It really shows that in many places you need to be able to tell them what is required and to ensure they know you know. I may ne lucky in that I have two places that seem honest, but they also know that I fully understand what wants doing and howit is done and how long it is likely to take. I have been asked to pay more but not without a full explanation of what needed to be done and why.. Trouble now is that there is so much of this bad beghviour you are a mug if you do jobs for less. its better to waste two day holiday to take the car furthr to someone straight than pya less and get a bad job or more and be ripped off. I tend to round my payments up to the next 10ÂŁ if I am satisfied I have been dealt with honestly. But boy do I complain if things are done shoddily.
My experiences are definitely such a tiny sample in any case, so I definitely wouldn't disbelieve anybody who's had a good record with mechanics
Back then, I didn't have a clue - and perhaps that was the biggest mistake I made, handing it to them and letting them diagnose (especially that 2001 Corsa I bought for ÂŁ450, in the black of night) - it probably had issues in every category and ultimately wasn't worthy of repair at all tbh, looking back.
My only issue now is, even though I have a good knowledge. Like for example when I had the dent last year, although I wouldn't stand a chance doing the work myself to any good standard, I knew the complexity and how difficult it would be to put right and I tried to ask them in the nicest way possible "
if they could get it perfect?". They were pretty confident they could. But when it came back and I was looking at it with the guy from the workshop, I spotted the door off kilter.. I said "
That door looks a bit off?". He said "
we didn't have the door off at all, so it couldn't have been us. But here, two minutes, I'll go and get it adjusted for you". I said "
No, no, honestly I wouldn't expect you to have to put right someone else's mistake" out of principle like. I had no reason to disbelieve him. It was nearly a month before I checked / saved the dashcam footage and I looked through it. Saw the attached photo... door sitting off in the corner.
So there again, years later, even with a polite little upfront conversation sort of asking them if they think they could get it perfect (and being very assured they could) - they still lied to me like. I actually did take it back and get it adjusted. I re-watched the dashcam footage, they were talking about me "
How did he know that we had the door off?" and his colleague opens the door, you see his hand in the reflection pointing to the dash cams "There. and there". And yet, they proceeded to chat sh** haha "He's got some nerve bringing this down here for this to be sorted... mumbles.. he's sitting out there with a backpack.. we should let him sit 45 minutes" ... :'-) haha Well, I don't get too offended, after all, if people heard our work conversations I'd not fare much better tbf! But when I started noticing the two front doors paint not being the same shade and giving the appearance of a scrap heap car, I did try to live with it from like October 2022 but eventually Easter this year I broke and went back and told them I wasn't happy with it. After about 45 minutes of a heated walk around the car and discussion with the guy, he agreed that (for ÂŁ100) as a "good will gesture only" they would re-spray and blend it....
I've never been rude, raised my voice, had threatening words or tones, or made patronising or acted like I knew better with any of these car industry folks. But if I didn't phone back up... and persist to see them in person, and point out the problem with the work done, in no way would I have had anything put right or done right. And I'd be driving a 5 year old car with the same physical defects as my '05 Panda had acrued over 15 years of real world use and abuse from non enthusiast owners! To me it's unacceptable. But these are the things that have led me to have such a low, low, low opinion of mechanics / car professionals. I attached a photo of the initial job... it's not a stretch to say it looked like three donor cars came together to form mine.
I'd nearly go as far to say that perhaps why I've had such a bad time is... here in NI, the side that I'm on, there's a severe lack of competition. They do their best to drive out as many UK businesses as they can (such as buying out and closing all the Whetherspoons, and refusing to allow Greggs to start up here - alright, funny to use as examples).. The lack of competition and undertones of paramilitary runnings of the place is a driving factor I'd say - because if someone came here, set up shop, started showing them how it's done, it's only their family and livelihoods
Honourable mention as well.. AutoGlass with fitting a no name dirt windscreen, but fitting it so poorly the top edge. It was steaming up, noticeably noisier and a distortion as you drove along the motorway you like looking through poorly formed glass with light spots floating inside of them... or looking through someone else's glasses but more subtle. Initially complained, being all nice as pie, offered ÂŁ20 back and to live with it or go for another assessment but made it clear if it's deemed okay they wouldn't replace it. Had to go via insurer to get it done right and with a quality part.
I wouldn't say anybody should be rude or look down on mechanics. But in my case, being nice and having faith never led to quality work. Complaining also initially does nothing, they try to fob you off. You have to go in with a bit of a strong tone and bit of determination.
And in my cases you need to sort of force them to apply some perspective. With that dent, he was adamant that they did a good enough job until I pointed at a new Range Rover Velar which was a champagne sort of colour, and an Audi convertible that was definitely still in warranty... deep, deep purply thing. Looked well in the sunny weather. I said "You wouldn't be having this conversation if the owner of that Audi, or that Range Rover over there was asking you why their panels didn't match". He told me the RR was his... and then he turned around and made his 'good will' gesture