Hows this for nearly being ripped off

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Since I had the head gasket replaced on my car, whenever I put the back window heater on I got a battery warning light come on. So it must mean the altenator is on its way out or a wire is loose.

I took it to the garage where I get my services & mot done and asked them to investigate. They told me no wire was loose so the alternator needs replacing or repairing. So I have been saving up the cash to get it replaced.

A guy at work has just looked at it and found a wire loose which he put back in and now its fine.

I could have been well and truly ripped off.

Anyone else been ripped off by a garage?

 

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Thankfully no. I trained as a motor mechanic when I left school, so I do all my own repairs.

 

I know nothing about cars apart from how to drive and how oversteer around corners, thats why I only buy rear wheel drive cars

 

Cars are not so complicated... they are just nuts and bolts!

 

I'm slowly learning about the inner workings of one, but it doesn't interest me as much as the inners of a computer I must be a total geek

 

I think I may also be a geek...

 

Not a lot of people know I am a geek. People at work think I am a mad pisshead which I am I just get pissed watching things like Star Trek TNG and Battle Star Gallactica or dossing compgames

 

lol, with you there!

 

Good isn't it?

I can't tell you how many times I have seen Elementary dear data whilst pissed

 

*peeks head in thread*,.....what the....?

 

The thread moved from rip off garages to Star Trek... would that be considered off topic!

 

owz it gaaan

Now it sort of changed from me almost being ripped of to me watching start trek whilst pissed

maybe we should go back to what I asked

Anyone been ripped off?

 

A long time ago this was true. Not any longer. There is now a lot of electronics and similar kit in a car.

(Anyone know the ins and outs of CAN? <grin>)

As an example: I have a fairly elderly Ford Scorpio which used to flash warning lights about ABS. I spent many hundreds of pounds with Ford 'experts' who failed to find the fault.

Another garage who was sorting out the gearbox mentioned that their diagnostic kit was showing info on the problem, and pointed me at a place that had some clue. I took it there and within a day thay had found the fault. But it involved replacement potentiometers and such stuff.

The car has been fine since.

So good diag kit plus good technical knowledge is needed for cars. Much like computers really!

Harry.

 

I think sometimes the smaller garages are the best, because they have more time to be involved with your car.

My Mum recently took her car for a service at a small local garage against my brother advice (who was the dealer principal for Benfields in Carlisle), he was saying that they would not do a full service which infact they did and it was a lot cheaper too.

Also a lot of these smaller garages have upto date equipment and people who are fully trained on them so it can be of major benefit to go to a non dealership garage.

 

I think everyone is out to make a quik buck where they can, as long as there are people who have no clue about something or the other, in this case cars, you will always get the odd **** that decides to charge or *find* something wrong with your car that wasnt there in the first place

i agree with the smaller franchise type businesses, but even then i wouldnt be surprised if they found your exhaust needs changing and you went to ask how to fix your new cd player...

 

Well, the apprentice *might* have missed it.

I know when I just had my motorcycle serviced there were a couple of little things that didn't work, the high beam flash switch, the horn wasn't reconnected and the rear indicator didn't work. It seems that the apprentices missed these little things after the qualified mechanic did the service on the motor.

It shouldn't have happened but it does.

 

My car has no service history. I recently considered part-ex ing it but when I told them that it had no service history they suddenly seemed a lot less interested.

I'm not bothered about the service history, I know my car works and I know its been serviced. I always take it to the same back street garage because I trust the guy (cash payments only!).

It's never had any problems.

 

The guy who apparently checked my car was the head mechanic personally I don't think they looked at it at all because if they did that shows some gross incompetence.

 

As someone who followed a Manufacturers scheme of Apprentice > Technician > Advanced Technician, I can confrim cars are no longer "nuts and bolts". If you want a car that has very little electronics to it, then you need to get something Pre '80's, although depending on the car/model, it will have some even at this age.

Having lots of wires, sensitive electronic parts and computers provide long service in the home - under a bonnet in all the weather thrown at it is a different matter!
Also be careful of the "steam clean" in the engine bay - these can cause serious problems!

It is always difficult for the customer to believe one fault has nothing to do with another. This is partly due to not understanding how things work and all the cowboys out there. Bare in mind, someone might discover a fault on looking for a symptom of something else.

I am not sure why the head gasket was replaced, but the fault itself is highly unlikey to have any relevance to the heated rear screen/alternator fault. If this developed after the head was replaced, it *could* be that the wire was disturbed/not re-fitted after the head was re-fitted.

Simon