The joys of amateur mechanics

Sounds more like the owner tried doing it themselves and doesn't want to appear a complete tit for having wrecked it. I'd like to add "surely a trainee mechanic couldn't be that bad" but, well, y'know... ;-)

Electric handbrake on this one?

Tim..

Or needs the proper rewind tool to rotate the piston while pushing it in.

That was part of the problem, the oaf had not only wrecked the pistons in both calipers, somehow (I really cannot imagine how) he has managed to bend the sliding pins on both sides, plus snapping off the end of the brake hose. Happily the handbrake is normal cable. Job is finished now, 450 quid later. The 'mechanic' has been asking to be paid for the time he spent wrecking the car and has asked for his axle stands back !!! From the number of corroborations the story is genuine. In order to test drive the car I had to put diesel in it, it was really that low, off the gauge and the warning system saying there are zero miles before running out. The car is a right shed, so perhaps I will turn it away if he rings again, but the owner seems like a really pleasant, intelligent guy. Bizarre.

Couldn't find the bolt head under the dust cap so assumed the caliper "clipped" on and just needed prying off.

Ok, got me there!!

I'm always amazed by the total lack of interest some people have in doing the least amount necessary to keep a car in a reasonable state, say having a carrier bag to put rubbish in instead of merely designating, as in one case, the entire rear footwells and back seat as a bin.

Scott

Easy to see uncovered thirteen mm bolt head on those. How about the chisel or stilson damage to the pistons and the torn dust boots? Apparently the 'mech' has been asking for payment for his time and for his axle stands back. It seems he spent 4 hours wrecking the brakes!

On Thu, 09 May 2013 07:11:17 +0100, Mrcheerful panted, in an erotic manner:

I would get him to put all his "work" on an invoice, then present him with the invoice from your good self.

Then take the bastard to the Small Claims court if he didn't pay up.

Might make him think again before ruining someone elses' car.

That was what I recommended, it seems the mechanic is on disability benefit and attending college for a motor mechanics course. The two seem incongruous.

Have to suspect the tools listed were his entire tool kit.

It will have been a "mate" that knows about cars. All trainee mechanics arrive in the first year of MV tech at college with the idea that they already know everything and are car modification gods. If there is a girl on the course she will beat them all, simply because she will listen and ask when she doesn't know.

It only takes a few like this before we have regulation like the gas industry. Can't touch the brakes you don't have the certificate.

I suppose his disability might be something like depression, which would not necessarily preclude him from physical work?

Chris

Or worse still the complete and utter balls-up that has happened to domestic electrical installation.

Chris

Amen to that, if you go by the book, very little can be done at all. as to getting a council inspector in........ha.

I put a fuse box in for a neighbour a little while ago and told him that he had done the work himself.

Or a Learning Disability?

I hope you didn't actually use a fusebox?

Whereas in my case the damage was done by a national garage chain who stripped 1 of the 3 threads on the stub axle which the calliper bolts onto during pads/disc change (and shoes and cylinders) after a 'routine brake check' and refused to allow me to leave (it's unsafe to drive sir). Final cost was about 20% more than main dealer prices for same work. Guess I could possibly had it taken to another garage on a truck.

Only discovered the stripped thread when I (an amateur) next did the pads/shoes next time and found that 1 bolt was slightly larger than the rest (unlike the other side which was 3 identical bolts) and impossible to get more than hand tight as the thread stripped. Presumably the larger bolt was used as it could bite enough to stop it falling out!

Took it to a different garage the next morning who replaced the entire stub axle at a reasonable price and without pre-booking.

So even the so called professionals can do bodges.

they are still available, but I did put in MCBs. I have strongly advised him to get the whole house rewired as the wiring is ancient and crumbling, the old fuse box had literally burnt away around the power circuit fuse (for the whole house) which was a a 20 amp, there was also a thirty amp fuse for the shower and a 6amp for all the lights. nothing else at all. I deliberately did not get an rcd since it would probably have tripped continually given the rest of the wiring.

Either it doesn't rip or it's aa fire hazard. I've yet to hear a better argument for it being covered by building regs.

It is a fire hazard (in this case)

So RCD it.