Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: KillerWatt on 07 June 2009, 18:16:15
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AA qualified mechanics.....my ar$e they are...at best they are nothing more than glorified taxi drivers.
Set off this morning to go "oop north" to pick up a set of tyres, car (Mondy diesel) decides it doesn't want to go past Stafford.
AA guy duly turns up, diagnoses shagged fuel pump, and organises recovery back home. 10 minutes with the Haynes, and 30 seconds under the bonnet to reseat the fuel pump relay.
idiots!
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AA qualified mechanics.....my ar$e they are...at best they are nothing more than glorified taxi drivers.
Set off this morning to go "oop north" to pick up a set of tyres, car (Mondy diesel) decides it doesn't want to go past Stafford.
AA guy duly turns up, diagnoses shagged fuel pump, and organises recovery back home. 10 minutes with the Haynes, and 30 seconds under the bonnet to reseat the fuel pump relay.
idiots!
We don't want you entering "Gods Country" 20watt ;D ;D ;D ;D
Your right about the AA though :y
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Yeah would agree they could diagnose the crank sensor fault on mine a couple of years ago :-X...even though they plugged in their computer thingy :o
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Ive just joined the AA :-/ Green Flag said Syd was to old and wouldnt give me breakdown so got sweet talked by the guy outside sainsburys :D :D :D :D :D
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As with all large orginisations there are good and bad people. I used to work for said company when it was owned by the members, and went through the transition to privatly owned company.
There was a lot of bad feeling among the patrol force after that time. All management worried about where figures. So thanks to now being a privatly owned company having to pay shareholders you now get the the same service you get from any other large corporation.
All the care the patrol force showed in the past has gone. :(
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Well....i reckon fair play to the AA guy imo....
He got the 'right area' and to be honest no-one can be an expert on every make and model of car.
You paid the AA your subscription....and they got you home.....bet that one recovery has paid for your subscription ;)
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Well....i reckon fair play to the AA guy imo....
He got the 'right area' and to be honest no-one can be an expert on every make and model of car.
You don't have to be an "expert" to make sure the fuel pump is getting a live feed before condemning it ::)
You paid the AA your subscription....and they got you home.....bet that one recovery has paid for your subscription ;)
I'd have been a lot happier if he had got a £1 test lamp out instead of taking a wild guess to be honest, especially as I now have to wait another week as well as the vendor having to set aside another day for the deal.
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AA qualified mechanics.....my ar$e they are...at best they are nothing more than glorified taxi drivers.
Set off this morning to go "oop north" to pick up a set of tyres, car (Mondy diesel) decides it doesn't want to go past Stafford.
AA guy duly turns up, diagnoses shagged fuel pump, and organises recovery back home. 10 minutes with the Haynes, and 30 seconds under the bonnet to reseat the fuel pump relay.
idiots!
you should have given loo-knee a ring,he would have come and took the piss,then flogged you an Escort cabriolet. :y ;D ;D
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Well....i reckon fair play to the AA guy imo....
He got the 'right area' and to be honest no-one can be an expert on every make and model of car.
You don't have to be an "expert" to make sure the fuel pump is getting a live feed before condemning it ::)
You paid the AA your subscription....and they got you home.....bet that one recovery has paid for your subscription ;)
I'd have been a lot happier if he had got a £1 test lamp out instead of taking a wild guess to be honest, especially as I now have to wait another week as well as the vendor having to set aside another day for the deal.
True....but the AA guy is working to 'time limits' on how long he spends on a job....im guessing but...i guess the AA guy read the codes....told him fuel pump fault....or if he didnt and disconnected a fuel line and no fuel came out.....then i think a reasonable conculsion....considering the time he's allowed to diagnose
You probably wont agree 20watt(as LK called you earlier ;D) but you have to agree the AA got you home...dont know how far away you where....but base it on £2/mile for a recovery truck....and thats the cheapest i know off.....was it worth your subscription? ;)
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He didn't bother with diags, hell he didn't even know where the bonnet release was ;D
His "fault finding" was to crack an injector, turn the motor over, see no fuel, and decide the pump was US.
