[jahloon]

Well,

Some of you guys know I have a Jag, OK a little indulgence for my 50th birthday.

Its getting quite long in the tooth now but has been a great motor so I am loath to part with it.

Normally it sails through its MOT (a UK road test for vehicles to ensure they are still roadworthy)

This year I took it to the local Jag dealer and it failed the MOT. At this point it looked like the car would have to be written off, the list of faults was horrendous:

3 x corroded brake hydraulic pipes
Inefficient hand brake
High CO2 emissions requiring new CAT convertors and sensors.

Total bill £1950 minimum.

At this point my grief was inconsolable, but ny erstwhile colleage at work, Charles, suggested a second opinion.

So we took the motor, and the failed MOT report to another garage, told them to do what was needed and put forward a costing etc.

Well the result was amazing, the emissions test just needed the fuel system cleaning, exhaust gas recycling etc. passed no probs.

Handbrake was OK.

Only one hydraulic brake pipe needed replacing - cost was £4.50 for the part as opposed to the £26 quote from the Jag garage.

Total cost £168.70

The mechanic also stated the car was in great condition, and I had nearly written it off.

Previously I had always had great service from the dealer where I bought the motor, but it just shows how an economic downturn can turn a business into a scam.

[jahloon]

WoW, for some reason the topic became closed, I should have really titled it "Stinking lousey rotten car-dealerships" but for some, that's an improvement, and for the rest, its a compliment.

[Chilly Willy]

I never go to a dealer unless I have to. My local garage is fine and cheap as well........

[jahloon]

niehorster, on Feb 28 2009, 07:37 PM, said:

I never go to a dealer unless I have to.

When the weed runs out?

[corcoran]

I thought that was normal behaviour for the entire motor trade...

Thank the lucky pants I don't need a car right now - I remember vividly the horrors of MOT season


But don't you just have a mate down the pub who owns a garage and'll just write and stamp the ticket?



I bought a car once that had an MOT from an agricultural repair shop. 'Twas a VERY recent MOT and the sills were rotted through, had bald tires and a cracked windscreen. The left indicator would only work if you had the headlights on, which only came on with a full beam. If you braked hard it would pull hard to the right, and if you let go of the wheel it would steer straight into the hedge. I couldn't get it to do handbrake turns so I assume the handbrake was another fail. Also the speedo would only work sometimes, and the dash lights would come on if you thumped it hard enough in the right place.

The passenger side seatbelt was jammed fully open, and the driver's seat wasn't fixed on it's rails back and forth, so yet another reason to avoid sharp braking. There was always a constant whiff of petrol coming from the air vents even when closed and the heater didn't work but the blower fans would make the most ungoldly whine. The windscreen wiper had only one setting, MEGA fast, which was great in heavy rain, but the driver's side one would judder like a bastard.

The driver's side window winder was missing (thank fuck it didn't have electric windows, cause they wouldn't have worked either) Which was OK as the window was jammed open about an inch. The sun roof would leak even when it wasn't raining.

The back seat became an apprentice "landfill" where I collected my empty drinks bottles, fast food wrapping and other assorted trash. This all started to rot, which thankfully masked the smell of the petrol.

Though not a fail, but almost as annoying was that the "glove box" would fall open everytime I hit a bump - so I glued the fucker shut with araldite. Solved.

The knob on the gearstick was loose and would come of in your hand (fnaaa!), the clutch would slip badly, it'd blow out clouds of blue smoke when you drifted down hill, it would stall at traffic lights and overheat in traffic jams.

The neighbour woman used to go spastic if I parked it out front of her house as it would piss out ugly black oil stains on the tarmac.

The radio was an empty space in the dashboard (or I'd whistle as I drove) and yes, the arial was a bent coat hanger.

Body work was good, or at least it would have been if done by a plasterer. There was more old bits of newspaper and shit under the blotchy mismatched paint than in the cat litter tray. If you kicked it, you could just hear the particles of rust settling all around it - I put my finger through once or twice when I stupidly tried to wash it....

It had an "interactive" fuel guage - meaning you had to shake the car and listen carefully for the fuel slopping about in the tank - and guess how much was left.........

