The Camaro Club (UK)

Have you ever had your car worked on by someone else, be it a mate or professional, only to find that the work wasn't carried out as it should have been? What sort of blunders have you come across?

When I was an apprentice a car came into the workshop to have 2 front chassis legs fitted along with two inner wings, front wings, front panel & bonnet. The guy working on it had the front end of the car up on axle stands & then cut off all of the metalwork & proceeded to weld on all of the new panels. Once the car was lowered back to the ground it sat "pissed" & the car was lopsided. (A car should always be on a level surface when doing this not jacked up at one end) His remedy was to pump up the front tyre on one side & lower the presure on the other to make it sit level!!! . Needless to say it didn't drive straight either, so the car had to come back in & have all new panels refitted.
Cheers.....Nige

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Too much power...not enough hands!!

Oh, this is a good one to bring up. I think I'm let down EVERY time I give a car over to a garage.

The last time was my old 3rd gen. Firebird (now sold). I wanted the plugs and leads changed. I'd already done the rotor arm and cap but I had no tools for getting the parts off to access the plugs. I knew the reason why the car wouldn't start was because of the plugs but Mr Smarmy knew better and thought it needed alot more work to make it run again. I said "Just change the plugs and leads first and we'll see".

I also ask for the oil and filter to be changed along with the exhaust/manifold joint either tightening up or gaskets replacing.

When I came to collect the car I paid around £250 and the exhaust hadn't been touched !! I said to the guy, what about the list you wrote down of the things I wanted doing ? He lost it - how convenient. I got tucked right up by a proper cowboy claiming to be an American car specialist. The car did start and ran beautifully except for the exhaust blow.

I also took an old VW to a "specialist" VW mechanic who was just starting out for himself down near Crawley. I refer to him as John Wayne now. Nice guy, friendly enough but not completely competant. How does somebody have pictures of so many modified cars on his wall, all his own work and yet is unable to change a power-steering belt ? Charged me for about 6 hours of his time because he struggled to fit new exhaust manifold gaskets. Wish I'd done it myself in the end.

The stupid sod also ballsed up my PAS because he tightened the belt too tight. The PAS wouldn't operate at all unless the car was revved to over 2.5k rpm. I then took the car to Greenwich and a power steering specialists (and these guys are proper specialists) and he just loosened it off. Worked right away. Only the spindle was damaged and it made a horrible whurring noise now. Didn't charge me either but I did go and buy a big bag of cakes for the lads down there.

Those are only 2 instances. The only place I have mostly been happy to take a VW is to The Phirm. If they had a decent waiting area and a coffee machine they'd be perfect.

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1993 Chevrolet Camaro - Buck

Next you'll be wanting manufacturers to fit cup holders in their cars..... cheers.....Nige

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Too much power...not enough hands!!

don't even get me started on this thread.....

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Steven
Webmaster
83 Chevy G-20 A-Team Van 305/700R4

Ok what's happened?

Just realised that this smilie looks a lot like me

Cheers....Nige

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Too much power...not enough hands!!

endless stories, but just after I got my Transam, I put it into a local garage for him to do a few bits and pieces I knew needed doing before testing it.

Parking lamps, trans pan filter/gasket, seat belt jamming, odds and ends really.

he rang me shortly after I'd dropped it off and told me he'd "scratched" it a little, nothing serious, just thought he'd let me know..... he then tried to charge me for 6 hours labour and hadn't actually completed one job off my list. I ended up doing some of them myself and some went to another mechanic who is a Yank fan himself. has a 69 Mustang he's half restored in his workshop.

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Steven
Webmaster
83 Chevy G-20 A-Team Van 305/700R4

OUCH!!!!!!

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Too much power...not enough hands!!