Can the group please give me some advice on a problem I have with a garage...

 

It all started when my zed went bang in Feb last year so I took it to a garage for what they quoted as been a low mileage jap engine for £1500 fitted.

 

I took it (somewhat mistakenly) to what I thought was an established garage where I was told the turn round time would be a couple of weeks. I dropped the car off at the beginning of March and picked it up some 7-8 Weeks later (30.04.04)!! Everything looked fine with the engine so I paid my money by credit card and set off home.

 

When I got home I notice the exhaust was nearly hitting the floor so the next morning I took it to a local exhaust centre who charged me £20 to correct it. On the way back I decided to open her up a bit and then noticed a big cloud of smoke out the back and loss of power, I crawled the car home.

 

I Contacted the garage and they sent someone to pick it up.

I then had engine no2 fitted and went down to pick up car again at the end of May. When I got there and started the engine up it sounded like a diesel and smoked badly but I took it for a test drive and opened her up – this caused big clouds of smoke behind me, when I came back which wasn’t long I was told by the garage owner that you cant drive zeds like that to which we started to have a heated discussion. This is where I made my second mistake, the garage owner offered me a full refund which I turned it down telling him that we have come this far and that all I wanted was a good low mileage jap engine. So they fitted engine no 3 by the end of June and off I went again to pick my car up, this engine seemed ok so I accepted it.

 

After driving the car for a week it never seemed to run right (couldn’t put my finger on it but loads of time cleaning plugs and so on), so I decided to do a compression test on the engine and found that it was low. I booked it to Nissan who have done a report saying the engine had excessive wear to pistons & rings and the compression was low. So it went to the garage again to have engine no 4 fitted. At some point during engine no1 or no2 been fitted I found out the work was not carried out by the garage I have been dealing with but had been subcontracted out. I phoned the garage up asking how my car was going on and they told me to contact the subcontractor which I did.

 

The contractor told me that the only way to guarantee a good engine was to have a engine rebuild, we had a chat about money and he wanted a further £500 for a engine that had been rebuilt and a extended guarantee and it would be done immediately has they had a engine that was just about built, so I told them to get on with it. Engine no 4 was fitted and delivered back to the first garage, I phoned up to see how good my engine was to be told that this engine also had low compression. So it went back to the subcontractors to have engine no 4 taken out and be rebuilt (this was around September time), engine no 4 was rebuilt and refitted but still had a problem with compression (now dec). I was phoning up and been avoided so a left a nasty answer message and they contacted me back saying they was taking the rebuilt engine out and fitting a scrap engine that may or may not start and would told me I would get a refund.

 

I then contacted the garage and asked for my money back and was told “cards on the table “YOU ARE NOT GETTING A PENNY FROM ME” ,So I went down over the Christmas period to the subcontractors and got my zed back and was told I would get my money back, I told him I wanted the money back by the 10.01.05 off either garage ( don’t care who gave me the money ) .On the way home I called into the garage and told him the same I wanted my money back. I contacted the garage again on the 7.01.05 to be told that they can’t sort it out has the subcontractor daughter had passed away and they couldn’t get hold of him. So I called again today and I asked if I was getting my money to be told NO……….

 

I accept that the first garage owner has done a lot of work on the engines that have been fitted but It’s not my fault that the work has not been completed satisfactory and he should give me a refund but he won’t. The car now has some extra dents and scratches on it, the interior is messed up mostly covered in oil every where

 

So, Ive been without my car for most of the year – lost money on my insurance, road tax and petrol on countless trips down to the garage. . I now have an engine that I don’t know what’s wrong with it, don’t know if I have got my original tubs that have only done 28000 mile or any of the other engine components.

Ive finally got my zed back (albeit tattier and STILL with a knackered engine) and Im down £1500 on top.

 

Well that’s my story, sorry it’s so long but I wanted to be correct, just asking for some advice on the matter.

 

Cheers Pete

dave ...got to be the same company

 

Jacked sills,rusty brakes, ripped seats, scratched paint are all things I had to shell out for when the car returned home....

 

my front wings where they are bolted to the sills stick out from the door lines by about 10mm............when i got it back the last time it was the same ..had to unbolt the wings and sort it out....its down to the type of ramp they use.........

No Pete I know who did yours and it deffo wasent the same company. Jacked sills are very common if the garage is not aware of there weakneses. All the other bits are also common if the car is left in the rain/snow for months and if the mechanics have little or no respect for it.

No Pete I know who did yours and it deffo wasent the same company. Jacked sills are very common if the garage is not aware of there weakneses. All the other bits are also common if the car is left in the rain/snow for months and if the mechanics have little or no respect for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

fair comment dave.............must be more than one poor garage

dont these t-ats understand when you drop your car off for work to be done that its like leaving one of your kids in hostpital---worry, sleepless nights, on the phone all the time, they just cant get the jist of things here. even when i get my wheels balanced ime following the fitter around my ride making sure the jacks in the right place,they dont hit the wheels with the 4 sided fvkin samouri sword,tires the right rotation,the standed of work and general care of our cars fvkin suck in this septic land.

i better sign off before i go out lookin for revenge

ps----thank fvk there are some decent tradesmen and garages who love there cars as much as we do

brian93tt (getting pissed off)

Sorry to hear about this. A good reminder on how we should be careful looking after a complicated car.

