need advice on garage mistake.

parsonsr

Hi guys,
I have a serious problem and need your advice badly.
I got my car back from advance pitstop yesterday. I was told over the phone by them on thursday that the head gasket was " water tight" and that only the tbelt and water pump needed replacing.I had asked them to check the HG as i was loosing coolant and I thought that was why.
-I got the car back and it sounded really rough ,it idles that bad that you can feel the vibs very heavily in the cabin.
-There was NO coolant in the car only water and after 10 mins driving the head tank is virtually empty.
-The engine sounds like its gasping for air and the exhaust sounds like a boiling kettle.
-when the engine is turned of you can hear water sloshing through and gulping noises.

The car wasnt like this when I gave it in it was running smooth and prrrring like a kitten it was loosing coolant but they're saying its MY fault because I must have done something to it, they had the car for 2 days.
They told me after looking at it that the ONLY thing wrong was the tbelt and water pump but now theyre saying that the HG is blown.
Where do I stand on this ?? I paid €400 for the new water pump and t belt and the car is worse than when I gave it to them.
I had a toyota mechanic look at her today and he said that
-the head is blown and always has been and that they should have seen it rather than tell me it was fine.
-the belt is put on too loose and the tensioner isnt sitting right.

When I asked the head boss why his mechanic had told me the HG was fine when it was blown he just replied " sure he wouldnt know what to look for".

any advice guys, Im 400 out of pocket and I can't drive my car.

Cheers,
R

PS I paid them before I started the engine but went straight back in ,I didnt drive it away.

cantdecide

Bloody Advance pitstop again:rolleyes: (I was recently heard saying that they were very under-rated):p:p

It could be that the car cooling system is badly airlocked which wouldn't be the first time. It could also be mis-timed, which wouldn't be the first time.

I suppose there's plumes of white smoke out the back?

Was there noticeable powerloss in the engine recently?

Why were you worried about the HG in the first place?

parsonsr

I was worried in the first place as I had mayo in the oil ,loss of power and a small amount of smoke out the back when I revved.
The mechanic today said the engines timing is completely off .The garage in question are refusing to deal with me even though they told me that the HG was fine.
the car is worse now then when I gave it them.

cantdecide

If it's any consolation (and I'm sure it's not) €400 is not so much to pay to get your t/b, w/p and tensioners done. Cost of labour is probably gone for good.

If you fix headgasket now, chances are that when you get HG done now, you'll be able to re-use those new parts cos they were going to be changed as part of having HG done anyway.


Stick one question to them-- Why would you bring a car thar was running as bad as it now is to have T/B done? Why would they do sevice on a clearly knackered car?

What kind of car is it?

parsonsr

Its a Rover 45 (know for HG problems). the thing is they should have known when they were investingating the coolant loss rather than talling me the HG was fine. the oil is like milkshake right now and I can't drive the car. also, I dont know if it makes any difference but they recorded the milage wrong on the receipt it say 44k miles when my car is 69k and I havent driven it since getting it back.

bushy...

If they are that clueless they might have bent a valve or two or did other butchery. You should get your 400e back less cost of the water pump&tensioners(if replaced) . It will need another new timing belt after the head is done ( which may be warped out of limit or cracked by now).

parsonsr

I really hope they didn't. Since im having now luck with the garage itself im going to go to the HO on Monday morning and if theres still no luck after that then small claims here I come.

bushy...

If the HG is loosing that much don't try to start it after it sitting there over the weekend , small but possible chance that water will enter the wrong cylinder and cause hydraulic lock , leading to conrod damage and more fun.

dudara

I had a bad experience with then recently. I got the front pipe and the lambda sensor changed on my 99 Punto. When I returned to drive it home, it wouldn't start. The fuel pump wasn't running. This was at 5.30 in the evening, and they were very un-inclined to check out the car. In fact, after a few minutes, I was told that the fuel pump had packed in. I felt as if the mechanic was talking over my head and not answering my questions.

At this stage I was fuming quietly on the inside, as they were attempting to resolve themselves of all responsibility. I got the feeling that they weren't interested in doing proper repair work and that they simply preferred to chuck out old parts and replace with new rather than tracking down faults ( I think that they were also chancing their arm seeing as how I'm female). So I politely suggested that someone run over all the fuses and electrics in the morning, because after all wasn't it likely someone had shorted something while changing the exhaust. (My Dad is a mechanic and I'm not completely ignorant when it comes to cars).

Lo and behold, next morning I got a call to say that a fuse had blown on the pump and my car was running perfectly again.

Never again will I go near them.

parsonsr

thanks man I didnt realise that . Is that what Hydrolock is?? I've been shaking with temper all day since I talked to the boss guy in advance today he kept talking over me so I could say what I wanted to and when I asked him a question he didnt like he kept telling to stop shouting at him when I wasnt .

parsonsr

dudara wrote: »

This was at 5.30 in the evening, and they were very un-inclined to check out the car. In fact, after a few minutes, I was told that the fuel pump had packed in. I felt as if the mechanic was talking over my head and not answering my questions.

Hi dudara,
This is the same as me .I collect my car at half 5 as they were closing up and the boss mechanic kept talking over me and saying it was "my fault" .

Jo King

Take them to the Small Claims Court. It will only cost a few euro.

wil

Dont take any crap fom them.
I had a pretty serious bizarre set of adventures with them several years ago but after well worded letter and threats of further action was at least compensated for a loss so in that regard at least they came good.
Short version - old car needed major work on brakes, AP did the job, brakes didnt feel too good but was assured just needed bedding in. Was going down country that w/e next day. Loaded up stuff and g/f. Thought check brake fluid, tapped resevoir, resevoir fell off, fluid everywhere. (The part under the resevoir had been replaced so that was their work) Emergency. Taped resevoir back. Drove slowly to AP before closing. They looked at at it, parked my car in bay, me a tad nonplussed. Stood by car, was called by someone to office. went at second call. Manager said what? I said you called. He said Huh. Another car drives out rapid like. I return to car, check for leather jacket with phone and wallet with 200 smackers behind seat. All gone. Mechanics saw nothing. Called gardai, cancelled all cards/phone, raised bloody hell, they denied reponsibility, wrote letter to HQ. got refund for losses. Alternative as I said to them, I sue you for letting me drive a lethally defective car, rendered so by your mechanics but luckily I checked, causing me to have to return to your garage rather than killing myself. Meanwhile the scheisters in a car in another bay had spotted me putting jacket behind seat and called me away from car before lifting it not knowing I had only hour before put all my worldly valuables in it due to long drive ahead.
You learn.
Had to get all new cards. licence, phone jacket, but at least better than heading down M7 with no brakes.
Part 2 - same old car, same time, starting to burn oil, for some strange reason when one of their mechanics said he could do the engine gaskets cheap (young and gullible) I bit. I was lead a strange merry dance for several months where he took my car and left it outside his house for weeks, all the time saying he would fix it. Never lifted bonnet. After blowing my top at his neverending stories, he gave me a loan of a banger he had, which engine seized on the motorway coming back to Dublin. g/f impressed. Eventually I retrieved my car and got it done by a proper mechanic.
I have no idea to this day why he ofered to do the job and gave me stories for months as he gained nothing and in fact lost another car. I think he was a well intentioned chap, just truth challenged. Cant blame AP for that but it might give an idea of the level of integrity of some chaps that might have worked for them in the past. Dont know about now, for some reason never went back.

Actually one of the other managers I spoke to in there subsequent in relation to the incident was fairly decent, and didnt try to automatically deny responsibility, obviously moved up as saw his pic later on buses adverts as one of their 4 main men.