Mechanic thrashing my car? wtf???

[ltd]

Originally Posted by xa_jg66

one thing id like to point out to people who check there dte reading after picking up the car... idleing the car will send that figure through the roof faster than thrashing it so just bear that in mind. if the battery has needed to be disconnected for some reason the numbers will obviously change faster. if a coolant change has been done for instance then the car will be idled for around 5 mins to bleed the cooling system and 5 mins at 99L/100km will add to your dte reading.

Exactly true.

Just ask him who was driving your car because you saw it sideways picking up a woman etc. When he says he doesn't know or it wasn't him then tell him how angry it made you and that you are going to make a complaint because you didn't authorise your car to be treated that way. The most important thing is give him an out of the situation. Once he sympathises then you can let him offer to service it for free, or cancel your bill. Elude to the free stuff is he is stalling, and let him know that this sort of thing doesn't inspire you to bring it back.

[Cam]

well i pick up the car this afternoon, he called me about 6:30 last night to let me know it was done, i said i couldn't get there and he was like "no stress mate come get it tomorrow" and i sooo wanted to say "dont be using it as a F&@%ing taxi biarrrtch!"

Count down is on, 9 hours to go lol

[XR6Gal]

Just to say it again Cam...cause you know what I'm like! BE CALM when you talk to him about it, going off your nut at him isn't going to get you what you want, he will get his back up and the situation could potentially turn bad. Say what you need to say, hear his reply and walk away...never to return.

[DBourne]

good luck mate!!! i keep reading this thread hoping you have gotten the car and spoken to him! haha.

pics of said car?

[Peuty]

He will get his come-uppance.. Good luck Cam, hope it is all smooth sailing for you this arvo dude.

Daniel.

[Mental]

Originally Posted by ltd

Exactly true.

Just ask him who was driving your car because you saw it sideways picking up a woman etc. When he says he doesn't know or it wasn't him then tell him how angry it made you and that you are going to make a complaint because you didn't authorise your car to be treated that way. The most important thing is give him an out of the situation. Once he sympathises then you can let him offer to service it for free, or cancel your bill. Elude to the free stuff is he is stalling, and let him know that this sort of thing doesn't inspire you to bring it back.

This is BY FAR the best way to approach the situation, it is _extremely_ important in any potentially confrontational situation to allow the other party an open door. And that doesn't just mean a way to back out, it means a way to come forward as well. The key to this is mutual respect.

- Approach them as a friend, because then at no stage will you have the actual feeling or need to harbor physically threatening thoughts.

- Speak to them about WHY you are angry, not WHAT you are going to do about being angry, these are two VERY different things.

- Respect!! Respect them enough to believe without a doubt that they have the will, desire and capacity to step up and understand everything you are saying, and to sympathise with you and reach a mutually beneficial solution.

This achieves MANY very important things in reaching a beneficial solution for you both. By being their friend, you are also allowing them to be yours. By not harboring thoughts of physical violence, you are being angry without being a physical threat. By Speaking to them about why you are angry, you are not telling them what to do. And by respecting them as an equal human being, combined with all the above, you are challenging their beliefs and not their actions.

All of these things combined mean that they have all the doors open they need in order to come to the table as a willing party. In a win-win situation you both get what you want and you just made a new best friend : In a loose/loose situation, you just exposed a scumbag to both of you. And in reality, you can't loose in that situation either because you can now go somewhere that respects you.

[AUTickford]

You dont need forum advice just go to the cops,simple and easy.Or pick your car up and leave.

[Neeek]

Best of luck with the outcome, mate. I'd be intrigued to know how you go.

As Aunty Kristy (and others) said, don't lose your rag. Be matter-of-fact, don't let it turn into a shouting match and discuss the situation with your mechanic sensibly without raising your voice. I have found in the past that in confronting siutations, NOT raising your voice is very effective way to make progress. And if you do it right, it can almost scare them... he-he...

[Cam]

Not long to go now, the better half is coming with me and assured me that she wont let me go off my head, I've been threatened..... (Power of the Pussy, rofl)

[Ringo]

Originally Posted by fastfords-dot-org

Not long to go now, the better half is coming with me and assured me that she wont let me go off my head, I've been threatened..... (Power of the Pussy, rofl)

Good to have someone with you....you can play good cop / bad cop

[Cam]

hrmmm i have a problem, I got him to order some springs for my daily (mitsu scorpion). Now the Springs had to be custom made so they took 4 weeks, i really need them in the car but dont wanna wait another 4 weeks, but i dont wanna take the scorpion there, and as he has a scorpion rally car he will use them himself...

Gonna have to ponder this further

[robbie]

there are some seriously stupid responses in this thread... shows how much real life experience some people have had.

you need to speak to this guy face to face.. you will need to advise him on what you witnessed and I'm guaranteeing you that this guy will crap bricks.

if he doesnt want to budge and denys the whole thing, tell him you are going to report it to the police.. tell him you are going to sign a stat dec stating that you witnessed what he had done on public roads.

every mechanic needs their license... if he has a bad history (and I'm guessing he already does driving like this), then I'm pretty sure he will already have a crap load of demmerit points to his name! you never know, another fine might tip him over the limit and make him lose his license.. how will he operate his business?

think rationally.. people have been telling you to get even with him, for example "get a loan car and thrash the crap out of it".. you are just stepping down to his level.. not the best way to go about this situation

you are a customer, you know your rights as you have put a thread up in a public forum.. do the right thing and I can tell you know if will work out the best for you.

