Issue with car service

j4vier

Apologies for another post, not having a good start of the year.

I got my car serviced just before christmas at a garage which is part of a known chain. It was a full service with break pads replaced for 259 euro.

I noticed the day after the service that an emergency light went on. It turned out to be a check engine light. This was a sunday. On monday the light had dissapeared, then on tuesday i had to go abroad and the car was parked unused for two weeks.

I started using the car again this week without any warning, but on friday the same light went on.

I checked under the bonnet and saw that a component connected to the air filter looked out of place.

I also saw that one of the screws that is supposed to hold the filter enclosure was out of place.

I brought it to the same garage. A staff member inspected under the bonnet, ran a diagnostic and said that the error was due to an oxygen sensor. He said the particular component that looked out of place was fine and wouldn' t be causing the error. He also said that i should come back on monday as he wouldn't be able to help me.

It was evident to me that the component was out of place so i fixed it myself and the alarm light disappeared.

I can't believe the level of incompetence and lack of care that they showed during the service and today.

It was obvious to me when fitting the components that things had to be placed in an order to make them fit.

The guy who did it, didn't follow the order which resulted in a component being misplaced.

My question is what would you do in my place? Send an email with photos of the issue and complaint?

How can I trust that the other items of the service were carried out properly based on this issue?

Thanks for the advice

Midnight_EG

j4vier wrote: »

Apologies for another post, not having a good start of the year.

I got my car serviced just before christmas at a garage which is part of a known chain. It was a full service with break pads replaced for 259 euro.

I noticed the day after the service that an emergency light went on. It turned out to be a check engine light. This was a sunday. On monday the light had dissapeared, then on tuesday i had to go abroad and the car was parked unused for two weeks.

I started using the car again this week without any warning, but on friday the same light went on.

I checked under the bonnet and saw that a component connected to the air filter looked out of place.

I also saw that one of the screws that is supposed to hold the filter enclosure was out of place.

I brought it to the same garage. A staff member inspected under the bonnet, ran a diagnostic and said that the error was due to an oxygen sensor. He said the particular component that looked out of place was fine and wouldn' t be causing the error. He also said that i should come back on monday as he wouldn't be able to help me.

It was evident to me that the component was out of place so i fixed it myself and the alarm light disappeared.

I can't believe the level of incompetence and lack of care that they showed during the service and today.

It was obvious to me when fitting the components that things had to be placed in an order to make them fit.

The guy who did it, didn't follow the order which resulted in a component being misplaced.

My question is what would you do in my place? Send an email with photos of the issue and complaint?

How can I trust that the other items of the service were carried out properly based on this issue?

Thanks for the advice

For one, the part not clipped in correctly wouldn't cause an engine light. That's just coincidence.

cute geoge

I remember years ago a local bought a brand new car off a local independent garage ,any way back then service interval was a lot shorter then nowadays and even though the local man did not do much driving he religously serviced the car every 3 months .18 months after buying the engine seized and it turned out the oil was probably never changed in the car from 1st day !!!

Sleeper12

cute geoge wrote:

I remember years ago a local bought a brand new car off a local independent garage ,any way back then service interval was a lot shorter then nowadays and even though the local man did not do much driving he religously serviced the car every 3 months .18 months after buying the engine seized and it turned out the oil was probably never changed in the car from 1st day !!!

I don't think the engine would seize from dirty oil. I wonder did it run out of oil?

j4vier

Midnight_EG wrote: »

For one, the part not clipped in correctly wouldn't cause an engine light. That's just coincidence.

Seems a bit of an odd coincidence to me.

The light is indicative of an emission control system failure after googling it.

The car didn't feel right after the service as it sort of stuttered when accelerating around 40-50 km/hr.

I have been driving for the whole evening since i fixed it and i don't feel that issue anymore.

pablo128

While it looks like carelessness on the mechanics behalf, those parts would have zero effect on the running of the engine.

I'm not making excuses for their work. However we had a lady come into us going mad because her exhaust started blowing, and we were the last people to work on the car. We had replaced the brakes 2 weeks previous.

Chalk it down to a coincidence.

j4vier

pablo128 wrote: »

While it looks like carelessness on the mechanics behalf, those parts would have zero effect on the running of the engine.

