My vehicle started making some grinding noises when driving last Sunday. Was taking DH to the airport - he's abroad all week until Saturday night. Made it home safely. Monday morning, the 5 mile journey into work was the same - grinding noises. Monday evening, I was taking 5 6 year old girls to a sports event and I was stressing about the safety of the car. There is a garage that deals with MOT's, brakes, tyres and exhausts within walking distance of my workplace, so I phoned it, explained my concerns and they booked it in.
Great, I thought, It will at least be safe. I assumed, since I wasn't using my garage, that I'd be faced with a slightly higher bill, but worth it to be safe. Garage phoned back with a diagnostic - I needed two new front tyres. OK, I replied. Fair enough, I actually did need them, so go ahead and get that sorted. We agreed on a mid range quality pair. 'The noise...' said the chipper voice on the phone, '...is your calipers, my love. All on the back. Plus you need new discs and pads'.
Crikey, I replied, is that what's making the noise? 'Probably' came the reply. 'But you need them doing'. So I gave them the go ahead.
Picked the car up yesterday afternoon to be whacked with a £860 bill. The manager could see that I was visibly shaken by this, so explained that my tyres along were £425 quid (think big vehicle). The rest, is the brakes. Needed doing. I paid, thinking, the car is safe. That's what counts.
Car still making grinding noises. I think I'm imagining it, but no, upon driving today, it's definitely there. To be safe, I ask the opinion of a car-mad friend, and he confirms that there's no way the garage could have test driven it, no way they diagnosed the problem (he reckons it's the Bearings) so no way they addressed the reason for why it was booked in in the first place. Plus, I have been charged a massive amount for what they have done.
I am so angry, and want to do something. I dont want to give them my vehicle back as I don't trust them now, but I want the huge over cost and oversight to be challenged. WWYD?