Not happy with Indep

[Andy.M]

Ahh, so was no1 a dealer you bought the car off and took it back to for some warranty work? If so I see why you didn't want them to do the work for £200.

 

[television]

The whole point is on this thread we know that MB dealers will tell their customers that their brakes need replacing when only 1/3rd of their way through their useful life, they say they do this to save the customer the trouble of having to come back between services.

We also know of many others that will try it on with a customer if they think that they can get away with it, as happened in this case.

No different to a plumber who quotes for £325 and gives a bill for £475 when all done.

 

[npuk]

No 1 is not a dealer he clearly stated it is an independant.

 

[television]

But it seems that the one in the first post knew the car, some indies do sell cars

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Interesting thread!

I think the lesson to be learnt from all this is that it's a reminder to keep abreast of the condition of brakes, much the same as tyres, a visual check is easy enough to do especially if you are maintenance savvy.

I know the condition of my brakes re disc and pad wear and I would expect anyone else who has an idea on maintenance to be the same.

My Focus goes in for annual service and MoT Tuesday and at 51K all the discs are shot and front pads almost down to wear indicators so the whole lot will be replaced and i've already got the Pagid replacements in the boot.

So in conclusion to pays to be observant as I for one don't like impromtu calls from garages telling this and that needs replacing, and the garage saying what shall i do while I'm on the phone and not being able to visually inspect the items concerned.

It is tempting to put your faith in garages but unfortunately, as is always the case, the bad minority spoil it for the many and good garages end up being tarred with the same brush. There are independents on this forum who have a terrific reputation why take it to anyone else, and if they don't live up to reputation let's hear about it.

My maxim at work was you are only as good as your last job and i still stand by this today.

 

[bigtwin]

But it seems that the one in the first post knew the car, some indies do sell cars

The No 1 indep was not the dealer I brought the car from, but was doing other work on the rear suspension (Warranty Direct's payment rates don't cover main dealer work, and they will only pay out for v.a.t. registered work), hence me asking them to nip up the h.b. while they had the wheels off. We'd only had the car a few days, having bought it off a not very local non main-dealer sales garage.

You can't do a visual check on the rear h/b pads obviously, as they are inside the discs, nor can you see if the h.b. surface of the disc is worn for the same reason. Obviously, you'd normally expect these to last the life of the vehicle - it's only the parking brake that uses them, so they shouldn't wear at all, unless you do a lot of hill starts with your h.b. - but when someone tells you that it's "obviously been driven a lot with the h.b. partly engaged", that's a plausible explanation. Some people do that sort of thing.

 

[Benz17]

Whoever is listed on the finder site, one should not assume that their services will be of a standard we all expect. There will be some who will fall below the standard expected, in which case, they should be named, but not necessarily shamed, named so other users can make an informed judgment on wether to use their services.

I use Colin @ mbs, not just because he is listed on the finder site, but also because I did my research on mbs on this site, and read what others who have used his services have to say about him. ( he hasnt dissapointed me by the way).For me feedback from previous customers is very important, then I make the judgment on whether to use the company or not.

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

You can't do a visual check on the rear h/b pads obviously, as they are inside the discs, nor can you see if the h.b. surface of the disc is worn for the same reason. Obviously, you'd normally expect these to last the life of the vehicle - it's only the parking brake that uses them, so they shouldn't wear at all, unless you do a lot of hill starts with your h.b. - but when someone tells you that it's "obviously been driven a lot with the h.b. partly engaged", that's a plausible explanation. Some people do that sort of thing.

Point taken, especially when you have no knowledge of how the car was previously driven/abused. Most MB handbrake shoes give no problems for the life of the car as you say, unless they have had adjustment problems.

 

[BAZZER1]

And we should be told who it was

Absolutely agree, it would save others from this Rip Off, We all pay good money for servicing and repairs to our beloved Mercs and should not be treated like this, it also gives the genuine good Indies a very bad name.
BAZZER1

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Absolutely agree, it would save others from this Rip Off, We all pay good money for servicing and repairs to our beloved Mercs and should not be treated like this, it also gives the genuine good Indies a very bad name.
BAZZER1

Couldn't agree more, we are a community of like minded individuals who post on here for the common good. Any good or bad feedback should be welcomed especially as both parties have the opportunity to respond.

It would be a sad fact if only positive feedback from peoples' experiences with any company that promotes themselves on this forum were the order of the day.

 

[bigtwin]

I am not going to get into legal wrangles with a hacked-off business, end of. Nor am I in the slightest bit interested in their "response"; the facts tell the story.

It's simple, if you are interested, use indeps in the Guildford area, and want to know, PM me - as many people have - and you will have the info. It's really that simple.

You seem to be in Dorset - there really must be somewhere closer than Surrey to get your car seen to?

 

[whitenemesis]

As I mentioned earlier, I hope you have left feedback and rated the company using the function on the specialstfinder website.

 

[star]

Rust is a common fault on the handbrake disc surfaces (lack of use) along with rusting/seized quadrants causing the shoes to stick on. Both can lead to premature wear.

 

[Frontstep]

Could only find MerMedics.

 

[SteveX]

So, who is it? lol

 

[bigtwin]

Rust is a common fault on the handbrake disc surfaces (lack of use) along with rusting/seized quadrants causing the shoes to stick on. Both can lead to premature wear.

This is a W169 manual.

 

[star]

I was just really replying to the posts that say that h.brake shoes etc should last the life of the car. Each car is different. Yours being a manual shouldn't suffer from the above.

 

[Some guy on the internet]

There are at least two sides to every story & we're only hearing one.

Can someone who knows which business is being talked about here contact them & make them aware of this thread?

Having seen another indy on here being thrashed by ignorant innuendo & inaccurate reporting of an incident I think the other party's input is required before forming any conclusions.

 

[television]

There are at least two sides to every story & we're only hearing one.

Can someone who knows which business is being talked about here contact them & make them aware of this thread?

Having seen another indy on here being thrashed by ignorant innuendo & inaccurate reporting of an incident I think the other party's input is required before forming any conclusions.

Who would that be then

 

[bigtwin]

thrashed by ignorant innuendo & inaccurate reporting of an incident.

Are you taking the p1ss, or are you involved with the indep by any chance?