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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Garage is taking the piss out of me, right?

42 replies

Possiblynotever · 28/09/2021 21:23

Please help. Posting here for traffic.I own a FIAT Panda which has always served me well. It was due an MOT and I went to a garage down the street of a friend of mine.
They came back saying that it had not passed the test due to brake problems and that it needed a full service.
I knew about the service and I had already enquired with a FIAT garage in Hertfordshire - the cost would have been £650 which was whopping high.
The garage has fantastic reviews on internet and when they offered a full service for £550 ( plus MOT), I thought " better safe than sorry" and went for it.
They seemed lovely guys as well.
The day after I picked up the car and drove home. No problem.
Then the car started having hiccups. It did not change gear and it would stop fully in the middle of the road. I took it back.

They said it was the injection- they replaced the faulty part (£150) and I thought it was as good as new.
Nope.
Same problem.
They now are saying that I need to take it to a FIAT garage and if they find that they did something wrong they will refund me.
It is unsafe to drive ( although I have AA on my insurance).
The FIAT garage will charge another £600 and God knows if they will ever say the other garage was at fault.
They are not members of the motor ombudsman.

What should I do?

OP posts:
thenightsky · 28/09/2021 21:36

How old is it? Is it worth throwing that much money at it rather than scrapping it I mean.

Boomshakalakaaaaa · 28/09/2021 21:55

I used to work for a garage and most of the time the problem lies within the phrase "full service" - most customers don't know what it means and most garages will seek to exploit this.

Truth be told, a full service doesn't really mean anything. Every manufacturer has different specifications for how their vehicle should be maintained.

I struggle to link brake problems with £500+ on a "full service" - you should have asked for (and been given without having to request!) itemisation of what you were paying for and why it was necessary for you to have the work done.

GladAllOver · 28/09/2021 22:12

The car's service document should specify what a regular service includes.

LegoSteppingStones · 28/09/2021 22:16

Your car doesn't need to be serviced to pass a mot.
The brakes are common tho, probably need a good clean, overhaul and maybe pads replaced?
I'd be asking questions if the mot tester said it needed a service Hmm

tttigress · 28/09/2021 22:17

It's a bit hard to know without a bit of background like age and mileage.

I have found once cars get to a certain age the problems come one after the other. Did you have any problems before? Why didn't you use garages you had used in the past?

ShinyThingsDistractMe · 28/09/2021 22:17

Oh gosh so sorry OP. If you take the car to Fiat and explain what maintenance has been done and ask them to double check it and if it is poorly done can they supply this in writing? I think that's the only option you have.

Also in future I know it doesn't help now, the horse has bolted, but "break issues" are just that, ask what the issue with the breaks are pads, discs?

Always ask for the "issue" to be explained. As then you can decide if you want the work done at that garage or take it to another.

Freddiefox · 28/09/2021 22:21

I think there is two different issues. The service is very expensive, but you agreed to it and they carried it out.

The cars gone wrong after, a service wouldn’t pick up fuel injection I don’t think.

So the most they owe you is £150, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for them to ask Fiat if they have done something wrong or it’s caused by wear and tear

MrsPnut · 28/09/2021 22:21

Oh gracious, I had a service and MOT on my big diesel 4x4 today and it cost £213. The service you had was way overpriced and having the brake discs and pads replaced should have cost about £250 per set.

Original poster
Possiblynotever · 28/09/2021 22:28

Car is 2017 and it clocked 30,000 miles and is worth around£3,800.
I agree that the further £150 should be refunded as they really did not solve the problem and obviously were just a trial.
DocI have to go to a FIAT garage?
All of the alarm lights have come up with a dangerous " check the engine".

Full service is what the manufacturer says and the FIAT garage did quote a similar amount. I had never serviced the car since I bought it ( 2018)....

Very kind for all of you to answer at this time of the night

OP posts:
ShinyThingsDistractMe · 28/09/2021 22:32

If your dashboard is lighting up with warnings and "check engine" I think you are going to have to take it to Fiat sadly. 😔

I mean the other option is to Google a fiat approved garage in your area but I doubt their prices will vary much.

Essentialgarage · 28/09/2021 22:38

That is an extortionate service and brakes for a panda what did they do?

And what did they change for the second problem.

Honeyroar · 28/09/2021 22:45

Are you saying that you’ve never had a service on the car since 2018? I’m wondering whether it needed a timing belt change or something to make it so expensive. Something that needs doing every X amount of years or miles..

