car workshops that rip people off

K

koeks

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Hi guys, be careful with taking your car to any workshop, I took my gf's car to a workshop for them to sort out some weird noise coming from the v-belt area, It turned out to be a water pump that seized. Then they told me the job will cost R3800, I told them to stop right there and put all the parts back together again. This was a workshop in wynburg. I went to Toyota this morning to buy the water pump and the v-belt, total cost was R1500, the car is a Toyota Yaris T1, I started at Midas but they didn't have the parts, which could have been cheaper than Toyota but was in a hurry.

I then took the car to a workshop near where i stay, will update the name later, the guy said he will charge me R350 + Vat, only 1 hour labor. So the car could be fixed for under R2k. They just called and the car is ready to be picked up...

So this is just an example of how these guys rip people off. shop around and don't be fooled by mechanics...
 
nothing new here - my GF has endless k@k with her Renault and the asswipes at Renault STILL can't even fix the farking hooter?? after 4 attempts!! once she complained that the power steering was not working - so the moron workshop manager tells her " there's nothing wrong with the power steering - women just don't have upper arm strength" :wtf: mean time...when I checked the fluid level it was almost empty!!

also had a v belt squeal and she asked them to tighten it (under warranty u see - not allowed to touch it) - but she was told it could not be done :confused: and they will have to replace it at an exorbitant cost?? it took me less then 10min to tighten it - farking rip offs.

hate it when these low life scum bags mechanics take her for a ride :mad: she won't take me with her to Renault cause she knows I will smack the snot right out of the piece of shyt!!
 
DIY and you know you are not getting ripped off.

Not all workshops are rippoff artists though, unfortunately the whole industry gets painted with the same brush.
 
ponder said:
DIY and you know you are not getting ripped off.

Not all workshops are rippoff artists though, unfortunately the whole industry gets painted with the same brush.
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so true
 
I hope you lodged this complaint on HelloPeter, it would be good to name & shame those dodgy ripoff artists (no matter what the industry).
 
Why? Its an open market.... I don't see the rip-off

Toyota wanted over R6,500 to replace my radiator last month.... Silverton Radiator's wanted R1,800 for a original Toyota Hilux radiator, or R1,000 for a generic.
 
Wayyy back, when I got my first car, decided to buy the Tech manual & some tools & did all the services - way better than some of these registered w/shops!
There is a lot one can do on oneself like: services, brakes change/adjust, recon starters/alternators, replace globes, faulty lights, batteries, wiper blades! Most of the time all it needs is a little practical know how & elbow grease!
 
My parents bought a VW Passat at Alpine Motors in Pinetown. Endless problems.
You know that VW Mastercars warranty that you get with it? It's a load of s**t.

They even tried to blame us when they cracked the windscreen. A while later we had to take the car to them again, they managed to crack the windscreen again.
Now we notice water dripping in from the top of the windscreen. They can't even get the 3rd one right!

Took many weeks and trips there to get an engine problem sorted out. Came back from them making a funny noise, which they also charged us to fix.

Seeing what my parents went through there, I'd never buy from those idiots. I swear the just screw up something else every time they attempt to fix the car.

This post would be a novel if I went into detail and explained all the problems and the car's visits to their garage.
 
It would be more productive to start a thread about car dealerships/workshops that don't rip people off :D
 
Maddmatt said:
My parents bought a VW Passat at Alpine Motors in Pinetown. Endless problems.
You know that VW Mastercars warranty that you get with it? It's a load of s**t.

They even tried to blame us when they cracked the windscreen. A while later we had to take the car to them again, they managed to crack the windscreen again.
Now we notice water dripping in from the top of the windscreen. They can't even get the 3rd one right!

Took many weeks and trips there to get an engine problem sorted out. Came back from them making a funny noise, which they also charged us to fix.

Seeing what my parents went through there, I'd never buy from those idiots. I swear the just screw up something else every time they attempt to fix the car.

This post would be a novel if I went into detail and explained all the problems and the car's visits to their garage.
Click to expand...

