Hows this for nearly being ripped off

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The coolent was always being used up rapidly and the engine was overheating and after replacing the coolent pump twice it was discovered the head gasket was warped and about to blow. So I got it changed.

As for the alternator it was my asumption that the wire hadn't been replaced after the mechanics had replaced the engine. But I didn't know where this wire might be so the guy at work who checked my car fitted it back into where it should go.

 

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Sounds like they haven't fitted it back correctly - the alternator would have almost definately been disturbed removing the cylinder head on most cars.

Simon

 

I'm just pissed of they said they had rechecked it and there was no wire loose so the altenator needed replacing.

 

Don't blame you.

I would say the end result would depend on the garages integrity.

You have paid them to sort the head problem out. You take it back, and someone diagnoses an alternator problem. You agree, they order one and make a booking in the diary.

The car comes in and the technician begins his job on replacing the alternator. He discovers the wire is not connected, but his workmate has diagnosed an alternator fault. Does he continue with the job, or re-fit the wire?

 

I am not going back thats for sure.

 

At risk of stating the obvious, did you test the battery when the battery light came on? Chances are that's the cable that was "loose" or more likely corroded. If the battery tests OK then you probably just need one of these:


EDIT: but if you have a battery gauge (not just a light) in the car keep an eye on your volts too. I had a bad voltage regulator that would actually drain the battery at higher RPMs, exact opposite of what you'd expect if alternator is going bad (drains battery while idling).

 

I am lucky enough to have my next door neighbour who is a mechanic and has his own garage and car business!!! If it wasn't for him who knows how much I would be getting ripped off by now

 

Years ago an old Rover Metro of mine failed an MOT due to rusted sills, a garage charged me £300 for welding them. Fast forward a few years, had exactly the same problem with a Ford Escort. Took it to another garage who charged me £50. Go figure!

Small independant garages are the way forward. They have little overheads so therefore charge less. I was recently getting quotes to get the cam belt and pulleys replaced on my current motor (Rover 414). First garage quoted me £296 all in. Garage about 10 minutes walk away quoted £180 inc VAT all in. Well worth shopping around

 

yeah I know what you mean, I think some people are under the impression that if their car is under warranty then they have to take it to a dealer that the car came from, as long as any garage uses parts specifically for that car e.g BMW parts then it doesn't matter where you take it.

If the car is out of warranty then it doesn't matter at all.

My mum was going to take her Nissan Micra to the Nissan garage for a service, they wanted £180 for a Micra she took it to a local independant garage (which used proper Nissan parts) and they charged he £120

 

I agree with Simon there

I'm not sure what type of car Nightwalker is referring to?? But most cars today and the ones with the new number plates such 02 or 52 in the numberplate seemed to have microchips and circuit boards. Gone are the days of working on the car yourself. Because now when you look under the bonnet it's covered with plastic covers. Your feel as though you have to take half the engine out just to get at the oilf filter!

Originally I had a Mk2 Ford Capri which I serviced/fixed myself. But when I purchased a Vauxhall Astra 2002 I noticed I need special star head tools and the spark plug leads had been replaced by a Electronic Emission unit. The guy at the garage attached a cable to the car and the other end to a computer to tell him if there was a problem or not!

Everythings electronic and plastic, even the Haynes Book of lies recomended taking it to a dealer for replacement of the catalytic converter!

I think the garages have got us by the balls and can charge us what they like!

 

I am a testimony of your comment and can say yes it's true and accurate to a large extent.

 

It came from one of the senior mechanics in the Nissan garage I trained at when I left school. Whenever I got stuck, and especially when I changed my first engine, he would come and see what was going on and say "what you doing boy, it's only nuts and bolts".

It's true cars are ever more complicated, multiplexing electronics, variable valve timing etc. But the electronics don't go wrong as often as the mechanical bits. An awful lot of repairs don't require a soldering iron, they just need a good socket set and a good size hammer.

 

er, i know a few people in the trade who wouldn't agree with that! They mechanical bits *are* lasting longer - hence the bigger gap in service shedules.

 

The bigger gap in service schedules is not always a good thing. The engine oil still gets clogged up with carbon, the brake drums still fill with dust. The precision of the engineering and the quality of the materials has improved, for example you don’t have to decoke a cylinder head these days as part of the service schedule. The service interval for a cambelt can be as much as 90,000 miles on a modern car. It’s the same belt that used to have a service interval of 50,000 miles. I change mine every two years, the belt costs £20. If that belt snaps (like on a colleagues Focus at work) it’s a big old bill (he spent £900 getting his car back on the road, it had only done 60,000 miles and the cambelt snapped). I think car manufacturers do push the boundary a little on servicing.

 

I agree. My view on the extended service schedule is a balance between reliabilty and competition with other manufacturers.

 

Agreed. However just because the service schedule says you can run round for 10,000 miles on the same oil, if you value the longevity of your engine you are going to need to change it more often than that.

 

I didnt realise we had so many mechanics on this forum
I also followed the main dealer apprenticeship/technician path.
The cars of today can be very complicated to diagnose and fix and the most annoying thing in the world is when somebody says that you can just plug it in and it tells you whats wrong - no, it doesnt.

I think if you have a car that is a premium brand such as BMW but it is an older car then it is actually better to take the car to a garage specialising in that brand as opposed to the main dealer because the main dealer sees very few older models of cars and hence has less knowledge on common faults etc, we actually have on a few occasions consulted a local specialist regarding faults with older cars because they actually see a lot of them and also quite often have very tried and tested methods plus occasionally donor parts to try.

As for servicing and service intervals, its all well and good taking your car to a backstreet garage for its service but i would definately supply your own oil and one that is on the manufacturers recommended oil list, the difference between your jug of castrol oil and your halfords oil is huge hence why you pay more.
Service intervals are longer whether thats good or not im not sure, the vehicles can manage provided you use a good oil.

Has anybody encountered the CBS service scheduling on the newer BMW's?

 

I use the recommended M42 engine oil on my Beemer, I'm looking at changing it soon. I Would love a 330ci M sport but with the new tax coming in next year (for those who dont know your VED moves up 2 places so you are gonna get bummed by the tax man) I don't think it'll happen.

So I was looking at a 330cd or maybe 320ci or cd.

 

I agree fully with this point, GBL, and would add that the smaller business (in the case of my local garage) is someone who's built his or her place up based on reputation, not how many folks they can rip off and get away with it. As a result, they cannot afford to rip off local customers, as bad word of mouth would spread faster than an oil leak (geddit ? )

Much the same maxim I apply to the local PC repair work around here. Wish I could charge the same as my garage, I must say !!

 

you can get away with £50 per hour, I have