Workmanship in local garage

TonyStark

My sister recently had an issue with her car where the lever for the wipers stopped working. She took it to the load garage and the guy thought it was a fuse.


Changed the fuse and then said that the fusebox was gone on the car and that there were two options:

1. Send the fusebox away and get another one from Cork at a cost 170 euro
2. Get a new one which was a cost of 600-700, according to the garage man

She decided that she would go with the cheaoer option, that My sister got her car back today and was told the wiper was fixed. To her horror the garage man had basically jimmied up a switch near thw wiper lever that would allow her to turn the wipers on and off. Nothing more than a constant on and off, none of the finer controls for controlling were still not working.

He gave her a bill for 150 for the work done and she is contemplating of not paying it as it is not her expectation of asking someone to fix the lever and then not doing it.

At no point did he tell her that his intention was to add a switch to the car to "fix" the wipers. At the moment she is livid as she went to another garage to see if they could fix it properly and they took one look at the switch and said they wouldn't touch it in light of the way the switch is connected up.

As it stands she will need to travel elsewhere to get this Job done. Would appreciate any advice on this to get the best outcome for my sister. Is there a way to compel a garage to rectify their bad workmanship?

darragh o meara

TonyStark wrote: »

My sister recently had an issue with her car where the lever for the wipers stopped working. She took it to the load garage and the guy thought it was a fuse.


Changed the fuse and then said that the fusebox was gone on the car and that there were two options:

1. Send the fusebox away and get another one from Cork at a cost 170 euro
2. Get a new one which was a cost of 600-700, according to the garage man

She decided that she would go with the cheaoer option, that My sister got her car back today and was told the wiper was fixed. To her horror the garage man had basically jimmied up a switch near thw wiper lever that would allow her to turn the wipers on and off. Nothing more than a constant on and off, none of the finer controls for controlling were still not working.

He gave her a bill for 150 for the work done and she is contemplating of not paying it as it is not her expectation of asking someone to fix the lever and then not doing it.

At no point did he tell her that his intention was to add a switch to the car to "fix" the wipers. At the moment she is livid as she went to another garage to see if they could fix it properly and they took one look at the switch and said they wouldn't touch it in light of the way the switch is connected up.

As it stands she will need to travel elsewhere to get this Job done. Would appreciate any advice on this to get the best outcome for my sister. Is there a way to compel a garage to rectify their bad workmanship?

150 quid for that?? Worst bodge job I've ever seen, and I've seen a few... If the mechanic said he was gonna get the fusebox repaired then that's what he should've done. If she's not happy, ask him to put it back as it was and bring it elsewhere. For all we know, that contraption may not even be fused!!!! a good frosty morning and a frozen wiper will make short work of the wiring and could even cause a fire if there's no fuse there to stop it.

wonski

A fire is unlikely ( correct me if I am wrong), but this is one of the worst repair I have seen in last few years.

Nct is a money rocket indeed

I would request my money back and insist on putting everything back as it was op.

Esel

wonski wrote: »

A fire is unlikely ( correct me if I am wrong), but this is one of the worst repair I have seen in last few years.

Nct is a money rocket indeed

I would request my money back and insist on putting everything back as it was op.

WTF has the NCT got to do with this issue?

Mad bodge at the same time. Looks unbelievable to me.

wonski

Esel wrote: »

WTF has the NCT got to do with this issue?

Mad bodge at the same time. Looks unbelievable to me.

I was referring to cars that do pass nct thanks to creative garages like this

Not sure if this one would pass the test, though.

wonski

wonski wrote: »

A fire is unlikely ( correct me if I am wrong),

you are wrong

ironclaw

Get an Electrical Engineer to review the installation to see if its unsafe and a fire risk. I'm speculating it is, as its badly connected to a system that involves motors and like darragh o meara said, those circuits tend to enjoy a nice big current. We live in hope that they have at least used the same circuit and fused it. Furthermore, if I'm not mistaken from the photo, one of the connection blades is also exposed on the switch and the switch isn't mounted i.e. Risk of human contact, and the switch can move, increasing liklihood of wiring rubbing and sheering.

Now, report in hand, wander down to the garage and ask to see their trade insurance. Its likely if they are insured, they'll never get it again if an insurer got an engineers report of such bodge-jobbery. Not only is it not a fix, its interfered with a safety mechanism of a car and your ability to see.

I'd personally love to hang this garage out to dry for this as, speaking as a professional Engineer, this is beyond funny.

savagethegoat

i'm shocked.

shaunr68

Could it be that this is a temporary rig-up to allow the wipers to be used while waiting for delivery of another part? Could be a misunderstanding? Just a wild guess really, I can't see how that repair could possibly be seen as acceptable in any way if it is intended to be permanent. Or how the garage would have the audacity to actually charge for it.

