I'm after a bit of advice if I may?? (sorry if I go on a bit)!
Last May I noticed that my gear stick was sticking and was increasingly difficult to change gear and I had a dinging noise coming from the drivers side when I went around corners, so I took it to fiat who put it on the machine to tell me that I needed new front suspension, anti roll bars and clutch. They priced it up for me and it was extortionate to say the least, so I bobbed along to a local garage that is recommended by the good garage scheme. He took a look and told me that the clutch was showing signs of wear and that I may need a new driveshaft.
I left the car with him and told him to do what he needed to do, because we would be driving abroad in a few weeks and it needed to be up to scratch. He told me once he had stripped the car down he had noticed an oil leak, which was allowing oil to drip onto the gear mechanism, which he had fixed, and that was the reason for the sticky clutch. Got the car back and noticed a juddering whilst pulling away in first or when in slow moving traffic (ya know, stop, start etc). I gave the garage a ring and they told me that I just had to get used to the new clutch and not to worry about it. After we came back from holiday the clutch was still juddering, so I phoned them again, again they told me it was just that I had to get used to the new clutch. In October I took the car back to the garage because it was getting beyond a joke, anyone who drove the car experienced the juddering, so I knew it wasn't just me. He took the car for a test drive and agreed that there was a juddering and immediately told me that the flywheel has probably "gone".
I wasn't happy at all, because when I came home, I read up that the dual mass flywheels on multipla's should be changed at 100,000 miles (which mine has done) or when the clutch is changed. I booked it in anyway, and asked him to check the suspension and the anti roll bar (as I had in May, although he said they were both fine) and give it a full service. That way, I figure, I wouldn't be seeing him again for some time. Once he had stripped everything down he told me that the flywheel was indeed dead, but in the short space of time between me getting the new clutch and then, I had managed to kill the clutch too!! He told me that both the clutch and flywheel would need replacing and would charge me accordingly. I told him that I did not believe that I should be responsible for the cost of the clutch, as, as far as I am concerned, he is the mechanic and should have noticed the problem with the flywheel when the clutch was changed, as the juddering was apparent from the moment I took it back off him in May. He told me he would speak to the clutch manufacturer to see if they could strike a deal, then phoned me back to tell me that they would only charge me £25 for the new clutch. He once again checked the suspension and the anti roll bar, and decided that a new anti roll bar was needed too, which I told him to do, and he gave the car a full service. He also told me that one of the gear box mountings had sheared off, probably due to age, although I think it is more likely to do with all the juddering the poor car has had to put up with.
I picked up the car around a week later and all seemed to be well. However, the morning after I picked it up, the glow plug light came on. I phoned him immediately and told him, at which point he told me to bring it back in and he would take care of the problem for me. I asked if the plugs should have been replaced in the service, at which point he informed me that they do not include this in a major service, despite it being checked on the service sheet as replaced. It cost another £165 to get the glow plugs replaced (most of that was labour as they could not get one of them out).
So, and I'm sorry that this has been soooo long so far, we are now in January, and the car was due its MOT. I took it back to him, mainly because the judder came back and I wanted him to look at it, and asked him to perform the MOT for me too. It failed!!!! This time it was the suspension, the very thing that fiat had told me 9 months previously had play, and the thing that I had asked the independant garage to look at twice. It has just cost me another £265 including MOT. With regard to the judder, well, it seems he disagrees with me and does not feel a judder at all.
I really am at my wits end. I have spent just under £2000 with this garage in the last 9 months and had a lot of major things done. I love my multi and wouldn't even consider getting rid, but this is really making me think twice.
Can anyone shed any light on the judder for me? Should the garage be responsible? Is he taking me for a mug? And is there any recourse? Of course I am not a mechanic so I haven't the foggiest if there is something wrong with my car and have to rely on these so called professionals, and I know that taking this matter further could just prove to be as costly, and very, very difficult for me to prove. But its like my hubby said, when we first took the car into him, there was actually nothing wrong with the clutch, it felt fine, we just got it done because that is what we were advised at the time, but ever since he got his hands on it, we have had nothing but trouble.
The car is a 1.9 JTD ELX on a 02 plate.
