scblack
Leucocholic
It is not a secret - it is well known AAMI do this, or effectively the same.
Mechanics, defend your trade!
- Thread starter NCR600
- Start date
NCR600
Likes Dirt
Got the thing yesterday and found out the headers and cats had been replaced. They swapped the cats out for hi-flow items, and I'm yet to work out what sort of headers they put on, but the thing seems to go better than it did!
Only problem is that it is now a shit-ton louder than it was, with a real nice crackle on the over-run, which is great on a fun car, not a daily driver. I'll need noise cancelling headphones to be able to talk to the passenger.
If I get pulled by the law, **MI can pay for the fine.
Oh, and speaking of insurance scams, I got a call from the panel beater that knocked out the damage to the tunnel and crossmembers who seemed to be trying to convince me I should take it back and tell them the damage to the front bar hadn't been fixed! The only damage to my front bar has been there for years. Dodgy pricks.
Only problem is that it is now a shit-ton louder than it was, with a real nice crackle on the over-run, which is great on a fun car, not a daily driver. I'll need noise cancelling headphones to be able to talk to the passenger.
If I get pulled by the law, **MI can pay for the fine.
Oh, and speaking of insurance scams, I got a call from the panel beater that knocked out the damage to the tunnel and crossmembers who seemed to be trying to convince me I should take it back and tell them the damage to the front bar hadn't been fixed! The only damage to my front bar has been there for years. Dodgy pricks.
No, it was actually the F**d service centre in P**ra**tta.
I'd replaced the pads only 5-6 months earlier and it was Caroline's car. She called me halfway through the day to ask how long they last for, when she told me the list of things they wanted to do I called them and suggested they put their mouth guards in because I was on my way over. They were rather sheepish when I got in there and showed that I was no woman in a business suit.
toodles
Wheel size expert
The f*ckwits at Midas up here did that to me... Dropped car off for service, they rang an hour later and told me the coolant needed replacing and the brake pads were shot. I'd only replaced the coolant the week prior so I told them to take it off the hoist and I'd come pick it up.
When I got there, they tried to charge me like $200 for "additives" + $300 for labour because I cut my service short. Luckily they had a busy front counter at the time, so I went off my brain at the dude behind the counter calling them a bunch of thieves and crooks (an insult to honest and hardworking thieves IMO). Manager came out and "cut me a deal" taking the cost down to $150.
On the way home I picked up some brake pads and went to change them - lo and behold, my pads didn't even have 1/4 wear in them... F*ck Midas.
tallongdownhill
Likes Dirt
i'm a mechanic and been on the tools for 18 years and i'm not a rip off.I take pride in my work and believe to treat my customers with respect and honesty.I have never ripped a customer off and never will.I show all parts that i use and replaced so the customer can see that they are worn out.I do know off mechanics who sting people so hard because the mechanic thinks the customer is dumb.This attitude pisses me off and gives us good mechanics a bad name.As for companys like midas,ultratune etc etc, i would not even go to them or tell anyone to go there,they are the biggest rip offs.
Im still trying to find the illusive good mechanic in my area.
Tried doing the small buisness thing a while back but after a couple of mistakes on their part I will no longer be going back.
It all started with a RWC, bonus points to them for actually checking everything (they have been charged and lost their liscense previously) but they didn't take notice of year of the car. They tried to convince me that my discs were too worn, looked in their manual for my model to find that they measured almost new...
Got that RWC...
Back to the same establishment a little later with a blown head gasket, common problem, which they fixed on budget if a couple of days longer than expected. No problem, plenty of transport in the family.
After a couple of days it started running rough so I had a look myself, inlet pipe was comming away from the AFM. Easy fix, just tighten the clamp and away I go... In the process of putting it back on I hear something moving inside so I have a look. Spark plug tester left in the inlet.... WTF! Had a quiet word with the owner of the shop "Oh the young bloke must have left it there..." This was after he told me he had done the work.
After all this I decided to take it back when it wouldnt run nice on gas, two days later I pick up the car and get charged 6 hours labour to find it runs just the same as before. Drove it home and thought "I have nothing to loose" and pulled the gas kit apart, found a bad seal, fixed and running again in under an hour. Gas specialists couldn't find the problem in 6 hours and I got it in 1!.
Anyway 3 strikes and im not going back....
Also had a work car die recently, doesn't cost me anything so it doesn't worry me much but I continually rang to see how it was going... I got lied to, as did the company and the story kept changing. Add this to the fact that they didn't know what was wrong. End of story I get a new motor in a TD car with only 100,000km on it. I hope the company didn't have to pay for it as I suspect one of the mechanics there now has a motor rebuilt ready to go...
Lets just say my personal car isn't going there either...
Tried doing the small buisness thing a while back but after a couple of mistakes on their part I will no longer be going back.
It all started with a RWC, bonus points to them for actually checking everything (they have been charged and lost their liscense previously) but they didn't take notice of year of the car. They tried to convince me that my discs were too worn, looked in their manual for my model to find that they measured almost new...
Got that RWC...
Back to the same establishment a little later with a blown head gasket, common problem, which they fixed on budget if a couple of days longer than expected. No problem, plenty of transport in the family.
After a couple of days it started running rough so I had a look myself, inlet pipe was comming away from the AFM. Easy fix, just tighten the clamp and away I go... In the process of putting it back on I hear something moving inside so I have a look. Spark plug tester left in the inlet.... WTF! Had a quiet word with the owner of the shop "Oh the young bloke must have left it there..." This was after he told me he had done the work.