EDIT: A mate of mine had an ancient Land Rover. The wipers didn't work, his solution was to thread a piece of string to the wiper through the side window which the passenger could pull on to drag the wiper across the screen, then slowly release and an elastic band would then pull it back again. His missus wasn't impressed as it was her that got the job of sitting there like an idiot manually operating the wipers! Of course it was just a temporary repair on his own vehicle, I can't imagine anybody actually claiming that the wipers were "fixed" or having the cheek to bill for the work!

wex96

She did well getting her car back without paying. Don't pay and bring to a dealer to get sorted.IMHO 😆

Special Circumstances

A sh1t job no question.
Fire risk? I'm not going to get into that argument.

A new stalk is needed maybe?

sjb25

I'm not a mechanic but what the actual hell is that lol how did the guy even think that would be ok then to have the cheek to ask for €150 for the pleasure of a nasty switch jammed into the dash

If I'd of been presented with that he would be told to put it back the way it was and you can go sing for the money what kind of extra damage could he have done here that now has to be fixed by someone who knows what they are doing

Atlantic Dawn

It's like some modification you would see done in Russia during the 80's on a Lada because replacement parts were not available.

shietpilot

You need to see an auto electrician and not a mechanic. Most mechanics are not the brightest when it comes to wiring and electrics!

H3llR4iser

Another thing - if that..."repair" works, it also means the issue wasn't even remotely with the fuse nor the fusebox, it's the actual stalk switch that's gone...

kirving

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Another thing - if that..."repair" works, it also means the issue wasn't even remotely with the fuse nor the fusebox, it's the actual stalk switch that's gone...

Unless he just avoided the current system entirely and ran a wire from the battery to the motor, via the switch.

It honestly looks like the type of thing you'd see on a Top Gear challenge. Right now it's a serious safety risk as it has a high likelihood of A) Going on Fire and Stopping working while overtaking a truck on the motorway in the rain. Which I suggest she avoids until it's fixed properly.

Does this car have Auto Wipers by any chance?

H3llR4iser

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Unless he just avoided the current system entirely and ran a wire from the battery to the motor, via the switch.

Wow...that would be "next level" entirely!!!

shietpilot

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Another thing - if that..."repair" works, it also means the issue wasn't even remotely with the fuse nor the fusebox, it's the actual stalk switch that's gone...

Not if the switch is wired directly in series with the car battery and wiper motor :P

The wiper system is quite complex in these Focuses though! There is a GEM (General Electrics Module) which is programmable to have different wiping periods etc and it is a full CANBUS system which is able to detect when you are in reverse gear to turn on the rear wiper blade if it's raining.

OP needs a proper electrician who knows what he is doing to diagnose this issue. The stalk is just a simple switch which tells the module to turn on the wiper motor.

Lord Nikon

Solicitor visit, me things.

Jayop

shietpilot wrote: »

Not if the switch is wired directly in series with the car battery and wiper motor :P

The wiper system is quite complex in these Focuses though! There is a GEM (General Electrics Module) which is programmable to have different wiping periods etc and it is a full CANBUS system which is able to detect when you are in reverse gear to turn on the rear wiper blade if it's raining.

OP needs a proper electrician who knows what he is doing to diagnose this issue. The stalk is just a simple switch which tells the module to turn on the wiper motor.

And those modules are liable to get water damage which caused loads of problems on them.

TonyStark

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Unless he just avoided the current system entirely and ran a wire from the battery to the motor, via the switch.

It honestly looks like the type of thing you'd see on a Top Gear challenge. Right now it's a serious safety risk as it has a high likelihood of A) Going on Fire and Stopping working while overtaking a truck on the motorway in the rain. Which I suggest she avoids until it's fixed properly.

Does this car have Auto Wipers by any chance?

Nope, it's an MK II Focus.

Stallingrad

That's why you don't take drugs kids, amazing.

Alanstrainor

That is nuts. I certainly would not be getting this ape to do any more work here. You'll have to get that mess fixed elsewhere. Perhaps a trip to the small claims court is what you'll need to do to recoup costs.

TonyStark

Alanstrainor wrote: »

That is nuts. I certainly would not be getting this ape to do any more work here. You'll have to get that mess fixed elsewhere. Perhaps a trip to the small claims court is what you'll need to do to recoup costs.

Luckily for her no money has changed hands he just gave the car back. Latest update is that he texted her to say that has the tool for the radio so he can fix that... *shudder*

Voodoomelon

Feckin hell that's bad.

26000 Elephants

shietpilot wrote: »

....and it is a full CANBUS system which is able to detect when you are in reverse gear to turn on the rear wiper blade if it's raining.

