to think this mechanic did nothing and scammed me?

[Pendu]

DH has a car and it had some problem - as far as I knew the brakes didn't work right and we called our local garage and left it there and put the keys in the letter box (DH was driving past and didn't want to drive home then back and we had called hem beforehand and hey suggested this).

Nothing happened for a few days so DH decided we would get the car and transport it to someone he knows as the garage had said when DH called it might need a new engine, but would look at it.

It got to Wednesday so DH told me to get the car as he then thought there isn't any point wasting the £60 for the check by them as he was taking it to the other garage who we trust anyway.

I went there and asked if there was any news about the car . The mechanic jumped up and said yes they had checked it now and it was oil pressure and needed a new engine. I don't know anything about cars so by that statement I presumed he had discovered via the one hour labour it was oil pressure. He asked for the £60, I paid up and got the car. When I turned the key on the dash it said "oil pressure".

Now DH tells me they should have told me WHAT was causing the low oil pressure, even I can see any fool can just say "yeah it's oil pressure" but we knew that when it was dropped there (I didn't because I didn't see the car hence why I thought when he said oil pressure he had investigated). They didn't give me a proper itemised bill (again I didn't really know I should get one until DH told me) so I am wondered what exactly they have charged for. Apparently there is several causes for this oil pressure thing and that's what they were paid to find out.

Was I ripped off? If they had actually done the investigation, why didn't they call and say? It's like he saw me and thought he could fob me off without having to do the work. There wasn't even any fingerprints around the bonnet despite it being covered in dust and finger prints showing around the door (like when your fingers push the dust away). I am really pissed if they have done this

[Drowzeee]

Have you actually asked them what they have done? And sorry if this is a daft question but have you actually checked to make sure that there is oil in the car?

[Pendu]

I asked what was wrong with it and he said "oil pressure - needs a new engine". I just took that to mean he had checked various things and discovered something about the oil pressure , it was only when I took the car I saw it actually was telling you it was oil pressure and that there should have been a reason for that.

DH knows more than me - it can be a few things like a pump or something else (it's not low oil, it's the pressure (?) ) but I didn't know enough to question the mechanic as to what the cause was, I thought the pressure thing was the answer , not the initial problem.

[Drowzeee]

I would contact the garage and ask them exactly what they have done to warrant a charge of £60. They will probably try and fob you off but stand your ground, if they haven't done anything you shouldn't be paying!.

I would then take my car to a different garage and tell them there is a problem with the oil pressure.

[StillRabbit]

Unfortunately too many garages are still staffed by sexist pigs who think they can get away with conning "the little woman".

Reminds me of the time I went to collect our car from a service and was told they'd had to put in new spark plugs. I smiled sweetly and said I wasn't willing to pay for new spark plugs. He was adamant I had to pay or he would take them out. My reply "yes, I think you should do that and I'd be very interested to see just where you have put spark plugs in my DIESEL engine".

[Pendu]

Sexist and racist.

Ever since I changed my religion and therefore my name and some of my clothes are "ethnic", the difference is unreal. You literally get sized up when you walk in places and get all sorts of shite said and done. Once I even got asked if I was studying English here
I'm so fed up with it. Nothing I can do until Saturday as they close before DH gets home and I don't want to drive the car back again.

[c3pu]

Low oil pressure is usually caused by a faulty oil pump, or a lack of oil.

Difficult to advise without looking at the problem but the engine may well have suffered damage if it was run with low oil pressure for a period of time.

Has the oil warning light been illuminated at all?

[c3pu]

Also, it went in for a brake problem and got diagnosed with an oil pressure problem? Thats really odd, seeing as the braking system and the engine are totally different parts of the car.

[CrossfireHurricane]

How strange to go in with a brake problem and get a diagnosis of low oil pressure?

[Pendu]

As far as I knew it was something to do with the brakes, hence why I didn't question why he said low oil pressure. But the dash is lit up with the words "oil pressure" in neon red - it didn't take any investigation to "diagnose it". But when I collected it I didn't know this, it's only when I drove off. Then I started to think they didn't sound like they looked at it, just read the dash which is what DH had told them anyway. They were actually supposed to tell us why the pressure was low - hence the labour cost. But they obviously haven't - they have moved the car around the corner , seen the dash and that's it. Taking us for fools.