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Encouraging signs from an independent garage.


Rhymes with Paris
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Well today I called and into a local garage that was recommended to me by a neighbor.

I want a oil and filter change, the wire brush and waxoil to the inner cills, and check the as auxiliary belt/power steering pump to address the occasional squealing on partial lock.

Booked in for next Monday.

An old garage with the right gear from the looks of it , two older guys working and running it, no receptionist talking about £90 + vat to find any obvious problems,oh and an old vintage  car in the corner .

So hopefully no load of old nonsense, like l have had with the Toyota specialist who said that they have to drive the car to "where the wipers are" 🤨 to fit a wrongly sized wiper  blade reusing a rusty frame.

As in any city there are plenty of choices, including main dealer and the chain who last year had a week's notice to order the parts for an interim service, then waited until the car was on the ramp and oil drained to order an oil filter.

leaving me sat there for 2 hours like a Muppet.

As I read on here, and my own experience tells me , the level of incompetence and charging plenty for it,is astounding right across the board.

I will report back if an old fashioned independent garage is a better experience than the self proclaimed specialists. 

 

 

 

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16 minutes ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

Well today I called and into a local garage that was recommended to me by a neighbor.

I want a oil and filter change, the wire brush and waxoil to the inner cills, and check the as auxiliary belt/power steering pump to address the occasional squealing on partial lock.

Booked in for next Monday.

An old garage with the right gear from the looks of it , two older guys working and running it, no receptionist talking about £90 + vat to find any obvious problems,oh and an old vintage  car in the corner .

So hopefully no load of old nonsense, like l have had with the Toyota specialist who said that they have to drive the car to "where the wipers are" 🤨 to fit a wrongly sized wiper  blade reusing a rusty frame.

As in any city there are plenty of choices, including main dealer and the chain who last year had a week's notice to order the parts for an interim service, then waited until the car was on the ramp and oil drained to order an oil filter.

leaving me sat there for 2 hours like a Muppet.

As I read on here, and my own experience tells me , the level of incompetence and charging plenty for it,is astounding right across the board.

I will report back if an old fashioned independent garage is a better experience than the self proclaimed specialists. 

 

 

 

A nice informative Post Paul.

Please ask the two gentlemen to consider setting up a sister Company here on Wirral.🤣🤣

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Thank you John, sadly these kinds of garages seem to be getting fewer and further between.

Don't know if the two gentlemen would be going into franchising, but would be handy if their work and pricing turns out ok.😉

I am pleased these are in town here ,as in getting picked up and taken home while the work is carried out.

There are a few of these sorts of garages in the villages round here , maybe in your neck of the woods too ,if able to access them.

I have posted quite a few war stories on here about the shear incompetence of dealers, chains and "specialists" but I think the star prize must go to the fast fit places 🙄at least ***** Turpin had the decency to wear a three cornered hat while robbing folk.

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25 minutes ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

Thank you John, sadly these kinds of garages seem to be getting fewer and further between.

Don't know if the two gentlemen would be going into franchising, but would be handy if their work and pricing turns out ok.😉

I am pleased these are in town here ,as in getting picked up and taken home while the work is carried out.

There are a few of these sorts of garages in the villages round here , maybe in your neck of the woods too ,if able to access them.

I have posted quite a few war stories on here about the shear incompetence of dealers, chains and "specialists" but I think the star prize must go to the fast fit places 🙄at least ***** Turpin had the decency to wear a three cornered hat while robbing folk.

Such places Paul, are worth their weight in Gold.

If you are looking for Mr Turpin incidentally, he can be found under a Gravestone in Highgate Hill Cemetery.🤣🤣🤣

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1 hour ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

I have posted quite a few war stories on here about the shear incompetence of dealers, chains and "specialists" but I think the star prize must go to the fast fit places 🙄at least ***** Turpin had the decency to wear a three cornered hat while robbing folk.

The naughty word filter is sensitive!

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John, I did wonder where Richard ended up 😀

Peter, it certainly is 😗

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Today I dragged out all the stuff that accumulates in a car over time.😞

Shame on me for letting it get so bad .

The upside was finding the original emergency pack in a zipped up holder, including a still sealed bulb pack ,fire extinguisher , and high quality triangle.