Aren’t the garage saying that you need to go to the Fiat garage to get full diagnostic of the issue - then they’ll know whether they caused the issue by serving it?

Fluffypastelslippers · 28/09/2021 22:49

First of all a service and MOT are separate things that don't need to be done together.

When was the car last serviced? Why did you decide to service it now? What's the mileage?

Who is the FIAT dealer charging £600 to check a car over?

Freddiefox · 28/09/2021 22:49

@Possiblynotever

Car is 2017 and it clocked 30,000 miles and is worth around£3,800. I agree that the further £150 should be refunded as they really did not solve the problem and obviously were just a trial. DocI have to go to a FIAT garage? All of the alarm lights have come up with a dangerous " check the engine".

Full service is what the manufacturer says and the FIAT garage did quote a similar amount. I had never serviced the car since I bought it ( 2018)....

Very kind for all of you to answer at this time of the night

If your engine light is on you need to take it to a garage. Is your car in limp mode?

You don’t have to take it to fiat, but they might be best place to help you.

VampireBarbie · 28/09/2021 22:50

You were silly to not service your car as per the service schedule, so it's not surprising that a major service was desperately needed.

But you don't need to book a service at the Fiat garage, just a diagnostic check and then you can decide how to proceed.

Fluffypastelslippers · 28/09/2021 22:51

Sorry ignore me, I see the mileage. So it's not due a belt or anything, why was the service going to cost so much?

scarpa · 28/09/2021 22:53

That seems crazy high price for a service to me for a start! And I really wouldn't expect a 4 year old car with 30k to have much wrong with it either - we only serviced our 2016 Octavia with 80k miles for the first time this year (oops) but it was running fine before.

Chalk up the stupidly expensive service to the shite garage having your pants down and experience, and and take it to FIAT, see what they say. I'd ask whether it was likely a fuel injector problem developed spontaneously the day after a service too...

DrWhoNowww · 28/09/2021 23:00

Is it diesel?

My diesel started hiccuping, wouldn’t change gear and was basically undrivable.

Turned out it needed the dpf baking as it wasn’t regenning properly.

How long after the service did the problems start? If it was soon (72 hours or so) I’d expect the garage to do something to fix it as it wasn’t a problem before they had it.

They should also definitely refund the £150.

For further work you don’t need to go to FIAT though, you just need a garage that has access to the FIAT diagnostics.

BungleandGeorge · 28/09/2021 23:01

So the 550 was for service, brakes and mot. Or was that just the service? Have you done your oil, coolant changes or no maintenance at all since it was bought? Your receipt should itemise what they’ve done. If lights are on I think you’ll be best going to fiat but the diagnostic isn’t expensive. It just depends what it shows

PanicPrevention · 28/09/2021 23:01

I've just had a full service, new front discs and pads done for £340.
Sorry you've been ripped off op, dont pay ridiculous money for another service, just ask another garage to find out whats wrong with it now and how much that will likely cost to fix.

19lottie82 · 28/09/2021 23:25

I had a service and MOT on my big diesel 4x4 today and it cost £213

But there are different levels of services. Your car might have just had an oil service and the OP has had a full service.

£550 for a full service (if it is just that, and if the car has never been serviced before then it would have needed one, disks / pads (if that’s what was changed, the OP isn’t clear) and an MOT isn’t the cheapest but it isn’t extortionate.

However, I certainly wouldn’t expect my car to come back with additional problems though. It may of course be entirely coincidental, but I doubt it.

MrsPnut · 29/09/2021 10:03

19lottie82
I had a service and MOT on my big diesel 4x4 today and it cost £213

But there are different levels of services. Your car might have just had an oil service and the OP has had a full service.

My car had a full service, including replacing all of the filters and 9 litres of oil. Even accounting for the brakes needing replacing, she was overcharged.

Fluffypastelslippers · 29/09/2021 10:22

£550 for a full service (if it is just that, and if the car has never been serviced before then it would have needed one, disks / pads (if that’s what was changed, the OP isn’t clear) and an MOT isn’t the cheapest but it isn’t extortionate.

Right, but OP said the FIAT garage quote for a service was £650 and the other garage £550 - this was before the car was checked and seen to be needing the brakes or anything else done. Do it is absolutely extortionate.

Essentialgarage · 29/09/2021 11:38

Which is why we need more information. Brakes and full service on a fiat panda is not £550, and I the main dealer is not quoting £650 for a service without brakes on a panda!

Essentialgarage · 29/09/2021 11:40

Also if she hasn't serviced her 2017 car since 2018 she would have voided any warranty.

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