Brad-325i 2 Report post Posted January 28, 2016 (edited) So here's the story....a long long story.... sorry in advance. The mrs took her 07 E39 in for a service @ Joshua Motors in Grey Lynn. The Air Bag light had also come on recently so she asked if they could use the diagnostic tool and see why. Also her brakes seemed like they had something really wrong with them and I thought it was leaking oil so she asked if they could also check all this out. Results of the service said we needed a new battery $500 & spark plugs $600. Which she said ok to. I thought this was a bit strange and was was around the time I got involved. After multiple calls of arguments about what was the issue and what wasnt and what we were going to pay for and how long this was all going to take we finally after almsot 2 weeks got the a call that the car was ready. They said the Air Bag light came back to the rear bags and thought that it was a section of wires that was causing the issue so they replaced them, which cost us $200. Then found that didnt fix it, I told them we were not going to pay for you to just try different things until you found a fix. They apologized and did not charge us. Then decided the Modulator was "probably" the issue. Luckily she had mechanical insurance which covered the modulator $2000 and the Air bag light was all sorted even though we had to wait another week. They also said the Brakes were perfectly fine and were just rather loud and a bit of harmless shudder. I then noticed the service light was still on... considering the last 3 weeks of hassle we decided to go elsewhere and went to a Service in Panmure. The guy took a look at the car and in 5 mins told me exactly what i thought. The last place we all muppets and had not done a thing right. The car was leaking oil and the brakes definitely had an issue. We decided to get them to do a new service seeing as i really did not trust the last fellas @ Joshua Motors and wanted to see what they might find. They did a service and said.. Brake Fluid Dirty - $89 Wiper Blades noisy - $106 Battery clamp missing - $??? Front brakes shuddering -$813 (brake discs $500 pads $213 Front brake hoses cracked - $242 Rocker cover gasket leaking Valve steam seals leaking Insurance would only cover the leaking issues but obv the rest was wear n tear to be covered by us. Because we are about to head off overseas we decided to ask them to fix just the leaking issue that Insurance said they would cover as we would not be able to afford the rest till we return and they agreed. 3 days was the time given for the work. On the 3rd day we get a call saying that the previously assumed issue is not correct and its actually something else of which the insurance inspector would need to come have another look - Frustrating but completely fair enough. Also the spark plugs in the car are all worn and oily so we have replaced them for you and will cost $500...... The Labour required to find and show the insurance inspector the issue will cost you around $400 Our response was obviously wtf as we had not okayed any other work to be done other than the repair of the leaking. My assumption would be that they would call first and say it does not seem to be the issue previously thought are we ok to inspect more and there would be a cost of blah blah blah.... Also you spark plugs need to be replaced this will cost blah blah blah are you ok with all of this??? Are they allowed to perform this work and charge us without consent? Do they not check spark plugs in a general service unless its specified? sorry for the long as hell story but felt I should prob give all the info about this god awful story... Edited January 28, 2016 by Brad21 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted January 28, 2016 i dont even know where to begin with this story.. obviously the first place is useless - dont go back there lol re motor services - its unreasonable that when you asked for them to fix only the leaking issue which was covered under mechanical warranty that they fixed other things like spark plugs. also saying that it costs $400 to show the inspector something isnt something that takes 3 days to figure out. they are clearly not working on schedule or are overbooked/overloaded with work and probably only got round to seeing the car on the last day. anyway i dont think this is okay. also not sure why the spark plug issue wasnt found in the service? its not difficult to check and should be one of the highest and easiest things on the list. sorry to hear this story really, you should be going to better workshops. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2425 Report post Posted January 28, 2016 Sounds like two rubbish workshops that arent familiar with the cars they are working on. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
