Garage charges for work that doesn't work.

I took my Zafira to a local garage some months ago, with a misfire issue. They replaced the plugs to no avail, then assured me it was the coil pack. This didn’t fix the problem either. I did some homework and found out from ‘Vauxparts’ that the problem was the ECU and that it would cost a similar amount again to fix. I ended-up selling the car for next to nothing as I couldn’t justify throwing more money at it. I felt let down by the garage for not having this information initially.

Lesson learned, I took my next car, a Volvo, to a specialist garage as it had a couple of running issues. I was told the temperature sensor was faulty and the fuel filter needed replacing to remedy the problem, at a cost of £200. I agreed to the work being done. However it didn’t remedy the problem at all, and I was charged another £50.00 to identify that the issues were due to the ECU putting out the wrong voltage on one of the pins.

When I challenged the original diagnosis, I was told that 99% of cars with my problem are due to the temperature sensor, so they were justified in carrying out that work and charging me for it on the way to diagnosing the ECU fault. I was also told that the new fuel filter had fixed the odd judder when accelerating; it hasn’t. So I am the best part of £300 out of pocket for a, now correct, diagnosis that will require a similar amount of outlay to possibly repair (£200 to look at it, no guarantee of repair).

Was the garage being fair?

Most independent garages don't have main dealer type diagnostic machines just general code readers so they throw parts at cars hoping it will fix it .sometimes it works sometimes it does not work .dont think I'd be happy spending so much for it not be correct though

Most independent garages don't have main dealer type diagnostic machines just general code readers so they throw parts at cars hoping it will fix it .sometimes it works sometimes it does not work .dont think I'd be happy spending so much for it not be correct though

A specialist garage should have the right gear though, that's the whole point of them being a 'specialist' in a particular brand.

---------- Post added 24-02-2018 at 16:35 ----------

Lesson learned, I took my next car, a Volvo, to a specialist garage as it had a couple of running issues. I was told the temperature sensor was faulty and the fuel filter needed replacing to remedy the problem, at a cost of £200. I agreed to the work being done. However it didn’t remedy the problem at all, and I was charged another £50.00 to identify that the issues were due to the ECU putting out the wrong voltage on one of the pins.

 

When I challenged the original diagnosis, I was told that 99% of cars with my problem are due to the temperature sensor, so they were justified in carrying out that work and charging me for it on the way to diagnosing the ECU fault. I was also told that the new fuel filter had fixed the odd judder when accelerating; it hasn’t. So I am the best part of £300 out of pocket for a, now correct, diagnosis that will require a similar amount of outlay to possibly repair (£200 to look at it, no guarantee of repair).

 

Was the garage being fair?

No the garage wasn't being fair. Relying on 'common faults' is a lazy way to diagnose but unfortunately it's extremely common. It isn't actually diagnosing the problem at all, it's blindly guessing, based on experience.

Trading standards take a very dim view of this, I would call them on Monday (0114 2736289) and then following their advice, get in touch with the garage again.

I've been involved in many such cases in the past and most garages (quite rightly) offer to make things right (financially or otherwise) once you get TS involved and they know you're in the right.

When I challenged the original diagnosis, I was told that 99% of cars with my problem are due to the temperature sensor, so they were justified in carrying out that work and charging me for it on the way to diagnosing the ECU fault. I was also told that the new fuel filter had fixed the odd judder when accelerating; it hasn’t. So I am the best part of £300 out of pocket for a, now correct, diagnosis that will require a similar amount of outlay to possibly repair (£200 to look at it, no guarantee of repair).

 

Was the garage being fair?

I think the only option would be to get a second opinion and quote, before proceeding.

I think the only option would be to get a second opinion and quote, before proceeding.

I am not doubting the advice I got, just the price I had to pay to get it. I suppose they could argue that the labour cost of £135 would have been incurred in tracing the fault anyway. I have been charged for the thermostat housing and antifreeze in the process though.

Thanks for the advice RootsBooster. It was an independent Volvo garage. I will give Trading Standards a call.

Lots of garages play parts roulette and expect the customer to pay for it...

A specialist garage should have the right gear though, that's the whole point of them being a 'specialist' in a particular brand.

No quick software scan is going to tell you that the ECU was outputting the wrong voltage or that the ECU itself was at fault in an misfire issue (unless you're a master and know exactly what to look for).

Sometimes you just get unlucky, that a really weird and specific problem appears with just common, generic problems.

I am not doubting the advice I got, just the price I had to pay to get it. I suppose they could argue that the labour cost of £135 would have been incurred in tracing the fault anyway. I have been charged for the thermostat housing and antifreeze in the process though.

 

Thanks for the advice RootsBooster. It was an independent Volvo garage. I will give Trading Standards a call.

The garage could argue the temperature sensor was still faulty and the fuel filter needed replacing. It's not uncommon for there to be more than one fault in a used car. It's a fact garage bills mount up and labour charges are not low. I would try negotiating a lower price for the work that still needs doing with the garage rather than contacting trading standards.

No quick software scan is going to tell you that the ECU was outputting the wrong voltage or that the ECU itself was at fault in an misfire issue (unless you're a master and know exactly what to look for).

 

Sometimes you just get unlucky, that a really weird and specific problem appears with just common, generic problems.

I didn't say, or imply, that it would

---------- Post added 25-02-2018 at 11:30 ----------

The garage could argue the temperature sensor was still faulty and the fuel filter needed replacing. It's not uncommon for there to be more than one fault in a used car. It's a fact garage bills mount up and labour charges are not low. I would try negotiating a lower price for the work that still needs doing with the garage rather than contacting trading standards.

They could try and argue that, but they've already admitted they simply guessed at it without any tests whatsoever. That's hardly correct practice that you should be charging for. I've been involved with many similar cases in the past and I would advise without any hesitation that the next step should be to contact trading standards.

Relying on 'common faults' is a practice that plagues the motor industry to the point where it's almost acceptable, when it isn't.

I can't remember whether you said how old the car was but most modern cars have extensive factory produced digital service manuals that are available to all dealers and most good garages that 'talk you through' a problem eliminating the most obvious problems and avoiding repeating the same diagnostic. This takes much of the guesswork out of finding a problem (or combination of problems), saves unnecessary labour costs for the customer as well as the fitting of replacement parts that aren't needed.

In my experience it is laziness as much as lack of experience that leads to bad practice. A cousin was faced with a £850 bill to fix an electric ariel on her car. All it turned out to be was a power connector which had come adrift under the carpet below the front passenger seat. The garage basically couldn't be bothered to take out the front seat to check it so firstly replaced the powered ariel and then her car radio. Luckily she asked to keep her old radio and ariel and my uncle connected them together and found that they were both working perfectly well.

Having car repairs is a costly episode for anyone but from what has been said mechanics that find a fault and repair it without having to rely on guess work are few and far between . you would have done as well googling the problem and get your own parts and have the work done by yourself or a mobile mechanic . We expect a so called specialist garage to be above the guessing game

The car is a 54 plate. I need to clarify why a £50 thermostat was replaced, if the original part wasn't faulty, as they have stated. I wouldn't expect to be charged for something that wasn't needed, even if it is usually that part that causes the issue that was presenting. I really thought I was getting a good service from experts and that it would be a 'straight-forward' fix.