what is the worst mistake your mechanic done to your car ? - Page 2

Boza · 01-09-2012, 12:50 PM

I've seen an oil filter left of a after a service mechanic started the car up went to reverse it off the hoist and left a massive oil slick also on my own car I've had the oil filler cap left off after a service was anice mess under the bonnet least to say the car won't rust for a while in the engine bay.

smeggles · 01-09-2012, 01:02 PM

Mechanic when replacing noisy lifters on ef xr6 dropped one down the front of the engine into the timing chain area , didn't say anything and put a used one back in it's place ... when the time came to start the engine it jumped the timing chain and destroyed 3 exhaust valves ( smashed them and embedded them in the head and pistons.) and bent every inlet valve ... which saw the ef engine replaced by an AU ll engine earlier than i wanted... they paid for the changeover...

sprint347dave · 01-09-2012, 01:07 PM

old bloke at work was getting his toyota camry serviced up here in ballina at the only "oh what a feeling dealership" and got a phone call asking him to come in early as there was a small problem,,,turned up to find his pride and joy half hanging off a hoist,,into a brick wall,,resting on a work bench,,,,they tried to tell him there was a fault with the transmission causing it to engage into drive by it self,,,,turns out the apprentice left the car in drive,,motor running ,,and hit the accelerator,,2 guys dove out of the way just before it landed,,,,,,,a deal was struck,,traded that 3 year old car on a new one,,,all parts and servicing 1/2 price forever as long as the story didnt get out,,,,

STINKY NINJA · 01-09-2012, 01:21 PM

I dont trust anybody to work on my cars and when im forced to pay somebody to fix my cars they always stuff something up,its good being a qualified diesel mech so their bs wont fly with me.
Last time i got the wifes lancer serviced by a so called high performance mitsubishi shop in perth we got it back with dirty fingerprints all over it,valve caps missing from wheels,oil on top of motor,airbox left undone so fresh dust could be drawn into the motor,k and n filter so over oiled it restricted flow.the list could go on(ended up getting a $150 service for 70)
Not such a bad thing to happen but it just makes me doubt any mechanic even more,learn how to do it yourself and then when it dies you can only blame yourself.

seancampbell · 01-09-2012, 02:09 PM

Stole a new CD/DVD player I had bought for my wife's. I had it hidden under my drivers seat until I had time to fit to her car to surprise her.

It was a week later when I noticed it missing. When I went back to the dealer, they denied everything. When I asked to look at the mechanics cars to see if it was installed, I was asked to leave.

I'll let it cool down for a few months, then go back and look!

TheSneakiness · 01-09-2012, 02:44 PM

Took my AU ute in for a full service and had left to walk over to work (was the company's mechanic and extremely reliable and loyal). Got a call a half hour later saying to come back ASAP.

Here's me thinking what the eff have you done to see a massive dent on the underside of the cab. Hadn't set the arm on the hoist correctly and the ute had fallen off.

zipping · 01-09-2012, 03:46 PM

First week managed to cross thread spark plugs in a near new XE. Never did that again. Occasionally left wheel nuts undone or sump plug out always becasue you are distracted by phone/customer/helping someone else/the boss.

Worst thing I ever did was my boss had a 930 Kramer (Kremer?) Porsche that he used in Targa Tasmania. At the time this was the quickest car I had ever driven. Anyway I took it out at night with a mate and we put it through its paces. We heard a noise but wasn't that alarming so replaced car in workshop. Next morning came in and there was oil everywhere.

Anyway cost 20k to rebuild the motor and surprisingly they told him they were amazed the engine had lasted as long as it had. So turnt out he wasn't too worried about it so I never had to fess up.

homegrown · 01-09-2012, 06:03 PM

The only things mechanics forget is to tell me the correct quote when I first go in. Just about every time get hit with a higher price then quoted when I pick my car up.

Wondering if some mechanics tamper with things to make you come back. Wife took her car for a radiator flush and then after having troubles later that night found the starter motor nuts hanging by a thread.

tankclare · 01-09-2012, 06:08 PM

Thats why it pays to always get a written quote because you can fall back on it and not be stung with the extra charge.

