either isn't being serviced at all or else you seriously need to change to a new mechanic..
In all you might not like what the tyrefitter had to say or the list of faults and dangerous defects he found but if it was my car id be thankful..as he could have prevented an accident..
Wake up or park the defective car up get your car roadworthy and don't kill someone else using the road
I'm a mechanic every thing tyrefitter said adds up

Telling someone to park up a car because it’s defective due to a tear in a cv boot and arguable wear in an inner tie rod makes me think you’re not a mechanic.

Turbohymac

Sorry barney gumble..but YES unfortunately I am a mechanic and now maybe you could enlighten everyone here on your excellent knowledge of driving a car with a worn inner tie rod..that's if you even actually know what an inner tie rod is and what devastation it could result in if it. Failed .
I'd like to know the car dealer..as the op did the right thing and went back to get a second opinion and one which should be more precise compared to the tyrefitter....but either the drive boot is perfect or else its torn and needs replacement...the dealer agreed that this needs replacement.. SO the tyrefitter was actually correct here..but now to the inner steering tie rod..theres no opinion here.. either theres play /movement on the joint or no movement and I think that the tyrefitter certainly found movement..But since the garage sold the car and also any repairs will cost them ..it seems fairly obvious that the repairs are needed but there not coming clean as it certainly wouldn't look good after they sold the car...for a tierod I'd be getting a third opinion from a mechanic that has no ties to that car..
Also in any case I doubt that the tyrefitter was looking to generate extra work for his employer as mostly tyrefitter shops wouldn't undertake cv joint boot replacement or tie rods..
I'd be keeping an eye on the garage and thankful to the tyrefitter if I were the op..
Anyway
We'll now hear. the reply from motor expert barney gumble..sure I'm only a qualified hgv mechanic since 1990..

barneygumble99

Turbohymac wrote: »

Sorry barney gumble..but YES unfortunately I am a mechanic and now maybe you could enlighten everyone here on your excellent knowledge of driving a car with a worn inner tie rod..that's if you even actually know what an inner tie rod is and what devastation it could result in if it. Failed .
I'd like to know the car dealer..as the op did the right thing and went back to get a second opinion and one which should be more precise compared to the tyrefitter....but either the drive boot is perfect or else its torn and needs replacement...the dealer agreed that this needs replacement.. SO the tyrefitter was actually correct here..but now to the inner steering tie rod..theres no opinion here.. either theres play /movement on the joint or no movement and I think that the tyrefitter certainly found movement..But since the garage sold the car and also any repairs will cost them ..it seems fairly obvious that the repairs are needed but there not coming clean as it certainly wouldn't look good after they sold the car...for a tierod I'd be getting a third opinion from a mechanic that has no ties to that car..
Also in any case I doubt that the tyrefitter was looking to generate extra work for his employer as mostly tyrefitter shops wouldn't undertake cv joint boot replacement or tie rods..
I'd be keeping an eye on the garage and thankful to the tyrefitter if I were the op..
Anyway
We'll now hear. the reply from motor expert barney gumble..sure I'm only a qualified hgv mechanic since 1990..

Qualified car mechanic 13 years actually and I’d take the advice of the garage over the tyre fitter any day. If there was wear in the inner tie rod I’m sure the garage with their qualified mechanics would’ve diagnosed it. I don’t know any garages that’s would let a car out on the road with a tie rod so badly worn that it should be parked up but you can obviously diagnose the level of wear from your armchair. I’ve seen cars coming into the garage with the inner tie rod solidly hanging out of it, obviously worn for thousands of kms, same for track rod ends, brake pads metal against metal, shocks pissing oil, coil springs broken, but yet they still drove into the garage. All you’re doing is scaremongering the OP by telling her she should park it up.

Del2005

peasant wrote: »

Having said that, a tear in a CV joint boot is something I would get fixed sooner rather than later as you don't want water getting in there, especially not the salty brine that's on winter roads.

The dealer saying that a hole in the CV boot can wait is the dodgy mechanic in this. If they think it can wait then their opinion on the tie rod is suspect.

CianRyan

Wow there is some ****e in this thread.

Depending on the size of the hole in the CV boot (undisclosed) you could well drive it for thousands of KM’s. A pin hole will throw the grease out of it which will in time leave it dry and it will fail but that’s gonna a lot longer than a big rip that will fling out all of the grease and allow water in.

The inner tie rod, no one on here can comment on that without feeling it.
You’re talking about a ball and socket arrangement and yes they do wear over time, a slight play in the steering rack may have been misdiagnosed as a worn inner tie rod end OR the thing could be hanging off, if it was then even someone with no interest in cars would know there is something wrong.
Without having our hands on it, we simply can not know.

If in doubt, get a good indy’s opinion. Depending on where you are I may be able to recommend someone.

I am also a mechanic. Nissan main dealer.

corks finest

peasant wrote: »

Redgirl82 wrote: »

... did they see a girl and tried to make a quick few quid off her

Unless you have a mechanic you really trust (preferably from experience) a second opinion is always helpful when you're advised to do expensive repairs...whether you're a girl or a boy

Having said that, a tear in a CV joint boot is something I would get fixed sooner rather than later as you don't want water getting in there, especially not the salty brine that's on winter roads.