twiggles94 8 Report post Posted January 28, 2016 Bloody hell that's ridiculous, reading this pmo honestly. No they can't charge you for services you've not asked for. I'd tell them to take me to the Disputes Tribunal if they insisted I pay, these workshops will get away with as much as you allow them to get away with. The labour part is debatable even if they were inefficient in their work. What have you done in response? Take your car elsewhere and somewhere reputable. third time lucky. Good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted January 28, 2016 Bugger. There are so many cowboys out there and it looks like you found a couple! If you dont have a regular mechanic that you trust it can be a gamble, a good start is to make sure they are an MTA member, it gives you something to fall back on if you have a problem, even better is to get some recommendations, say from a forum or something! They cannot do work they haven't been authorised to do and then just expect you to pay up, but you can't be vague when you tell them what to do "give it a service" means different things to different places. When i was working on cars we would spend time with the customer and write a list of exactly what we were going to do and tape it to the steering wheel while they were there. I would negotiate the minimum amount you have to pay them and walk away, treat it as a life lesson and start again. Im sure everyone on this forum can recommend where to take it next time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E36_Turbo 84 Report post Posted January 28, 2016 That is a bad run, a nightmare of $$$. I don't believe that it is legal to go through with work that hasn't been authorised by the customer? May pay to check rights with consumers act? Just guessing here. Or seek some professional help on the matter if it comes to that, do some research and build a little knowledge on where you stand legally, try sort it out with the appropriate person in charge and do have the facts handy. Personally haven't had this terrible thing happen to me, it is always in the best interests of yourself and other parties to take the vehicle to places with a good reputation for customer service, communication and obviously the work carried out. There are a few in auckland, i have used mainly BMWorkshop Botany, never dissapointed by their service, some of the members will be able to give some directions to other really good workshops they use, all the best with this mate. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cab 148 Report post Posted January 28, 2016 Alarm bells sound for me as soon as I read "Joshua Motors". With a basic name like that you obviously can't care about your business too much. And the image of the place when you google it confirms this. Go to places like - Bavarian Motors - Burgers Motor Works - Bellars I guess there's no such thing as a cheap service etc unless you're doing it yourself but these specialists are cheaper than dealerships. I google/youtube everything whenever I need to do something to my car that I'm not sure of. Another tip is to get them to quote you before any work is done, and get it in writing. You can save a lot of money by ordering parts yourself online even if you don't do the labour side yourself. Parts out of the US etc are so much cheaper. One example was that I needed a new ECU a few years back, genuine ECU was $2,500 and ended up sorting my own race ECU from the states for $500 NZD. You can also buy airbag light delete kits online for around $50 lol. I suggest only going down that route once you know its just a dodgy light and your airbags will still actually work. Hope this helps a bit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stevie S 49 Report post Posted January 28, 2016 Really sorry to hear about your experience, it sucks big time. But definitely stick to workshops that are recommended on here. If central BM Worksop Grey Lynn are great guys. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted January 28, 2016 Yea stick to the BMW specialists recommended in this forum. I've been to both Bellars Motor works and BM workshop, both have been great. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brad-325i 2 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 Hey, honestly thanks heaps for all the feedback guys!! Yea kinda looking at this as a lesson to note down.... They were pretty cool about it over the phone when we called back to explain we didnt okay any work other than what was previously agreed upon as we are tight on cash atm (this was expressed in the beginning). So will hang fire till the Insurance company get back to us about covering the new issue, play it by ear and then will take it one issue at a time. All in all lesson is to not let your mrs take her car to a mechanic (Joshua Motors) by herself and was just a bad run of luck that the place I told her to take it to after as was recommended by some friends and has now got to this point. But for all I know they might pull through revert the extra work and not charge us. Yesterday was a bit of a vent situation haha 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 Never let a woman do a mans job... such as taking a car to the mechanics lol.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucan 196 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 A new set of plugs from each shop? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 A new set of plugs from each shop? I noticed this too but i assumed that when he got involved with the first shop he didnt go through with this. and then the second shop just went and replaced it then said heres the bill. kind of thing. lol.. $600 for 6 spark plugs is hilarious in its own right. lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
