Car repair rip offs

If both garages are the same company why not contact Chief Exec and ask why there was such a variation in price when you took the car in as opposed to when your son did. I'd be livid too.

I took my car to the main Volvo dealer just for the first 3 services to keep the warranty valid, now I take it to the local chap. Excellent value and service.

I agree with shopping round. There is a huge difference in the price of car parts - the actual car manufacturers branded parts versus off brand. And it does sound like like there was time to shop around in this situation (rather than limping to the nearest garage)

Yes, and it isn't only with cars you have this trouble if you happen to be a woman!

Try calling a plumber or and electrician. As like as not they will treat you as if you were mentally deficient, even if you have a basic knowledge of plumbing or electricity.

I avoid these 'nationally known garages' because in my experience some of them take advantage of women. Years ago I found a local mobile mechanic working for himself and he is brilliant. He never does unnecessary work and doesn't charge me the earth for repairs and servicing he carries out. If I need to go to the tyre company he tells me which tyre needs changing and not to listen to them telling me the others aren't looking too good. They have tried it on occasionally but to no avail! I wrote a poem a few years ago about a lady's experience at the garage. The last verse is:-
If your car needs to go to the garage,
To this Dick Turpin covered in grease,
Just get your brother to take it,
He won't be so easy to fleece!

You can always check on Google where client reviews are a very good indicator of the service you can expect. And they don't accept payment!

Don’t take it personally. They overcharge everybody! A small local garage will do a better job and do it cheaper every time.

Does Trading Standards have an interest in this sort of thing?

My friend and I both elderly widows, find sharp practise common for woman on there own. Be it car repairs, plumbing, electrics or any form of household maintenance.

Many years ago, I let a friend's son use my car as his had a problem and he was needed at work, coach company owner/driver. On return he told my friend, I should not drive it as the cam belt was dangerous. I looked at my maintenance log and found manufacturer recommended replaced after 32,000 miles. My mileage was just under 80,000 miles and the cam-belt had never been changed, even though garage instructed to follow manufacturers guidelines at every annual service. I never drove that car again neither did I ever use the garage repair service again. The RAC recommended that in future, when parts required/needed to be replaced, I ask the garage to return the replaced parts.

How about going onto the Facebook page and naming and shaming. Places like they should be shut down.

I got so fed up of garages charging lots for small things. I now go on YouTube and can do most of the niggly stuff myself like changing all the bulbs, fuses, wipers etc. I recently cleaned my daughters very cloudy headlights as it was due an MOT and I knew it would fail as they were quite bad. After sanding the headlights and using a buffer attached to a drill, they are sparkling again. It took some time but was worth it, the car passed the MOT. It’s amazing what you can find on YouTube to save you money with regard to your car.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

It is worth looking on the internet for what you could expect to pay for a decent job on any particular part of your car. I do know that for tyres different brands can vary enormously in price so could that be the same for exhaust pipes? Perhaps the one you were being offered was gold plated!

I suspect it is the same company that I had a problem with a couple of years ago.
I went in to have a tyre changed & the manager told me there was a problem with a large car part- I cannot remember what it was now as I am not into the mechanics of cars. He quoted about £400. Said they could do it then & there- no problem!
I said I would talk to DH about it first & he still tried to scare me into having it done.
I take my car to a local garage for services so I went along there. They told me there was nothing whatsoever wrong.
I wrote a letter to the main offices of the firm but heard nothing back.
Needless to say I have never gone back there. I'm not usually much of a feminist but I'm sure they would not have tried it on with my husband!

Name and shame this group. Report it to trading standards and the head office of this group. It’s the only way to treat this system. Good luck with it! ?

Definitely complain to the highest level in that company . We spend too much energy regretting not getting stuff sorted.

Quite a long time ago now, I sent my car to a Ford agent to have its annual service & MOT. I made the mistake of giving them my credit card number for the payment. They rang me up during the day to say they'd had to replace the radiator, as it was leaking, and the bill was just over £500! To my knowledge there was nothing whatsoever wrong with the radiator, no leaks, no nothing. I'm certain a mechanic must have stuck his screwdriver in it. I tried to get redress, but no-one would listen to me, even though I tried Trading Standards and even Ford themselves. Needless to say, I never used that garage again, and I've never had a Ford since.

Always find a little independent garage if you can.

A few years back I had a puncture and took it to “well known garage” as it was Sunday and not many places were open. He jacked the car up and removed the spare tyre which was on. Then he went to see what they had in stock. He came back with a tyre at a ridiculous price. When I objected to the price he said he’d have another look.
I quickly put the Spare tyre back On the car, removed the jack and drove off.
I’d haves loved to have seen his face when he returned. Little did he know the little old lady was a mechanic’s daughter!

Metra Sun 25-Oct-20 10:05:30
I took a screen shot of the ad, photographed the quote I had been given and sent them to the Advertising Standards Authority. My complaint was upheld and they were rapped over the knuckles.
Well done you, and good or you for telling others. Chewbacca was fortunate in that she was able to have her son take up her cause. It shouldn't have to be that way.

The anecdotes of small businesses is inspiring, to them, well most of them, know that if they treat a customer fairly that customer will come back time and time again.

Actually, I've just been talking to my OH about this and we think that the OP has a case of age discrimination against the first mechanic!

I have a friend who drives an old, but very smart Mini Cooper, in perfect condition. She had a collision with a deer and the wing was dented. A local garage kept the car for several weeks and then told her it was a write off , and they had told the insurance company. When she checked, the insurance company knew nothing about this. She rang the garage and asked to have her car back and was told she couldn't, as it was in pieces. This is a lady not to be messd with; she reported the garage, got her car back and had the dent repaired elsewhere. We are convinced that someone at that garage was most taken with her top of the range imaculate car which is almost a classic, and decided they could pull the wool over her eyes.

Personally, I would be tempted to write to their head office and m Get even consider the local press! This is disgusting exploitation of a female, irrespective of her age! You have every right to be hopping mad! I would be too! Pleased your DS stepped in and you are now all sorted.

My experience was when, 2 years ago, I was looking for a new/used car. I had been looking on the internet for a few weeks but hadn't done so for some days so when passing the local main dealer decided to pop in. Having tried to sell me cars that did not meet my spec, eventually the salesman went to the back to speak to his manager and came back with a printout of a car that almost met my requirements. He said that it would cost £200 to bring it over ( non refundable if I didn't buy). I was almost certain that I had seen the car on a website and that the price was different so I said that I would think about it, rushed home, found the car at another branch of the dealers 5 miles away but£500 cheaper! I took a screen shot of the ad, photographed the quote I had been given and sent them to the Advertising Standards Authority. My complaint was upheld and they were rapped over the knuckles.

We have a branch of a well known countrywide tyre and exhaust garage near us in London and I have to say they are always straight and if it’s something small they do it for free even though they’ve had it up on the ramp and spent time checking it over. I’m clearly very elderly and clueless so could be taken advantage of. We get the same fair treatment from our small local repair garage but unlike the other place they are not open all hours.
Caught short one dark Winter afternoon by a failed light bulb I drove into a tiny garage and he fixed it and wouldn’t take money for it. That was even before I was old and decrepit?