I could go on - but those dopy fuckers in the midlands wonder why their poxy car industry went TITS UP. Stupid cunts.

But what does one expect for £40?

[Chilly Willy]

jahloon, on Feb 28 2009, 10:03 PM, said:

niehorster, on Feb 28 2009, 07:37 PM, said:

I never go to a dealer unless I have to.

When the weed runs out?

I was waiting for this answer, you're becoming predicatable Jeff

[jahloon]

niehorster, on Mar 1 2009, 01:05 PM, said:

jahloon, on Feb 28 2009, 10:03 PM, said:

niehorster, on Feb 28 2009, 07:37 PM, said:

I never go to a dealer unless I have to.

When the weed runs out?

I was waiting for this answer, you're becoming predicatable Jeff

You keep loading them up, I'll keep firing them off!

[Kai]

corcoran, on Mar 1 2009, 05:45 AM, said:

I thought that was normal behaviour for the entire motor trade...

Thank the lucky pants I don't need a car right now - I remember vividly the horrors of MOT season


But don't you just have a mate down the pub who owns a garage and'll just write and stamp the ticket?



I bought a car once that had an MOT from an agricultural repair shop. 'Twas a VERY recent MOT and the sills were rotted through, had bald tires and a cracked windscreen. The left indicator would only work if you had the headlights on, which only came on with a full beam. If you braked hard it would pull hard to the right, and if you let go of the wheel it would steer straight into the hedge. I couldn't get it to do handbrake turns so I assume the handbrake was another fail. Also the speedo would only work sometimes, and the dash lights would come on if you thumped it hard enough in the right place.

The passenger side seatbelt was jammed fully open, and the driver's seat wasn't fixed on it's rails back and forth, so yet another reason to avoid sharp braking. There was always a constant whiff of petrol coming from the air vents even when closed and the heater didn't work but the blower fans would make the most ungoldly whine. The windscreen wiper had only one setting, MEGA fast, which was great in heavy rain, but the driver's side one would judder like a bastard.

The driver's side window winder was missing (thank fuck it didn't have electric windows, cause they wouldn't have worked either) Which was OK as the window was jammed open about an inch. The sun roof would leak even when it wasn't raining.

The back seat became an apprentice "landfill" where I collected my empty drinks bottles, fast food wrapping and other assorted trash. This all started to rot, which thankfully masked the smell of the petrol.

Though not a fail, but almost as annoying was that the "glove box" would fall open everytime I hit a bump - so I glued the fucker shut with araldite. Solved.

The knob on the gearstick was loose and would come of in your hand (fnaaa!), the clutch would slip badly, it'd blow out clouds of blue smoke when you drifted down hill, it would stall at traffic lights and overheat in traffic jams.

The neighbour woman used to go spastic if I parked it out front of her house as it would piss out ugly black oil stains on the tarmac.

The radio was an empty space in the dashboard (or I'd whistle as I drove) and yes, the arial was a bent coat hanger.

Body work was good, or at least it would have been if done by a plasterer. There was more old bits of newspaper and shit under the blotchy mismatched paint than in the cat litter tray. If you kicked it, you could just hear the particles of rust settling all around it - I put my finger through once or twice when I stupidly tried to wash it....

It had an "interactive" fuel guage - meaning you had to shake the car and listen carefully for the fuel slopping about in the tank - and guess how much was left.........

I could go on - but those dopy fuckers in the midlands wonder why their poxy car industry went TITS UP. Stupid cunts.

But what does one expect for £40?

Best punchline ever. (Whoever sold it to you really should've paid YOU instead to take it away.)

Jeez, my Saab is brand spanking new (it's going on 15 years/220,000 miles) compared to that. There are a few whack-the-dashboard items (one of which I finally had to get fixed last year - it's nice to have headlights that don't suddenly disappear at night.) Unfortunately only the dealer does a decent job on repairs here, so there's a certain triage of fixable items.

[jahloon]

Kai, on Mar 1 2009, 07:25 PM, said:

corcoran, on Mar 1 2009, 05:45 AM, said:

I thought that was normal behaviour for the entire motor trade...
I could go on - but those dopy fuckers in the midlands wonder why their poxy car industry went TITS UP. Stupid cunts.