I also found the wheel nut wrench and towing eye.

Not the jack though , anyone know where this is ? I did not like to rip the plastic cover to the rear of the boot as careful probing revealed wiring behind it.

Then off to the hand car wash/valeter , had an external wash and internal valet .

Nice job I reckon ,and thorough , and for for the second time the guy who seemed to running it asked me if the car was for sale .

It was knee deep in mk 1 Yaris's , the owner had a blue 1.0 3 door, another fella was having his black 2004 1.0 5 door washed , and a 2005 waiting to be picked up , and of course my Tsport.

There was an enthusiast feeling today at that place which was good, and a nice chat with a young fella who was using his Yaris as a delivery car and said a lot of his colleagues were using them due to their indestructible nature.

My reason for being there was to prepare for the garage visit on Monday , and show respect for the mechanics who will work on it, rather than the "free valet "that dealers and such provide even if you tell them not to , no thanks to scratched body work and floor mats on rear seats.

I wish I could do all this simple stuff for myself , but am unable, had to do the dragging out of stuff in 5 stages with a rest between each , but where there is a will , there is a way, so they say.🤞😀

 

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@john p williamsI follow a Wirral based mechanic/technician on Instagram if want me to ask him his employer's name?! He cares about his work by the looks.

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Thank you Ian , I will have a look later today.

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My mechanic has been servicing my cars for the last 55 or so years. He's getting a bit old and grumpy now but still manages to order the correct parts and install them correctly. My wife complains about him occasionally as he makes Homer Simpson seem like a normal human🤑

 

He wants to keep going till our 18 year old Yaris falls apart.. It will be interesting to see who lasts the longer.

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19 hours ago, Al D said:

@john p williamsI follow a Wirral based mechanic/technician on Instagram if want me to ask him his employer's name?! He cares about his work by the looks.

Yes please Alex.PM me with details to keep them out of the PUBLIC VIEW.

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On 11/11/2021 at 9:40 PM, wildtapholer said:

The jack should be under the passenger seat, slide it forward and have a look.

I still can't find the jack ,all I can find under the front passenger seat is the sliding storage tray.

Will have a better search tomorrow when not so tired.

I fetched the car home last night from the garage , they did oil and filter change, oil flush 😕 ,re used sump plug washer , I wonder why ,when these things are only a few pennies.

Renewed power steering pump drive belt and alternator drive belt , I hope anyway , I could only see one belt , maybe the other one is hidden from the top view , but not assuming having my leg up.

And I hope did the wire brush job on the inner cills , and I also hope that the unspecified underseal stuff does not seal in  surface rust to get worse rather than waxoil that I asked for.

So all in all a mixed experience , I am no mechanic so maybe I do not understand the mysterious ways of garages that do what they like , rather than what they are asked to do.

Also I did explain very clearly on the day I booked it in that it would be after 12 noon when I would drop it in due to my condition, but there seemed to be complete surprise and annoyance when I did exactly that , with a "we expected you first thing today".

Unfortunately I now have to have the rose tints removed from my glasses as regards old fashioned garages .

The search continues .

 

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It's been a while and my memory is awful, but I'm sure in the Mk1's the scissor jack is at the back with the spare tyre, underneath the plastic tray thing with all the tools on it... It's not 'til the Mk2's onward they started putting it under the passenger seat or under the RHS C-pillar.

 

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Thank you Cyker , I'm sure it will be in there somewhere ,as so many accessories came with it and the full history , can't see it being missing.

I will root around the boot area and have a good look.

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On 11/10/2021 at 4:08 PM, Rhymes with Paris said:

Thank you John, sadly these kinds of garages seem to be getting fewer and further between.

Don't know if the two gentlemen would be going into franchising, but would be handy if their work and pricing turns out ok.😉

I am pleased these are in town here ,as in getting picked up and taken home while the work is carried out.

There are a few of these sorts of garages in the villages round here , maybe in your neck of the woods too ,if able to access them.

I have posted quite a few war stories on here about the shear incompetence of dealers, chains and "specialists" but I think the star prize must go to the fast fit places 🙄at least ***** Turpin had the decency to wear a three cornered hat while robbing folk.

And a mask, and there was no Covid19 🤣😂

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