I'm not making excuses for their work. However we had a lady come into us going mad because her exhaust started blowing, and we were the last people to work on the car. We had replaced the brakes 2 weeks previous.

Chalk it down to a coincidence.

Ok i appreciate your feedback.


https://youtu.be/QUVr9CIPUs4

This video shows a similar issue to mine, same type of fault which was due do a cracked air tube flow.

While this tube is ok in my car, the tube which was misplaced was right next to it and it is connected to it. The end result would be similar.

ebbsy

My independent mechanic fitted brake pads and fixed the front calipers on my merc this week for 240. So I'm wondering how they could have done all that work for 259.

Ps I'm not an expert.

j4vier

ebbsy wrote: »

My independent mechanic fitted brake pads and fixed the front calipers on my merc this week for 240. So I'm wondering how they could have done all that work for 259.

Ps I'm not an expert.

The pricing was 170 for the full service and 89 for the rear break pads fitted

Midnight_EG

j4vier wrote: »

Seems a bit of an odd coincidence to me.

The light is indicative of an emission control system failure after googling it.

The car didn't feel right after the service as it sort of stuttered when accelerating around 40-50 km/hr.

I have been driving for the whole evening since i fixed it and i don't feel that issue anymore.

It's absolutely a coincidence, where its drawing in air against the wing is just a duct. The AFM or MAP sensor or IAT or whatever your car uses is after that point. You affixing it made no difference to your fault.

greasepalm

Yes i agree also as just an intake from front of car to air filter housing and a missed hole by a screw can happen,was it late or dark when getting done as might not have seen hit.Waiting for light to come back on again.

j4vier

greasepalm wrote: »

Yes i agree also as just an intake from front of car to air filter housing and a missed hole by a screw can happen,was it late or dark when getting done as might not have seen hit.Waiting for light to come back on again.

I left the car from 9AM til 4PM

elperello

Sounds like sloppy work to me, possibly left to an apprentice to finish off. Not a general criticism of apprentices but they do get called away to other jobs. Anyway responsibility lies with mechanic.

Exactly what are you expecting from the garage OP?

What make, model, year?
Motors Forum might give good specific advice re. the car and fault etc.

j4vier

elperello wrote: »

Sounds like sloppy work to me, possibly left to an apprentice to finish off. Not a general criticism of apprentices but they do get called away to other jobs. Anyway responsibility lies with mechanic.

Exactly what are you expecting from the garage OP?

What make, model, year?
Motors Forum might give good specific advice re. the car and fault etc.

They are all in their 20s in there, except the guy who took my credit card when I got the service done.

2016 Astra k 1.0 petrol

Not sure what I should be expecting, an apology would be ok and their availability towards sorting out whatever the issue is if the light reappears. But then again, they didn’t even spot the misaligned tube , my trust in their competencies is limited.

I have never seen that light on over 3 and a half years and It turned on the first time the day after the service. Again, could be a coincidence but unlikely.

colm_mcm

Undo the screw again and see if the light comes back.

greasepalm

You say you left it in for a full service what parts were replaced as on your invoice.Just because it was ok then things can give up afterwards.

elperello

j4vier wrote: »

They are all in their 20s in there, except the guy who took my credit card when I got the service done.

2016 Astra k 1.0 petrol

Not sure what I should be expecting, an apology would be ok and their availability towards sorting out whatever the issue is if the light reappears. But then again, they didn’t even spot the misaligned tube , my trust in their competencies is limited.

I have never seen that light on over 3 and a half years and It turned on the first time the day after the service. Again, could be a coincidence but unlikely.

An apology is hardly worth the bother of going back.

Unlikely they will underwrite sorting out future issues with your car.

I don't know if the specific misaligned tube could cause the warning light on that car but likely someone in Motors Forum will.

greasepalm

It cannot cause that issue as its before the air flow meter,wonder any cracks in air pipes that might have issues.

jmreire

Cars and car faults...was in the NCT centre last wednesday...was sitting beside a lady who had just arrived, parked her car and like me, was waiting to be called. For her, it was a retest, and as she had just picked it up the evening before from her local garage after the failure issue had been sorted, so only a formality, as she thought. I was looking out the window when the test mechanic went to bring her car into the centre, he sat in, turned the key, car started, and then stopped. He made several more attempt's to start it... no luck. So he came back in and told the woman, sorry, but it will not start, so I can't do the retest. Can you call some one to come and fix it? And you will have to book another date for the retest. Poor woman was distraught...had to pick up her children from the school, and the clock was ticking etc, on top of which she has to pay for a another retest etc.
The point being,cars can and do break down... intermittent fault's can occur, and drive a person ( and workshop) to distraction trying to solve them. But I can understand someone who says that "it was all right before it went into the workshop"

j4vier

elperello wrote: »

An apology is hardly worth the bother of going back.