[tabletennisman]

These occurances happen at least once a week at the rather large mechanics we have next to us at work. Quite often we'll hear a nice V8 revving (to the limiter), then taking off with smoke pouring off the tyres! Have tried to catch it on video camera a few times but have always been to late. Have now got a camera on the front desk ready to hit record : It really is bad they feel right about thrashing their customers cars!

[HLC]

Originally Posted by Bucknaked

Was yours an ex-demo? I know a yard that had an F6 that the salesmen used to take out for a flogging. They even admitted it. At least their honest. :

This was some time ago

would that be titan ford at brookvale in syd? hahaha



the F6 that chief killed the clutch in?

[DJM83]

Not to make you feel bad Cam, i had my car serviced today. Well i reset trip meter before it went in. Walked over to pick her up car is at car wash getting engine clean gets back car is sparkling. They vacuumed it a the mechanic chamoied it tyre black etc etc. Ive always taken it there and it is always good service. And they didnt put it on cause i was there i left it the last time and it came out the same way. BTW trip metre had .8km on it. Fantastic service. Now my factory alarm has abit of water in it and is playing funny buggers : but that could have happened to me. Hope all goes well mate

[SNB05T]

there was a mechanic in newcastle a couple of years ago that did the same thing to customers cars where i used to to tae kwon do. a mate of mine (a copper) took his missus's car there for a service, we went to tkd training. hear a couple of dognuts being made in the carpark, my mate goes out to see the mechanic cutting loose in his missus's car and decides to go up and tell mechanic what he does for living after calling for a genral duties taxi ride.
last time i checked, the mechanic was'nt working there anymore

[schmidty]

Too much talk, no action.

Is it really that big a deal?

I probably give my car more of a hard time from daily use than it could get from any mechanic on a round the block hot lap. Who has NEVER given someone elses car a run for its money at some stage?

Personally couldnt care less who sinks the boot into my car, as long as it's not rediculous abuse.

[schmidty]

BUT

I would not be a fan of my ute being used as a taxi or courier service, thats what i'd be more concerned about. Moreso because you weren't asked. I couldnt care if my mechanic took my ute 200km to pick something up as long as i was asked and informed then agreed. just nice to be aske rather than find out by accident or through a 3rd party

[BAxtER]

Originally Posted by fastfords-dot-org

Oh and he is in Underwood QLD, They are Called "Icy Cool Car Care"

So anyone recommend a good mechanic in the Springwood area?

And no i haven't paid him for the work yet, and as for waiting for the the work to be done, I leave for work at 7am and get home at 5:30 when he closes..

I want him to hurry up and finnish my car so i can get it back and vent this anger!

I HAVE A GREAT PLACE FOR YOU!!

i go to GLENN VINE AUTOMOTIVE
unit3/308 BRADMAN st Acacia Ridge 4110

this guy is the best i know, hes taken care of my BA xt for everything
if i didnt have a car dealers extended warranty id even get the oil and filter change done there,
and his prices are very good!!.

PM me if you like and ill give you heaps more details of GLENN VINE, honestly you wont be dissapointed.
and he will pick you up and drop you off at your place, you might think acacia ridge is a bit far, its more at sunnybank hills border, follow compton rd all the way down till you get to beaudesert rd, and its a 2minute drive from that intersection, not far at all.

[paule11]

Originally Posted by Mental

This is BY FAR the best way to approach the situation, it is _extremely_ important in any potentially confrontational situation to allow the other party an open door. And that doesn't just mean a way to back out, it means a way to come forward as well. The key to this is mutual respect.

- Approach them as a friend, because then at no stage will you have the actual feeling or need to harbor physically threatening thoughts.

- Speak to them about WHY you are angry, not WHAT you are going to do about being angry, these are two VERY different things.

- Respect!! Respect them enough to believe without a doubt that they have the will, desire and capacity to step up and understand everything you are saying, and to sympathise with you and reach a mutually beneficial solution.

This achieves MANY very important things in reaching a beneficial solution for you both. By being their friend, you are also allowing them to be yours. By not harboring thoughts of physical violence, you are being angry without being a physical threat. By Speaking to them about why you are angry, you are not telling them what to do. And by respecting them as an equal human being, combined with all the above, you are challenging their beliefs and not their actions.

All of these things combined mean that they have all the doors open they need in order to come to the table as a willing party. In a win-win situation you both get what you want and you just made a new best friend : In a loose/loose situation, you just exposed a scumbag to both of you. And in reality, you can't loose in that situation either because you can now go somewhere that respects you.

thats whatyou should do always remain calm once you get angry its too easy to lose control

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by schmidty

Too much talk, no action.

Is it really that big a deal?

I probably give my car more of a hard time from daily use than it could get from any mechanic on a round the block hot lap. Who has NEVER given someone elses car a run for its money at some stage?

