MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum

General => General Discussion => Topic started by: McGirr on June 18, 2016, 01:37:20 PM

Title: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: McGirr on June 18, 2016, 01:37:20 PM
Has any one had a steering box resealed. Went to a mechanic in Katherine and was quoted $150 for the seal kit as it was leaking.

The car went in Tuesday and one mechanic who was working on it damaged the shaft. So a new seal kit was ordered which they advised I would not pay for.

The new seal kit arrived Wed morning and I picked up the car Wed lunch time. The bill was $1,225.00. I nearly died and said a recon one would have been cheaper. The owner said we did not charge you for the extra kit which they had to order because the first mechanic broke the shaft seal.

It looks to me on their bill they charged me for the second mechanic to fix the first mechanics stuff up.

The car is a 2000 model petrol cruiser.

They have given me 14 days to pay. Happy to pay but was shocked at the price.

My mistake was I never asked for a quote as I was time poor.

Mark
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: Alien on June 18, 2016, 02:35:57 PM
Can you confirm your dates rather than days of the week, things don't add up.
One date is the 1st and the next the 16th.
Was the box refitted to the rig and then taken back for the second seal kit?
Total is 9 hours but if they stuffed up you should not pay for the job to be redone.

Also it was cleaned on the 1st and degreased on the 16th.
If it was clean why would it need degreased again unless it leaked due to the seal they stuffed?
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: Cruiser 105Tvan on June 18, 2016, 02:37:20 PM
He might be under the misconception your on holidays and will never be coming back to complain.
Lots of businesses seem to be run that way.
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: Cruiser 105Tvan on June 18, 2016, 02:42:05 PM
Can you confirm your dates rather than days of the week, things don't add up.
One date is the 1st and the next the 16th.
Was the box refitted to the rig and then taken back for the second seal kit?
Total is 9 hours but if they stuffed up you should pay for the job to be redone.
I

Are you saying McGirr should have the job redone because of possibility of bad workmanship that hasn't made itself obvious straight away?
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: McGirr on June 18, 2016, 03:43:00 PM
The dates they put are wrong. It went in Tuesday and I picked it up the next day being Wed.

On the Tuesday while I was waiting for the job to he done. The second mechanic came up to me and said the first mechanic stuffed the job and broke the shaft seal. He was not happy and advised that he would order another new seal which wont cost me anything and the car would have to stay over night until the new sealkit arrived the next morning from Darwin.

When I picked up the car Wed around 1.00pm the second mechanic was writing up the paper work and we went to the office. He had 3 job sheets he had written up. He gave the lady 2 worksheets for the job and the lady said it would be $550 for the job. She then went to the boss who came in and grabbed the 3rd job sheet and was adjusting the bill.

As mentioned I am happy to pay and the business was great to deal with, I am not sure whether I was charged for the extra work done to rectify the first mechanics stuff up. The job was done properly and finshed when I picked it ip.

I may ring another mechanic in Katherine and get a quote and go from there.

Mark
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: D4D on June 18, 2016, 03:53:01 PM
Based on your explanation and what is on the receipt, I'd only be paying 1/2 the labour...
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: barnray on June 18, 2016, 04:05:24 PM
If its a written quote the they have to abide by their quote and that is law unless they advise.the Boss has adjusted the bill in his favor and should be challenged, or Named and ashamed. Barnray

Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: McGirr on June 18, 2016, 04:31:39 PM
Unfortunatly, I nevet got a quote being time poor as we had to get to our next job.

Mark
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: barnray on June 18, 2016, 04:35:21 PM
As I said the Boss fiddled the invoice.
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: TonyF8 on June 18, 2016, 04:54:14 PM
Did he fiddle the bill ?????. Is it possible that the repair was billed up to the 1st mechanic damaging the seal, put it aside till new seal arrives, restart work to complete job, that was from reading the invoice, it still seems a little steep, but thats the way I read the invoice regardless of the dates.
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: glenm64 on June 18, 2016, 05:16:00 PM
Ring a few reputable 4wd shops for price of recon, ask they how many hours to do job. Doesnt matter where they are.
The way I read it is 20hrs to remove, rebuild and refit.
If others are way less on the rebuild hours then you have a valid complaint.



