Sorry guys need to vent so here's the background;

Since buying an Audi A6 four years ago I've done all the work myself. I've serviced, repaired exhaust, changed alternator, fitted tow bar etc etc.

The OSF and OSR wheel bearing needed changing and with a new baby, having to work and not having time I entrusted the job to a local "Audi Specialist".

They completed the work but phoned halfway through to tell me about rear discs which I knew and also that "some work is needed on the rear anti roll bar".

This kind of bull really annoys me - I asked them to do a certain job and they're telling me other things that need doing... but fine I can handle it. I'll check them tonight.

The drive home proved they've somehow knocked the tracking out replacing the wheel bearings as it no longer drives straight!.

I then looked at the paperwork they gave me under "technician recommendations". Wait for it - "replace rear anti roll bar and end links". mmm. I've never heard of replacing an anti roll bar that's an inch thick and not snapped or bent.

Surprise surprise after a good inspection this evening with a pry bar the rear anti roll bar, roll bar mounts and drop links have no play I can find whatsoever. They look factory fresh. There's not even noticeable aging.

I'll be popping in tomorrow with some difficult questions...

And I wonder why I never trust people to work on my car out of my direct line of vision. Am I normal?

[Edited on 16/6/10 by SeaBass]

I feel the same way, but luckly if need be I know a few better garages than that
and one that I'd trust to do any job on any car even the dax (if I get it finished that is)

had to use the vauxhall main dealer over the road for my last MOT (on the focus) - they are fiarly decent for a main dealer and don't even charge that much - but I've never heard of a car failing an MOT because the boot doesn't open easily
(the catch was knackerd and on my list of things to do but still...)

It's called one for the price of two. They screw you over.

I took my tintop in to the garage for a warranty repair on the radio due to a loose connection on the aerial. Got a call a few hours later to be told "we can't repair the aerial fault under warranty because it's been vandalised, hence the loose connection, you're going to have to pay us £150 but we can take a credit card now and do it straight away". I asked in what way it had been vandalised because the aerial seemed to be okay. They said "it's very subtly bent so that it looses connection". Because apparantly round here the vandals don't just snap off aerials they like the screw your mind by bending it so subtly you can't tell but apparantly a grease monkey in the local Nissan garage can using Xray specs. So I told the garage to kiss my cahunas. Got the car back the next day. Guess what? Suddenly it's all working just fine again.

Main dealer = main stealer.

Just for info. Anti roll bars wear wear the bushes are so a new bush wont hold it tight. IIRC VAG roll bars have a sleeve on which breaks up.

As for the tracking youl probably find the track rod end has been shafted getting it out of the hub to do the bearing.

Not just you mate - however I think my Alfa dealer, (after getting to know them over the past few years) is not too bad now they know how my mind works.

I went to the Audi local dealer to ask if they would sell me radio removal keys so that I could fit a hands free kit to a friends car - I just got "no mate Audi thinks that if we sell you keys then you'll go round stealing radios out of Audis so they aren't available to the public"

You're not alone in your experiences, all of you.

My old bus currently needs a bit of attention to the aircon.

I'm switched on enough to know that there are rules covering what you can and can't do, I've read into it.

Still doesn't stop me from getting hacked off at the nonsense they try and tell you.

I want a simple vacuum test to check the system for integrity before progressing any further, nobody seems to want to make it that easy though.

i have worked in main dealers car and truck, i was once told off for repairing a starter ( the brushes were stuck a little ) and not just replacing it at major cost to the punter. The reason was that they would have to guarantee my repair for a year, fairly lame reason i thought. Fast forward 20 minutes later and the foreman brought the same car in and changed the starter that had nothing wrong with it, not a new car under manufacturers guarantee, one that some poor sod was paying for!

more recently i have used a local main vauxhall dealer for my own car purchases and for my daughters, quite a big group. They know that i'm an engineer and i have in the past had to instruct them in good engineering practise, it doesn't work 5 attempts to fix a water ingress fault on a new corsa, i went elsewhere for my daughters car, they offered a free 2nd year service which i foolishly accepted. They are idiots who seem to have no idea how to offer a service, i don't trust them and even though my daughter now as another new corsa i'll service it myself, at least i know it'll be done correctly.

