Serious garage error .....

Happened to me when heavily pregnant and with a toddler in the car. Car was making an odd noise so l was slowing down when l saw the wheel fly over a hedge.
When l rang the company they were nonchalant about it, "it happens" they said
Husband rather less nonchalant and I wasn't there when husband went in to have a word. They collected the car pretty damned fast, replaced wheel, valeted it and returned with a bouquet of flowers.
There are "what ifs?" but, apart from inconvenience, l was fine.

A garage error cost the life of my colleague in 2003. She was kind, intelligent, beautiful and only 32 years old.

I think they are going to send the AA report and photos to head office.

My SIL is a garage mechanic and he says they are under huge time pressure which opens up opportunities for errors. This is a management problem.

Sorry to hear about your colleague Aldom.

I’d be livid!
I once had an overheating problem which turned out to be down to whoever did my service, failing to replace the radiator cap!
And this was the main Ford garage at the time.

After that (they refused to accept that they were at fault) I used an independent young chap who’d put a flyer under a windscreen wiper, who was in business with his dad. They would even pick up and car and return it, and explain fully anything that had needed doing.

They told me that big garages would use apprentices to do routine servicing, and didn’t supervise them well enough.

I had the same error made on my car once. Fortunately, my first journey in it was a slow one to the local ssupermarket, intending to do a longer journey involving motorway and dual carriage afterwards, but the car was making a funny noise so I drove back home and took DH's car instead.

Fortunately. he is an engineer, he drove the car to the end of the road and round and then thought 'I will start by checking the wheel nuts........' The car had just been repaired by a Main Dealer. I used another main Dealer next time - and they left the joint on the steering column untightened!!

Since then I have -never_ ever used a Main Dealer to repair our car.

I use the garage in the next village for my servicing. I never use the main dealer - too expensive for a start.

I never use the main dealer,who pays for the posh reception area, coffee machine etc? The customer.!

We use the local garage too, for everything that doesn’t need specialist equipment. Very efficient, friendly and accommodating.

I use a small local garage for servicing and repairs. If it’s tyre replacement or any job that involves removing a wheel it always states on the invoice to return after 25 miles use to have the wheel nuts checked.

I always return and the mechanic pops out into the yard with his spanner and checks the wheel nuts are still fully tightened. I’ve never actually asked but I presume this suggests they can loosen off slightly after the initial job. I’m expecting to need 2 new tyres soon, I must ask for an explanation.

There was a car in a nearby town yesterday with its wheel all bent and collapsed. I asked DH how that could have happened and he said somebody hasn’t tightened the wheel nuts properly.

@Aldom that is terrible to read. How utterly tragic and what a waste.

This is why our main dealer always video all the work they do on customers vehicles.

Clutch failed on my car on my waybto work, RAC took it to one of their reccommended garages, they replaced it but the following day my husband was driving down the street when the gear box fell out😱 luckily I wasn't driving to work on the motorway, back it went to.the same garage who were shame faced and fixed it pretty quick🙄🙄

mechanics should never be under time pressure, peoples lives are at risk...

Driving back from main dealer after a service the bonnet flew up on my car on the motorway. I couldn’t see the road ahead! Thankfully I was traveling on the inside lane and could pull over, very scary.

I used to use a garage with vw trained mechanics, they said that the main dealers advertise that all the mechanics arenvw trained but actually it's usually only one or 2 who train the others in anything new or different

I once had a wheel come loose as the wheel nuts hadn't been tightened. It wasn't a garage that did the work it was a friend and I noticed the problem before there was a disaster. The friend was very embarassed!

I've used a main deaker fir the last 5 cars. All under 7 year warranty. Can be difficult to have big repairs done elsewhere in case a warranty issue and only manufacturer parts to be used. The only issue I have had has been with rear air air conditioning when system failed dealer concentrated on front of the system faiking to address the issue which kept occuring was actually in the rear system. Costing £760 to fix no wonder he tried to ignore. It was fixed 2 months before the warranty ran out.

We rarely have a car that is young enough to be covered by any warranty, but like Grannynannywanny we use small local garages.

We have been using our local garage for nearly 30 years now, we have seen ownership change when one owner retired and one of his mechnics took it over, but always friendly personal service, and never a car returned at fault.

It is negligence just like nurses and doctors who make mistakes and lives are at risk it’s human error, you get distracted and make a mistake.
Thankfully no harm done but it could have been fatal, I’ve had a wheel fall off, I’ve also been given the wrong drug in hospital both could have been fatal but I was lucky.

Here in Germany if you have tyres replaced or fitted you get a card to hang on the driving mirror to remind you to go back to the garage to have them checked and the nuts tightened after 50-60 km.

When I last stayed with my sister in the UK she had to have a tyre replaced (pothole damage). The tyre company came round and did it in front of the house. She was out, so as I was there I spoke to the man and was shocked when he said that there was no follow-up necessary. No garage would fit tyres here without balancing out (not sure what you call that in English), checking the pressure all round and telling you to get them tightened after 50-60 km.

A mobile tyre fitter would have a balancing machine on the van, there would be endless recalls if he didn’t.

My car mad teenage son was working as an apprentice at a garage and came home with his new car. Of course he was desperate to show it off to his friends so set off to the nearest town. In the early hours of the morning he woke me up. He was having a final run down the main street when a wheel came off! Police were called and told him he was lucky he was only going 20 mph as at a higher speed the car would have flipped. His boss was quite unapologetic. It turned out it had happened before (same mechanic). My son didn't want my late dh or I to complain as he said I would make I awkward for him continuing his apprenticeship there. A few months later the garage went bust. People lost the deposits they had paid for cars (my son had paid for a warranty which was no longer honoured). Would love to say they got their just desserts but they are still trading - big, swish showroom which I believe is in the owner's daughter's name and they still have their restaurant business (in his wife's name). Even although this was about 7 years ago I still feel so angry that my son could have been killed due to someone's carelessness.

Katie590

A mobile tyre fitter would have a balancing machine on the van, there would be endless recalls if he didn’t.

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Thank you for telling me that. That's a relief!