Unlikely they will underwrite sorting out future issues with your car.

I don't know if the specific misaligned tube could cause the warning light on that car but likely someone in Motors Forum will.

It will cost me time off work heading there during the week which is not worth doing unless the light comes back on.

I will certainly email them with the pictures. It is highly unlikely that they will offer any sort of compensation.

One thing for sure, i won’t be going back for any more work.

j4vier

greasepalm wrote: »

You say you left it in for a full service what parts were replaced as on your invoice.Just because it was ok then things can give up afterwards.

Need to check the invoice, as far as I recall all filters and spark plugs were replaced. The oil too of course. Can’t recall anything out of the ordinary

j4vier

jmreire wrote: »

Cars and car faults...was in the NCT centre last wednesday...was sitting beside a lady who had just arrived, parked her car and like me, was waiting to be called. For her, it was a retest, and as she had just picked it up the evening before from her local garage after the failure issue had been sorted, so only a formality, as she thought. I was looking out the window when the test mechanic went to bring her car into the centre, he sat in, turned the key, car started, and then stopped. He made several more attempt's to start it... no luck. So he came back in and told the woman, sorry, but it will not start, so I can't do the retest. Can you call some one to come and fix it? And you will have to book another date for the retest. Poor woman was distraught...had to pick up her children from the school, and the clock was ticking etc, on top of which she has to pay for a another retest etc.
The point being,cars can and do break down... intermittent fault's can occur, and drive a person ( and workshop) to distraction trying to solve them. But I can understand someone who says that "it was all right before it went into the workshop"

I know what you are saying, cars do develop faults and without the full picture is hard to find the root cause.

The only question we can ask is what are the odds that the developed issue was down to normal wear and tear and not related to the service?

The timing that it occurred does make it suspicious to me but then again anyone can set their own odds to that question!

ruwithme

j4vier wrote: »

Apologies for another post, not having a good start of the year.

I got my car serviced just before christmas at a garage which is part of a known chain. It was a full service with break pads replaced for 259 euro.

I noticed the day after the service that an emergency light went on. It turned out to be a check engine light. This was a sunday. On monday the light had dissapeared, then on tuesday i had to go abroad and the car was parked unused for two weeks.

I started using the car again this week without any warning, but on friday the same light went on.

I checked under the bonnet and saw that a component connected to the air filter looked out of place.

I also saw that one of the screws that is supposed to hold the filter enclosure was out of place.

I brought it to the same garage. A staff member inspected under the bonnet, ran a diagnostic and said that the error was due to an oxygen sensor. He said the particular component that looked out of place was fine and wouldn' t be causing the error. He also said that i should come back on monday as he wouldn't be able to help me.

It was evident to me that the component was out of place so i fixed it myself and the alarm light disappeared.

I can't believe the level of incompetence and lack of care that they showed during the service and today.

It was obvious to me when fitting the components that things had to be placed in an order to make them fit.

The guy who did it, didn't follow the order which resulted in a component being misplaced.

My question is what would you do in my place? Send an email with photos of the issue and complaint?

How can I trust that the other items of the service were carried out properly based on this issue?

Thanks for the advice

Op your clearly not happy with your experience of that garage. your not alone. Some bad attitudes out there in work places when others are paying the piper.
Personally i dont think I'd waste my time e.mailing them.
if you could get a good recommendation for a private motor mechanic in your area where customer care/appreciation,attention to fully finishing a job are higher on the agenda.
as going back to that garage is probably not going to leave you feeling any better about the whole thing.
as for posting in the motor forum, personally i wouldn't as it likely wouldn't be music to your ears.

jmreire

j4vier wrote: »

I know what you are saying, cars do develop faults and without the full picture is hard to find the root cause.