Zilspeed i use MTH in falkirk for air con.

they can be trusted and are a genuine fair and decent lot

01324 633676 ask for Brian Brown and tell him that i put you on to him.

When my A3 went in for its service at a main dealer, they said i needed a new sump as the old one had a leak from the sump plug, as they can only tighten to there spec and its still leaking. ( bit of sealent did the job when i got home )

i needed A new plastic under tray as its had a crack and some screws were missing. (it had cracked as the last service guy had left out the screws or the had fell out) 3 self tappers all sorted

They wanted to change the Rear wiper blade £60 ( £8 for a uni part one )

My front discs had 1mm of wear so all 4 discs needed replacing as its there vag rule ( what ever )

And the best, i kept blowing brake light bulbs, which puts the car in limp mode...??? they replaced the complete rear loom, switch and light cluster, under waranty but wanted £7 for the bulb

I said ill put my own bulb in, the tech said the greese in the bulb could damaged my hand, think he meant the other way round and thats halogen head light bulbs.

They let me off the bulb

It bugs me that they use £60 oil as it last 60000 miles but always change it after 16000 miles as they have to change the filter.


No of the above got done as i told them to stick it as i was getting rid of the car.


I now have a mondeo ST, and ford are just as bad, needed a new thermostat, ford dont keep them in stock as its not a common part, has to come from germany

Im die to change it soon and aint got a clue what to get, im sure there all be the same dealer

My sister was billed over £800 pounds just to tell her the cam belt was broken.
They removed the engine in the process.

This was an attempt to prevent taking the car else where.
Over £6000 for a new engine.

My brother was then tasked with the job.
Bet you can't guess how much bull he was given to prevent taking the car.

Guess who? Audi

Never ever going to buy an Audi now.

easy answer to most of the above - buy second hand cars and avoid main dealers whenever you can

[Edited on 16/6/2010 by mcerd1]

The two indipendants that I have tried locally have not been able to meet my standards either... and they are apparently "specialists"...

No one else is ever going near my car again with anything resembling a spanner....

and only take it to somewhere that someone has reconmended. I've been done for a clutch / dual mass / release bearing change ..... basically the clutch was getting near the end of its life. I had a bad judder on hard acceleration that got worse and worse (so it was on medium acceleration or light in the wet). The problem was diagnosed as an engine mount that needed the box out ........ so he got all the other work as well.

HE replaced a different engine mount and then did all that work ...... and i've still got the issue

Spoke to the neighbour and he said something along the lines of "i'd never trusted that kid, did one job for me and i've not been back"!

i will never buy an audi again!
they are ok when they are in warranty but as soon as the warranty expires you can be sure of an expensive ride!
i do most of the work myself but my dad's A4 had a problem on the tiptronic gearbox. wouldnt change in auto you had to use the tip tronic.
audi dealer said a sensor needed replacing in the gearbox.............................£4,000.00!!!

needless to say the car px'd to a local car supermarket.......BTW they were aware of the fault

My tintop was a Citroen, I serviced it myself because it was out of the warrenty. One day I had an ecu warning message on my C4 diesel (remaped from 92 to 110bph). Took it to the main dealer, they stuck it on the computer, they said I needed a new high pressure diesel pump £1800 inc cam belt etc etc. I said id get a second opinion but can I have the fault codes.

The codes were Major diesel leak (looked under car nothing on the floor) and Low fuel pressure. I paid them the £60 for the diagnostics.

Due to work I could not take it any other places, so I changed the diesel filter £35. Strangly it fixed it. Total £100

If i'd have paid £1800 Id probably stilll had the same issue.

