Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: johnnycboy on 02 September 2008, 16:45:40
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In my haste to have the fluid changed (due to my lack of time altough now I wished I had carried it out myself), i managed to find a local garage who could as they said carry out this relatively straight forward task.
So off I go at 2pm yesterday to the garage. Owner says they are running late, I thought i'd take a stroll to the bank for the £70 fee which in total took me about 40 mins. I get back to the garage to find the car up on the ramps and the "so called grease monkey" looking undrneath and then dropping the car back off the ramps and nose under bonnet. Eventually he comes over to me and says "this your car mate". Anyway he goes on I can't find the dipstick (I should have realised then this was going to lead to trouble) and also wheres the sump plug? Any how I said to him "these have neither and have you worked on these before, and wait for it - the answer no thats why I'm asking you (idiot). I know your thinking I should have walked away (which in hindsight I wished I had off) but I did not due to time constraints and needing the car sorted for today which never happened anyway.
Anyhow cut a long story short, he carried out the fluid transfer and filter clean and then proceeded to bolt everything up including the old gasket. I was watching with interest as he topped up the car and then showed me there were no leaks which there were not, after all the car had not been road tested and put under load. Anyhow I pays my money and I certainly got my choice. Managed to get car home (about 2 mies) gearbox still don't feel right. Parks it up, and 2 hrs later go out to check the tarmac and lo and be-hold nice fresh red stuff on the floor. Bit too late to call the garage now.
Today 1st thing phones up garage whilst at work, owner asks for the car to come back in. swmbo drops off car, owners 1st words are your husband refused a new gasket (total boll@x, no option given) they keep the car until i get a phone call from the misses stating it's all fixed but the leak is coming from the bell housing. I gets straight back on the phone told by the garage its not our problem the leaks coming from the bell housing - which i found quite strange especially as no leak there before. A close friend of mine went and collected the car for me this afternoon and it's now booked into hopefully a transmission specialist for the morn to remedy the sh@t work carried out by this garage. :exclamation
The most annoying part about this is the lies being told by the mechanic to the owner about what took place between myself and him to get himself out of this situation. >:(
A word of warning to anyone using a local garage you know nothing of, be prepared for the unexpected and don't get caught out like I did :'(
I'll update 2morrow if all goes well.
Thanks for reading. I'm a very unhappy johnncboy at the present and just about to be another £100 out of pocket. >:(
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hoping all goes well for you ..
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Oh dear .... thats really not good .... should have walked away but i know its easier said than done ... hope it turns out fine in the end :y
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Johnny Boy ! I'm gutted for you mate.
Seems lack of time was your problem here.
I know it's easy to say in hindsight - but you just gotta do these jobs yourself to know they have been done properly.
Local garages seem to have a total lack of knowledge about our Omegas.
Auto box fluid & filter change is a s#it job - but well worth doing - if done correctly.
If you wanna have a go in the coming weeks - I'll always come up and help . Done mine earlier this year -so know all the pitfalls.
It can get messy though. would be a lot easier over a pit or on a ramp.
I have a spare brand new front sump gasket in the shed -there was 2 in the packet - yours if you want it :y :y
Regards, Big Al :y :y
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Johnny Boy ! I'm gutted for you mate.
Seems lack of time was your problem here.
I know it's easy to say in hindsight - but you just gotta do these jobs yourself to know they have been done properly.
Local garages seem to have a total lack of knowledge about our Omegas.
Auto box fluid & filter change is a s#it job - but well worth doing - if done correctly.
If you wanna have a go in the coming weeks - I'll always come up and help . Done mine earlier this year -so know all the pitfalls.
It can get messy though. would be a lot easier over a pit or on a ramp.
I have a spare brand new front sump gasket in the shed -there was 2 in the packet - yours if you want it :y :y
Regards, Big Al :y :y
Thanks for the offer - but i need to get it done before this weekend and i'm at work till thursday. so another £100 to try and sort it tomorrow :'(
And then try and get money back off original garage >:(
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Johnny Boy ! I'm gutted for you mate.
Seems lack of time was your problem here.
I know it's easy to say in hindsight - but you just gotta do these jobs yourself to know they have been done properly.
Local garages seem to have a total lack of knowledge about our Omegas.
Auto box fluid & filter change is a s#it job - but well worth doing - if done correctly.
If you wanna have a go in the coming weeks - I'll always come up and help . Done mine earlier this year -so know all the pitfalls.
It can get messy though. would be a lot easier over a pit or on a ramp.
I have a spare brand new front sump gasket in the shed -there was 2 in the packet - yours if you want it :y :y
Regards, Big Al :y :y
Thanks for the offer - but i need to get it done before this weekend and i'm at work till thursday. so another £100 to try and sort it tomorrow :'(
And then try and get money back off original garage >:(
OK Johnny- Good Luck then hope it goes OK for You.
Regards, Al
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personally i would put pen to paper an write the garage owner a letter explaining what happened.
I would send it recorded and within the letter threaten to go to trading standards if this is not sorted out.
The problem you have is that you have got to then give the garage an opportunity to fix it, this has two issues;
a) you don't have the time
b)you don't trust them to do the job.....and after the cock up they have done nor would anyone on the forum
you are in a tight spot there mate.......i know its not much use but i wold have walked away when they said they couldn't find the dipstick.......even though he was the one who was looking after your car!!!!!
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Johnny... Shoulda left it and done it yourself when you had the time mate ::) ::) ::)
Kiss the £70 fee goodbye and write it off as a lesson! That's why I do my own work, although I am lucky enough to have an acquaintance in the trade who I'd trust to do such things for me! He'll even let me supply the parts :y :y