I know what you are saying about it worth the while of being a member of such an organisation (if the car really cannot be fixed at the roadside), but even if the relay had failed completely it still could have been got going again at the roadside with a piece of wire (especially as I was so close to my destination).
As for it being worth the money, the AA has had a darn site more than £340 out of me in the last 7 years ;)
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I keep wanting to cancel my membership. I've been paying for donks and never had to call them out. But I'm too scared in case my missus needs them :(
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I keep wanting to cancel my membership. I've been paying for donks and never had to call them out. But I'm too scared in case my missus needs them :(
Sods law dictates that the minute you cancel, you will break down at least 150 miles from home.
Besides, you own an Alfa AND a Rover....so you might wanna keep the payments up ;D
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Trouble is we know our Migs very well, and can thus diagnose such faults more easily than they can. When mine died with suspected keyreader failure, all he did was a quick look and get it relay'd. However I pay for them because no matter where I or the misses are, if the car breaks down we are assured of getting back home. Its a degree of safety which is welcome in this day and age. I had to call them out when in Belfast when it was cold and the battery had had enough. A very helpful chap turned up promptly, got me started and gave me directions to the nearest Halfords to get a new battery.
Ken
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I keep wanting to cancel my membership. I've been paying for donks and never had to call them out. But I'm too scared in case my missus needs them :(
Sods law dictates that the minute you cancel, you will break down at least 150 miles from home.
I'm not allowed to go any further than asda :( ;D
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I keep wanting to cancel my membership. I've been paying for donks and never had to call them out. But I'm too scared in case my missus needs them :(
Sods law dictates that the minute you cancel, you will break down at least 150 miles from home.
Besides, you own an Alfa AND a Rover....so you might wanna keep the payments up ;D
I did, yes, and even worse, an omega.
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He didn't bother with diags, hell he didn't even know where the bonnet release was ;D
His "fault finding" was to crack an injector, turn the motor over, see no fuel, and decide the pump was US.
I know what you are saying about it worth the while of being a member of such an organisation (if the car really cannot be fixed at the roadside), but even if the relay had failed completely it still could have been got going again at the roadside with a piece of wire (especially as I was so close to my destination).
As for it being worth the money, the AA has had a darn site more than £340 out of me in the last 7 years ;)
And if that is what the patrolman thought was wrong he would not bypass it with a piece of wire for you anyway, his job is worth more to him than that.
By bypassing it you risk your life and anyone in the car with you, got kids ?
PLease please please don't ever do this, it is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a car. And you are no longer insured.
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He didn't bother with diags, hell he didn't even know where the bonnet release was ;D
His "fault finding" was to crack an injector, turn the motor over, see no fuel, and decide the pump was US.
I know what you are saying about it worth the while of being a member of such an organisation (if the car really cannot be fixed at the roadside), but even if the relay had failed completely it still could have been got going again at the roadside with a piece of wire (especially as I was so close to my destination).
As for it being worth the money, the AA has had a darn site more than £340 out of me in the last 7 years ;)
And if that is what the patrolman thought was wrong he would not bypass it with a piece of wire for you anyway, his job is worth more to him than that.
By bypassing it you risk your life and anyone in the car with you, got kids ?
PLease please please don't ever do this, it is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a car. And you are no longer insured.
The fuel pump relay is nothing more than a switch whose contacts are rated at 30A, and as it is a diesel, just what is gonna happen (other than the pump continuing to keep the fuel system pressurised with the ignition off)?
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He didn't bother with diags, hell he didn't even know where the bonnet release was ;D
His "fault finding" was to crack an injector, turn the motor over, see no fuel, and decide the pump was US.
I know what you are saying about it worth the while of being a member of such an organisation (if the car really cannot be fixed at the roadside), but even if the relay had failed completely it still could have been got going again at the roadside with a piece of wire (especially as I was so close to my destination).
As for it being worth the money, the AA has had a darn site more than £340 out of me in the last 7 years ;)
And if that is what the patrolman thought was wrong he would not bypass it with a piece of wire for you anyway, his job is worth more to him than that.
