Any mechanics that can offer advice.

[McGirr]

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

[Alien]

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?

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

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.

[Cruiser 105Tvan]

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?

[McGirr]

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

[D4D]

Based on your explanation and what is on the receipt, I'd only be paying 1/2 the labour...

[barnray]

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

[McGirr]

Unfortunatly, I nevet got a quote being time poor as we had to get to our next job.

Mark

[barnray]

As I said the Boss fiddled the invoice.

[TonyF8]

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.

[glenm64]

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

[barnray]

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

[Nomad]

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

[Alien]

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.

[McGirr]

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

[Bird]

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

[Burnsy]

When getting quotes you don't want dollar value you want number of hours, that by his rate is the fair amount.

[Alien]

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.

[Gohard]

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.

[McGirr]

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

[Bird]

he ****ed it.. why are you payin anything?

[moose2367]

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

[oldmate]

When getting quotes you don't want dollar value you want number of hours, that by his rate is the fair amount.

X2.

[McGirr]

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

[moose2367]

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.