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AIBU?

To wonder what the fuck they actually checked when they serviced my car?

67 replies

FlyMCA · 09/06/2020 09:59

Not even 6 weeks ago I had my car serviced with a pretty well known garage, 77 point check (or something like that), all singing all dancing, supposed to check and change everything. I know nothing about cars so wanted somewhere I thought would be reputable to have a pretty good look over the car and do any work that needed doing because the MOT is due soon, plus I drive around a lot with DD in the car and I wanted it to be safe and have a good chance of it not breaking down on me.
This morning the clutch has gone, something that was part of the checks when it was serviced. Took it to a garage, turns out tyres are so worn on the inside they are illegal, something that should have been checked. Something on the front suspension (or it might have been wheel axle, not sure with out the list the mechanic gave me in front of me) has eroded so bad it's not safe to drive and and something is loose underneath.
When the car was serviced it cost over £900 for the service and some bits of work they said needed doing. I'm now looking at an additional £500+ to get the rest done.
AIBU to think that actually all the checks I paid for havnt been carried out, or is it really possible for all this to have happened since it was serviced? Its not so much the additional cost I'm annoyed over, but the fact I've been driving around illegally (the tyres!!) And they never even mentioned they looked worn on the service or I would have asked them to replace them at the time.

OP posts:
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Am I being unreasonable?

76 votes. Final results.

POLL
You are being unreasonable
8%
You are NOT being unreasonable
92%
TerrorWig · 09/06/2020 10:03

You should ask your garage this question.

On the tyre front - unless you’ve driven 000s of miles since the service then no, this isn’t new (although it could be they were almost bald but not quite) - this is about the only thing you should know yourself though.

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TabbyMumz · 09/06/2020 10:07

A service is pretty basic, not sure why it cost you £900 unless that was for additional work. I dont think theyd have been able to spot anything wrong with the clutch to be honest, unless they really homed in on it and took it apart, which they are not required to do for a basic service. They should have spotted the tyres though.

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IsMiseMorag · 09/06/2020 10:10

What was the extra work they did on top of the service? My last big service (at the local garage) was about £250 and that included regassing the air con.

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vanillandhoney · 09/06/2020 10:15

£900 for a service?! What on earth needed doing? Around here it's £160 for a full service. Presumably a fair bit of work needed doing on top of the standard service for the cost to be that high?

I would speak to your garage as surely something as basic as a tyre check is part of getting your car serviced? Mine have certainly been checked every time my car has been in the garage for a service, anyway. Same with the clutch.

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BarbaraofSeville · 09/06/2020 10:29

Sorry but most 'well known garages' such as Kwikfit or Halfords are anything but reputable. They exist to extract money from people who know nothing about cars.

I'm surprised they didn't try to sell you the tyres the first time round, or maybe they thought with £900 for a service, they'd had enough from you.

You can, and should, check your tyres yourself a few times a year at the very least. Plus the oil and coolant. If the tyres are worn on the inside, that suggests that something's misaligned, so you need to make sure that's fixed as well as the tyres or else your new tyres will get worn again.

Hopefully if you get the work done, you'll be OK for a while and in the meantime, ask around to find a small, honest independent garage to use next time. They will be far cheaper than the big names and a lot less likely to rip you off.

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Newmama29 · 09/06/2020 10:29

This had happened to my DP, he had regular free services with a well known garage where he bought the car & the services were part of the purchase. He took it every year & they signed the book etc. Turns out they hadn’t been touching it or checking it at all, not even the oil!

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mencken · 09/06/2020 10:29

£900 for a service??? Where was it, BMW Park Lane?

you should do your own tyre checks although it is hard to see problems on the inside. Clutches can go without warning and are pricey - but if they didn't fix it...

I never have cars serviced - check tyres, oil etc, clean windows, make sure all lights are ok. Stuff gets fixed when it goes wrong. And I've got a 10 year old car.

read up the basics or tell us what the 'service' garage said they did and people on here can probably help further.

BTW it isn't the car that keeps a kid safe, it is your driving.

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ScarfLadysBag · 09/06/2020 10:31

£900 for a service!!! What the heck? Or did it need a lot of repairs? You should have got a checklist showing everything they looked at (there are different kinds of service); at least our garage always provides one (and for much less than £900!)

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TerrapinStation · 09/06/2020 10:34

You need to go back to the garage that did the service and ask them.

What did you get for £900? Can you post from the invoice, without more info who can say.

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IsMiseMorag · 09/06/2020 10:34

Was it a main dealer garage doing one of those big milestone services where they changed the cam belt? Because that can be expensive...

