RMweb Gold russ p Posted October 29, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 29, 2020 My ZT has just failing MoT with a hole in the sill. When I went into the garage, coastal MoT of sheringham who are excellent the chap said have you jacked this up recently? Then showed me the hole I recently had two Avons fitted at ATS as they were on sale. I don't normally use hell holes like these preferring to use independent places . After I had been there I noticed there was a pad missing so went back to see if it was there. He said it was missing when it came in . Didn't bother to tell me and raised the car on and odd lift with some strange metal blocks under the jacking points but I couldn't see the damaged side Halfway through they came in the waiting room with some mythical tale of wheel alignment issues but wouldn't let me see it as public aren't allowed in the fitting area so I declined. I've rang them but the staff who were on on Tuesday aren't in until tomorrow so I'm going to raise hell in there tomorrow I'm getting the sill patched by coastal as I need the car tomorrow but then get my bodysuit to do a proper job and try and get ATS to pay which maybe a long shot P...d me off that they come out c#ap about wheel alignment issues that don't exist and if I wanted wheels swapped front to rear the existing ones have to be balanced but genuine issues like missing jacking pads are missing 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simontaylor484 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 When i had a company car i had to take it to ATS they put 2 new tyres on. This was done on site when i went home it drove like it had square wheels i rang our foreman fitter, he rang me back to say the wheels hadnt been balanced due to the machine not working on the van. They hadnt told anybody just given the keys back. I had to go to the local depot to get the balance done the next morning. Shoddy service considering i worked for a transport company who used AtS exclusively for tyres. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Whilst not as bad your experience, my local tyre place told me my brakes were shot. I knew I was on warning for the pads from the previous service but I declined their offer of replacement as the car was soon to be in the Ford garage for the next service. Mentioned it to Ford, they said, still on amber no need to worry, it was another 12 months before I had to replace them. I barely trust tyre shops to change my tyres let alone be let loose on brakes and suspension. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernowtim Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 The car shouldn't by lifted by the sills but dents are more likely outcome than holes, which are often down to corrosion, usually from the inside out. Hopefully the tyre centre would know where the jacking points are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted October 29, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 29, 2020 Just now, kernowtim said: The car shouldn't by lifted by the sills but dents are more likely outcome than holes, which are often down to corrosion, usually from the inside out. Hopefully the tyre centre would know where the jacking points are! There are reinforced parts of the sill on the 75/ZT which have rubberised pads The metal blocks were very small but would have been fine on a pad bot they have pierced the sill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kernowtim Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 If they were having a quiet day you would have needed 4 tyres, shock absorbers and exhaust! 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Jacking points on a Rover75/MG ZT are built into the sills, and pads pushed up into the holes. The screw jack in the boot fits these pads. The pads do however fall out over time. Also -particularly on the rear - the area around the jacking point is one of the few places to to suffer corrosion, from the inside outwards, and a lot of the cars are now at the age where this is becoming apparent. I had my n/s/r one rebuilt by a specialist bodyshop only last year. My cars, since I started driving in 1967, have only been into a garage (including specialist centres), on a minimal number of occasions, as i do not trust garages; I was taught by my grandfather (who was in the trade prewar) to do my own work. Apart from Mot (tests only - not repairs), and the fitting of tyres, (and I've been known to do that myself!) I would think the number of garage visits would still be in single figures.... I am lucky with a local independent garage, of the old school, that I can turn to if I need him. But, although my kids all use him (including one from S.Yorks - 120miles!), I usually only use him for MoT & tyres. Stewart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Nick C Posted October 29, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 29, 2020 1 hour ago, woodenhead said: Whilst not as bad your experience, my local tyre place told me my brakes were shot. I knew I was on warning for the pads from the previous service but I declined their offer of replacement as the car was soon to be in the Ford garage for the next service. Mentioned it to Ford, they said, still on amber no need to worry, it was another 12 months before I had to replace them. I barely trust tyre shops to change my tyres let alone be let loose on brakes and suspension. I had the same with Toyota when my Avensis had to go in for a recall - a whole list of things that 'needed' to be done, including the brakes. Like yours, it was over a year before the brakes actually needed doing... