What would you do?

[Exp21]

Hi everyone. Few days ago I brought my C-class to a big shop to do a wheel alignment. When they gave me the car back, I noticed that they did 32,5 miles with the car. They told me the car pulled to the right because of a lightly wrong alignment in the tie rods and because of a tire put in the wrong way on the rim. I never heard of this thing. What would you do? I'm mad if I think they travelled 33 miles with my car (I think they used it for personal purposes) and I have the doubt they ripped me off with this excuse of a tire badly mounted on rim. Is this thing possible? Thank you

 

[LostKiwi]

I can't think of any justification for covering 30 miles.
Do you have a dashcam?

 

[Exp21]

Unfortunately not. But this is not the first time it happens. Once I left it to repair a bumper in another shop and I found it with 25 miles more. Next time I'll put a gps tracker with microfone. I'm really tired of this ba***rds. Do you know if from Comand is possible to reconstruct the movements? I think only through xentry.

 

[bembo449]

reads like they used your car to do some errands pal

 

[Exp21]

I know. Being a wagon is really comfortable to transport spare parts and people. I treat my cars in immaculate way. Then it's sufficient one single time in a shop and they abuse of your engine and trans. I really don't want to know what they did and where they go. And what about the fact of the badly mounted tire?

 

[peterws1957]

Don't think there is much you can do, annoyingly, except avoid the garage in the future. There have been posts on forums where owners of cars with dash cams have caught mechanics taking cars out to run errands or generally going out for joy rides. Weirdly some forum members think there is nothing wrong with this

 

[Exp21]

I know. Bad reviews on google is the only thing I can do. Thank you

 

[negotiator]

Would drive me mad too but thankfully it was the car. Imagine if it was the Mrs you left in for a respray or whatever? Can't even begin to imagine what they might get up to then

 

[Wighty]

Would drive me mad too but thankfully it was the car. Imagine if it was the Mrs you left in for a respray or whatever? Can't even begin to imagine what they might get up to then

I can imagine

 

[jp williams]

Hi everyone. Few days ago I brought my C-class to a big shop to do a wheel alignment. When they gave me the car back, I noticed that they did 32,5 miles with the car. They told me the car pulled to the right because of a lightly wrong alignment in the tie rods and because of a tire put in the wrong way on the rim. I never heard of this thing. What would you do? I'm mad if I think they travelled 33 miles with my car (I think they used it for personal purposes) and I have the doubt they ripped me off with this excuse of a tire badly mounted on rim. Is this thing possible? Thank you

Was that done in Italy ?

 

[Exp21]

Yes..in Italy good luck if you want to find a decent mechanic

 

[mioba]

i was about to say you are in Italy buddy.

 

[00slk]

I once dropped my car in for a service and check on why it was running rich. 2 weeks later after been given the run around I picked up my car and noticed it was filthy dirty, and the tank switch was on the right fuel tank. I knew I had left it with both tanks full and I also left it on the left hand tank. After switching to the left tank the gauge didn't move. When I got home I then found under the front seats and rear floor pan Mini Cab cards. Yep the buggers had used my car as a mini Cab for those 2 weeks. I made a complaint, got the cost of a tank of fuel back and a reduction on the money spent looking the car over. Never went near that place again and bad pressed them via the friend who recommended them. I had no proof that they had used my car, except for an empty fuel tank and all the cards in the car. Luckily they sheepishly said that it might have been used one night as an emergency.........Yet right.
That was in 1982

 

[Exp21]

Unbelievable. I think that if people could see what happens to their cars they wouldn't go to a mechanic anymore

 

[brandwooddixon]

That's bad.
In future I'd suggest that you take a picture of your car outside of the garage (with it in the background) then a picture of your mileage reading in the dash.
If you use your mobile it'll timestamp the pictures and you then have proof.

 

[Exp21]

Hi. In reality I have proofs. The bluetooth MB adapter tells exactly the time, mileage and place of every movement. In the past, having already lived experiences like this, I arrived at the point of making pics of the entire car, wheels, etc, before and after leaving it to a shop. I always found some marks or rids here and there after the repairs. Then I realized that living like this it's a nightmare. Whenever I go to a tire shop, they leave me some marks on the rims. What can I do? Nothing. The average professional level here is so low that you can really do nothing but accepting this. Ah, I realized only later that they broke even my Comand controller joypad. It's a known fault of the w204, so it would have broken anyway but this thing is really annoying. I know for sure it worked before, but you cannot prove a thing like this. You should check and attest every single thing in the car before leaving it. It's crazy. Bad publicity is the only thing I can do sadly. Or buy a rental car so I don't care

 

[star]

So many things have gone wrong for you, when you take your car in, you should walk around and show the service advisor the paintwork and that that everything works Inside and every little mark present, then you BOTH will know if something is wrong when collecting it.

 

[Exp21]

In some MB dealers they make pics when receiving cars. Others don't. But they make stupid photos from meters away with a tablet. Almost useless. Here where I live only MB dealers use the covers on the fenders to lean on with legs while working. In the other shops they lean with pants leaving rids everywhere. They work like animals After they finish the repair, they put the car in the shop park where clients arrive. Parks are really narrow, so if a client arrives opens the door and leaves you a dent no one cares. On youtube you can see italian mechanics making videos while working and putting heavy parts like dpf, egr, ecus on the fenders with no problem. Then you find marks everywhere. Or putting wrenches on the windshield. If you care about your car here is a nightmare. Animals..

 

[umblecumbuz]

Unless you live in Napoli - then, marks and dents are street cred!
Or move to Sicily - and make sure you put a few dents on your car before you move or you'll get singled out for special attention!
And to answer your second question, yes tyres can be put on out of alignment or the reverse way round.

 

[Exp21]

Interesting! So is it a mistake of the tire shop or they put them on the rim and once every many can happen this thing?
If you live in Napoli you'd better not having alloy wheels at all