Some mothers do 'ave 'em.

alan s · Post by **alan s** » 17 Apr 2003, 05:17

Talking to a board regular off list & discussing strange diagnosis that we have experienced over the years, sometimes by people driving who in reality should be walking, whilst at other times by those who should know better & could cost you a fortune rectifying their mistakes; even though you've possibly already paid them to screw it up in the first place.[V][V]
Here was my story:
There's no figuring the logic is there?
The reason I say that is that as you know, the knowledge base on
Citroens for any servo/grease monkey not directly associated with
Citroens in Oz is almost non existent, but get this;
I was needing some LHM so thought I'd do the rounds as a servo who used to be in town & sold BP once got a 20 litre drum for me. Rang around with no luck & then decided to try a BP servo, the only one now in Town but who is usually so dear as to not be worth the effort. It's attached to a mechanical workshop so I thought "maybe???"
In I strut with remnants in a small bottle of Castrol brand LHM and
asked if they had any."Watzit4?" came the predictable response; I explain what it is (viz). A mineral based hydraulic oil. They disappear into the storeroom only to reappear with a look of sheer delight on the face. "There you are.....for
a while I didn't think we were going to be able to help ya.......Take yer pick!!"
There standing in front of me is (a) A bottle of green hydraulic brake fluid and (b) A container of radiator coolant!
I explain again that this is not what I'm after & the purpose that it
serves in a Citroen is....."But...but....these have got to be the same stuff" they retort..."just look at them....they're the same colour!!"
Naturally, I didn't take them up on their kind offer, but guess what???
Somebody in Sydney wasn't quite so lucky with his BX and according to
someone I know who has seen photos of the aftermath...you've never seen such a mess in tour life, particularly the front struts.[:I][:0]
Alan S
I could probably write a book on stories like this but I was wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences?[:D][:D]

mbunting · Post by **mbunting** » 18 Apr 2003, 03:19

Only making the mistake of taking my Xantia to a Citroen Franchised Dealer for an MOT.
Came out with a list of faults, basically indicating the car had been in an almighty smash, and needed welding at the front ( which the contracted MOT garrage would do ).
Needless to say, I took it to a recommended MOT station, and he said all fine except the rear arm bearings. Sorted, and passed !
The citroen quote was £900 ex tax. I dread to wonder if anyone has fallen for that !

FFX-DM · Post by **FFX-DM** » 23 Apr 2003, 21:44

or the guy from the "well known high street tyre and exhaust fitters" (phew! what a long analogy for Kwik Fit! [:D]) who sees a potential target.
Him (thinks) : Ah ha, a dim female!
Him (to me) : unless you pay us £££ to replace your very worn break pads I cannot guarantee that you will not have a serious accident on your way home, which could even prove fatal!
Me: that's funny, when I replaced them last week they looked fine to me!!

tomsheppard · Post by **tomsheppard** » 23 Apr 2003, 22:14

Yes, the same outfit diagnosed severe oil leakage on one of the 6 month old bilstein gas shocks on my Saab and changed them without my permission and they couldn't find the old bits!. Quick call to trading standards spoilt their day.

Rich · Post by **Rich** » 24 Apr 2003, 02:54

Hello peoples,
I took my Xantia to a Citroen dealer in September of last year for it's 12,500 mile/12 month service (it's a HDi model) they told me that the front brake pads were 75% worn. Hmmmmmm, that's strange, as i had the wheels off myself shortly after that service and they were nowhere near 75% worn. What's more, i serviced my brakes myself last weekend and they are still not worn 75%!![:D] They must think i came down in that last shower of rain![:o)][:D] The same dealer did an MOT test on my dads Xantia a couple of years back and they advised us that the drop links were noisy and very worn, funny; i could not find any wear/noise at all and two years on it has just sailed through it's MOT first time at an independent garage. They could not even find anything to advise us about.[:D] Not bad for nine years old and 110,500 miles.[:D] If my HDi lasts that well i'll be a happy dude![:D][^]
Cheers, Rich. (Xantia Exclusive HDi)

Homer · Post by **Homer** » 03 May 2003, 03:37

A long time ago I changed the front brake pads on my car (a Fiat 128, which tells you how long ago) then popped down to the local Tyre, brake n exhaust place for a set of new front tyres.
Imagine my suprise when the mechanic told me my pads were worn out.
Needless to say I didn't take him up on his offer to replace them.

CIT · Post by **CIT** » 13 May 2003, 00:23

Places these days try their best to screw the customer even the tech's try to earn a bonus out of the poor old punter.Most manufacturers these days have reduced their labour times so that can quote low running costs.
So these places in turn decide to screw Fred bloggs in any which way they can.