Cheers Glen

Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: barnray on June 18, 2016, 05:51:03 PM
Mark I hate to say this mate but you are a captive audiance up there you pay what they want. I had it Weipa. R
If the Boss fixe's the bill you don't have much luck
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: Nomad on June 18, 2016, 06:26:05 PM
I know nothing..........

But you haven't paid yet.......so why not get a quote or two and go in and see the boss and try to negotiate..........wouldn't leave it until the day it is due though..........you know the drill.

Cheers
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: Alien on June 18, 2016, 07:26:50 PM
Are you saying McGirr should have the job redone because of possibility of bad workmanship that hasn't made itself obvious straight away?
You where onto me while I was modifying the post, I hate using the phone sometimes.
I was trying to get a handle on the time lines.
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: McGirr on June 18, 2016, 07:31:50 PM
I know nothing..........

But you haven't paid yet.......so why not get a quote or two and go in and see the boss and try to negotiate..........wouldn't leave it until the day it is due though..........you know the drill.

Cheers

Yes will get another 2 quotes.

Mark
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: Bird on June 18, 2016, 07:34:11 PM
That's pretty harsh a price I reckon... I think as someone else said, working on a captive audience... don't like it we don't care :(
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: Burnsy on June 18, 2016, 07:35:15 PM
When getting quotes you don't want dollar value you want number of hours, that by his rate is the fair amount.
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: Alien on June 18, 2016, 07:47:03 PM
The dates they put are wrong. It went in Tuesday and I picked it up the next day being Wed.

On the Tuesday while I was waiting for the job to he done. The second mechanic came up to me and said the first mechanic stuffed the job and broke the shaft seal. He was not happy and advised that he would order another new seal which wont cost me anything and the car would have to stay over night until the new sealkit arrived the next morning from Darwin.

When I picked up the car Wed around 1.00pm the second mechanic was writing up the paper work and we went to the office. He had 3 job sheets he had written up. He gave the lady 2 worksheets for the job and the lady said it would be $550 for the job. She then went to the boss who came in and grabbed the 3rd job sheet and was adjusting the bill.

As mentioned I am happy to pay and the business was great to deal with, I am not sure whether I was charged for the extra work done to rectify the first mechanics stuff up. The job was done properly and finshed when I picked it ip.

I may ring another mechanic in Katherine and get a quote and go from there.

Mark
Thanks for the clarification.
How long where you there on Tuesday?
The charge is for 5 of labour to remove the box, strip, clean inspect and partially rebuild.
Wednesday is a further 4 hours so say 8:00 till lunch time to finish the rebuild, fit, clean & road test.

Google found a couple of hours to fit the seal kit.
I could not find remove and refit times so I'd guess 4 hours( been a few years since I spanered full time).
9 hours looks excessive to me for labour but it could have taken a while to drop the pitman arm off.
Maybe ask for the job sheets to be double checked against the invoice.
The other thing is if you where waiting Tuesday they must have thought it was a day job so again 9 hours seems wrong.

Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: Gohard on June 18, 2016, 08:05:26 PM
The car went in Tuesday and one mechanic who was working on it damaged the shaft. So a new seal kit was ordered which they advised I would not pay for.


In the first sentence you said that the mechanic damaged the shaft???
 
Did they not perhaps want you to pay for a "new"shaft.

 
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: McGirr on June 18, 2016, 08:36:04 PM
Yes the first mechanic damaged the shaft seal on the pmer steering box.The first mechanic said he could try and fix the damage he done as I think he was an apprentice and the second mechanic was not happy with what was done. Hence he second mechanic approached me with the issue. He must have told the first mechanic to stop any further work on the steering box. This was at 12.00pm and he started working on the car at 8.00am. So 4 hrs work on Tuesday. It did not take long for what i saw to take the steering box out.

