Do you trust your mechanic?

[pluggers]

How do you become friends with a mechanic...??... these guys are experts at manipulation ...and who starts the friendship ???..i dont believe for one minute these guys are your friends, you the punter are their source of income, you put the food on their families table....and as for S and R motors they are experts at being everybodys friend, cups of tea, light banter, warm pleasant nature..." oh and by the way sir wev e just checked your blahh ..blahblah and its gonna cost you 600 quid to put right ....."......but they're my friends i hear you say, so they must be ok...

Now lets just wait for all the comments that come back defending their "friends"... and pointing out that i had had a bad experience.... (which i did ).... and then i tried to convince myself that they really had been helpful, and really and were my friends....

A friendly mechanic will allways try to fit you in if you have an urgent problem with the car at a moments notice or even fix you up with a courtasy car if he can(I have personally borrowed his own car before now) If you were someone he has never seen before or had bollockings off you he is more than likely to tell you to "go forth and multiply"

 

[Sp!ke]

I dont trust any mechanic implicitly. There are some good mechanics out there I agree but no-one is ever going to put as much care and attention into the job as you would.

The answer therefore is read up, get the tools and DIY.

 

[230K]

Hi

I trust my mechanic (me), i do not trust the stealers, just did the front pads on an ML that got its B service last week at the stealers, points to note were that the battery was dry, bonnet catch and hinges have NEVER been lubricated and one of the number plate lights was not discovered as out. These are all items to check and do for the B service. £400 for oil change pollen filter change and a remote battery is just robbery.

That is why my mechanic is me.

230K

 

[Benzowner]

It takes time to find a good mechanic, but eventually one comes along. I am way past doing my own repairs, climbing under the car, bending over the engine, in between dizzy spells from the rush of blood and the ten minutes or so to straighten the back, geeze no thanks. I trust my mechani, I phone him arrange a convenient time, he collects the car, carries out the work brings it home to me, sends a realistic bill, not stealer rates or anywhere near, excellent service, and always uses genuine Merc bits. He has a 190E diesel with over 400k on the clock, tends to show how HE treats cars.

 

[mobeyone]

How do you become friends with a mechanic...??... these guys are experts at manipulation ...and who starts the friendship ???..i dont believe for one minute these guys are your friends, you the punter are their source of income, you put the food on their families table....and as for S and R motors they are experts at being everybodys friend, cups of tea, light banter, warm pleasant nature..." oh and by the way sir wev e just checked your blahh ..blahblah and its gonna cost you 600 quid to put right ....."......but they're my friends i hear you say, so they must be ok...

Now lets just wait for all the comments that come back defending their "friends"... and pointing out that i had had a bad experience.... (which i did ).... and then i tried to convince myself that they really had been helpful, and really and were my friends....

My thoughts exactly - all are nice as pie and then they hit you for ££. I think I am on my 5th mechanic now and still looking for someone who I can trust to a certain degree.

the latest fiasco has got me thinking, I dont even think my antilink whatever it is snapped and i think he has charged me for the replacement of it... he showed me one that had snapped which he claims to have been mine... can I really trust what he says? Would lowering a car really put that much strain on your links? I dont think so.. and he didnt even give me back my old springs!

I have a mixed experiance with s&r - told me a few porkies (car will be ready for wednesday, no its not. few excuses later and friday at 16:00 pick my car up and I am told that the wrong part was ordered.. shoudl have been straight with me. My magazine(esquire) was in their small office and had to take my car back three times before i was safley on my way home, so I was not impressed by them either.

I am not one to moan but come on, I paid a lot of money for the car, and paid them a lot of money to fix the relevant parts and I expect a good job in return and nothing less - am I asking for too much? I would probably expect this from a stealer.

 

[mickl]

guy I use now is great. Very old school in that he'll try to fix rather than replace a part if possible. Works weekends and collects and drops the car off whenever possible. Carried out a B service for £260 recently which took over a day of his time. Also, always been happy checks over any cars for me that I'm interested in buying and doesn't charge, much better than an RAC/AA inspection.

 

[Dieselman]

As in all walks of life a mechanic can be good, bad or somewhere between. In general if you treat good ones with respect and are on their level they will try to do their best for you, without overcharging.

S&R has been mentioned in both good and bad light. Remember this is a business and all businesses will attempt to make what they can. A single mechanic is more likely to have customer service at heart, being closer to the job.

If anyone needs a good mechanic then send me a PM and I will pass it on.

 

[Ian B Walker]

I had to laugh as it seemed bizar taking car ramps and tools out of the boot of his Bentley Turbo. .

Is this one of the overpriced mechanics?

Sorry couldnt resist that. Absolutley no offence intended

 

[graeme73s]

I only got 9mpg out of my Overfinch (1997 P38, Chevy 5.7) !!

Hi Wleg, like the picccie of the russian blue or is it a british ?, had two russian blue sisters (cats before I receive some strange comments), alas only one left now. The LSE was converted in 1999 and was a C5 with fuel injection. The guys at Overfinch are total wa***rs, at least **** turpin had the decency to wear a mask.

 

[graeme73s]

Is this one of the overpriced mechanics?

Sorry couldnt resist that. Absolutley no offence intended

No but he is 6'5" 19 stone and has a very healthy appetite