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Trading Standards Question, and a rant!!! (long!)

Right, hows about this for a garage trying to rip you off.....

Bought the Disco (200TDi), came with a 3 month warranty, I have to pay 50% of all costs.

Replaced the cambelt using the place where I bought it from (my usual practice, then any comeback for cambelt its easily dealt with).

Coming back from Billing it popped the head gasket, so as the head gasket is covered by the warranty, it duly went back.

Dealer has agreed to replace the head gasket under the warranty, pointed out the 50/50 split. Okay, but I want to be able to inspect the engine when it is stripped. Symptoms were overheating when towing, strong cankcase compression, no pressurising of coolant, and no mayo in the oil.

Took them a week to get round to even compression testing it.....

They had the head off. Gasket had gone between no. 3 and the oilway, hence compression. Bores in excellent condition, still with honing marks, so suspect this engine had been subject to some work before I bought, as it only did 1400 miles between MOT in Januay and purchase in July.

They ring me up today to say it is ready, 3 weeks after they took in...... That'll be £300 sir, No £150 surely (i expected £300 max the final bill and then split 50/50, based on the local LR dealer quote over the phone) Oh no sir, we have had to a lot of work. Really? I decided to go in and speak to face to face and find out what this work was... Yes, to remove the head on these you have to remove the cambelt and water pump, the belt was all chewed up, and then we found it was one of those with the cambelt problem, so we've fitted the repair kit to solve it from happening again. (said cambelt has been "binned" and is not available for inspection). I pointed out that being a pushrod engine, the 200 TDi does not need the cambelt to be removed as the head and cam are separate, and that the 200TDi was not subject to the cambelt problems associated with the 300TDi. I then proceeded to point out that I had used the same engine servicing place they had got the head skimmed at, and knew their charge for a head skim and leak test, and that is was less than £30, not nearly £100... When I asked which head gasket they had fitted they looked blank, so I asked about checking the piston protusion, and explained the 1, 2 and 3 hole gaskets... At this point I was told I did not know what I was talking about, the bloke in the garage knew what he was doing, and that he had rebuilt several engines. I explained that this year so far I had completely rebuilt the engine in SWMBO Suzi, re ringed a friend's V8, rebuilt a 3 bearing 2.25 and a 5 bearing 2.25 for other friend's, and had an EFi V8 waiting for my loving attention to put in the hybrid as compression was low on its current engine. I then dug out the HBOL which I had taken with me, read out the section about head removal. Mechanic looked at the floor and went white... They went quiet and told me they would serve small claims court papers on me. I laughed, went to 2 local specialists where friends from my club work and got signed statements on how to remove a head on a 200TDi, which I have photocopied, and will be giving to the bloke tomorrow lunchtime. Obviously I have the originals safe and secure.

If he refuses to back down, how do I play it from here? Straight down to Trading Standards and let them deal with it? Could I end up losing the Disco?, I have had to borrow my old dears Berlingo while she and the old man are in France (stub axle on hybrid stuffed, another story...) and they are back soon. Why is this bloke and his mechanic such obvious numpties?

I may well end up removing the head once I have it back just to satisfy myself that the job has been done right! Buggrit!

-- Simon Isaacs

Peterborough 4x4 Club Vice Chairman, Newsletter Editor and Webmaster (how much more....)

3.5V8 100" Hybrid, now LPG converted Part owner of 1976 S3 LWT, Fully restored, waiting on the appointment with the nice man at the MOT station! Suzuki SJ410 (Fiancée's) 3" lift kit fitted, body shell now restored and mounted on chassis, waiting on a windscreen and MOT Series 3 88" Rolling chassis...what to do next 1993 200 TDi Discovery (the Pug 106 is dead, long live the Pug)

Peterborough 4x4 Club

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Reply to
Simon Isaacs
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Morning Si,

Step 1 - write a letter! you cant go wrong if you have set out your problems in a letter to numptie. In the event that it toddles off to court, you have dated proof (take two copies to the post office and get them to date stamp them) of your concerns. Make sure you lay out in non-threatening manner why yuou are unhappy, and what you believe the correct course of action is.

Step 2 - whilst step 1 is being delivered, have a chat with trading standards - very useful bods (at least warwickshire are). Last year we had two successful prosecutions of people in the auto trade for selling unfit for road vehicles. TS love this sort of thing, if there is legitmate high cost, low value work being done.