Ian

When my 205 broke down, one mechanic actually told me it was probably one of a few things (Almost all of them thing the car didn't even have, like a clutch), Either he was a real idiot or he thought I was because he wanted £50 quid to use a computor to see if it was one of these things. The ignition amp was blown and most of the stuff he sugested wouldn't have caused the problem had I had them.

The benefits of Nepotism, I bought my car new from my cousin and though he doesn't work there any more they still get on with him (And they know I'll ask him about stuff If I think its dodgy) but I'm not planning on going off warrantee, I'll buy more If I keep the car past the current one.

The garage I take my cars to for their MOTs have given up trying to take me for a ride - if they say something needs doing, they know I'm going to say I'll take it back and do it myself...

They do get stuff that I don't want to do - changing CV boots or whatever, and if one fails a test, I'm confident that it's not some made-up job to make some money. ...

KJs in Witney, in case anyone's interested

I bought my Seat Leon new from a main dealer, and apart from the initial 1,500 mile check / service, it's spent the last 4 years at my local, trusted, independant.

I know that when I come to sell it, it won't have a "Full Main Dealer Service History", but with a service interval of 10,000 miles, and my indy charging £120 a pop, compared to the main dealers £300+ I've already saved myself £1,080.

And I haven't had to put up with the main dealers crap. Last time I had any contact with them was when I was in my independant garage reception picking the car up from it's 40,000 mile service.

Main Dealer:- "ahhh Mr Guinness, our records show you are due a service. (Two years since I bought the car)."
Me:- "How much?"
Them:- "£500"
Me:- "WTF! Why?"
Them:- "Service, oil filter, oil change and change all the brake fluid"
Me:- "Hang on a minute, I'm at XXX garage, I'll just ask them to check the service schedule for this model.........."
Them:- "..........."
Me:- "That's not on the schedule is it?"
Them:- "........"
Me:- "Bye then!"

and all this to us folks who can/have/know how to build or assemble kits etc.

imaging what they get away with to all those that aren't as lucky as us builders!

makes you sick doesnt it

I took my Mercedes into the stealer for a service cost me £450.00 which was an enomous rip off for what the did, however they sat me down in their plush leather surroundings and explained I need some more work doing which came out at £2500.00+vat basically they said as above needed bushes replacing on the rear roll bar and a few other bits underneath. I told them no. I took it to an independant to have a look Paid him £30 for his time and he came back said nothing wrong. He Reccomended I wait to see what the MOT came up with, MOT couple months later again nothing wrong.

I think we should start naming and shaming these people.

Mercedes Leeds don't go there!

I'm sure my tutor said there was more regulations coming out about this kind of guff... The funny thing is when they were looking at the wandering on the mondeo. I told them about the front subframe. They told me it doesn't have a front subframe, so I politely asked them what it was I took off it last week at college... And it's probably wandering cos I couldn't align it properly as I don't have the tools.

Yet another place I won't go back to. Shame is the only garage I trust has closed because the guy died...

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Originally posted by Ninehigh
And it's probably wandering cos I couldn't align it properly as I don't have the tools.

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fleebay linky

If you have a reasonable amount of evidence then Trading Standards may well take an interest.

For example, if you have a piece of paper from the main stealer that says that something must be fixed and will cost you £xxxx, and another from another garage that says that there's nothing wrong with it, then they may think it's worth some action. They also have their own mechanics (or tame ones they contract in) to check things over.

They've certainly taken main dealers to court before now...

quote:

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Originally posted by locost@mintynet.com
The codes were Major diesel leak (looked under car nothing on the floor) and Low fuel pressure.

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quote:

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Originally posted by big-vee-twin
I think we should start naming and shaming these people.

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I know alot of people who'd say included any non main dealer who claims to be a specialist for a certain Brand. I know alot of people who've had dealings with these types who'll try to convince you a part that you could get anyware can only be sourced by them.