 

My tuppence worth is set the credit card company on them. It's in their interest for you to be satisfied with your purchases on the card so they will kick ass pretty effectively on your behalf. I followed this route successfully a while ago in another matter.

Sorry to hear about this. A good reminder on how we should be careful looking after a complicated car.

 

My tuppence worth is set the credit card company on them. It's in their interest for you to be satisfied with your purchases on the card so they will kick ass pretty effectively on your behalf. I followed this route successfully a while ago in another matter.

 

 

 

been in touch with trading standards and they have explained all the legal options....also i have cantacted the credit card company and quoted something called section 75....the credit card company will seek to get the money off the trader......... :dance:

 

watch this space...!!!!

Result, nice one Pete

been in touch with trading standards and they have explained all the legal options....also i have cantacted the credit card company and quoted something called section 75....the credit card company will seek to get the money off the trader......... :dance:

 

watch this space...!!!!

 

Nice one - good luck mate :dance:

 

Richard :cool:

I have been watching this thread over the last couple of days m8 and you have my sympathy. If it is the company I think it is (nothing to do with PCworld) then I can believe you are going to have problems. I used to like this company and recomend it in my early days as a zed owner but now I have heared too many bad storys about it and have had a bad experience with it myself. Good luck to you on getting justice and getting your money back.

Steve.

I have been watching this thread over the last couple of days m8 and you have my sympathy. If it is the company I think it is (nothing to do with PCworld) then I can believe you are going to have problems. I used to like this company and recomend it in my early days as a zed owner but now I have heared too many bad storys about it and have had a bad experience with it myself. Good luck to you on getting justice and getting your money back.

Steve.

 

 

 

seems to be a lot of people not happy out there that have had work done by this garage....wished i knew then what i know know .....would have stayed well away :mad:

seems to be a lot of people not happy out there that have had work done by this garage....wished i knew then what i know know .....would have stayed well away :mad:

 

yes m8, there hase been lots of greif from this company in the past, I wish I had taken the advice of andyduffy and others on avoiding this company, my apologys to you andy and others.

LOL No need to appologise bud :) If you don't know what you're looking for then its easy to be blinkered ;) If someone claims to be a specialist then why should you have any reason to think otherwise? Unfortunately there's not really anything stopping people setting up and making all kinds of claims about what they know/abilities etc...

 

Any news Pete?

just a update on above not been on for some time......zed still dead, just sat there rotting and still no money ...credit card company dragging there feet....nice to see the specialist has been on quite ,doing well for himself by all accounts....

just a update on above not been on for some time......zed still dead, just sat there rotting and still no money ...credit card company dragging there feet....nice to see the specialist has been on quite ,doing well for himself by all accounts....

 

Sorry to hear that I thought Credit Card companys worked fast :confused:

Sorry to hear that I thought Credit Card companys worked fast :confused:

 

 

Only when YOU owe THEM !! :xxx:

just got home to a letter from the credit card company offering me a payment of £1500 so they must be getting it from the Zed specialisted .....now got to work if iam going to scrap the car or not, its had £1000s spent on it..new turbos, hicas, exhaust,wheels and the list goes on.......

just got home to a letter from the credit card company offering me a payment of £1500 so they must be getting it from the Zed specialisted .....now got to work if iam going to scrap the car or not, its had £1000s spent on it..new turbos, hicas, exhaust,wheels and the list goes on.......

 

Pete if you want a hand with the car would be more than happy to help

 

Ryan

This is a terrible story, one of the worst stories i have heard on our zed forum or even in the entire

zed world

This is a terrible story, one of the worst stories i have heard on our zed forum or even in the entire

zed world

 

subtle mate, subtle - lol :rofl: :rofl:

Tis so true tho

Pete if you want a hand with the car would be more than happy to help

 

Ryan

 

 

 

Thanks ryan may well take you up on that....going to work out if its cost effective to repair a engine i dont know the history of or just break the car for parts...uk car got to be worth something as parts or just sell it as is (dont know what its worth..? )

i might be interested in car or parts if you do this with it but i would like to say all you guys are showing these garages to much courtesy you should name and shame them so more of us dont end up in this situation because if its the garage i think you mean im taking my zed there friday

I think my days of zed ownership are coming to a end as i have decided to sell the car as is (just want to get shut and put all this behind me). So if you know anyone who wants a cheap zed then let me know. I havent named this trader yet because iam going to take him to small claims for costs (he will read this no doubt)...so i will see what happens, then look for a new toy..

What a crap ending to a very sad story. :(

 

There *are* decent Zed mechanics out there, if you know where to look. I'm sure anyone on here will be able to point you in the right direction of them to save you having to get rid of your Zed.