By bypassing it you risk your life and anyone in the car with you, got kids ?
PLease please please don't ever do this, it is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a car. And you are no longer insured.
The fuel pump relay is nothing more than a switch whose contacts are rated at 30A, and as it is a diesel, just what is gonna happen (other than the pump continuing to keep the fuel system pressurised with the ignition off)?
20watt why didn't you fix it then? ;D ;D ;D
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He didn't bother with diags, hell he didn't even know where the bonnet release was ;D
His "fault finding" was to crack an injector, turn the motor over, see no fuel, and decide the pump was US.
I know what you are saying about it worth the while of being a member of such an organisation (if the car really cannot be fixed at the roadside), but even if the relay had failed completely it still could have been got going again at the roadside with a piece of wire (especially as I was so close to my destination).
As for it being worth the money, the AA has had a darn site more than £340 out of me in the last 7 years ;)
And if that is what the patrolman thought was wrong he would not bypass it with a piece of wire for you anyway, his job is worth more to him than that.
By bypassing it you risk your life and anyone in the car with you, got kids ?
PLease please please don't ever do this, it is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a car. And you are no longer insured.
The fuel pump relay is nothing more than a switch whose contacts are rated at 30A, and as it is a diesel, just what is gonna happen (other than the pump continuing to keep the fuel system pressurised with the ignition off)?
20watt why didn't you fix it then? ;D ;D ;D
Because he told us the pump was f**ked.
If I'd had a meter and the wiring diagram at the roadside, they wouldn't have even been called out.
In fact, forget the wiring diagram....if I'd known there was no fuel getting up there then common sense says check the pump is getting a feed.
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OK if you have an accident and a fuel pipe is ruptured, the "bypass" can keep a nice supply of fuel coming to feed a fire, ok so it is a diesel and a lot harder to ignite. But if a fire has already broken out your nice supply of diesel could really get things going.
I no what you are thinking, I am being way over the top, but how would your family react if the AA man bypassed it and you died in a fire. I am pretty sure they would not say "weel the AA man did his best to get him home did'nt he" On the contrary they would be reaching for the phone to the nearest solicitor to sue AA and the patrolman.
And agian "it will never happen to me" maybe, maybe not. If stuck and alone I might take the chance, but if the wife and kids where with me, then no way would I.
Please "I am not having a go" I just think lives are worth a bit more.
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Oh yes the relay is there for safety, usually if the engine is switched off the relay is no longer powered up, to bridge it out you would have had to go from the permanent live to the pump feed.
Or the switched side to the pump feed, but if is really 30 amps I doubt the switched side would take that.
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Oh yes the relay is there for safety, usually if the engine is switched off the relay is no longer powered up, to bridge it out you would have had to go from the permanent live to the pump feed.
Or the switched side to the pump feed, but if is really 30 amps I doubt the switched side would take that.
It's not there for safety at all.
The switch contact side of the relay is live all the time, it's the actuating coil (that operates the switch contact) that comes live once the ignition is on.
The fuse that feeds the pump is only 15A, but the actual switch contacts in the relay are rated at double that.
As to what my family would do....well I hope they'd be pi$$ed at my early demise, but the house would be paid for and they'd have an extra £200K in the bank.
When it's your time then it's your time, and if I was worried about going early then there are plenty of things I wouldn't do that I do now ;)
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He didn't bother with diags, hell he didn't even know where the bonnet release was ;D
His "fault finding" was to crack an injector, turn the motor over, see no fuel, and decide the pump was US.
I know what you are saying about it worth the while of being a member of such an organisation (if the car really cannot be fixed at the roadside), but even if the relay had failed completely it still could have been got going again at the roadside with a piece of wire (especially as I was so close to my destination).
As for it being worth the money, the AA has had a darn site more than £340 out of me in the last 7 years ;)
And if that is what the patrolman thought was wrong he would not bypass it with a piece of wire for you anyway, his job is worth more to him than that.
By bypassing it you risk your life and anyone in the car with you, got kids ?
PLease please please don't ever do this, it is one of the most dangerous things you can do on a car. And you are no longer insured.