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FlyMCA · 09/06/2020 11:20

It was a halfords 'major' service, claiming to check 77 different things. I think the service its self was around £300, plus £600 for work doing relating to the front and back suspension.
The checklist claimed they checked everything, tyres, gearbox, clutch, breaks, suspension.. basically looked like they had a look at everything.
No, not done thousands of miles since having it serviced and the tyres are so bare on the inside you can see the wire Blush it is hard to see from the outside but surely not difficult for a mechanic to spot.
At the time I thought it was a bit odd, they claim to check the windscreen, there was a small chip in the top corner and they never mentioned it. I questioned it at the time and they said it as it's out of the drivers line of sight it doesn't matter.
Interesting about never having a car serviced, I have a 'big service' just before the MOT usually, but my usual garage has closed due to corona so I went to halfords, and then I have an 'interim service' middle of winter. If anything started knocking, grinding or just sounding a bit dodgy I go straight to the garage to have it fixed.

OP posts:
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BuzzShitbagBobbly · 09/06/2020 11:28

I think the service its self was around £300, plus £600 for work doing relating to the front and back suspension.

Work they could just happen to do for you, I assume?

You've more than likely been totally ripped off, sorry OP.

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notreallybotheredaboutausernam · 09/06/2020 11:28

you've been ripped off majorly. I have one service a year, at my local garage when they do my MOT. Costs £80. I'd complain.

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TerrapinStation · 09/06/2020 11:29

Too late now but your mistake was to go to Halfords. Even the £300 for the service is steep.

Are you sticking to the recommended service intervals? You don't need to have it done any more often than that.

I'd go straight back, explain to the manager and ask for a refund.

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BuzzShitbagBobbly · 09/06/2020 11:35

Good grief, some of the things they claim in that 77 point list are doing some heavy lifting if they are claiming its part of a "major service"!

Check for body damage (look at car)
Check condition and security of undertray (look at underneath of car)
In fact there are masses of "visual checks" separately listed as though they are key to the operation of the vehicle.

And don't get me started on things like - sound horn and check tyre size? (yes they are things which need checking/MOT issues, but not to be called out like this as specialist mechanical work)

And some they have wildly stretched out - "servicing the brakes" gets elongated into 12-15 separate points. "Checking levels" is another 5-10 across different categories.

Then the have the final nerve to list "Stamp service book" as if that's a bonus for all that makework? They saw you coming Sad

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vanillandhoney · 09/06/2020 11:41

Sorry OP but it sounds like you've been ripped off. £300 for a service is extortionate even without the other £600 worth of repairs they've charged you for!

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VanGoghsDog · 09/06/2020 11:44

I get a pre MOT check, then the MOT. I don't buy new cars and I don't bother with the manufacturer recommended intervals either, they don't really make sense.

Any advisories on the MOT I aim to get fixed at the next pre MOT check, except tyres, I do those when they need doing.

I had a service two years ago at the main dealer because the car had a recall so had to go back for that to be sorted out (they had the cheek to tell me, boastfully, that they had done "over two thousand pounds worth of work" on my car, I did point out they wouldn't have had to if they had built it properly the first time) and they told me I needed new brakes. I declined to have them changed.
I had them changed at the (first) pre MOT check over a year later!

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JustAnotherPoster00 · 09/06/2020 11:51

OP get your garage to work out an itemised list of what needs fixing and how much they would charge you plus vat, email halfords with that and ask how they will work with you to resolve this, if that fails contact the CTSI

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AllsortsofAwkward · 09/06/2020 11:52

They are the biggest cowboys going.

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CatEatCatWorld · 09/06/2020 12:01

I dont trust big garages. Had to put my zafira in for a recall, they did a complimentary check, which pointed a few things out and wanted to charge me £££. No thanks. Also since they messed with it I've been hearing a weird sound Confused I'm sure the sabotaged it lol (which ill get my mechanic to look at eventually)

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WhatWouldDominicDo · 09/06/2020 12:09

We use a small local garage which depends on its reputation to get work.
Citroen charged us for topping up the Ad Blue during a service last year - we'd topped it up ourselves a few days earlier. We only went to them because we'd bought the car from them fairly recently, but won't be using them again. It's back to Fred in his shed next time.

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englishrosie · 09/06/2020 12:12

They’re not going to take the clutch apart and check it are they. God, customers like you are so annoying haha.

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Hingeandbracket · 09/06/2020 12:16
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Hingeandbracket · 09/06/2020 12:19

They’re not going to take the clutch apart and check it are they. God, customers like you are so annoying haha.
Fair point about the clutch but not reporting at all on illegal (or even possibly at that time close to illegal) tyres is inexcusable. People should check their own tyres, but they should be checked at a service.

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Heko · 09/06/2020 12:28

Halfrauds have a reputation for a reason

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