Not Impressed With Well Known Workshop

[oldie]

My stagea S2 was due for it 100k service so I thought I would do the right thing and book it into a specialist Turbo place in Brisbane and asked for a general service as well. I even spoke to them about installing iridium plugs and what difference they make and not to take out the K&N panel. I left the car there for 1.5 days to give them plenty of time to do it properly.

I went to pick up the car and they tell me they forgot to do the general service. I was pretty pissed off as I had driven 50K's just to use this well known workshop. But it was the "Ah well never mind attitude" just rebook it that I was put off by. He knew damn well I was too pissed off to come back to them. I was not going to drive to this place again. So I booked it in to a little workshop just near my work, He told me my Spark plugs were pretty old and had become rusted in. He got them out but broke 4 of them in the process. He claimed it looked like an attempt was started to remove the plugs very recently going by all the finger prints.

So the conclusion I come to is, at the well known performance workshop they saw the problem with the plugs and thought it was just too hard to do the right thing and very easy to pretend they just forgot! Weak bastards! It is amazing to me the amount of trouble it is to get a decent mechanic for these cars.

My new mechanic has the car running great now, His service was terrific he even cleaned the floor mats and wiped over the interior, cleaned the wheels and tyre blacked the wheels. He also charged a very fair price considering all he had to do.

Craig

[Unbalanced]

Luckily the two mechanics I frequent are both friends of mine so I know they're not gonna be dodgy.

But I have on occasion gone elsewhere with previous vehicles and they always try to screw me over.

Now I just stick with the two I know. Its pretty rare I need something done that they can't do.

Edited December 3, 2008 by Unbalanced

[48ngr]

amount of dodgy workshops and workshops ripping people off is on the increase... pretty sad to see this sort fo shit happening

[zei20l]

this is why i dont let people work on my car unless ive known them for a LONG time. i try to do all the work myself on my car.

but i agree with too many dodgy workshops around. people are happy to take your money for nothing these days

[kidafa]

Im with the dude above me....

I try to do as much of the work on my car myself as I can. I had never worked on cars before and the first thing I did was do the timing belt/100K service on my stag when I got it and it was a piece of cake. Just do your research on here take your time and your set to do just about anything to these wonderful cars of ours. Must admit I come from a pushbike mechanic background.

I dread going to pick up my car from some where thats done anything on it I cant (wheels/tyres/tuning/towbar) and having new damage on the car as its happened to me but they have just agreed to repair it for me.

[CL11QE]

sad thing is as well it normally is these big "well known" workshops that do alot of teh dodgy work cos they get so much work, rather than a smaller guy who needs teh work....

[66yostagea]

I do most of my work no problems. There is sufficient info in DIY to do normal service etc.

There is a very good local mobile mechanic whom I use for service to the transmission, and his prices are very fair.

If you get stuck with anything the forum is loaded with Stagea owners who can and will help, also the Skyliner forum can often help.

[zei20l]

thats exactly right 66yostagea. there is a huge community that are happy to help each other out.

ive only met 4 stagea owners, but id be happy to help them out working on their car if they needed it. its all experience. buy some decent tools - dont need to go overboard - and take your time doing things and you wont mess up!

[lilcrash]

im not going to say names but i had a certain 3 letter named high performance car tuner charge me $500 to plug in an injector and claimed my ecu was too hard to use(haltech f7b). considering that my partner fixed all the f**k ups they did on the way home. when i drove out it wouldnt rev over 3000rpm while shooting flames and farting around. a few weeks later i got it dynoed just too see how close her tune was, not all that bad, 153hp from a 3tgte(1978 model 1.8 twin spark turbo, for those who dont know). after a quick clean up we got up to 186.5hp. suprising what ppl think they can get away with.

[RBPOWA-(TJ)]

thats a good workshop you second option ... cleaning intior ? wheels ? and rubber ? damn your lucky. i would love the day i go to my mechanic and my car is sparkling clean.

behind them is a sand plant... and when cars are done gets a bit dusty if the wind kicks up in the carpark. but hey 3bucks at the carwash is worth the quality of work

[rb26stagea]

I'm in a similar situation as the rest of you: I have a local mechanic for basic things like servicing, minor repairs, etc, and another in Sydney for major things like engine builds, custom work, etc.... Pain in the rear, but it's hard to find decent help, ESPECIALLY on the Gold Coast...

[iamhe77]

thats a good workshop you second option ... cleaning intior ? wheels ? and rubber ? damn your lucky. i would love the day i go to my mechanic and my car is sparkling clean.

behind them is a sand plant... and when cars are done gets a bit dusty if the wind kicks up in the carpark. but hey 3bucks at the carwash is worth the quality of work

You obviously haven't taken your Stag to Ferntree Gully Nissan then.