Personally couldnt care less who sinks the boot into my car, as long as it's not rediculous abuse.

Some people take more care of their car then you obviously. We dont care if you flog the crap out of your car, because it is 'yours' do what you want in it. If i ever drive any of my mates cars or anything like that i never thrash it i treat it like my own (never thrash my own car)

[Green X]

Walk in there and say mate, I have been thinking and I feel all my services should be for Free, and when he asks why?

Say> well I think if you are going to use my car to whip burnouts and pick up chicks wile you are meant to be fixing it, it's the least you can do !!!

[mcflux]

what's the verdict?

[schmidty]

Originally Posted by TE50 056

Some people take more care of their car then you obviously. We dont care if you flog the crap out of your car, because it is 'yours' do what you want in it. If i ever drive any of my mates cars or anything like that i never thrash it i treat it like my own (never thrash my own car)

I actually take exceptionally good care of my cars. take great pride in them, and they are very well serviced and maintained. My ute does about 70,000km per year, and is in pretty tidy condition for a 3 years old builders work ute. Only service with genuine parts or top quality aftermarket parts, the best oils and filters, and dont root around if anything needs doing to it. I do it straight away, and properly.

But i bought it to use, not to drive like a toyota prius. It's often over loaded and pushed to the limits, and hasn't skipped a beat. If i lent it to someone and they wrote it off tomorrow, so what, it's insured, would be inconvenient, but it's well covered and i'd go and buy a new one. It's not like it's a Phase 3 GTHO that i cant replace.

And like you said, if i borrow someone car i treat it like my own. I dont rape it for all its worth but i'll sure enjoy the drive, and i've got no shortage of people throwing their keys at me and trusting me with their cars and i make no bones about hiding the fact that i enjoy my driving. Most of the time if i have someone elses car it goes back to them cleaner and in better condition than when i got it.

[FORD3V]

Originally Posted by TE50 056

Some people take more care of their car then you obviously. We dont care if you flog the crap out of your car, because it is 'yours' do what you want in it. If i ever drive any of my mates cars or anything like that i never thrash it i treat it like my own (never thrash my own car)

Thrashing someone else's car is very disrespectful unless they are aware of it or sitting in the passenger seat,which is quite often the case.

What is the point of having a performance car if you dont give it a hiding every once in a while? And usually the point of driving a mates high powered car is to thrash it,so he can prove to you that his is faster than yours.

[schmidty]

Originally Posted by FORD3V

Thrashing someone else's car is very disrespectful unless they are aware of it or sitting in the passenger seat,which is quite often the case.

What is the point of having a performance car if you dont give it a hiding every once in a while? And usually the point of driving a mates high powered car is to thrash it,so he can prove to you that his is faster than yours.

True That

[Cam]

Ok so just got the car back..

I rocked up, had a chat about the work he'd done (speaking of which my car looks awesome slammed )

As i was walking into pay i said "oh mike, i saw you driving my car the other day after i dropped it off and was a bit P1ssed off" he said "oh why" and i go well i saw you hammer it up the street then leave 2 big blackies" he goes "oh ...ok where was that?" i ago " at the carpark for the bus stop" he goes "oh yeah, um yeah that was me" i interrupted him and said "mate i pay you to work on my car, not trash the Sh!t out of it while using it as a taxi service", he goes "yeah mate sorry, i'm not going to bullsh!t you" and i replied "well if you did mate i'd see you in court and you'd end up with the cops on your doorstep", he goes "yeah mate sorry, i had to go pick the misses up and i just couldn't help myself cuz i love driving the AU" So i replied "fair enough, that doesn't make it right though, would you let me take ur rally car for a shrap around the block a few times?" he said "yeah i see your point and i'm glad you approached me because you've always been a good customer and i dont want to lose you" so i said "well i still haven't decided if i'll ever return again but we'll see" Then i questioned him about if he crashed my car what would happen he replied well my insurance would cover it, so i said "for the price of a stock AU? or the price of my car with the stroker in it, interior, brakes etc is really worth?" he nodded and said "yeah never really thought of that". I told him that i had seeked advice from the consumer affairs but i had decided not to pursue it futher so i think he should be thankful.

We then continued to chat for a couple of mins while i (diplomatically) vented my anger..

So the end result was i got $100 off of my bill, and he is organizing to get some electrical gremlins fixed at another shop free of charge. And he has offered to take me for a spin in his rally car at one of the events coming up.

So although i am still annoyed i am happy with the result, he was genuinely sorry and really had no out as i really put him on the spot (oh, in front of another witness that was a mate of his) so he never really had any choice but to admit to it.

But all in all, a better outcome then if i went off my head, or screwed his missus as someone so cleverly suggested..

(you better be proud of me kristy )

[Tech Trainer]

Well done!

[svo347]

Good outcome mate...

[SNB05T]

nice one brother. a win win situation, you pointed out his stupidity without loosing your stack (be a hard thing for me to do as well ) and still kept him as a mate, and he admitted his mistake. shook hands and moved on.

proud of ya.
p.s let us know how the rally car ride goes yeah :