I had the same problem with a Mastercar, VW Tokai - Golf 4, the first car I bought myself
1.) Tape didn't work from day one, when I phoned the sales guy he said I should have checked it beforehand.
2.) Almost six months later I discovered the back axle was cracked, purely by coincidence when my girlfriend at the time was driving behind me and noticed the wheel wobbling... and this after the sales guy swore it had not been in ANY accident... when I confronted them they accepted no liability, but said they'd fix the radio :rolleyes:

I'll never buy a VW Mastercar again.
 
Maddmatt said:
My parents bought a VW Passat at Alpine Motors in Pinetown. Endless problems.
You know that VW [-]Mastercars warranty that you get with it?[/-] It's a load of s**t.
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Yes, I know :cool:
Mike Hoxbig said:
It would be more productive to start a thread about car dealerships/workshops that don't rip people off :D
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Good idea. I can honestly say that Mette's Auto Electrical in Stellenbosch is brilliant for all makes of cars.
 
See my thread from last week. If you are in Cape Town Southern Suburbs avoid the Bosch Service Centre in Landsdowne Road. They'll screw up the job, treat you like an idiot and then try to pin it on you by saying the problem must have been there before they worked on the car.

If anyone knows of a good mechanic in the area please share.
 
BobsLawnService said:
See my thread from last week. If you are in Cape Town Southern Suburbs avoid the Bosch Service Centre in Landsdowne Road. They'll screw up the job, treat you like an idiot and then try to pin it on you by saying the problem must have been there before they worked on the car.

If anyone knows of a good mechanic in the area please share.
Click to expand...


Whoa, I feel exactly the same way when I took my car there for a quote and they came up with crazy stuff and yup, say problems existed before they touched the car. Plus our Cape Town office is above their workshop so I have personally seen that when its closing time, they take the cars for a joyride and "rev it like a rental" from the common complex parking into the workshop. I have told everyone ever to avoid that place.

For a good mechanic, you can try Alan Edwards motors which is near the go kart course there. Good guys and tell you straight what is wrong. Don't know the exact address but give me a PM and I will search for the address.
 
xrapidx said:
2.) Almost six months later I discovered the back axle was cracked, purely by coincidence when my girlfriend at the time was driving behind me and noticed the wheel wobbling...
Click to expand...

And you never felt that?
 
Toyota quoted me R2500 to replace front disc pads at 50000km because according to them it had 1000km life left. Had a friend check it out and had more than 25% life. Changed them at 60000km just before I sent vehicle for service. Cost to replace with labour - R500
 
name and shame the workshop otherwise there is no point
 
So many bad experiences !!! Atleast my workshop is different . Our clients are key and they are advised at every point of what is repaired in the vehicle. We even keep the old parts for the clients. We work on the principal of offering exceptional client service . We drive out to our clients in JHB and Surrounding Areas , not vice versa :D
 
My Uno's inner CV boot went. Shop quoted me R850 to fix it.

I bought a new boot for R50 and put it on myself, cost me R50 and about 20 minutes work.


My Uno got totaled a few years back, Sent it in for repairs, they "fixed" the bodywork and all that then they took my 4 new tyres off, replaced them with 4 old smooth tires (all of different brands), they also took my spare.
They took my carburettor out and replaced it with a broken one, spark plugs and cables (I had replaced them a week before the accident got black cables back, had orange ones when I sent it), my boot cover was replaced, all speakers were MIA various other things also got swiped.

Took my gearbox to Unos for Africa for a reconditioning: they gave me another one instead of mine, sump plugs were welded on, pieces broken off and allsorts of other things, they denied it and told me it is the gearbox I gave them.
Unos for Africa also wanted to charge me R650 for a recon starter motor if I give them my old one when I asked them for some bushes. I replaced the bushes on my starter motor myself for a total cost of R35 and about 30 minutes work.

Now I do everything myself or if I can't I stand in the shop and watch them fix it.
 
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