If stuck u can buy a boot around CV joint,pack in grease,2 cable ties , bobs your uncle for months,know it's not perfect,but had to resort to it for years on different cars yonks ago,6 kids etc, hadn't the bobs to sort it properly

Turbohymac

Wow says a lot about some posters here..and main dealer /backstreet budget garage or tyreshop ..I would simply get my vehicle checked out independently if I weren't a mechanic..
Anyone of the above service providers would prompt me to get my vehicle checked if they commented negatively on something as vital as brakes /tyres and steering..I don't guess from the armchair BUT clearly the garage agreed with the tyrefitters diagnosis of the CV joint..theres very strong probability that the inner tie rod or possibly steering rack has movement /free play. Ie wear..regardless how little this would not be acceptable...recently a friends daughter took her opel corsa for an nct..they failed it on what she described as a worn suspension rod..but on fail sheet it stated 22mm free movement on each front wheel..steering rack totally shot.. but the nct centre still allowed her to drive it home..
Total madness and yes she had got the car serviced recently..ie that major fault should have been picked up and rectified.. but no... yet any tyre shop that Jack's up a car and removes wheels can pick up on these basic safety issues..
Amazing how the tyrefitters always seem to get pissed on by stupid people
Next time would ye all prefer that they said feck all about defects.. they have possibly more of a conscience that some of our garages..and of an accident were to happen the tyrefitter might have been the last person to have carried out repairs... yes now he's involved so yes he's absolutely right to comment and reccomend repairs..

CJhaughey

Apart from the safety aspect of a worn tie rod it will affect tyre wear in a negative sense.
And a torn CV boot will let grease out and ultimately lead to the CV joint failing if it has no grease in it. To replace a CV joint is not as cheap as just replacing the boot.
I'd thank the tyre fitter for pointing the faults out to me, not the garage saying that it fine, just drive on.

You will find that fixing problems in good time will save you money in the long run as worn parts cause other parts to wear faster then normal.
Worn suspension parts will cause the tyres to wear unevenly and can lead to a tyre becoming dangerously worn in a very short space of time, this may be why the tyre dealer told you to get it changed rather than you coming back in 2 months with the edge scrubbed off and complaining about wear to him, at least he told you to fix the problem so he was covering himself as well.

I could tell you a story about a woman who was told at a service that her balljoint was worn, she put it on the long finger and left it for a year, then it snapped going down a narrow country road, put the car into a ditch and wrote it off, and nearly went another 20m down a vertical drop.

All because she ignored advice. It could have been a lot more serious.

CianRyan

For the record, I’m certainly not saying to put anything on the long finger.
I’ve had customers sign forms saying they understand their car is a ****ing heap of **** and they should not drive it but choose to do so anyway because they’re ****ing morons. Such is life as a mechanic, we have no power to stop dangerous cars being driven regardless of us being the ones trained to understand them.

H3llR4iser

RedGirl82, is the place that fitted your tyres a tyre place only or a general repairs garage? This is an extremely important piece of information in this scenario, because if it's just a tire fitter...they'd have no reason to recommend a couple of fixes if they hadn't noticed anything wrong with the car; Especially considering they'e quite cheap fixes at that (depending on the car, the parts could barely reach a cost of 100 euro and it's not a big job).
From what you say, I don't understand how can anyone assume the first guys were trying to make a "quick buck" and it's not the dealer that's trying to squirm out of having to do the job for free...

my3cents

H3llR4iser wrote: »

RedGirl82, is the place that fitted your tyres a tyre place only or a general repairs garage? This is an extremely important piece of information in this scenario, because if it's just a tire fitter...they'd have no reason to recommend a couple of fixes if they hadn't noticed anything wrong with the car; Especially considering they'e quite cheap fixes at that (depending on the car, the parts could barely reach a cost of 100 euro and it's not a big job).
From what you say, I don't understand how can anyone assume the first guys were trying to make a "quick buck" and it's not the dealer that's trying to squirm out of having to do the job for free...

They are also all parts that the average user would never see so never know if any work was done or not or if any work was needed.

slave1

Unfortunately can’t trust any of them, few years back herself dropped the car to main tyre dealer for new rears, mechanic said the cat was in bad shape and needed immediate replacement and could be done cheaper right now as car hoisted up. Missus phoned me for the okay, thing is the cat had to be replaced for NCT a few months previously and it was replaced in exact same dealers, phoned them and they simply said mechanic mistaken, went there after work for apology and the place was jammed and I made sure our conversation was in open area so everyone heard, not been back since.
Forward a few years and my battery dead as a door nail, I kinda expected this as car laid up for a few months prior to me buying it so got a quote for supply and fit in main Honda dealer. Booked it in, they said about 45 minutes but I was still waiting an hour and a half later, they came out and said the battery price had gone up a fiver from when I was quoted and then they added VAT so I got pissed and asked them why would they quote ex VAT to an individual as otherwise I would have fitted myself but he said it was a good thing as the alternator is fecked which is why the car battery died - 4 year old Honda, then quoted me €1k for part plus additional Labour for fitting. I told him to have my car pulled around straight away and not to touch anything else in the car, ended up paying €192 for a battery and got a alternator diagnosis elsewhere and it was 100%, few years later and the battery and alternator still perfect.
Simply find it very very hard to trust any mechanic which is why we take a day off for a service and bring it up north where everything is considerably cheaper and touchwood the dealer has our complete faith.

CianRyan

Because people a few kilometers away never try and rip anyone off...