Bucknaked · 01-09-2012, 06:14 PM

Change the power steering hoses as part of a recall, only to not tighten them coorectly, power steering fluid everywhere when the hoses came off. Too bad I had driven about 20 k's before this happened.

Or maybe it was the time they replaced my gearbox and didn't tighten the bolts correctly on the mounts onto have my engine come off the mounts.

either of those 2.

mike_nofx · 01-09-2012, 06:36 PM

This thread highlights all the reasons why I do all my own work on my cars.
Only time my cars see a workshop is for rego checks, tyres, AC regas, basically anything that's not possible to do at home.

Oh and that I'm a tight ***.

T3RMN8 · 01-09-2012, 06:39 PM

left my wheel nuts loose wheel come of work ute
**** myself when it happend

The Yeti · 01-09-2012, 06:40 PM

Had some crackers, but being a mechanic I find some customers are the best

Had one drop in once late at night while I was working on my car, had driven it with there rear brakes metal to metal for so long the wheel cylinders poped he wanted me to disconnect the rear brakes so he could keep driving 900km to QLD

Another one came in for a rego inspection, no problems, car passed

2 weeks later the car broke down and was towed in to the shop the thing had cooked, apparently it was our falt and we should have checked all that out when we had it in she got consumer affairs involved the whole box and dice

Or another on a friend sent his step dad in for a service on his work ute this thing was sad in the engine department but any how it left our shop with 467,000km on the clock about 9 months later we get a phone call from another mechanic asking for an approval to fit a reco engine, the thing had run a bearing at 505,000km

KIWI-1 · 01-09-2012, 06:50 PM

Car taken to dealer Saturday morning with fluid leak.
Told it was a gearbox seal, gearbox had been topped up, OK to drive, new seal ordered.
Started making high-pitched noise mid-week, dealer said OK to drive.
Started making low-pitched noise end-of-week.
Took Service Manager for a drive on Monday when he got back from holidays - turned around and went back before it seized. We both thought it amazing that they put all the dirt back over the filler plug!!!
$5000 to repair and off the road for 3 months. Ran up nearly 15,000km in the loner.

H.G · 01-09-2012, 07:04 PM

my first run in with rockhampton mechanics was a dissapointing one..
I was struggling to get a front control arm bolt undone on my own.. so I went into a local mechanic hoping for some assistance. they obliged and struggled just as much as I did even with the added advantage of working under a hoist.

The mechanic scratched his head for a minute and then decided to gas axe the bolt off.. (I had new bolts ready along with new bushes). I noticed he seemed to be having a little difficulty working the oxy.. and just before he starts hooking in.. he says *have you ever used one of these before? hahaha*.. I laughed as I thought he was joking.. well.. this is the result..

he then told me that he couldnt get the other bolt out so they would bolt it all back together and Id need to find someone else to repair it..
I wished Id never answered my phone at such a crucial moment.......
but I did get a job....

Almost had a similar issue with an extremely stuck ball joint .. the mechanic (different one this time) went to blow it out with the gas axe.. I saw this and said Dont worry about it.. .. I guess that saying is true.. once bitten twice shy.

XR27 · 01-09-2012, 07:30 PM

Machanic fitted power steer to my xf panel van, he forgot to put the split pin in the pitman arm nut.
Doing 100km around a sweeping bend it drops off,
We are passengers at this stage, locked em up did a 360 and over the other side of the road down an inbankment to cone to a stop...we hit nothing and the only damage was a bent sway bar..
Couldn't believe how lucky we were.
After that I welded the nut on!!

Auslandau · 01-09-2012, 07:46 PM

After 2 years of building ...... finally finished and off to get some final bits at the mechanics. Get a phone call saying he stuffed up!!!!!

Door shouldn't bend this far back!

H.G · 01-09-2012, 07:48 PM

I bet the apprentice did it yeh?? those little buggers ruin everything..
also great for loading the blame on Ive found..

**SSD-85** · 01-09-2012, 07:49 PM

^^^ I hope he forked out for it after you murdered him Auslandau....

J.C. · 01-09-2012, 07:52 PM

^^^^^^ I just realised!

I shouldn't be laughing.......

