What would you do ? Crazy long repair time.

Discodog

A local mechanic, who I have used before, agreed to do my timing chain. He examined the car in September to check that it was worth doing. I left the car with him & agreed that he would do it.

September Mechanic has car.

11th November he says that he's starting it.

16th November send me photos of it on a lift.

25th November sends photos of the chain off the car

Then nothing. Doesn't reply to messages.

My other car is permanently off the road now & I am stuck. I don't want to fall out with a local guy but I will need to use the money set aside for the repair unless he gets my car back soon.

How would you play this ? The delay has cost me a lot.

Whocare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058277810/what-would-you-do-crazy-long-repair-time

Are you for real ?

If I booked my car in for timing chain replacement it should and must be done in few days a week at most

My view of you not the mechanic you must be soft touch or joking

Whocare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058277810/what-would-you-do-crazy-long-repair-time

If he now not replying to your messages he must have made a balls of the replacement and now engine fu&ked. Message FFS phone him up or go to garage

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120055922#Comment_120055922

Neither . In my neck of the woods it's extremely difficult to find anyone who will do serious repairs. They can all make a good living out of simple regular servicing. I did make the mistake of saying that I had a second car.

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120055935#Comment_120055935

That thought did enter my head but it poses the problem that I don't want a fu&ked car back. I have messaged & will probably have to go there.

But there's also the issue of cost. They delays have really cost me & the breakdown of my spare car is the result of it being used for far longer than intended.

PsychoPete

I wouldn't have let it go longer than a week. I'd be straight down there to get it sorted asap and I wouldn't be using him again. He's either made a balls of something or just doesn't give a shite about his work or customers

elperello

Cut your losses.

Call in person and be firm.

Get the car back and get it fixed elsewhere.

Wanderer78

i know a mechanic that struggles with mental health issues, when he suffers from severe depression, he goes on the missing list, so.....be careful before making judgments, but then again.....

cnoc

What year and make/model

l

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120056646#Comment_120056646

I agree with this but I can't think of anywhere that would fix it & especially when someone else has half done the job

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120056669#Comment_120056669

The issue isn't health. He has a number of mechanics who do odd days here & there - probably on their days off. I suspect that he gave the job to one of those & then they didn't turn up after starting it. Also he has a lot of regular customers - he is well thought of. I am sure that my job gets the long finger when someone he knows, has a problem.

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120056704#Comment_120056704

2007 Nissan xtrail 2.2 diesel - known for timing chain & vacuum pump chain issues. He did the vacuum pump chain last year. Normally I wouldn't have it done on a car of that value but it's a car I know well & prices have gone through the roof.

Whocare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120057272#Comment_120057272

That not even a big job I'm bit of Diyer and would have done in a day or two at my easy. I thought you was on about BMW chain that would have been big enough job taking months to do xtrail chain is just awful

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120055935#Comment_120055935

Looks like you might of hit the nail on the head. He has voice messaged me to say that the car is "back together" but there are "issues". Where do I stand because the car was running well before ?

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120057851#Comment_120057851

I did a lot of research beforehand. The xtrail forum are very helpful. I was tempted to do it. I have replaced timing belts before. But I don't have a garage & I thought it best to give to a mechanic, who up until now, I trusted

Whocare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120059320#Comment_120059320

Pretty bad unless he doing it at mate rates and even at that it bad taking this long

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120064347#Comment_120064347

Definitely not mate rates but he has got it back together but there's a knocking that he's admitted is to do with the timing .............so he's probably going to have to take it apart again :)

Whocare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120059269#Comment_120059269

Not good to be honest it sounds like a nightmare of a situation . Hopefully stand over there work and it be fixed

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120068990#Comment_120068990

Well he did actually call me, explained the situation & accepted responsibility.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120056669#Comment_120056669

That's nothing to do with the OP. In fact if that is the case, all the more reason to get on to the mechanic asap to get his car back and sharpish.

Whocare

Any update on this

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120242424#Comment_120242424

No. The whole job has to be re done as the chain isn't on properly. It will end up in the small claims court.

hoodie6029

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120242521#Comment_120242521

Just curious, roughly what part of the country are you in that it is so difficult to get mechanic to do anything other than routine work?

Bloody nightmare to have to deal with this when it was a completely avoidable situation caused by the mechanic. If he didn’t want to do the job, he should have just said that, he’d no obligation to you. Hopefully it works out in the end for you OP.

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120242875#Comment_120242875

I am West of Galway. He had done other work, for me, with no problems so I trusted him & he has a good local reputation.

What really annoyed me was him saying that, during November when I was desperate for the car, he was only allowing a mechanic two hours a week on the job. So it's no wonder that the repair was botched.

hoodie6029

Fecking hell! 2 hours, it’d take you that long to remember where you left off the last time you looked at it.

It boggles me with some mechanics at times. You’re paying them to do a job and then they act like they are doing you a favour by doing it and should be happy they agreed to take it on! Needless to say, I never returned to the few I met like that.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120244145#Comment_120244145

That two hours a week thing sounds like the height of messing.

Just goes to show that if you are lucky enough to have a good mechanic appreciate them and look after them.