Help!!!!
Last May I noticed that my gear stick was sticking and was increasingly difficult to change gear and I had a dinging noise coming from the drivers side when I went around corners, so I took it to fiat who put it on the machine to tell me that I needed new front suspension, anti roll bars and clutch. They priced it up for me and it was extortionate to say the least, so I bobbed along to a local garage that is recommended by the good garage scheme. He took a look and told me that the clutch was showing signs of wear and that I may need a new driveshaft.
I left the car with him and told him to do what he needed to do, because we would be driving abroad in a few weeks and it needed to be up to scratch. He told me once he had stripped the car down he had noticed an oil leak, which was allowing oil to drip onto the gear mechanism, which he had fixed, and that was the reason for the sticky clutch. Got the car back and noticed a juddering whilst pulling away in first or when in slow moving traffic (ya know, stop, start etc). I gave the garage a ring and they told me that I just had to get used to the new clutch and not to worry about it. After we came back from holiday the clutch was still juddering, so I phoned them again, again they told me it was just that I had to get used to the new clutch. In October I took the car back to the garage because it was getting beyond a joke, anyone who drove the car experienced the juddering, so I knew it wasn't just me. He took the car for a test drive and agreed that there was a juddering and immediately told me that the flywheel has probably "gone".
I wasn't happy at all, because when I came home, I read up that the dual mass flywheels on multipla's should be changed at 100,000 miles (which mine has done) or when the clutch is changed. I booked it in anyway, and asked him to check the suspension and the anti roll bar (as I had in May, although he said they were both fine) and give it a full service. That way, I figure, I wouldn't be seeing him again for some time. Once he had stripped everything down he told me that the flywheel was indeed dead, but in the short space of time between me getting the new clutch and then, I had managed to kill the clutch too!! He told me that both the clutch and flywheel would need replacing and would charge me accordingly. I told him that I did not believe that I should be responsible for the cost of the clutch, as, as far as I am concerned, he is the mechanic and should have noticed the problem with the flywheel when the clutch was changed, as the juddering was apparent from the moment I took it back off him in May. He told me he would speak to the clutch manufacturer to see if they could strike a deal, then phoned me back to tell me that they would only charge me £25 for the new clutch. He once again checked the suspension and the anti roll bar, and decided that a new anti roll bar was needed too, which I told him to do, and he gave the car a full service. He also told me that one of the gear box mountings had sheared off, probably due to age, although I think it is more likely to do with all the juddering the poor car has had to put up with.
I picked up the car around a week later and all seemed to be well. However, the morning after I picked it up, the glow plug light came on. I phoned him immediately and told him, at which point he told me to bring it back in and he would take care of the problem for me. I asked if the plugs should have been replaced in the service, at which point he informed me that they do not include this in a major service, despite it being checked on the service sheet as replaced. It cost another £165 to get the glow plugs replaced (most of that was labour as they could not get one of them out).
So, and I'm sorry that this has been soooo long so far, we are now in January, and the car was due its MOT. I took it back to him, mainly because the judder came back and I wanted him to look at it, and asked him to perform the MOT for me too. It failed!!!! This time it was the suspension, the very thing that fiat had told me 9 months previously had play, and the thing that I had asked the independant garage to look at twice. It has just cost me another £265 including MOT. With regard to the judder, well, it seems he disagrees with me and does not feel a judder at all.
I really am at my wits end. I have spent just under £2000 with this garage in the last 9 months and had a lot of major things done. I love my multi and wouldn't even consider getting rid, but this is really making me think twice.
Can anyone shed any light on the judder for me? Should the garage be responsible? Is he taking me for a mug? And is there any recourse? Of course I am not a mechanic so I haven't the foggiest if there is something wrong with my car and have to rely on these so called professionals, and I know that taking this matter further could just prove to be as costly, and very, very difficult for me to prove. But its like my hubby said, when we first took the car into him, there was actually nothing wrong with the clutch, it felt fine, we just got it done because that is what we were advised at the time, but ever since he got his hands on it, we have had nothing but trouble.
The car is a 1.9 JTD ELX on a 02 plate.
Help!!!!