H.G · 01-09-2012, 07:56 PM

I also had the dealership do a major service on my vehicle years back.. no problems.. got it back everything seemed ok.. then I went and did some light wheeling with a mate.. I attempted a step up and BANG!!!
crap I thought.. anyway the vehicle drove just fone.. so I went home and booked it back in to the dealership for a check over.. found a massive hole in the bell housing and you could see grooves all around the torque converter.. they tried to tell me that was from going off road in my off road vehicle.. but it turned out the *APPRENTICE* dropped the gear box during the service as required.. they let the bellhousing well up with fluids/// and obviously threw the bolts in there as well.. they thought they were short a few bolts so they just put some new ones in.. well that BANg was those missing bolts finding thier way around and around inside the bellhousing.. until they found a release.. glad they eventually addmitted fault as they were going to charge me $10,ooo for a new gearbox to be shipped in from germany../

Auslandau · 01-09-2012, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eagleheart

^^^ I hope he forked out for it after you murdered him Auslandau....

He did pay to get it back to the panel beater ...... shame though as the door was one of those mint, no rust, hard to find doors.

On the way there when I got the phone call I was ready to do some throttling but I actually haven't seen a grown man (nor a mechanic at that!) cry he was that upset about it. Totally his fault and had no apprentice to blame

All was good in the end ....... but still haven't fixed it properly after 7 odd years as the colour match wasn't great.

TC200six · 01-09-2012, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Auslandau

After 2 years of building ...... finally finished and off to get some final bits at the mechanics. Get a phone call saying he stuffed up!!!!!

Door shouldn't bend this far back!

image

image

If that happened to a done up car I owned, I think my head would literally explode

guidedog · 01-09-2012, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Auslandau

After 2 years of building ...... finally finished and off to get some final bits at the mechanics. Get a phone call saying he stuffed up!!!!!

Door shouldn't bend this far back!

image

image

thats why i hate taking my car to mechanics ,they just dont care .to them its just a car

Auslandau · 01-09-2012, 08:29 PM

Stupid part is how it happened.

He wanted to move it back slightly so he started the car as normal, put it into reverse and having 600 odd HP it took off just a little bit quick.

Main problem was ....... he did all this with door open and standing outside leaning across. The door sandwiched him between it and the garage door. He was actually quite lucky but ended up off work for a week or so with very bad bruising ...... lucky it didn't take his leg off.

He had to tell me how it happened a few times cos I couldn't fathom how he could do it!

pmacc · 01-09-2012, 08:51 PM

one of my summer jobs a few years back was washing cars at an adelaide dealership. in those 8 weeks or so did i see some stuff ups.

the best was one my mate who was a 1st going onto 2nd year apprentice forgot to tighten the sump plug on a forester, customer drives home an rings the dealership saying the engine light is on and the motor cut out and wont start. total cost was a 5k stuff up from my mate, and to this day he isnt allowed to touch my car.

H.G · 01-09-2012, 09:01 PM

Ive drained my oil out and replaced it with some nice fresh ROYAL PURPLE oil.. $100 for 4 litres.. figured Id see how much difference this stuff would make...and see what it looks like after 10,000km

great idea.. but I answered a ringing phone and ended up talking to a friend for about an hour.. when I got off the phone I filled the engine up with this nice expensive engine oil.. which ran right through and into the catch container which still had the old engine oil in it.... bloody drongo!

henry351 · 01-09-2012, 09:08 PM

Biggest mistake i have seen is myself becoming a mechanic, must be the most underpaid thankless job you could ever have.

Franco Cozzo · 01-09-2012, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by henry351

Biggest mistake i have seen is myself becoming a mechanic, must be the most underpaid thankless job you could ever have.

Hows being an untrustworthy piece of crap going for you?

Because thats the stereotype, LOL.

Dusty1 · 01-09-2012, 10:59 PM

I had a 205 GTi, which the mechanic tried to tell me was a special import because it was a turbo. And was hesitant to work on it because his manual didn't cover turbos.

I asked him to show me the turbo, and he pointed to the siren for the disconnected alarm.

I said ok, and took the car to a specialist repair bloke.