To want to beat my mechanics with a tyre iron?

[OMGtwins]

Long time AIBU lurker here, never had anything much to be that irate about, but this last few weeks has taken the cake...

Took my car in for a service and MOT (plus it needed gearbox bearings reconditioning and a new clutch, so it cost 1300 pounds, which was eye watering expensive but necessary). This was 4 weeks ago and since then it's been back into a garage 5 times (still there now on its 6th visit).

1st time I got it back the engine tray fell off when I drove it to and from work, so back to the garage it goes and they fix it. (I didn't get them to fix the steering wheel not being on straight as I thought that might be too picky, and changed the broken indicator bulb it came back with myself, despite the car passing it's MOT...)

2nd time I took it back the reverse gear was grinding, they bled the clutch cylinder but still didn't fix it

3rd time they actually found the fault, (the pressure plate apparently). I took the car away again.

4th time 2nd new clutch felt sticky so I took it back, they bled the system and found air in it. Took it away and when I drove it up the motorway the engine tray flew off...

5th time into a different garage to remove the the remnants to make it safe for me to drive home. They did is for me because when I phone d them I was so angry I refused to call my breakdown people because it was their fault the tray came off (twas the day after I got it back) a d told them they had to find me a local garage who could make my car safe to drive to back to them or come and get it.

Phoned the original garage to arrange a time to drop off the old engine tray and they asked me if the clutch was ok, I said it wasn't (felt like it was sticking part way up) but they said that was normal and unless the pedal stuck to the floor it was ok.

6th time (now) in for new engine tray to be fitted, and also to address the fact that the clutch pedal did stick to the floor when I changed gear coming off the motorway past night (I kept my cool and hooked my foot under it to bring it back up and limped the car home).

Funny thing is that these guys have normally been v good and this time it's been awful having to take the car back so many times.

So AIBU to be pissed off and tell them that if it breaks again I'm taking the car to another garage and billing them for the cost of fixing it?

Please tell us which chain garage you took your car to? Independants are the way to go, good ones, recommended.

It is an independent garage... I won't name them as they'll know who I am IRL from all those details.

I'm a bit at a loss as to what to do next with them. All I want is a safe car, that's their job right? How do I get them to do it properly?

Blimey OP, that's not good at all! Are the mechanics the same ones that have worked on your car before or do they change?

Will ask DH advice (excellent mechanic) and get back to you.

Thanks Buzzard, that would be really helpful :)

They are the same ones as normal and they've serviced my car twice yearly for 4 years, so I'm really sad things appear to be going wrong now.

So frustrating because there was nothing wrong with the engine trays or the clutch before this last time into the garage. Car is VW group Golf equivalent, 120k miles if that helps.

I didn't get them to fix the steering wheel not being on straight

I would have thought that would be down to the front wheel tracking being out, not taking the steering wheel off and putting it back on wonky...

Get it checked.

Thanks WMittens, I will do.

Seriously, I just feel like I've been taken for a mug because mechanic stuff isn't my field of expertise.

Should I just cut my losses and phone them in the morning to say "don't do any work, just give me the car" and take it somewhere else? Because despite the fact that it will be more costly I honestly don't think I can trust their work anymore and I'll always be wondering what else they've done/not done/bodged/done wrong...

Was it the garage who diagnosed the fault? (my bloke is a mechanic and wants to know)

back, on a computer rather than my phone.

My bloke says he has nothing better to do, so will try to fix your car by internet for you

he says he needs details for the gear thing.
make, model, year of the car

explain to me what happens when you put it into reverse
and
explain to me what happens when you go from 2nd to 3rd

(this is to work out which thing it's likely to be)

also, your steering wheel not being straight is tracking, go to somewhere like any fast fit place they will do that for you, it's normally about £30 for a "four wheel optical alignment" (ask for it with those words)
this means they've taken your front end apart (assuming it's a front wheel drive car) so any front-end job needs and should be finished with the tracking as the last thing - you shouldn't have a wheel problem
(if you've left it for aaaaaages since last getting it done they might not because those things will get knocked out by life etc)

A sticky clutch pedal is not normal.
having to bleed it multiple times and finding air in it more than once is not normal. it sounds like they may have blown one of the seals in the secondary servo (if you have one) if not it'll be a rupture in the line somewhere.

the tray, which seems to have turned into your nemesis -
if you take your car to a fast-fit garage to get the tracking done, get it done on a four-poster (ramp you drive onto and lifts the whole car) check underneath the car with them (they will let you if you tell them there are issues with another garage and you just want to check something) and get them to show you the (it should be ) 4 bolt holes that hold the tray on - make sure there are no snapped bolts in there.

Or you can PM me and I'll give you our phone number to get more help - he's done this for quite a few people and fixed my mates cars by phone and internet.
the better informed you are, the less likely you are to be ripped off.
(if you're near kidderminster, he's willing to come with you to harang your garage into correcting their mistakes - he's good at that!)

Thank you ebwy that post must have taken a while to type out! Your bloke being a mechanic is really handy! The things you've mentioned above are some of the things I suspected from googling the problems and it's tremendously reassuring to have it confirmed by someone who knows.

I will be taking it to a new garage (recommendation from a friend IRL) and asking for the things you mention above to be done/checked.

FWIW they fixed the reverse gear problem by changing the pressure plate in the clutch only for it to be replaced by the sticky/air in the line problem with new one...

sorry, he wasn't paying as much attention as he should about the clutches!

if it's 2 different clutches then the multiple bleedings and different results makes sense!

good luck with the new garage