Hi all.

for anyone that has read my recent threads you will know that i had some electrical issues on my car, which were reparied, but the wrong part used, and subsequently the correct part fitted.

bit of a palava, but all fine! until the car is returned today, and there is damage to the offside front alloy. I am 100% I havent kurbed the car.

ring the garage, and they say that they take a record sheet of cars entering the dealership, similar id imagine to the one you tick off when you hire a car, or indeed borrow a courtesy vehicle.

he says he will dig this out, and speak to the guys who dropped my car off.

phone call comes half hour later, no records other than tyre tread depth, and their solemn promise (word of mouth) that the mechanics and guys who returned the vehicle havent done it.

I am fuming really, and basically it seems they havent been diligent in record keeping when receiving vehicles.

He expressly stated this IS done on the first call I spoke to him, but then on the second call, no records...

I stated my position that based on his first call, it is now the duty of the garage to prove the vehicle didnt have such damage when it was booked in.

GRRRR

That's why I hate the thought of anyone driving my car other than me!

So much so I will go out of my way to drop off and collect my own car and always reverse into the service bay spaces nearest the garage entrance!

The vast majority of dealers will nearly always do what they can to worm out of coughing up. I think you just have to be firm here but keep your cool. Persistance will pay off.

The only other problem is that alloy wheel repairs have come a long way recently but the wheel will never be as it was before they damaged it.

Good luck

Well looks like being forceful has paid off, they have agreed to repair it.

Hear what you are saying about never being as good as before, but honestly, it needs some work done otherwise the finish would surely strip from the wheel as its down to the metal.

I read this wrong, I thought 'Why did he get his car returned to him by post'? :no:

Did they not use a big jiffy bag?

That's not true about the finish on a refurbed wheel not being as good. Had a couple of mine done after the wife sorted them proper!! The guy that did them was shocked at the quality of the finish as you could see at least 6 different layers of primer and paint. He stripped it all back and did it properly. Those two wheels, when finished, were far better than the other two, or they were at least until the wife curbed them again, grrrr!

Going back in the spring to get all 4 done again and only costs £50 a wheel.

The guy that did them was shocked at the quality of the finish as you could see at least 6 different layers of primer and paint. He stripped it all back and did it properly.

That's what he told you, that's his job!

I had two alloys repaired after the dealer couldn't remove the locking wheel nuts so decided to take it upon themselves to remove them with a hammer and chisel

They looked great for about 18 months at which point the laquer yellowed and began to peel off.

Give me a factory produced alloy over a refurb from the back of a van any day.

Glad the dealer is fixing it for you, just be sure to check it carefully when you get it back

Hi all.

for anyone that has read my recent threads you will know that i had some electrical issues on my car, which were reparied, but the wrong part used, and subsequently the correct part fitted.

bit of a palava, but all fine! until the car is returned today, and there is damage to the offside front alloy. I am 100% I havent kurbed the car.

ring the garage, and they say that they take a record sheet of cars entering the dealership, similar id imagine to the one you tick off when you hire a car, or indeed borrow a courtesy vehicle.

he says he will dig this out, and speak to the guys who dropped my car off.

phone call comes half hour later, no records other than tyre tread depth, and their solemn promise (word of mouth) that the mechanics and guys who returned the vehicle havent done it.

I am fuming really, and basically it seems they havent been diligent in record keeping when receiving vehicles.

He expressly stated this IS done on the first call I spoke to him, but then on the second call, no records...

I stated my position that based on his first call, it is now the duty of the garage to prove the vehicle didnt have such damage when it was booked in.

GRRRR

Hi

Sorry to hear you had this problem - It happened to me a few months ago.

I hit massive potholes on the M9 motorway one night with wife and baby in car also - the car (Jaguar X Type diesel) bounced into the air and skidded all over the road, luckily the road was quiet and I managed to keep it from leaving the road and killing us (70mph). Two of the 18" alloys were buckled and one of them had a massive dent in the rim which could easily have blown out. Anyway long story short - got a full new set of 18" alloys and 225x40x18 tyres. Took the car into a well known garage I have used for years in Linlithgow to get a full 4 wheel geometry done. The wheels were only a few days old. Checked (admired) the wheels when I took it into the garage and they were perfect. I also checked the mileage because as I drove into the garage car park the fuel light came on again (399.8miles) Went to collect the car later and as my Dad took me along to collect the car he came to have a look at the new wheels. We discovered a 2 inch gouge out of one of the wheels - I went in and complained.

I was told that they did not do it and they had only done less than a mile as a test drive (like that makes a difference, they probably did it on the ramp). I know for a fact that the wheels were perfect when I left the car because I checked them fully when I parked it. Also they had done 11 miles in the car. Their mechanic, sorry I think they call themselves technicians now lied straight to my face. The garage director was unavailable at the time but phoned me a few hours later and said they had checked their cctv footage and saw my Dad and me looking at the wheels so I must have done it and I was just trying to blame them.

My word against their lying technicians - I got nowhere. Trading Standards said it was my word against theirs and very difficult to win - same from my lawyer.

Needless to say, I have not used the garage again and made sure all my friends and colleages knew about it.

We were so fed up with the Jag (lots of other probs we had just fixed also, suspension, brakes etc and it was very gutsy) that we got rid of it and got the VRS instead - best move we have ever made - the VRS is much better.

I am amazed they even agreed to a repair, it seems that honesty is not a word that is thought of much in the motor industry these days. I had been a loyal customer at that garage for quite a few years but will never be back. Whatever happened to "the customer is always right"

Cheers

Dave

Edited 2 January, 201115 yr by FatblokeVRS

Give me a factory produced alloy over a refurb from the back of a van any day.

Glad the dealer is fixing it for you, just be sure to check it carefully when you get it back

A good refurb (rather than a back of a van one) will be better than OE finish IME.

A good refurb (rather than a back of a van one) will be better than OE finish IME.

My money is on the dealer taking the cheapest and easiest option, especially as it would seem they are doing it begrudgingly. This will likely involve a quick fix in the back of a van.

So, in context of the opening post, I would have my reservations about the quality of the refurb versus what is already there.

It may look good for the next 12 months; the real test in my painful experience is what it'll look like after another couple of winters...

At least the dealer is paying for it, a positive result when you consider that the other outcome could have been the brush off, shame they didn't offer to replace the alloy.

My money is on the dealer taking the cheapest and easiest option, especially as it would seem they are doing it begrudgingly. This will likely involve a quick fix in the back of a van.

So, in context of the opening post, I would have my reservations about the quality of the refurb versus what is already there.

It may look good for the next 12 months; the real test in my painful experience is what it'll look like after another couple of winters...

At least the dealer is paying for it, a positive result when you consider that the other outcome could have been the brush off, shame they didn't offer to replace the alloy.

I think they will end up sending a mobile refurb person out to my home.

I guess it wont be perfect, but will be better than the state it is in now, I trust?!

Sorry tale of affairs for my new car. Hopefully once this is behind me I can get back to simply enjoying the car.. @(