They always give the interior a vac and wipe, as well as the "treating" the tires.... no rim cleaning though....

[RBPOWA-(TJ)]

You obviously haven't taken your Stag to Ferntree Gully Nissan then.

They always give the interior a vac and wipe, as well as the "treating" the tires.... no rim cleaning though....

lol rim ....

a little to far for me. my mechanic is just 5mins from work ... just take the car to work on the day and drop it off .. well know and reputable man

[STAGE1]

I have spent the last couple of months trying to sort out a power steering problem only to find out it was the universal joint that connects the steering shaft to the rack. (universal joint 32.oo)

Cost so far 480.oo (A flush, 2nd hand power searing pump & rack). The rack was the wrong one and had to take it back and get the right one (1hr round trip).

Universal joint is the wrong one I will have to take it back tomorrow and get the right one and to top it all off when I got under the car today I noticed the CV doot has let go. That was replaced only 20,000k ago.

So I am off to give two people a rev tomorrow.

Stressed not me

I don't think there is anyone out there that rely gives good service anymore.

PS Any one need a pump or rack I know where I can lay my hands on them

Cheers

Phil

[oldie]

For those of you who are interested as to where I received the great service and honesty the workshop is "Service Performance Automotive" at unit 2/20 Lancashire st Acacia Ridge. Ph 0433128957 or 37117700.

cheers Craig

[ssshonky]

go DIY I say!!! learn something in the process and save some $$$

I do most of my work no problems. There is sufficient info in DIY to do normal service etc.

There is a very good local mobile mechanic whom I use for service to the transmission, and his prices are very fair.

If you get stuck with anything the forum is loaded with Stagea owners who can and will help, also the Skyliner forum can often help.

[markdem]

i used to be an apprentice mechanic (james frizelles VW ... f**king bastards). we would charge customers for shit they didnt need, like replacing brake fluid every service or unnecessary wheel balancing, batteries, tyres, wipers, anything we could get away with. sure those parts wear out, but im talking about dodgey shit, like replacing brake pads with 6-7mm left on them. all they care about is your money and they will find the easiest way to get it.

[Daleo]

i used to be an apprentice mechanic (james frizelles VW ... f**king bastards). we would charge customers for shit they didnt need, like replacing brake fluid every service or unnecessary wheel balancing, batteries, tyres, wipers, anything we could get away with. sure those parts wear out, but im talking about dodgey shit, like replacing brake pads with 6-7mm left on them. all they care about is your money and they will find the easiest way to get it.

A few mechanics I've come across have tried this line; particularly prior to me starting to maintain my Missus car. She wanted to have a "Log Book History" for resale; but it didn't take long to show her that it was a crock.

I have flat out refused to pay for any work I didn't authorise on a couple of occasions; and on the Missus car I had a local mechanic "remove" a set of $200 (not including labour) rear brake pads that he claimed were "Metal on Metal".

I showed him the purchase receipt for the BRAND NEW PADS that I had installed in her car a week earlier, and demanded he furnish me with with the pads that he'd removed from the car.

He basically went to water in front of me, and claimed I was doing him out of his "easy money"! Presumably i'm not permitted to work on a car I actually own...

He came clean and said that he didn't think the "girl" who dropped the car off would know; so he loaded her up. What a stupid mutt; didn't even have a bogus set of pads to show. Must've been a heart starter when I walked in...

I told him to get himself f##ked, and then told the other 4 customers waiting in his workshop by this time; that he was a flat out crook.

I trust very few people with anything that I own, but if I find someone good; I make sure they know they're appreciated.

[gleeson]

to them all.The one i went to put the wrong oil in and it was ticking its ass off, when i spoke to him he said ill have to put a thinner oil in.So the next day he changed the oil and then tried to charge me another $100.i looked at the bill, laughed and just walked out.

[PN-Mad]

DIY for the Win. No other way to say it. With a Stagea, its crucial.

If I had to take my 323 to someone everytime I needed a minor service, I'd be broke. I do a fair amount of kms on my daily, and end up oil/filtering it every 4 months or so. I did however have a mystery vibration that I took it to a recommend Mechanic for. He had a couple of shots at fixing with no improvement. Tried some ignition stuff (coil/leads etc), as it felt the car was stuttering. Put the mechanic in the car with my Missus, and showed him what the problem was. Turns out it was worn out drive shafts. No clicking or anything that would give it away, but on acceleration uphill (not on the flat) they would get out of balance and vibrate! Thankfully this started on the last 100kms of a 4000km trip.

Anyway, I had the faith in him, and he found it- they appreciate that. From then on, he has been the best local mechanic, that charges me the most realistic prices. But, I still wouldn't take my Stagea there for anything other than a pink slip!