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Good evening all, potentially quite long-winded but bear with me...
I put my partner's Jimny in for MOT 12 days ago and it ended up failing on corroded brake pipes and a leaking shock absorber, we weren't too fussed as its a 17 year old car after all. Garage gave an estimate of around £300 all in to fix and to be done by the following Wednesday.
Wednesday rolls around and we end up not hearing anything at all from the garage, granted I could've chased them up but we have another car and I don't finish work till after they close anyway.
Thursday lunchtime, garage owner calls to say that their estimate was off to the tune of 5 hours labour because apparently the brake pipes are "the wrong way round". Fair enough, the £300 was an estimate and not a quote and I appreciate that a ladder chassis-ed(spelling?) vehicle might have it's own idiosyncrasies. "Oh and the car was missing a wheel nut and we destroyed another one trying to take it off, we'll have to get new ones in for Friday." OK, bit odd that the missing wheel nuts weren't flagged in the failed MOT report, but I agree to the work under the assumption that the car'll be ready by Friday.
As I say, it's my partner's car and she was a bit put out over the mounting costs. She rang the garage back to get a more accurate quote which arrived at around £450.
Mid afternoon Friday, not having heard anything my partner rings the garage and it turns out that the wheel nuts ordered in aren't correct for the original optional alloys, apparently the nuts can only be obtained from Suzuki themselves and that he'll contact them the following Monday.
The following week, hardly any communications from the garage owner only a call saying that he'll speak to his "alloy wheel guy" and that Suzuki had discontinued the part. I am inclined to believe this because I can't find a wheel nut like it online and the local motor factors are equally stumped.
Fast forward to today, got a phone call basically saying to source the nuts myself, oh and by the way the MOT retest is this Friday and he'll not put an MOT on a car missing two wheel nuts. Fair enough it's his livelihood at stake, just annoyed that they missed it during the initial MOT.
I think the only option is to get some steel wheels that accept standard wheel nuts and just suck up the costs. Just a bit peeved that if the car had passed the MOT, then it would be driving around with a wheel nut missing with them having failed to spot it.
Sorry for the rant (i'm grumpy and tired, opinions welcomed.
Get some nuts from a breaker?
wouldnt a set of locking wheel nuts do the job loads on ebay
Try ebay, there seem to be plenty.
As above, eBay or a breaker. The Jimny is a popular car with a strong following, even a Suzuki/4x4 forum or facebook group should be able to turn up something, and it's a lot easier than sourcing a new set of steel wheels and wheel nuts.
Thanks for the suggestions guys, will try the breakers first thing tomorrow.
If the vehicle has wheel covers, the tester will not see the missing nuts as they are not allowed to remove said covers.
Not sure about brake pipes being wrong way round as they are made up from a length of pipe and ends, so it doesn't make sense. The fittings on the flexi pipes and calipers/pistons can't be altered. Unless someones put the flexis on wrong before and made the pipe fittings to suit.
Mine is due in the morning so fingers crossed.
Does the garage owner wear a Stetson?
You need a new garage.
Give my mate a call. He runs a garage that specializes in Jimneys. They do alot oof wheel and tyre upgrades and 'might' have spare wheel nuts knocking about.
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<div>07748 304836.- Rosewood Automobiles. Sussex based but he may be able to pop them in the post. Probably best to ring during business hours.</div>
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£15 for 20 first hit on ebay:
Mot testers do miss things , I had my other half’s golf moted the other week and it passed even though I’d forgotten it needed a number plate bulb and a front side light bulb.
But id be asking more about the pipes being the wrong way round.
You are being taken for one massive ride..
This place isn't far from me and is a used Jimny specialist. May be worth seeing if they can help. If needs be I'd be happy to collect and post the parts if available.
I’d be more pissed about the brake line bull shit!!!
What a a load of crap!
piece of cake to swap the pipes over, nice and simple, take them off and replace one at a time.
I've started getting my car MOT'd at the local council depot. Costs more for the MOT but less likely to fail for retarded things looking for business as they don't carry out any repairs themselves.
Wheel nuts from ebay or a breaker. Check if you need radius or taper.
As for the flexis, on a 17 year old car there is a high chance the nut on the hardline will be corroded to the hardline and twist it when you try and undo it from the flexi. If I was quoting to replace them I would give you a best case (straight replacement and bleed) and a estimated worst, eg new lines to the master cylinder, including labour for dropping anything for access, possible can of worms though as other things you need to remove can have corrosion issues as well.
Sounds like poor communucation, problems happen, its how you deal with them as a business that can make/break it.