[Falcon_XR6]

Does any one know of any honest and trustworthy car repair shops around the Waikanae area that they would be prepared to recommend?
Up to now my experience has been (and I have been told this happens a lot by some of our Kiwi friends) if you walk in with a UK accent then you walk out with a $2000 bill. This has happened twice to us, with the usual "well it was wore than we first thought" ... "when we started work on it we found...blah, blah, blah" and all the other lame excuses usually used by mechanics to get the price up. One actually said to me "this must be really cheap for you with the dollar to pound exchange rate the way it is." and promptly gave me a bill for $1850 when his verbal quote was "Oh... around seven hundred dollars to sort that out"...
Then when we picked up the car the rear wing and rear door of the car had been hit and pushed in and when I asked just what the hell had happened to the wing and door I got " it must have been like that when it was dropped off, It didn't happen here "...
Well it's my wifes car and it wasn't like that when it was dropped off but we have no proof.

My XR6 went in for a WoF and needed $2000 spending on it to get it "up to standard", the front brakes, I was told, were dangerous and the car couldn't be driven... needs new rotors, new pads (and surprise, surprise) " Oh, and your callipers were all seized up and needed stripping down and freeing off... that took the best part of a day"....$375 for renewing the filters and flushing the auto box that I was told it badly needed or it could get costly if it was left (they just decided, out of the goodness of thier hearts, to check it for me while they had it in apparently a good job they did 'cause it's in " a hell of a state")... and it is a low mileage car in nice condition (I had it checked over and reported on before purchase less than 12 months ago, and I doubt it has gone down hill that fast) and when you look at the state of some of the Kiwi owned vehicles that were in the same place for WoF's and being passed(!!!) most of them I would say were only fit for scrap, but they are WoF'd and back on the road for $38:50 or whatever the price is and I get charged two grand... and it felt no different when I got it back... If anything it was worse but when I took it back I just got the old " they are all like that, it'll be right when everything has bedded in".... 7,000km later and I am still waiting for it all to bed in.

So my car repair experience is the same as in the UK... a total rip-off.
or maybe I have just found 2 bad garages... who knows.

It turned into a bit of a rant.... Sorry about that, it wasn't meant to be one... but it is a subject I feel strongly about... I just hate being stitched up and being taken advantage of.

Rant over...

Or are main agents going to be a better bet for repairs?

Cheers

G

[JandM]

I seem to remember an old thread on this kind of subject, where the member sorted things out by going along to businesses he hadn't used before with his Kiwi father-in-law or neighbour to make darn sure he wasn't charged stranger's rates.

Garages are a special case, of course (though they CAN be honest, and get themselves good return custom if they are) - motor mechanics in my family have several times gone along with non-expert friends to check that the work and bill isn't 'loaded'.

Is there somebody around who could do either of these services for you?

[IanW99]

I was going to suggest you try Our New Business In Paraparaumu (http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=21750) but as your OH posted on that thread I assume that you already have?

I've only ever used the main dealers so far and they have been excellent.

Ian

[Falcon_XR6]

but as your OH posted on that thread I assume that you already have?
Ian

Didn't know she had posted on it, she didn't mention it.

I must admit, it took a long time in the UK to find an honest garage but I did and we used them for 20odd years... but they don't pick-up this far south:laugh

I do know that most of what they are billing for is quite possible to have been done (I did spend my first 4 years after leaving school working as and getting qualified as a mechanic but as you get older you reach a point where it is not fun doing it yourself any more) but it is the ability to check the work they have supposed to have done. Gearbox on XR6, no dipstick, so can't check by look or smell if the ATF is burnt or not... likewise can't check to see if it has in fact been replaced.
Yes, new rotors and pads were fitted but no way of knowing if they were good quality OEM or after market parts or cheap Chinese junk... I suspect the latter but have no way to know.

Exhaust needed welding... I can't see (or hear) any difference.

The car also developed a few odd electrical faults on its return which the garage could "have a look at" for me but "it could take a lot of time to find".

My wifes car came back with the rev meter working when it felt like. The guy said it needed a new sender unit at a few 100 $'s cost, and it worked perfecty until they had the gearbox out of it... but it was nothing they had done.

My XR6 stopped locking after I got it back, the locks went down and up and wouldn't stay down, I was told when I took it back that t could be costly to fix... I found that the passenger side lock button had been pushed in far enough to stop the mechanism engaging... a 2 second fix with a pair of pliers...

I think I will be using the main agents in future, they may initially look dearer but in the long run I think it will work out best, I have had enough of being a meal ticket for these back-street rip-off merchants.

Cheers

G

[miep]

If you want to use dealerships I would recommend using Stevens Ford in Lower Hutt. Good service and they call before they do anything to make sure you want it done and the car usually comes out feeling better than when it went in. Ask for a loan car when you book the appointment so you can leave it there without having to wait for it.
I do *not* recommend the ford dealer in welly itself, I think it's called Capital city, (IMHO) they are well known for finding more than they initially thought and their bills reflect this.
Alternatively use Brendon Motors on Taranaki st and walk to work from there. They also always call and have never done anything unneccesarily and are very pleasant to deal with.

Good luck!

[Falcon_XR6]

Thanks for the recomendation Miep, I will give them a try, it's a bit of a hike from Waikanae Beach but worth a go if they have loan cars.