The only question we can ask is what are the odds that the developed issue was down to normal wear and tear and not related to the service?

The timing that it occurred does make it suspicious to me but then again anyone can set their own odds to that question!

I'm not saying that you are wrong j4vier. Because even the best mechanics can and do slip up occasionally. Spanner slips and hits off some part, which may cause it to malfunction either then or at a later date etc. or as i n your case, forgets to tighten a retaining screw etc. Lots of incidents like this do happen. But in your case, and after scanning it, they come up with a faulty sensor and from your pic's, it seem's to be an air intake duct pipe not correctly fitted, but it's on the outside, and so the air supply is not affected. As one poster has suggested, remove the screw and see if it affects the running. Let us know how it works out, OK?

funkey_monkey

The fella that done that job was handless and took no pride in his job to leave it like that.

Thank your lucky stars it was only the air intake he was working on and not something more important. Get a recommendation and go somewhere else.

You would not get a fault on that side of the MAF - only likely to get one if there is an issue between the MAF and the engine block such as a split or incorrect fitment whereby the measured airflow differs from the actual flow.

j4vier

ruwithme wrote: »

Op your clearly not happy with your experience of that garage. your not alone. Some bad attitudes out there in work places when others are paying the piper.
Personally i dont think I'd waste my time e.mailing them.
if you could get a good recommendation for a private motor mechanic in your area where customer care/appreciation,attention to fully finishing a job are higher on the agenda.
as going back to that garage is probably not going to leave you feeling any better about the whole thing.
as for posting in the motor forum, personally i wouldn't as it likely wouldn't be music to your ears.

Thanks, I’ll still email the head office. It won’t get me anywhere probably but not doing anything about it definitely won’t get me anywhere.

If the light turns on again, I’ll probably follow your advise and look for a private mechanic.

j4vier

jmreire wrote: »

I'm not saying that you are wrong j4vier. Because even the best mechanics can and do slip up occasionally. Spanner slips and hits off some part, which may cause it to malfunction either then or at a later date etc. or as i n your case, forgets to tighten a retaining screw etc. Lots of incidents like this do happen. But in your case, and after scanning it, they come up with a faulty sensor and from your pic's, it seem's to be an air intake duct pipe not correctly fitted, but it's on the outside, and so the air supply is not affected. As one poster has suggested, remove the screw and see if it affects the running. Let us know how it works out, OK?

To be honest, I would be wary of touching anything now that things seem ok. But if it turns on again, I’ll definitely update as clearly my “fix’ was not the issue

LillySV

Horrendous sloppy job done there... your forkin out mad money to an official garage and they do a **** job ... but the thing is this is very common! My mum paid for front brakes to be changed in her auris a while back in a Toyota garage ... had problems a while after and just brought car to local garage... found out the had only changed brakes on one side of the front!!! And she didn’t do anything about it!! Just accepted the fact she didn’t get what’s she had paid for l!!!and loads like her!! The mechanic who let a car out like that should get attempted manslaughter for that!! Seriously dangerous

j4vier

LillySV wrote: »

Horrendous sloppy job done there... your forkin out mad money to an official garage and they do a **** job ... but the thing is this is very common! My mum paid for front brakes to be changed in her auris a while back in a Toyota garage ... had problems a while after and just brought car to local garage... found out the had only changed brakes on one side of the front!!! And she didn’t do anything about it!! Just accepted the fact she didn’t get what’s she had paid for l!!!and loads like her!! The mechanic who let a car out like that should get attempted manslaughter for that!! Seriously dangerous

Awful stuff.

I should actually take a look at the break pads which they replaced now that you mention this.

GarIT

I can't understand why everyone is saying a partially blocked air intake won't cause any issues. It didn't look blocked enough to me to be the likely cause but it's certainly possible.

jmreire

GarIT wrote: »

I can't understand why everyone is saying a partially blocked air intake won't cause any issues. It didn't look blocked enough to me to be the likely cause but it's certainly possible.

I don't think from looking at the pic that the air intake is blocked...more like the joint was opened a little bit because the screw was not tightened in place. and from that point outwards, it would have been facing the front grille...taking clean air, free from any dirt or contamination from the engine bay, which is what the ducting is designed to do. but the air flow would have been fine.