polley 916 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 lol.. $600 for 6 spark plugs is hilarious in its own right. lol You've never brought those new fancy iridium plugs or whatever before have you? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1906 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 You've never brought those new fancy iridium plugs or whatever before have you? I have, 30 bucks each from Mitsubishi for my Vr4! 100 each is ridonculous! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
polley 916 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 Last set I got were around 70 each trade price, retail was around 140. Can't remember what they were but tuner insisted on using them. Normally I wouldn't bother using them and just stick with the $8 bosch copper plugs. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 (edited) https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/spark-plug-iridium-ix-resistor-6418 NGK Iridium $10 USD each https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-spark-plug-genuine-bmw-12129071003 Genuine BMW $18 USD each Not sure how much they are locally but when I can get these ^ for a fraction of the price... hmmm.. Edited January 29, 2016 by QUBE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
polley 916 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/spark-plug-iridium-ix-resistor-6418 NGK Iridium $10 USD each https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-spark-plug-genuine-bmw-12129071003 Genuine BMW $18 USD each Not sure how much they are locally but when I can get these ^ for a fraction of the price... hmmm.. Yeah good luck getting them in nz for those prices. I'm tempted to go pull one of mine out and see exactly what it is. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 hmm, yours must be some super special ones cuz i just did a quick google search and found this http://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/online-store/products/NGK-Iridium-IX-Spark-Plug-BKR6EIX-11.aspx?pid=105457#Recommendations $30 NZD at supercheap which is the same as the $10 USD one I linked above Even this one is only $50 NZD http://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/online-store/products/NGK-Laser-Platinum-Spark-Plug-LZFR5AQP.aspx?pid=329987&menuFrom=1021496#Recommendations hmmm can you actually go pull one of yours out? pretty interested to see what it is for it to be $70 trade price.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
polley 916 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 hmm, yours must be some super special ones cuz i just did a quick google search and found this http://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/online-store/products/NGK-Iridium-IX-Spark-Plug-BKR6EIX-11.aspx?pid=105457#Recommendations $30 NZD at supercheap which is the same as the $10 USD one I linked above Even this one is only $50 NZD http://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/online-store/products/NGK-Laser-Platinum-Spark-Plug-LZFR5AQP.aspx?pid=329987&menuFrom=1021496#Recommendations hmmm can you actually go pull one of yours out? pretty interested to see what it is for it to be $70 trade price.. NGK R Iriway 8. Hopefully you don't find them too cheap, or I'll feel ripped off. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brad-325i 2 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 I noticed this too but i assumed that when he got involved with the first shop he didnt go through with this. and then the second shop just went and replaced it then said heres the bill. kind of thing. lol.. $600 for 6 spark plugs is hilarious in its own right. lol Ahh i did not explain this part lol. The first set were already paid for before i got involved. The second place tried to put new ones in. I explained to them it just had new ones and he said they were the wrong ones for this car. Didnt end up getting the second set or any other work done there. Got them to reverse extra work done and have taken the car back now. Onto the next place! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zero 1162 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 Did you take it to Motor Service in Panmure? The old owners were great, but the new owners were complete #!*?!holes to me when I had some work done there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted January 29, 2016 Has Peter sold the business ? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted January 30, 2016 Yeah good luck getting them in nz for those prices. You can just order them right from FCPEuro, shipping won't be very expensive especially since FCPEuro are reasonable with shipping prices (unlike some others). Screw getting ripped off by @#$holes in NZ charging stupid mark-ups. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
polley 916 Report post Posted January 30, 2016 You can just order them right from FCPEuro, shipping won't be very expensive especially since FCPEuro are reasonable with shipping prices (unlike some others). Screw getting ripped off by @#$holes in NZ charging stupid mark-ups. Find me a ngk r iriway 8 for a decent price then. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
