WARNING TO ALL MERC OWNERS-your local garage?

HERBIEMERCMAN

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hi everyone, yes the way i feel now i am posting my experience as a warning. basically i have a local garage who's owner is a friend of mine, the friend bit may have caused my expensive problem. he is a good mechanic and quite keen, the problem is he has succumed to the "mot" money spinner syndrome, ten mot's per day this brings in lots of donkey work, tyres, brake pads, exhausts, etc. big mark up easy money. my problem started with asking them to replace a corroded brake pipe on my 97. e300 td est. car. unfortunately my local garage at the time employed a young fitter with little experience, he was not given any supervision by the owner of my local garage so when he was asked to remove the brake pipe he mistakenly removed the whole of the hydraulic self leveling suspension pipes, in fairness to him they did look like brake pipes. the first reaction from my local garage was one of me now having a problem not them! as the 6mm pipe was not available from mb. i purchased copper pipe but this leaked due to the temperature the pipes can run at and the differential exp. caused leaks. again it was my problem so i purchased 6 mm bundy tube, my garage had a flaring tool set, but yes you have guessed it , the 6mm former was missing. i then had one made and the pipes were fitted, the piping did not look good but there was no more leakage. at this point the pipe and hydro liquid had cost me £110. plus some frustration. some months later i noticed that the oil level in the supply resavoir had moved above the max level ? the rear suspension had also become very bumpy, no cushioning. so i returned to my local garage and they said change the spheres, this was done. £300. but the self levelling was still not working and the ride was still very bumpy. the car had been sent out to me in this condition without any explanation. the car was returned for a week they said they did not have time to look at it ( too many mot's etc ), i then took it back for a second week, again too buisy, so we took it away. the final comment was that it must be the tandem pump at £350. my two brothers who have mercs told me about an "inde" who they felt knew what he was doing, leon thornley, walton-le-dale, preston, lancs. leon said following his investigation that the pipes were cross connected and the connecting unions they had used could collapse the inner seatings in the die cast self levelling valve, also the tandem pump, which was perfectly ok just needed bleeding. at this point in time i do not know what i will be charged but the moral of my story is DO NOT TAKE YOUR MERC. TO YOUR LOCAL GARAGE, apart from monkey work, like, tyres, brake pads, etc. this experience has cost me circa £1,000 for a brake pipe as well as me considering a "building site reaction" , my good wife stopped me, against my local garage owner. herbiemercman.
 
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television

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What a tale Ian, can you get any redress
 

Cosworth

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Sorry to hear about your experience, but i must say you sound like brave person.
 

Dosco

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One BIG lesson Ian, thank you for taking the time to share, with friends like that who needs enemy's!
 

jberks

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A lesson well learned. As you say, doing business with friends can get you into all sorts of trouble, especially if that friend uses your leniancy to take liberties. Whenever I have had transactions with friends (something I desparately try to avoid) I've got to extremes to ensure that I not only don't take advantage of their trust but its seen that I don't. Cash is up front or on the nail and I ensure there is no room for any misundertanding. If something does go wrong, I am extra reasonable and am the dream customer/supplier (as you clearly were).
Clearly your friend screwed up and then used your friendship to avoid putting it right, (some friend!) something he would not have been able to do with a normal customer, who'd have sued him and insisted he deliver it to the main dealer when he couldn't get the parts or fix it. I can't see Mr J Public searching around for pipework when a garage broke his suspension. The main dealer broke my windscreen, there was no suggestion of me being involved in its' repair. (That said, they've since lost a locking wheel nut - how they put that right remains to be seen - must call them today.)
 

SilverSaloon

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Some friend. personally i'd tell him where to stick his friendship!

get your car round to www.124works.com to get the car fixed properly.
 

discoking

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Some friend. personally i'd tell him where to stick his friendship!

Theres no need for that because that sounds like his friend did it on purpose,which he wont have.But it does prove a point,like jberks has just said,that is far better to not do buisness with friends..I know I certainly don't because it only ever leads to this type of scenario.
 

SilverSaloon

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Theres no need for that because that sounds like his friend did it on purpose,which he wont have.But it does prove a point,like jberks has just said,that is far better to not do buisness with friends..I know I certainly don't because it only ever leads to this type of scenario.

eerm, i think there is every need. The garage messed up.... why should the owner have to pay for it to be sorted? sounds like his friend is taking liberties. i understand it was a mistake but the guy is in business and should admit his employees were at fault and sort the issue out for him, just like you would if you didnt know the guy.

i'm also surprised to hear that the pipes were not available from MB..... can you give further details on this?
 
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kebo57

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Hi HERBIEMERCMAN sounds like you need someone

that knows what they are doing

that you can rely on

that is local to you

I just happen to know of someone

I have used him & I rate him

I have PM you

Kevin
 

SilverSaloon

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Hi HERBIEMERCMAN sounds like you need someone

that knows what they are doing

that you can rely on

that is local to you

I just happen to know of someone

I have used him & I rate him

I have PM you

Kevin


after that i thought you were going to say

"and if you can find them,
maybe you can hire,
The A-Team"


:D
 

kebo57

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after that i thought you were going to say

"and if you can find them,
maybe you can hire,
The A-Team"


:D
Hi I can't post his phone number as I dont want to be responsable for all the calls that he might get (good our bad), but I can give it to you when I can see your history with this forum.

Kevin

ps every one seams to be ok here but what about the other that get the number

Im begining to regret posting this

Kevin
 

television

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Im begining to regret posting this

Kevin

Never look back, If you wish that you never answered a post or said something, just do not post back, and it will fade away into the sunset, I learnt the hard way
 

Alex M Grieve

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Never look back, If you wish that you never answered a post or said something, just do not post back, and it will fade away into the sunset, I learnt the hard way

I entirely agree Malcolm. It also works the other way - if you are confident of your own poisiton, and a tormentor just won't give up - step well back and let Forum members decide for themselves - they are generally well informed, discriminating people and will probably realise that the antagonist is just digging the hole deeper!
 

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