advice guys?

[retired_member32]

i am in a bit of pickle,i took my car for an mot last week and it failed on rear wheel bearing and corroded brake pipe,i haven't got a flaring kit for the brake pipe so i let a so called mate repair it at his garage and then i took it for a retest,i didn't check the job because i trusted him so i took it back to the test centre and the mot tester rang me and said i will pass the car but i am not happy,anyway i drove the missus down to collect the car and she drove it back home and she drove it about 5 miles down the road and she rang me on the mobile(hands free naturally)and said the car feels funny when cornering,anyway i caught her up and had a look at it and the rear wheel was hanging off,the rear wheel bearing had collapsed due to over tightening,and whilst i had the wheel off i noticed the t**t had not replaced the brake pipe either,now i know both the mot tester and the the mechanic extremely well and have worked alongside these guys for a number of years but my missus being four months pregnant and me only finding out the day before i was having a boy,really got my blood boiling and i have not spoke to them because i have a very short fuse and usually fight before talking,i could do with a neutral perspective?

 

[retired_member16]

Hit them both with a bat, get your cash back, then hit them again.

 

[retired_member32]

i didn't pay them so there isn't a receipt,the mechanic i cannot touch him legally,but the mot tester is liable because i still have a dodgy rear brake pipe.

 

[aZooZa]

Testing station completely culpable. End of. Garner all your evidence and make copious time-line notes NOW.

 

[woopwoop]

Just to play devil's advocate...
They were both trying to do you a favour and did it for free. Neither they, nor you, expected this to happen.

I'd personally just see it as a lesson and thank god that my wife and child are ok.

Plus I would make a point to bring it up (and maybe show a photo) to both of them. If they aren't sincere or don't care, hit them over their head with a bat as suggested. But if they're sorry then you have to go back to the fact that they were trying to do you a favour.

When terrible shit like this happens, I just try and learn from it and ask myself if I have all my fingers? Yes, then no harm done.

 

[mat]

I just dont cut corners now with "mates rates" and quick jobs from friends.

Its really not worth it. I took my last 5 series in for a family friend to fix and when I got it back it had scratches down the wing and on the front bumper. It was so annoying because I new that if it was a proper place fixing my car I would of been straight back down there and made them sort out the mess.

With mates who are helping you out you cant really do that....

 

[GreyWing]

There is the old saying "get what you pay for"

Unfortunately most of us have been there and we all have to put it down to lesson learned.

Just avoid using them again, that's probably the best thing you can do now. The MOT guy will just say it was ok when he tested it. Unless your mate is going to admit to doing a shoddy repair and sending it back to the MOT centre, your word against his.

I'm sure you will do as the rest of us do and tell your mates to avoid also, this should be enough

 

[retired_member32]

i will just say this, i didn't pay the mechanic because i was giving him diagnostics software and showing him how to use it,this cost me over £400 so he didn't exactly do it for nothing.also i still have the car which is worthless and i still have to repair the bearing and replace the corroded brake pipe,because i have had to buy a runaround and fetch it which took up all of saturday,the mot station that pass a corroded brake pipe and pass it when the mechanic only put underseal on it to hide the lack of repair is bad.i feel embarrassed because i am(was) a mot tester and i would feel bad in shopping him because he felt he was helping me out.

 

[aZooZa]

MOT is a government testing station. End of story (again).

 

[GreyWing]

ah well fair enough deliajen you have the right to be pissed and very soon there may be something you can do about it.

Stand by for a pm in the next few weeks

 

[retired_member32]

i know this sounds daft but?,first off i got rid of my nearly new focus because it wasn't big enough for the family and it was a so called boy racer car,so i order a kia sedona which is taking forever to be delivered so whilst i'm waiting i buy a little kia pride from the kia dealer,take for an mot and all that above happened,but the missus needs a car so i buy a citroen xsara whilst the dispute goes on,and the xsara has a full mot so i check it mechanically and it is sound,on the way back from sheffield the rear box falls off(absolutely shot it) and also there is no effort on the handbrake,have i missed something or has the government stopped checking crooked mot shops??