After all this I decided to take it back when it wouldnt run nice on gas, two days later I pick up the car and get charged 6 hours labour to find it runs just the same as before. Drove it home and thought "I have nothing to loose" and pulled the gas kit apart, found a bad seal, fixed and running again in under an hour. Gas specialists couldn't find the problem in 6 hours and I got it in 1!.
Anyway 3 strikes and im not going back....
Also had a work car die recently, doesn't cost me anything so it doesn't worry me much but I continually rang to see how it was going... I got lied to, as did the company and the story kept changing. Add this to the fact that they didn't know what was wrong. End of story I get a new motor in a TD car with only 100,000km on it. I hope the company didn't have to pay for it as I suspect one of the mechanics there now has a motor rebuilt ready to go...
Lets just say my personal car isn't going there either...
alpinestar12
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Where do you live mate?
tallongdownhill
Likes Dirt
south coast NSW mate and do cash jobs on the side to help people who don't have the funds to pay the stupid $80 plus an hour for some tool to not fix it properly.
Matt H
Eats Squid
Cash jobs so you avoid paying eftpos fees, aight?
I had the same issue some kids thought it would be funny to put a big blue stone rock on a HWY i was driving my car (lancer evo 6 ) so it is rather low and anyway i hit the rock at 80kph stuffed my car up a bit
gave the car to insurance car did not run right when i got it back they even used wrong parts on my car to fix it
had them fix it correctly still had issues they said there is nothing wrong well i ended up taking the car to My own mechanics well anyway we found out that the cat was blocked up due to them turbo pressure lines and all that put around the wrong way and my car was running unlimited boost as such and i was lucky i got there before anything went wrong
sent the bill to fix all this to insurance that said they where not going to pay it i said im happy to take this to court and also take there mechanic to court for the bill
they ended up paying for it now my car is with them again and im worried what will happen now
gave the car to insurance car did not run right when i got it back they even used wrong parts on my car to fix it
had them fix it correctly still had issues they said there is nothing wrong well i ended up taking the car to My own mechanics well anyway we found out that the cat was blocked up due to them turbo pressure lines and all that put around the wrong way and my car was running unlimited boost as such and i was lucky i got there before anything went wrong
sent the bill to fix all this to insurance that said they where not going to pay it i said im happy to take this to court and also take there mechanic to court for the bill
they ended up paying for it now my car is with them again and im worried what will happen now
Funkee
Squid
Well i hope you got a little "MIDAS" sticker on the back window of your car, for your trouble.
I hate it went mechanics think they can just advertise their companies on the back window of your car, like it's no big deal to you. Midas is a big offender, they sticker most cars they work on.
Funkee
Squid
I heard an interesting story on ABC radio a few years back. It explained the biggest problem with the insurance industry today is that 95% of all insurance work in each state is handed out by 4 - 6 large insurance companies.
The repairers, who number in their thousands in large states, are all competing for the same work off the same sources and all family-owned / independent or small businesses. They are not internationals or chains or franchinces with head-office backing.
These thousands of small operators can basically take the work from their big insurers on the insurers terms or go out of business as the work can just as easily go to the next guy.
I hate that too.
Its like buying a car and getting the licence plate frame with the dealers name on it.
I had an alfa mechanic put a sticker on my car once, it was on the inside of the hatch and was only visible when you opened the hatch. I left it there due to laziness.
tallongdownhill
Likes Dirt
this thread turning more into insurance company problems not the mechanics fault.When i have done insurance work on vehicles i don't believe in what the insurance company may tell me to fix or not fix.They do it cheap as possible and quick.I have inspected cars that customers have came in with saying the car is not right,and when i have inspected them i have seen second hand parts painted black fitted into these cars.When i comes to suspension and brakes they are the most important.At tafe i had to get 75% pass in these subjects so i think insurance companys should take the same attitude with100% new parts.
On another note
I had a car accident awhile back and towed it to my mates panel shop.we looked over it and qouted up over 3500 for repairs mainly suspension damage.The insurance guy comes around to see the quote and goes through it saying put standard parts back into my car,when they knew it was modified and was insured to be modified.
At this time i stepped in saying i owned the car and told i'm i want the right parts fitted as i'm the mechanic who is doin the work at our workshop and my mate is the panel beater who owns his own workshop.He tells me i have to get it fixed at some where else,thats when i pull out my policy stating choice of repairer and i chose my repairer when taking out the policy.By this time the guy is seeing that i'm not goin to give up and i'm right.
Insurance paid up for the repairs,got my car back then recieved a letter sayin they will not cover my type of modiefied car anymore.So i cancelled all my other insurance with them ,then went else where.
Since then i have found a better insurance company that even gives me free roadside assistance and free towing if i ever have another accident or break down.
On another note
I had a car accident awhile back and towed it to my mates panel shop.we looked over it and qouted up over 3500 for repairs mainly suspension damage.The insurance guy comes around to see the quote and goes through it saying put standard parts back into my car,when they knew it was modified and was insured to be modified.
At this time i stepped in saying i owned the car and told i'm i want the right parts fitted as i'm the mechanic who is doin the work at our workshop and my mate is the panel beater who owns his own workshop.He tells me i have to get it fixed at some where else,thats when i pull out my policy stating choice of repairer and i chose my repairer when taking out the policy.By this time the guy is seeing that i'm not goin to give up and i'm right.
Insurance paid up for the repairs,got my car back then recieved a letter sayin they will not cover my type of modiefied car anymore.So i cancelled all my other insurance with them ,then went else where.
Since then i have found a better insurance company that even gives me free roadside assistance and free towing if i ever have another accident or break down.