Are garages CRAP?

andycarter · Unread post by **andycarter** » 18 Jan 2010, 13:26

A couple of other obvious reasons why the pilot light might go out that I don't think have already been said:

Lack of oxygen
Lack of gas (supply pipework not purged)

But I expect the pro's would have checked all this.

boristhespie · Unread post by **boristhespie** » 18 Jan 2010, 17:47

Not sure if the boiler has been cleaned internally. We have been in the house 2 years and never had the boiler cleaned.

I had thought flow of gas may be problem but I think the last BG geezer checked pressure with guage thing.

This is amazing you guys know everybloodything.

Unread post by **myglaren** » 18 Jan 2010, 20:31

Boiler should be serviced and cleaned yearly. It is amazing the amount of ash that builds up inside them.

As the others have said if your heat exchanger is sooted up that could give rise to problems but I think the pilot light is a separate issue.

rmunns · Unread post by **rmunns** » 18 Jan 2010, 21:42

Boris, British Gas won't exist for many more years. Everyone will have gone eco and installed air-source heat pumps for their eating.

Citroenmad · Unread post by **Citroenmad** » 18 Jan 2010, 21:51

We must have one of the most unreliable boilers there is, its hopeless. Almost every few weeks during winter it breaks down and we have to have someone from British Gas to come and sort it out. Just last month it needed £950 worth of bits and servicing. Luckily we have that warranty cover thing and it gets serviced every year.

There seems to be a lot whch can go wrong on them and ours frequently does. We're on first name terms with the engineers and even have their mobile numbers! Its really that bad, its not very old either but aparently known for being a very bad model which was phased out quickly.

They do get sooted up very quickly though, ours evern starts pouring soot out of the bottom when it becomes too bad, and its serviced yearly. So that might be whats going wrong with yours.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 18 Jan 2010, 21:53

This thread has wandered somewhat

Garages to gas boilers

That must be some kind of record!!!

Xac wrote: Jim and I replaced Cassy's head when one of the journals got damaged out in the road.
It did mean a few "interesting" late night conversations with passing local drunkards.

Happy days and great memories Xac

Not only did we do the head outside your house, what about Juliet's heater matrix?

That dead body in the hedge incident will be in my memory for a long time. I'll let you tell that tale....

I can make no comment in this thread as the only garage I use is the one by the side of my house. The very last time I used a garage for my own car in anger was in 2003 when my 405 failed its MOT on lower swivel joints and I was in the middle of moving house.

Same 405 developed a leaky steering ram the following winter and I took it to a garage for a quote to have it done. £660

No way. Despite the snow I did it myself for the cost of the ram and never looked back. Only time my cars see a garage is it MOT time.

And most of my work is carried out on my driveway. I have a garage but only a small pedal car would squeeze in there...

Xaccers · Unread post by **Xaccers** » 18 Jan 2010, 22:08

And Juliet's radiator.
After filling her with just water to test for leaks one night, Danielle and I had a visit from one of said drunkards.
He couldn't understand why I was draining the water out of the system to then fill with coolant, we gather he thought water was all you needed!
His mobile went and his girlfriend was calling him saying she'd won karaoke singing "their" song and asked him to name it (the evil cow!).
After four failed attempts to get the right answer, she told him and sounded rather angry.
He'd also told us about getting his ex pregnant whilst being with his current girlfriend.
We expect to see him somewhen on Jeremy Kyle!

handyman · Unread post by **handyman** » 19 Jan 2010, 00:14

This has got to be one of the weirdest threads on here in a long time. Crap garages to gas boilers to pregnant ex-girlfriends.

When do we get onto the chicken's lip?

Can I hear a snipping sound yet?

Handyman

addo · Unread post by **addo** » 19 Jan 2010, 06:19

Life at an indy - a snapshot of two days; one mechanic, one apprentice and myself (the hacker)...

Toyota troopy - front rotors, pads (sublet job)
Ashtray - cambelt (sublet, from same garage)
Mazda 323 - 4×new gas struts
Delica - new windscreen and sundry rego (MOT) items
C class - sundry bulbs, rego inspection, tyres, alignment (this outsourced)
Jetta - thermo housing and #$%#@$%@!# auto trans quadrant light bulb
Alfa - code scans, windscreen aperture prep, screen prep
Camry - don't recall why, but there had to be one there at some point!
Forester - wiring repairs after panel shop
Toyota people mover - road test and diagnose
Mazda ute - PAS hoses by mobile van, fluids, filters, full degrease

Customer dropoffs/pickups
Parts runs

We didn't do any gas boilers!

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 19 Jan 2010, 06:47

addo wrote: We didn't do any gas boilers!

Or presumably get into any funny business with ex-girlfriends....

Busy day there Adam!

Handyman, yes a weird thread but all the same a good one. As I often say, I'm pretty laid-back about thread slippage.. The snip is a long way off yet.

The root problem with garages is that repairing cars is a skilled job. Skills cost money and if the public paid the real going rate for car work to be carried out by properly skilled mechanics and engineers, they could never afford or justify it.

Therefore, in the main, garages employ relatively lowly skilled people who cannot command high wages and thus allow the garages to charge what seems a reasonable rate to joe public. Quality suffers but then again, who is willing to pay say, £750 to £1.000, to have a clutch changed by a properly skilled and qualified person?

£200 from the local fast-fit bodgers seems far more reasonable to the public, even if the job is sub-standard and leads to complications later... In fact those complications a a nice little earner as the public are generally so easily hoodwinked into believing those complications arising from a bodge job are in no way related. Another £200 please...

The public wants it cheap, expects it cheap and so gets it cheap and therein lies the problem. Stuff any quality.

Mediocrity is ruling the day and it'll be the thing that sees us off.

Unread post by **Peter.N.** » 19 Jan 2010, 09:30

Ive just come off the 'vintage radio forum' Jim.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 19 Jan 2010, 10:07

Peter.N. wrote: Ive just come off the 'vintage radio forum' Jim.

Excellent

I must visit again and see if I'm still able to log in.

What's your forum name Peter?
I need to get a little advice as I'm have a bit of a problem with one of my Bush VHF81s....

handyman · Unread post by **handyman** » 19 Jan 2010, 10:07

Hi Jim, you have re-iterated exactly what I said earlier, the public gets the standard of service it deserves, as it pays by price not quality.

What I find amusing is that everybody is an 'expert' when it comes to car repairs and servicing and yet they are all willing to get hoodwinked when they shell out huge amounts of money on repairs to their houses or domestic appliances.

To paraphrase William Morris: "Buy cheap, buy twice."

Handyman

Pleiades · Unread post by **Pleiades** » 19 Jan 2010, 10:18

In conclusion then..

Some garages may well be crap.

But not half as bad as Gas boilers or old boilers (ex girlfriends)

Regards.
Martin.

HDI · Unread post by **HDI** » 19 Jan 2010, 10:27

handyman wrote: What I find amusing is that everybody is an 'expert' when it comes to car repairs and servicing and yet they are all willing to get hoodwinked when they shell out huge amounts of money on repairs to their houses or domestic appliances.

There are a few off us that don't