Cheers

G

[IanW99]

...
I do *not* recommend the ford dealer in welly itself, I think it's called Capital city, (IMHO) they are well known for finding more than they initially thought and their bills reflect this.
...


I've used Capital City ford in Wellington city and also in Porirua without any problems so I wouldn't hesitate to use them again. They also have a branch in Paraparam so that might be easier to get to?

Ian

[Big Puku]

We've used Porirua Motors (in Porirua surprisingly!) for over 3 years and they have been excellent (always have a courtesy car available, and not ripped me off when they could have done!) - so much so I still take all our cars to be serviced there even though we now live in Upper Hutt!!

I personally wouldn't use main dealers if my car was outside of it's manufacturers warranty - hourly rates are too high, and their standards not always the greatest!

Matt

[Falcon_XR6]

Thanks for that, but once again Porirua is a fair hike from Waikanae, I was kind of hoping to find somewhere a little nearer.

Twice at two different "private" garages I have been charged $85 an hour which sounds way over the top to me, but I was told that that is the going rate round here. What is the hourly rate at Main agents then?
It seems that at least with a main agent you have the opportunity to contact the head office if you have some problem with the franchise that can't be resolved locally. As I have never been able to afford a new car (at least not the type of car I would drive) so have never had any manufacturers warranty to worry about through a main agent.

Cheers

G

[Big Puku]

Last time I was charged $65 per hour at the garage I mentioned - the only main dealer I've used here was just under $100 per hour.

[M-Squared]

I always tell them that if they find anything else "wrong", then they must contact me first, for permission to go ahead, and give me an updated quote, otherwise I will not pay for the extra work.

[Big Puku]

I always tell them that if they find anything else "wrong", then they must contact me first, for permission to go ahead, and give me an updated quote, otherwise I will not pay for the extra work.

Yup me too - a service/WoF is usually ~$200 - so I tell them to call me if it's going to be over $300!

[incredible hulse]

Try Dayal at Gold Coast - just opposite Pram station.

[Falcon_XR6]

Last time I was charged $65 per hour at the garage I mentioned - the only main dealer I've used here was just under $100 per hour.

We are obviously all in the wrong business (unless you run a garage that is).....


I always tell them that if they find anything else "wrong", then they must contact me first, for permission to go ahead, and give me an updated quote, otherwise I will not pay for the extra work.
I did tell them, but they always find something that "needs" replacing or that is "dangerous" that wasn't visible 'till what they were doing showed it up and it is always "It'll cost as much to do the job as it will to put it all back together and not do it and the car won't be drivable"
So what do you do, either say do it, pay and get you car back working or say don't do it, pay nearly as much and end up with a car that isn't working or drivable and end up having to take (tow/trailer) it somewhere else to be fixed at even more cost... 2 days labour at $85/hr soon adds up to a very big bill?
Devil <...........................> Deep Blue Sea.
Oh well......

Cheers

G

[jess]

We use Woodman Automotive in Waikanae on Parata St, and we've had no trouble.

[jess]

Sorry - Woodman Automotive is actually on Omahi St. :o

[victoria24]

seems to be a lot of fords about as well. are they cheap to service etc?

[victoria24]

what a plum i really am.. posted on the wrong car thread! anyway.. are fords as cheap to run as the jap stuff?

[Falcon_XR6]

Woodman Automotive on Omahi St. :o
Thanks for that Jess, I will give them a try.
As a matter of interest I took the XR6 to VTNZ on Kapiti road Param and it passed it's WoF no problem and as they don't do any repairs there, just do WoF's, then they have no reason to fail it just to get a few $'s from you, they were very fast as well, and you can tax/reg (whatever) your car there if required.

Cheers
G

[Falcon_XR6]

seems to be a lot of fords about as well. are they cheap to service etc?


anyway.. are fords as cheap to run as the jap stuff?

It depends entirely on what model you are comparing, 4cyl, 6cyl, 8cyl, turbo, non turbo, compact, full size etc.

The price initially looks higher from main agents but if they do what they quote for in the price that's fine but as I said, a lower initial price looks good but then all the "other thing" that miraculously appear to have gone wrong can cost you a shed load more in the long run.

A word of advice, don't be talked into buy anything with a CVT gearbox because "it's greener than a normal gearbox", unless you don't mind your bank account emptying when ever it goes wrong.

Cheers
G

[jess]

Thanks for that Jess, I will give them a try.


We just had our WOF done again at Woodman. No repairs needed. They accidentally overcharged us by a few dollars so we just received a check and apology letter from them, which was nice. But I believe they charge $85/hr for work.

[Falcon_XR6]

I'll give 'em a try the next time the XR6 or the Lantis need any repairs.

$85/hr seems to be the going rate at most places I have contacted with main agents being $85 to $100 / hour.
I still think that the local garages here charge over the top prices for their services and I really can't see "indigenous" Kiwi's (as opposed to immigrants) being charged, or be willing to pay, $85 an hour plus parts and GST for work being done on their cars.
In the UK I would expect to be charged well less than half the price at a local and reputable garage than at a dealership for the same standard of work and OEM parts.
On the other hand dealerships have a set price for a job both here and in the UK so price escalation from the initial quote is rare and I would expect them to use the correct manufacturers parts as opposed to fitting cheap, substandard Chinese imports to give them an even higher profit margin after pay-up time.

Cheers
G