| Subject: Problems having my car fixed |
Author:
Nat (:-()
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 03:16:33 03/26/07 Mon
Hello
I am hoping someone can help me out there because I am a woman who knows very little about her car! I have an 03 plate Vauxhall Corsa.I believe I have been seriously ripped off.
Whilst driving around town 2 weeks ago, the 'engine transmission light' came on. I read the manual and immediately got it booked into my nearest vauxhall garage....7 days later.
I thought I would be ok but unfortunately on the weds evening that week I broke down and had to call the AA out. The car wasnt driving well anyway and the engine began to overheat. The AA chap looked into the engine and told me the thermostat housing cable had broken off and this had caused my water to evaporate and the car to overheat. He anticipated this would cost me no more than about £50 ish. The fact I had no heat whatsoever in the inside of the car kind of helped this all make sense!
Anyway, we were towed back home and the following morning I contacted a local independent vauxhall garage in Coventry to recover my car from my house and get it fixed. I telephoned the garage and fully explained the problem and told them exactly what the AA man had told me.
The man at the garage said he would take a look and contact me again before any work was carried out. A couple of hours later and that dreaded phonecall came.According to the garage, I needed a new water pump and gasket. This, was where the problem lay apparently. So althogether with recovery(£35+VAT), parts and fitting it was due to cost me something like £239.64. WOW! A slightly higher figure than that quoted by AA, but its my car and I need it and so I had no choice but to agree, particularly when he made me feel as though to move the car now (I wanted to take it to my own mechanics but I couldnt get it to him) would seriously damage it and would incur more problems and costs.
Reluctantly, and quite unsure of it all, I asked them to replace the water pump and gasket and was assured that this would be done and I could collect the car that evening.
A little later on that day, I telephoned to arrange to collect my car. This was approx. 3.30pm. I was told my the manager of the garage that I now needed a new radiator. He said that they had fitted the new water pump and gasket and started the car up but the radiator was cold in the middle. Again I said I was reluctant to have this replaced as he said it wouldnt be cheap and ideally I wanted to take it back to my own mechanic whom I trust, but again he made it sound as though if I moved the car now, it would literally blow up or something......he must have seen me coming from a mile away. He said he would have to keep the car in overnight and I could have it back the next day in the morning.
So unfortunately not having anyone to verify this for me, and with my mechanic unsure as he hadnt seen the engine beforehand, I had to agree to the radiator being replaced.
When my mum and I went to collect the car the following lunch time, I felt as though we were being laughed at. I insisted on keeping the parts he had replaced and when we arrived, we questioned everything and asked for explanations as to why he needed to replace the radiator...he was insistent on showing us the old radiator and went on about how it was bust (Again, 2 woman who honestly wouldnt know a broken radiator if it bit us!). We felt very intmidated and unfortunately didnt think we had any way out of this now.
Back at the desk, we asked why a gasket cost so much as previous to collecting my car I had contacted another vauxhall dealership to request prices for parts. According to them, I could pick up a gasket for a couple of pounds! I was being charged £17.95 + VAT.
Again, the manager had an explanation ready and made us listen to the part dept he usedon the phone telling how much the part cost. How embarrassing. No only did we feel completely intimidated at this point, we were also embarrassed.
(We're almost at the end of this now!)
I drove the car away and back to work but it felt wrong. Very heavy, really slow at pulling off. But I put it down to not driving it for a couple of days. Exactly one week later, the very same light appeared on the dash board again and I knew I had a matter of hours before the car woudl overheat and I would break down. It was the morning and so I drove straight to the garage that had fixed it. Now, in the meantime I had been told by a number of people that this garage did not have a good reputation but nevertheless I had to go back because I didnt want to break down again. I waited and then explained to the manager I recognised but did not recognise me, that the same problem was happening as before I bought the car in to be fixed last week.
He didnt remember me (surprise surprise!!). I asked him if he could take a quick look as I was already late for work and said I believed the radiator had not been drained properly and thought it was probably an air lock ( I was told to say this by a chap at work as he knew a lot about vauxhalls, wish I had known this before!!). The manager said he would not look at my car today and was not prepared to move his other appt's just to look at my car.
I was absolutely disgusted by this and told him that I didnt think this was good enough, that the car should have been fixed last week and it hasnt felt the same since he worked on it. To my horror and even more disgust, he said to me "Well why didnt you bring it back before now then?". I was so angry at this - I said I didnt expect my car to almost breakdown again for exactly the same reason one week after being fixed. It did nothing for the confidence I had in the garage and I didnt trust this man at all now. I felt I had been ripped off and the intimidation was still apparent with him shouting to me "excuse me madam" and other such things.
He told me I would have to leave it there and he would look at it over the next couple of days.
I wasnt prepared to do this, partly because I live miles away and had to commute (with no idea how and very little money!) but also I didnt want to leave my car with this man because I didnt trust him.
Now I am £415.90 worse off, with exactly the same problem as before I sent my car to this garage, with no way of getting it fixed and barely any money to do so.
Sorry I went on a bit! But can anyone help me out here please? I have really lost all faith I had in garages and mechanics.
Thank you, Nat.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 