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted October 29, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 29, 2020 The annoying thing is Stewart is the pad was definitely there on Saturday but obviously it had gone by Tuesday. I jacked it up yesterday but I moved the pad from the front to do so but didn't get right underneath when doing so . They should have come to me and said the pad was missing and asked for my opinion on what I wanted them to do as they aren't actually qualified mechanics and make decisions on things like that themselves or refused to lift the car until a pad was fitted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERS Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 Not a tyre centre but My Audi was in for it’s final contract service in Summer 2019 and they rang whilst it was in to say the front discs were over 75% worn, pads 85% and recommended changing both. In my book 75% worn means the discs still had a quarter of their life left and as the pads hadn’t triggered the wear indicator, I decided to leave those and let my local VW group specialist sort them. I checked the discs and the lip on the rim wasn’t as pronounced as I’d have expected so I just kept an eye on it. Time moved on and when it had to go in to a different dealer for warranty attention in January this year, they did the customary health check but the expected call about the brakes never came. Collecting it the following day, the discs were shown as 60% worn, pads 80% and the service advisor said I should expect it to need pads before it’s MOT....In October! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted October 29, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 29, 2020 5 minutes ago, RANGERS said: Not a tyre centre but My Audi was in for it’s final contract service in Summer 2019 and they rang whilst it was in to say the front discs were over 75% worn, pads 85% and recommended changing both. In my book 75% worn means the discs still had a quarter of their life left and as the pads hadn’t triggered the wear indicator, I decided to leave those and let my local VW group specialist sort them. I checked the discs and the lip on the rim wasn’t as pronounced as I’d have expected so I just kept an eye on it. Time moved on and when it had to go in to a different dealer for warranty attention in January this year, they did the customary health check but the expected call about the brakes never came. Collecting it the following day, the discs were shown as 60% worn, pads 80% and the service advisor said I should expect it to need pads before it’s MOT....In October! A lot of the motor trade seems be geared up to scare the $hit out ot Mr and Mrs average motorists and baffle them with cr@p and get them to to pay for repairs and replacements that are not required When I asked to see the the results of mythical miss alignment of my wheels i was told I was not allowed in fitting bay and this idiot showed me my front tyre through the window and there was absolutely nothing wrong. I asked him if they normally served people who never go round corners! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium polybear Posted October 29, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 29, 2020 3 hours ago, russ p said: I've rang them but the staff who were on on Tuesday aren't in until tomorrow so I'm going to raise hell in there tomorrow I'm getting the sill patched by coastal as I need the car tomorrow but then get my bodysuit to do a proper job and try and get ATS to pay which maybe a long shot A formal letter by registered post with the bill attached, followed if needed by a small claims summons should do the trick - the cost of them defending it would no doubt exceed the amount being claimed even if they did win; the risk of losing and the bad publicity wouldn't be worth the risk for them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted October 29, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 29, 2020 13 minutes ago, polybear said: A formal letter by registered post with the bill attached, followed if needed by a small claims summons should do the trick - the cost of them defending it would no doubt exceed the amount being claimed even if they did win; the risk of losing and the bad publicity wouldn't be worth the risk for them. To have the repair done properly won't be cheap and the fact I've lost a days work tomorrow will be well over 500 quid and possibly a grand . I don't want to see anyone sacked but at the end of the day they messed up although I would describe it a bit stronger! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 And I thought it just our tyre centres in the good ole' US of A! What happened to the famous British honest fair play? Brian. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted October 30, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 30, 2020 11 hours ago, brianusa said: And I thought it just our tyre centres in the good ole' US of A! What happened to the famous British honest fair play? Brian. I think its the world over Brian, they even stitch Homer up in the Simpsons 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete the Elaner Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 13 hours ago, russ p said: A lot of the motor trade seems be geared up to scare the $hit out ot Mr and Mrs average motorists and baffle them with cr@p and get them to to pay for repairs and replacements that are not required When I asked to see the the results of mythical miss alignment of my wheels i was told I was not allowed in fitting bay and this idiot showed me my front tyre through the window and there was absolutely nothing wrong. I asked him if they normally served people who never go round corners! I agree. I had to visit a dealer like this once because they were open on Sundays. Every customer was told they had something wrong & the car would be dangerous if it was not corrected. I recognised the same mechanic at a better workshop about a year later. He just got on with the job asked & did not try to sell anything unnecessary. Over tightening wheel bolts is something which annoys me, but they are not all bad. A few years ago, I found a tyre dealer who did impress me. They fitted a set of tyres to wheels I just had refurbished & made a point of reminding me to re-check the bolt torques after 50 or so miles & added that it was particularly important with my wheels because the paint may still be a little soft. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RedgateModels Posted October 30, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 30, 2020 (edited) On 30/10/2020 at 11:16, Pete the Elaner said: Over tightening wheel bolts is something which annoys me, but they are not all bad. Don't get me started. A so call Subaru specialist windy gunned my wheelnuts on so hard I had to hammer a smaller sacrificial socket on the get the thing off. When I complained he just fobbed me off with "it's a new gun and calibrated to 90NM" Save to say I've never ventured Grantham way again .... Edited July 12, 2022 by RedgateModels 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Torper Posted October 30, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 30, 2020 I went into ATS a couple of years ago for couple of tyres and was then told by the mechanic that there was a fault (I can't remmber exactly, but I think it was with the drive shaft) that needed urgent attention. He gave me a quote for over £200. I declined and took the car to my own garage. There, an inspection revealed "the problem" to be a leaking seal which was easily replaced, I think without charge. Disappointing, as prior to that I'd had perfectly good dealings with ATS. Conclusion - don't let a tyre centre do any work other than fitting tyres. And anyway, how do you know that they're qualified to do any additional work? DT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted October 30, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 30, 2020 2 minutes ago, RedgateModels said: Don't get me started. A so call Subaru specialist windy gunned my wheelnuts on so hard I had to hammer a smaller sacrificial socket on the get the thing off. When I complained he just fobbed me off with "it's a new gun and calibrated to 90NM" Save to say I've never ventured Grantham way again .... My father always kept a length of pipe in the car for more leverage to remove tight wheelnuts. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 13 hours ago, brianusa said: And I thought it just our tyre centres in the good ole' US of A! What happened to the famous British honest fair play? Brian. I discovered my car had a flat tyre last year, so I changed to the spare but then drove to our local tyre fitters to get the flat one replaced. He told me they couldn't do it on the spot, and they now had a strict booking system. I booked a slot for the next day. There seemed to be only one chap doing all the work, which might explain the lack of fitting-while-you-wait services. Anyway I went back the following day, gave him the flat tyre out of the boot and he wandered off for a while, then came back with it all fully inflated saying it was just a faulty valve which he had replaced; and flatly refused to charge me anything. There are still a few honest fair play outlets around. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbishop Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Three years ago the Yeti passed the MOT but I was advised to replace a couple of tyres. So into ATS next week, no mention of MOT, tyres were replaced but the mechanic told me the brake pads were dangerous and, unless replaced, he would report the car as dangerous to the DVLA. Smelling the proverbial rat, I declined. So ATS lost a customer there and then, and my garage recommends the pads are replaced at the next service. Bill 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 A friend of my son's worked at a local very popular and respected garage. Fully qualified MOT tester he always gave fair and proper assessments of all vehicles, completely backed up by the boss. If it didn't need anything it wasn't reported as needing anything. The boss, who was getting on a bit, decided it was time to sell up and retire so sold the business to a local 'fast fit do everything' type of outfit. Once the new 'boys' took over every test he did and found no fault was questioned. After a couple of weeks of this and being told to find fault with a well known loyal customers car which was always meticulously maintained he packed up his tools there and then and walked out! This same company took on a building beside my wife's church, and cut down trees without permission so that their premises could be seen better. Wouldn't go near them with a barge pole! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted October 30, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted October 30, 2020 I collected the car from coastal mot in sheringham and they have done a proper job and the repair is not visible It isn't rotten so God knows what happened at ats to make the hole. I went back to ATS and complained and obviously they denied everything and I demanded to speak to the area manager and was told he didn't take calls so I said fine I'm off today I'll stay here and tell every single customer what you have done. A bloke came in and I said to him don't bring your car here mate they have wrecked mine! He walked out then they got the area manager on the phone I've told him what happened and submitted a full report about incorrect lifting etc with pictures so will see what happens next 5 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simontaylor484 Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 People power does work still then im glad to see 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickstart Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Years ago I had a battery fail under warranty from a major chain of motor factors. Took it with me to swap it for a replacement. They insisted on checking the charging on the car, despite the car they insisted on checking not being the car the battery had been fitted to. And proclaimed that it was the charging system the battery had never been attached to was why the battery had failed........ But at least they replaced it! All the best Katy 2 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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