Done like a kipper today..!

[Guest Cadas]

I've been here a couple of years now and have become fairly good a avoiding being gouged by anyone trying to sell me something. (Pretty much anyone here)

 

On landing here I learnt my lesson quickly.

 

But today I got totally shafted.

 

My car blew a top radiator hose outside work, too far to limp home so asked the garage over the road to sort. Very friendly people.

 

So theres me thinking, new hose $50, plus fitting, say all up $200-250 maybe. Ahem, try $1000.

 

I know my way around cars, so when the garage rang to say worth changing thermostat (ok, sounds like a good idea but not at $190 in parts) and your front pads are gone. (Fair enough) I expected a bill of say 500$

 

Did not expect brake pads to cost $350 in parts, in fact they don't, but when you 'have' to change brake fluid (!!?!?) to change pads of course they do.

 

Oh, and the courtesy car wash cost me $50 in labour. And $80 in 'distilled water' for the radiator.

 

My rough guess is that they are charging at least 100% markup on parts and then some. Before I moved I took the car to a specialist and was quoted 363$ for a part I bought retail from the same supplier in town,retail, for 114$.

 

At least the beer is cheap... Oh wait...

[Blossom]

Holy cow. There really are some shocking garages around (not exclusive to Australia though). The odd couple of times I've had to have stuff done on my car near work I've been lucky enough to be able to get the guys at work to arrange it so I don't get too conned.

 

I ALWAYS ask garages to phone me before they do any work (ie once they have worked out the problem) and to give a rough idea of price so I know if I can afford it. It is SO rare that they actually bother to phone me before doing the work. I do always make a point of telling them I didn't authorise the repairs yet as I wanted to know if I could afford it. It generally goes quiet then... So far nothing has been too expensive without warning, but they don't know my circumstances....

[Guest Cadas]

I did ask for calls, and they did call, but in hindsight he didn't give numbers exactly, just 'look, I only use good parts but it'll be less than a couple of hundred bucks, etc'.

 

But when the bill came 186$ for pads, 16.50$ delivery, $18 misc, labour 137$ then the add ons; $65 for brake fluid, 50$ for changing fluid, $37 for cleaning 'hazardous materials' (brake dust), $12 for disposal of hazardous material (brake pads) and on we go.

 

You then get into argument, but I gave go ahead, he logged the time on the sheet to the second. And yes the pads were 'less than a couple of hundred buck' but those pads are only $60 from repco.

 

Soooo..... Be careful of a very jovial Italian off grote st who specializes in German cars.

[Blossom]

I would have asked to get rid of the break pads myself lol. Infract, I do often ask to at least see the removed parts (but they could show me anything and I wouldn't know lol).

[Guest Chris_J]

Was it Pan?