Some time ago my car overheated and so I brought it to Silbury Skoda for repairs. You might remember that I posted a thread on it some time ago. They replaced the coolant pump, found the rest of the engine in good conditions (and said they checked the head gasket as well, after I asked) and sent me on my way.

But the car continued leaking, and the coolant level was going down.

So I brought the car back. They kept it for a couple of days, told me nothing was wrong with it, and that coolant level was readjusting because there was a replaced section of the cooling system that was empty. The leak? Ahh, nothing, just condensation from the air conditioner, which I left on. Because, ah, the air con does not switch itself off when I switch off the car.

But the car continued leaking, and the coolant level was going down.

So I brought the car back again. Again they kept it for a couple of days, told me nothing was wrong with it, and gave it back to me. Repairs manager (always courteous during the whole process) says he even drove it around for hours and it was "as dry as a bone, sah!".

But the car continued leaking, and the coolant level was going down.

So I brought the car back again. This time I even mopped the leak with some tissues, and it was pink. So it was not water, right? With me armed with my proof, they kept it for a couple of days. This time they found that the housing of the thermostat was deformed (caused by that overheating episode) and was the source of the leak. So they replaced it, charged me for it, found the rest of the engine in good conditions, and sent me on my way.

But the car continued leaking, and the coolant level was going down.

But now I'm getting really angry that this car is still leaking. It's so visible that even someone as skilled as me can spot it - just leave the car overnight and look under it the following day! Why don't they do it? I don't know if they're not taking me seriously or what. Are they trying to replace things until the leak goes away? Not on my money, buddy, that's called shotgun debugging in IT and it's strongly advised against.

I'm leery to call them again and complain, I don't want to start an argument. Well, what are my best options now? Sue? Complain? Ask for a refund? Go somewhere else? Well, certainly I'm not keen on being their customer again, but I feel I've been taken advantage of. On the other side, to err is human and it might be a series of human mistakes. A long one that costs me a lot of money, and happens to earn them a lot of money.

Sorry for venting for so long - I am quite ****ed, this car is getting a drain on my finances. Suggestions will be appreciated!

Very sorry to hear about your bad experience. Once these service people have proved themselves to be incompetent, I would go elsewhere. Is the garage approved by Skoda? If so, I think Skoda should be informed and might be courteous enough to offer a suggestion or two.