Yup, that switch looks like it definitely has an advanced CANBUS compliant interface squirreled away inside....

shietpilot

26000 Elephants wrote: »

Yup, that switch looks like it definitely has an advanced CANBUS compliant interface squirreled away inside....

Bodgeworks spec approved

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

26000 Elephants

TonyStark wrote: »

Latest update is that he texted her to say that has the tool for the radio so he can fix that... *shudder*

Truckermal

Sorry OP but I PMSL....:D

randy hickey

Tell me this has all been a massive wind-up.

I refuse to accept that any mechanic could be that cúntish to hand back that as a fait accompli.

porsche boy

I think name & shame is in order. That is some diabolical workmanship.

4068ac1elhodqr

Assuming you have you vehicle back, you'd be perfectly entitled to leave a social media type review as a customer of his services.
As long as it's an honest review if your experience, and by the sound of it, a 1star could be in order.

When I say social media, not so much facepages/boards (although that's an option for business type pages), more so trusted trade review sites and directories.

Unscrupulous traders should never underestimate the power of the pen , or rather: mouse.

darragh o meara

wonski wrote: »

A fire is unlikely ( correct me if I am wrong), but this is one of the worst repair I have seen in last few years.

Nct is a money rocket indeed

I would request my money back and insist on putting everything back as it was op.

I can assure you that a fire is highly possible, should that circuit not be fused, a stuck or obstructed wiper motors current draw will increase dramatically. If the switch or the wiring is not properly specced and there's no fuse you get heat first then the smoke starts... Now I'm hoping the fact that a mechanic rigged it up he would have enough cop on to use a fuse and possibly a relay but I can't tell from the pic.

BTW, I am an engineer (albeit not electrical I'll admit) but I have a lot of experience with designing and building wiring looms for rallycars etc..

I have wired wipers to a switch like that before but there will be properly sized cable and a relay and properly rated fuse in the circut too.

randy hickey

Can I suggest she pay him with this cheque:


[IMG][/img]

wonski

darragh o meara wrote: »

I can assure you that a fire is highly possible, should that circuit not be fused, a stuck or obstructed wiper motors current draw will increase dramatically. If the switch or the wiring is not properly specced and there's no fuse you get heat first then the smoke starts... Now I'm hoping the fact that a mechanic rigged it up he would have enough cop on to use a fuse and possibly a relay but I can't tell from the pic.

BTW, I am an engineer (albeit not electrical I'll admit) but I have a lot of experience with designing and building wiring looms for rallycars etc..

I have wired wipers to a switch like that before but there will be properly sized cable and a relay and properly rated fuse in the circut too.

I stand corrected (but I did assume it was fused).

However, given the evidence, it could be a random piece of cable lying around connected directly to the battery.

winnie the schtink

ah, if you're givin me a cheque love it'll be plus the auld vat:eek::D

Esel

It's an ejector switch.

StupidLikeAFox

TonyStark wrote: »

Latest update is that he texted her to say that has the tool for the radio so he can fix that... *shudder*

He will prob stick a clock radio to the dash with some duct tape

randy hickey

I'd say he has the tool for the radio alright:


via Imgflip Meme Generator


And I know we didn't discuss it, but I've also converted your car to left hand drive.
It's much better now.


And, eh.....that'll be another €150.

shietpilot

I'd love to see the steering wheel controls hooked up to that as well :eek:

TonyStark

Just an update, the car has started cutting out for some reason. A mate of my sister has had a look and seems like the switch is wired to the battery unfused. She is to take it to the main dealer (40 miles away) to get it fixed. When questioned the mechanic says it is fused and he would put another ECU into the car *shudder*

that looks like a fuse holder on the wire.
still is ****e tho.

no excuse

Special Circumstances

I would bet that there is a fuse in that hard black plastic bit. Unless someone fitted a tinfoil or nail "fuse" instead.
Honestly, you're getting the opinions of amateurs (mostly) on the work of what would appear to be another amateur. It's just confusing things for you.
Go to someone who knows what they're at.

shietpilot

That black stuff is plastic so the wire doesn't get cut from rubbing against other stuff like the chassis. Either way get that crap removed.

26000 Elephants

shietpilot wrote: »

That black stuff is plastic so the wire doesn't get cut from rubbing against other stuff like the chassis. Either way get that crap removed.

Looks like a sleeve for guiding window lift cables....:(

Special Circumstances

26000 Elephants wrote: »

Looks like a sleeve for guiding window lift cables....:(

It does alright. But to me and I assume BrownFinger it also looks like some version of an inline fuse holder

martinr5232

In line fuse or not i wouldnt let that fella fix a puncture on a wheelbarrow.

Nekarsulm

Second hand wiper lever/switch unit from a breakers yard would be the "normal" fix, I would have thought.

martinr5232

Gem module would be a more likely cause of no wipers on one of those focuses.