The fuel pump relay is nothing more than a switch whose contacts are rated at 30A, and as it is a diesel, just what is gonna happen (other than the pump continuing to keep the fuel system pressurised with the ignition off)?
20watt why didn't you fix it then? ;D ;D ;D
20watt, thats not very bright is it? ;D
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whenever our old cat had one of those 'lampshades' we used to call him 20watt ;D
Woman up the road had AA out a week or so ago, said they weren't licensed to check fault codes on Vauxhalls! but diagnosed EGR
My reader confirmed EGR for her.
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Some good some not so good/any good. Can't tar them all with the same brush though!
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I dont understand why they even try to diagnose at the road side.
Most things they have no hope in hell of sorting so why 'tinker'.
Anything they can fix will be obvious
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Oh yes the relay is there for safety, usually if the engine is switched off the relay is no longer powered up, to bridge it out you would have had to go from the permanent live to the pump feed.
Or the switched side to the pump feed, but if is really 30 amps I doubt the switched side would take that.
It's not there for safety at all.
The switch contact side of the relay is live all the time, it's the actuating coil (that operates the switch contact) that comes live once the ignition is on.
The fuse that feeds the pump is only 15A, but the actual switch contacts in the relay are rated at double that.
As to what my family would do....well I hope they'd be pi$$ed at my early demise, but the house would be paid for and they'd have an extra £200K in the bank.
When it's your time then it's your time, and if I was worried about going early then there are plenty of things I wouldn't do that I do now ;)
If it is not for safety what is it for thn ? if the pump has a 15 amp fuse the pump can only be drawing 10 - 12 amps it could be have been wired direct from fuse.
If I am wrong please tell me why, I am keen to learn :)
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If it is not for safety what is it for thn ? if the pump has a 15 amp fuse the pump can only be drawing 10 - 12 amps it could be have been wired direct from fuse.
If I am wrong please tell me why, I am keen to learn Smiley
The fuel pump relay allows it to be switched by the ECU - so partly a safety thing. If the engine stops, the fuel pump stops. This means you don't need an inertia switch to cut the fuel pump in an accident.
If it were me I must admit I would have bridged the contacts and drove home but I can understand why an AA man wouldn't. No matter how many times you tell some people that it's a temporary bodge they'd still drive it regardless. Better to haul them home on a low loader.
Kevin
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If it is not for safety what is it for thn ? if the pump has a 15 amp fuse the pump can only be drawing 10 - 12 amps it could be have been wired direct from fuse.
If I am wrong please tell me why, I am keen to learn :)
The relay is energised by virtue of switching the ignition on, the relay is there simply to reduce the load on the ignition switch.
If it were me I must admit I would have bridged the contacts and drove home but I can understand why an AA man wouldn't.
The guy didn't get as far as refusing to bridge anything Kev, he saw there was no fuel delivery and automatically diagnosed a defective pump.
If we had known what fuse did what, or what relay did what, we wouldn't have even called them out because we would have sussed it for ourselves.
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The relay is energised by virtue of switching the ignition on, the relay is there simply to reduce the load on the ignition switch.
That's the "main relay" The fuel pump is switched by a second relay which is energised only when the ECU detects cranking or running of the engine.
Both of these relays are purple and they're side by side at the rear of the relay box by the battery.
Kevin
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The relay is energised by virtue of switching the ignition on, the relay is there simply to reduce the load on the ignition switch.
That's the "main relay" The fuel pump is switched by a second relay which is energised only when the ECU detects cranking or running of the engine.
Both of these relays are purple and they're side by side at the rear of the relay box by the battery.
Kevin
Cough Mundeono diesel cough
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The relay is energised by virtue of switching the ignition on, the relay is there simply to reduce the load on the ignition switch.
That's the "main relay" The fuel pump is switched by a second relay which is energised only when the ECU detects cranking or running of the engine.
Both of these relays are purple and they're side by side at the rear of the relay box by the battery.
Kevin
Cough Mundeono diesel cough
.. ahh! ::) :-[
Kevin