£789 misdiagnosis at Halfords Autocentre

[mike.doneghan]

I took my Ibiza TDI PD130 1.9 FR to Halfords Autocentre as it was making a strange clicking/rattling noise when slowing down, and also when i engaged reverse gear with the handbrake on and lifted the clutch (I previously posted a thread titled "clicking noise when slowing down and lifting clutch when stationary" about this). They diagnosed it as a problem with the dual mass flywheel, and carried out the rather expensive repair work, including a replacement clutch.

When I collected the car, the clicking/rattling/vibrations were still apparent, identical to when I dropped it off. I returned the car to them, and was told that they had sent the car to a gearbox specialist, and that they would return the car to them to troubleshoot.

This morning I visited said gearbox specialist who already had my car, and demonstrated the issue to them. They conceded that this wasn't a DMF/clutch issue causing the rattle.

Halfords Autocentre have just called me to say the gearbox specialist think it's a misfire problem, and that they can send it to a diesel specialist on Monday. I pointed out to them that they have just charged me £789 for work which did not solve the issue I asked them to fix, and that I would like a refund. They have said that because the DMF needed replacing, there 'will be no refund'. It's possible that it needed replacing, but the car wasn't having any of the typical DMF issues which others have mentioned here, and regardless I asked them to fix a different problem.

Where do you think I stand with this?

 

[R3k1355]

Technically since the work has been done you've gotta pay for something.

from the sounds of it they didn't have a clue what the issue was and were stabbing around in the dark, regardless if you've agreed to it you are in a bind.

You should have taken it to a specialist, it could be something quite simple and cheap.

 

[mike.doneghan]

I'll contact the CAB on Monday since they can offer trading standards advice and I'll post what they tell me here in case it's useful for anyone else in the future.

The mechanic who diagnosed there problem heard it and instantly came to there conclusion that it was the flywheel, he was convinced of it.

Given that the source of the noise was uncertain, I'm not sure what type of specialist I should have taken it to, other than a mechanic.

 

[RUM4MO]

This is the problem with taking your car to a place that is owned by a gas company or the AA! These places are masters of nothing unfortunately, as said taking it to a SEAT dealer or a VAG indie would have been the preferred route!
I would have hoped that a proper garage would have understood what fault symptoms you were wanting fixed, though not every diagnosis is 100% - only as good as the customer's description and the garages interpretation of the described fault.
I'm sure that a lot of people have been in your unfortunate position, but would you now trust this place to get to the route of your reported problem - probably not, as you have said maybe the DMF was "kind of" faulty as well as your other issues, so no money back I'd guess.

 

[Dan FR]

You've asked for a diagnosis and they've told you the clutch needed doing, you agreed to this. From a trading standards perspective you don't have a leg to stand on. Unless you have something in writing to confirm that they have quoted you a price to resolve a specific rattle/noise etc. then there really is nothing you can do

Also, in future DO NOT go to a big chain place like KwikFit or Halfords for diagnosis work.... They have hard sales targets to hit and get big bonuses as a result of hitting them.... All they care about is getting as much work off you as possible

 

[mike.doneghan]

I've been using central Audi VW (an independent) for years but sometimes work commitments mean I have to go where is nearby. Not so sure about the dealers, they are expensive and can still lack expertise. It was the gear box specialist who diagnosed the misfire problem, so since he isn't an engine expert I presume basic mechanic skills should have sufficed, presuming he is right. I think he may well be though, I thought it sounded like any engine problem, but I was told otherwise so presumed they knew what they were talking about.

I reproduced the problem for them at their garage so they had as good a description as the problem as they were ever going to get. Was the DMF faulty? Well I've now listened to examples on you tube and mine didn't have any of those distinctive symptoms.

I'll see what TS advice I get on Monday, but it seems peculiar that a garage can do this. Otherwise they could theoretically deliberately mislead customers and advice them to have expensive and unnecessary work done without any come back.

 

[mike.doneghan]

You've asked for a diagnosis and they've told you the clutch needed doing, you agreed to this. From a trading standards perspective you don't have a leg to stand on. Unless you have something in writing to confirm that they have quoted you a price to resolve a specific rattle/noise etc. then there really is nothing you can do.

They have acknowledged that I was asking them to diagnose and repair the rattle, and they have conceded that they made a mistake. I'll have to wait and see what happens.

 

[Arkaig]

Did you actually tell them to go ahead with the repairs? Did they contact you in between you dropping it off and having to pay the bill?

It's often a good idea to make it known when you hand the car in that you're only after an initial diagnosis then you will take it from there. Some garages may charge a small fee for this, others will do it on good faith that you will use them for the required work. Either way if the diagnosis sounds bull or too expensive you can always walk away.

As said the big chains (and some small ones) will happily swap all the parts under the sun if you let them, or if you don't specifically stop them. I recently took my car to Kwik Fit for a £7 wheel balancing as it was nearby, and they insisted on doing a full safety check and then tried to tell me I needed all sorts of stuff done which I know is complete bull. You can go in for a puncture repair and then watch the mechanic check your suspension, oil, brake discs etc. desperately trying to sell you something.

Good garages will discuss everything with you before doing any work anyway, and give you an estimate.

Noises are difficult to troubleshoot as to one person a clicking is a banging, and another it's different again. If you can upload a video to youtube it might help us get to the bottom of it.

 

[R3k1355]

I'd be especially wary of a place that was so quick to identify DMF failure but then had to farm the work out as they couldn't do it themselves.

 

[DavieTDI]

as soon as you agree to work being carried you no longer have any rights. if they can prove that the part did need replacing and you gave the go ahead then its on you.