But what does one expect for £40?

Best punchline ever. (Whoever sold it to you really should've paid YOU instead to take it away.)

Jeez, my Saab is brand spanking new (it's going on 15 years/220,000 miles) compared to that. There are a few whack-the-dashboard items (one of which I finally had to get fixed last year - it's nice to have headlights that don't suddenly disappear at night.) Unfortunately only the dealer does a decent job on repairs here, so there's a certain triage of fixable items.

Mmm... kinda takes the biscuit, that one.

So, any suggestions for the next Unfrettedmobile?

[Kai]

jahloon, on Mar 1 2009, 02:38 PM, said:

Kai, on Mar 1 2009, 07:25 PM, said:

corcoran, on Mar 1 2009, 05:45 AM, said:

I thought that was normal behaviour for the entire motor trade...
I could go on - but those dopy fuckers in the midlands wonder why their poxy car industry went TITS UP. Stupid cunts.

But what does one expect for £40?

Best punchline ever. (Whoever sold it to you really should've paid YOU instead to take it away.)

Jeez, my Saab is brand spanking new (it's going on 15 years/220,000 miles) compared to that. There are a few whack-the-dashboard items (one of which I finally had to get fixed last year - it's nice to have headlights that don't suddenly disappear at night.) Unfortunately only the dealer does a decent job on repairs here, so there's a certain triage of fixable items.

Mmm... kinda takes the biscuit, that one.

So, any suggestions for the next Unfrettedmobile?

This or this?

[corcoran]

Both are very cool, Kai - but expensive and rare.....

Hmmm, unfretted mobile, let me think - DelBoy Trotter's 3 wheeler is far too obvious and boring to mention....

Then there's the Peel

Actually, I had a chat with Newbie Brad of all people about micro/moped cars...

I wonder if you could harness the fumes of the mindless shit that I post here

Hamster power anyone?

[corcoran]

Kai, on Mar 1 2009, 08:25 PM, said:

Best punchline ever. (Whoever sold it to you really should've paid YOU instead to take it away.)

Jeez, my Saab is brand spanking new (it's going on 15 years/220,000 miles) compared to that. There are a few whack-the-dashboard items (one of which I finally had to get fixed last year - it's nice to have headlights that don't suddenly disappear at night.) Unfortunately only the dealer does a decent job on repairs here, so there's a certain triage of fixable items.

Actually, the punchline was a bit of a fib, it actually cost £200

It was one of these Though a lower spec'd model in about 150 different shades of blue...

To be honest, that post above was a list of quite common complaints from british made cars, it's funny now, but that scenario was quite normal. It was only 7 years old when I got it, and had only done about 60000 miles if I remember rightly ( ) - so you're doing wonderfully well with your saab....

I've had 3 british leyland/rover cars and not one of them was any kop. As I said, I could go on. I remember when I was about 8 years old and a friend of the family bought a brand new "austin princess", the story goes that when it was delivered there was grass sprouting in the boot....

[jahloon]

Kai, on Mar 2 2009, 03:57 AM, said:

jahloon, on Mar 1 2009, 02:38 PM, said:

So, any suggestions for the next Unfrettedmobile?

This or this?

I can't afford those!

[rob]

corcoran, on Mar 2 2009, 07:26 AM, said:

Both are very cool, Kai - but expensive and rare.....

Hmmm, unfretted mobile, let me think - DelBoy Trotter's 3 wheeler is far too obvious and boring to mention....

Then there's the Peel

Actually, I had a chat with Newbie Brad of all people about micro/moped cars...

I wonder if you could harness the fumes of the mindless shit that I post here

Hamster power anyone?

I saw quite a few of those silly three wheel things when we lived in Bristol. I think they were all green though.

Was the little Peel thing real? It's tiny! The tires look like lawn mower tires.


You could always try to find one of these.

[corcoran]

rob, on Mar 4 2009, 09:48 AM, said:

Was the little Peel thing real? It's tiny! The tires look like lawn mower tires.

Yes! Jeremy Clarkson explains......

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=W6OLh6VJXu0


An amc pacer would be a mighty warship amonst the flakey rusty kitchen colanders and tupperware british cars of yore...