Mechanic issues after failed NCT - think I may be getting ripped off

Selik

Ok, so my NCT was due on my 1995 318 last week and it failed...

Here's what it failed on exactly:

Suspension Test
Rear axle imbalance
Nearside 24mm - Offside 38mm / imbalance 37%
Result - Fail / Refusal

Visual defects
Front wishbones / wb Bushes - WORN (both sides)
Brake lines / hoses (front) - Frayed / cut

Brake test required again.

So I brought the car to my mechanic and he replaced the front wishbones and the brake hoses (front) as well as the brake fluid.

The invoice looks something like this:

Wishbone Bush E36 - 2 (quantity) - €32.06 (rate)
Brake hose front E36 - 2 (quantity) - €27.00 (rate)
Brake fluid - 1 (quantity) - €12.00 (rate)
Labour - 3.5hrs - €85.00 (rate per hour)

The ex vat total is €368.56 with the final total coming to €418.32. This seems incredibly expensive to me! Would this work really take anything like 3 and a half hours?

To make things more interesting, the same garage replaced my front wishbones only back in April for the guts of €300, after I didn't even ask them to but brought my car them for another problem (possible bearings issue). They're saying the NCT guys might have got it wrong and that it's possible they've replaced the wishbones again unknowingly. It all sounds really fishy to me I have to say. I've only paid them for the work done on the brakes. They are gonna call the NCT office tomorrow and the guy I was dealing with is gonna have a word with the boss tomorrow about this. He is also claiming I need my rear shocks replaced now as well (see test failure details at start of this post).

What do you guys make of all this and can anybody offer me any advice or what to do here? I feel like I'm getting screwed however I need my car to get its NCT so I have to get any genuine problems with it sorted (obviously).

Thanks in advance.

Giles

El Guapo!

TBH the price is fair, although i wouldnt say they actually replaced the bushes the first time because they wouldnt go again that soon unless they were fitted incorrectly or you were rally driving!
Also you will need the shocks replaced to pass.

tommmy1979

the price list for the work done sounds ok to me.. his hourly rate is a bit high at 85/hour alright. 3.5 hours for that work sounds ok too.

so your mechanic changed your wishbones a frew months back ?? and now the NCT guy says the bushes need doing?? this is starnge alright.. you would have had to fit new bushes when the new wishbones were fitted.. these last about 4 or 5 years normally



T

Selik

Dean09 wrote: »

TBH the price is fair, although i wouldnt say they actually replaced the bushes the first time because they wouldnt go again that soon unless they were fitted incorrectly or you were rally driving!
Also you will need the shocks replaced to pass.

Yeah, it's even on their system that they replaced them before and I have the invoice to prove it too. The guy said to me today that they just followed the NCT fail / advice cert but surely that's not good enough, and also if the wishbones weren't worn and the NCT guys made a mistake, then surely they should NOT have replaced them again, right?

tommmy1979

sounds like from the nct results that the wishbone bushes were gone.. not the two balljoints.. the bush is like a rubber dohnut at the rear of the wishbone.. it is possible as your mechanic said that the nct guy made a mistake.. sometimes these bushes look like they're torn when they're not

El Guapo!

Giles wrote: »

Yeah, it's even on their system that they replaced them before and I have the invoice to prove it too. The guy said to me today that they just followed the NCT fail / advice cert but surely that's not good enough, and also if the wishbones weren't worn and the NCT guys made a mistake, then surely they should NOT have replaced them again, right?

Well it might be on their system but they could've shafted you the first time and just said they changed them but theres no way they went that soon unless as I said they were incorrectly fitted. And if there was nothing wrong with them they should've told you so you could've relayed the information to the NCT and got them to have another look. IMO theres definately something amiss on the bushes end of things.

Fishtits

OP,

I think your bill is fair and reasonable TBH. The guy can only deal with what he finds.

Component wear is very much dependent on the routes you drive, even using OEM components, Irish driving conditions can wreak havok on suspensions.

I reckon he's OK.