Further quotes will tell me what it should take to do the job.

Mark
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: Bird on June 18, 2016, 08:37:45 PM
he ****ed it.. why are you payin anything?
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: moose2367 on June 18, 2016, 08:48:59 PM
They have charged you the labour for doing the job twice.  You shouldn't be paying for their stuff up and having to redo the job.

I used to do them and pumps regularly, it's less than that for a change over unit. 

Where abouts in K-Town are they, i lived there for a few years, might know if they're dodgy
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: oldmate on June 18, 2016, 09:48:50 PM
When getting quotes you don't want dollar value you want number of hours, that by his rate is the fair amount.
X2.
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: McGirr on June 18, 2016, 10:01:05 PM
They have charged you the labour for doing the job twice.  You shouldn't be paying for their stuff up and having to redo the job.

I used to do them and pumps regularly, it's less than that for a change over unit. 

Where abouts in K-Town are they, i lived there for a few years, might know if they're dodgy

B&K Mechanical

Mark
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: moose2367 on June 18, 2016, 10:17:08 PM
Hmm, been a few years now.  Are they down in the industrial area, right hand side on the bend as you drive in?  Pretty sure that is them, my old boss had his cars serviced there, they did miss a few things, regularly.
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: johnmm on June 18, 2016, 10:41:41 PM
Hi Mark,

Only just read about your issues, can't add too much but if you need a hand or something else I live in Katherine East. Let me know if I can help, or you need a tool etc.

Regards
John
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: McGirr on June 18, 2016, 11:05:43 PM
Hi Mark,

Only just read about your issues, can't add too much but if you need a hand or something else I live in Katherine East. Let me know if I can help, or you need a tool etc.

Regards
John

Thanks John. We have arrived at Peppimenarti  today and car is going well.

Mark
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: McGirr on June 18, 2016, 11:08:25 PM
Hmm, been a few years now.  Are they down in the industrial area, right hand side on the bend as you drive in?  Pretty sure that is them, my old boss had his cars serviced there, they did miss a few things, regularly.

Thats them. As mentioned they did a good job so not bagging them just shocked at the price.
Mark.
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: prodigyrf on June 19, 2016, 02:17:45 PM
So you've been charged 9 hours at $110/hr plus GST but bear in mind there are Dealers in Adelaide like Solitaire Motors that charge $150/hr plus GST, although the lad's mate got a VW Crafter van gearbox shift problem finally fixed for $1900 after being dicked around and sucked dry by the cheapies with no results. Make up your own mind with a recon when you search 'Toyota Landcruiser steering box' on ebay when a shaft for one can be over $600-
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xtoyota+landcruiser+steering+box.TRS0&_nkw=toyota+landcruiser+steering+box&_sacat=0 (http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xtoyota+landcruiser+steering+box.TRS0&_nkw=toyota+landcruiser+steering+box&_sacat=0)

You look at the price of a new Cruiser and then you decide if you can afford to own one that's wearing out, given the parts are priced accordingly. My take is you wants to play seriously off the tar you gots to pay and I quickly worked that out with the lad's previous Hiace van when they wanted $400 plus GST trade price for a fan belt idler pulley. Even the CBC bearing bloke apologised for the $69 for the oddball size bearing they ordered in for me to sort it.

You own a Toyota van or Cruiser and it's like buying forklift or commercial truck parts if you need anything beyond quick turnover spares and you pay labour charges accordingly. My take is if you can't see yourself writing off the new price of a particular vehicle in 10-12 yrs max nowadays, then you can't really afford that one.

Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: Footy Shorts Shane on June 20, 2016, 08:22:23 AM
They forgot to charge you for oil.
Title: Re: Any mechanics that can offer advice.
Post by: McGirr on June 20, 2016, 08:33:09 PM
They forgot to charge you for oil.

I had 2 bottles of steering fluid I gave them to use.

Mark