Step 3 - you HAVE to let numnptie have the chance to put it right, but, this also has to be to reasonable timescales - so him telling you "i'll do it next year" is out of order - hello TS again.

Step 4- as annoying as it is, and I know I would want to lamp the basket right now, dont do anything. keep calm, let him get worked up - and make sure there are witnesses about if you go there - take a mate!

HTH

Si

Reply to
Si Kellow

Letter has been duly written and handed to him. He in return handed me papers for small claims because I am refusing to pay..... I'm going to love this one!!! Had a friend from the local franchised dealer with me this morning, wearing his workshop overalls too, seemed to take the bloke back a bit.

The idiot is refusing to back down, so I have now talked to TS who rubbed their hands with glee when I showed them everything. They photocopied everything I had, even the page from the HBOL about head removal. Showing them the engine number from the V5 and the cross reference from the HBOL which shows 12L to be a 200TDi engine code, and the numbers for 300 TDi engines produced an even bigger smile! When I then said he had served small claims papers on me they rolled around clutching their sides, told me the bloke was an idiot and would get some serious grief in the small claims...

They said they would be down to see him this afternoon or tomorrow morning, and that I should expect a call from them tomorrow!

Will keep you all posted!

-- Simon Isaacs

Peterborough 4x4 Club Vice Chairman, Newsletter Editor and Webmaster (how much more....)

3.5V8 100" Hybrid, now LPG converted Part owner of 1976 S3 LWT, Fully restored, waiting on the appointment with the nice man at the MOT station! Suzuki SJ410 (Fiancée's) 3" lift kit fitted, body shell now restored and mounted on chassis, waiting on a windscreen and MOT Series 3 88" Rolling chassis...what to do next 1993 200 TDi Discovery (the Pug 106 is dead, long live the Pug)
Reply to
Simon Isaacs

Yes, please do! :D Toby

Reply to
TVS
"

Odds on his sis standard manouevere whenever someone says they aren't happy is to produce a set of court papers - 98% of people usually cave in at this point and cough up.

Told you TS loved this sort of thing ;-)

Good luck and keep us posted

Si

Reply to
Si Kellow

Simon Isaacs vaguely muttered something like ...

Heheheh, better than Emmerdale ... Keep up the good work .. ;)

Reply to
Paul - xxx

Yes, he must have done this before...

But it sounds like you're the 99th customer. It sounds a little hasty of him; it's usually recommended to give a written warning, pay up by [date] or else. Right from the start he's weakening his case.

Reply to
David G. Bell

Had a phone call from the garage this afternoon, I suspect after TS had been down to look at the vehicle. He asked what I would like to happen with the vehicle from this point on. He also offered to remove the head in the presence of TS, so I feel some backpedalling has happened.

I have been in touch with the local engine repair specialist who have confirmed that they had a 200TDi from the garage, and that it was skimmed, pressure tested, and that they recut the valve seats so that the valves were sat slightly further into the head to avoid valve to piston contact. I have used this company several times, and have friends who have used them, and trust their work.

I'm on holiday tomorrow and friday, so am going down at 9am to see the head be lifted off to satisfy me that the work has been done correctly. I have also managed to obtain stem seals, and all three variants of the head gasket once the piston protrusion has been measured.

He still hasn't said that he is not taking me to SC, but I think by the weekend this will have changed!

-- Simon Isaacs

Peterborough 4x4 Club Vice Chairman, Newsletter Editor and Webmaster (how much more....)

3.5V8 100" Hybrid, now LPG converted Part owner of 1976 S3 LWT, Fully restored, waiting on the appointment with the nice man at the MOT station! Suzuki SJ410 (Fiancée's) 3" lift kit fitted, body shell now restored and mounted on chassis, waiting on a windscreen and MOT Series 3 88" Rolling chassis...what to do next 1993 200 TDi Discovery (the Pug 106 is dead, long live the Pug)

Peterborough 4x4 Club

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Reply to
Simon Isaacs

This would appear to be significant progress

Now, be careful he doesnt try and charge for all this fixing - afterall, you have rejected work that is be its nature warrantable, so you should only have to pay the basic bill (and at a more realistic level I feel)

Go get him!

Si

Reply to
Si Kellow

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