Selik

So where do I go from here and where do I stand? Obviously will have to get the shocks done for a few more hundred but surely I shouldn't be paying them over €600 for wishbone / bushes work in the space of 4 months?

Is it possible they only replaced either the bushes or the wishbone back in April but screwed me by saying both were done, and now the NCT has caught them out?

El Guapo!

Giles wrote: »

So where do I go from here and where do I stand? Obviously will have to get the shocks done for a few more hundred but surely I shouldn't be paying them over €600 for wishbone / bushes work in the space of 4 months?

Is it possible they only replaced either the bushes or the wishbone back in April but screwed me by saying both were done, and now the NCT has caught them out?

It is possible but if I were you Id ask where they bought the parts and Id get onto the supplier/manufacturer and send back the defective part if possible and see what they can do for you. You never know they may replace the parts and cover the costs. Iv seen things like this happen before and the suppliers were always reasonable about it when iv dealt with them.

Selik

Fishtits wrote: »

OP,

I think your bill is fair and reasonable TBH. The guy can only deal with what he finds.

Component wear is very much dependent on the routes you drive, even using OEM components, Irish driving conditions can wreak havok on suspensions.

I reckon he's OK.

The car passed it's NCT no worries in 2007 and has been driven less than 8000 miles since (I live in town).

Since the wishbones and bushes were allegedly replaced in April the car has done barely over 1000 miles.

gofaster_s13

Very common for the NCT to fail the front wishbone, rear bushes on E36's and E46's even though they are not worn/torn, these bushes by their nature are very soft and can look worn and have a certain amount of play from new, personally I'd say the NCT's trained monkeys are at fault here and not the garage.

trad

This is the whole point of NCT. Your car had serious brake and suspension issues. It's a 14 year old car so you have to expect wear and tear. I am amazed the lengths people go on about "having to spend money" on their cars. Do people expect cars to run forever with no maintenance?

Selik

trad wrote: »

This is the whole point of NCT. Your car had serious brake and suspension issues. It's a 14 year old car so you have to expect wear and tear. I am amazed the lengths people go on about "having to spend money" on their cars. Do people expect cars to run forever with no maintenance?

I wasn't moaning about having to spend money on the car - I knew I'd need to, what I was questioning was the cost and time of the labour and the fact that the wishbones were replaced twice within a few months.

Anyway, the guy I was dealing with talked to his manager and they agreed to write off the cost of the wishbones and check the parts with their supplier. A result I suppose, even if my wallet if seriously aching after this!

mickdw

Tell the garage you are not buying this crap about the bushes. See the reaction from them. The way I see it, either:

1/ Garage charged for wishbones in april & didnt actually fit them
2/ Nct has made a mistake and there was nothing wrong with your wishbones fitted since april. Garage shouldnt have proceeded with repair especially since they have new wishbones recorded on system.

Either way, garage has made a mess of this and I wouldnt be paying. Ask for the old ones. If they were changed in april, they will look good whereas if they are a few years old, they will possibly have cracks and appear worn although sommetimes wear might not be obvious.

Selik

mickdw wrote: »

Tell the garage you are not buying this crap about the bushes. See the reaction from them. The way I see it, either:

1/ Garage charged for wishbones in april & didnt actually fit them
2/ Nct has made a mistake and there was nothing wrong with your wishbones fitted since april. Garage shouldnt have proceeded with repair especially since they have new wishbones recorded on system.

Either way, garage has made a mess of this and I wouldnt be paying. Ask for the old ones. If they were changed in april, they will look good whereas if they are a few years old, they will possibly have cracks and appear worn although sommetimes wear might not be obvious.

Well they backed down easily enough today, which is good as I was in the middle of preparing a big complaint letter to the NCT. I wasn't going to pay either way until I had a satisfactory conclusion which is sort of what I've got now.

In two minds as to whether or not I'll be using this garage again.... apart from this I haven't too many complaints about them.

PS When I asked about the old ones they said something about them being destroyed, which sounds daft to me! Aren't garages suppposed to keep the old parts in order to cover themselves in situations like this?