ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

It's a long one this...sorry!

Recently my old mans Jag has been "looked after" by a so called specialist, claiming to be an ex-employee at a main dealers. Truth is he's somebody my old man met in the pub, and he thinks that anyone who buys him a drink and talks to him at the bar is his best buddy and won't take him for a ride. He knows his jags, there's no question on that. But basically I think he's ripping my old man off in a big way. Pulling up every flaw on the car since it turned up on the door step. And will a father listen to his son!!?? Not a chance!

I am highly mechanically minded and experienced...half my my family run a garage and bodyshop. And I know the cars current state, and what needs doing and stuff that may need future attention (if it ain't broke, don't fix!). But this bloke is finding everything wrong, when really it's fine, not perfect, but OK and a non-genuine replacement (which it would get fitted) is likely to last half as long as the OE. Still, the old man tells him go ahead and do it (in the pub). I'm furious as I can't get through to him that he is needlessly wasting his money...when other parts of the car will need more money spent on it. The only way I can get him to stop this is to find flaws in his handy work and convince the old man he is crap and a rip off...which is where the brakes come in - alot of stuff has been done (calipers, master cylinder, hoses etc...absolutely nothing wrong with the originals ) They were fine before (just passed MOT too) And now, they are truely awful the pedal goes halfway down before it does anything, and they are more spongy than a Standard Pre MY98 Scoob (quite nice firm pedal with little travel originally).

His primary trade was automotive air-con work. Funny how the internal blowers weren't working upon its return with the a/c running (blown fuse- ok sh*t happens but this is too much of a coincidence) - He said the compressor was knocking - yeah because it was pumping liquid refridgerant instaed of gas due to no air heating the evaporator (sorry for the teccy, but I know my A/C). Strangely the pressure overload fuse didn't melt...I haven't looked yet, but If I find it's been bypassed I will have some fun!

Then theres the rear suspension. Ok that did need attention - rear shocks, which has been done. Now I don't know what shocks he's fitted, but they are way too stiff, you bounce the rear....it goes down. and STAYS DOWN! WTF??!! before rising very slowly back to ride height, seems like the springs are too weak to overcome the shocks stiffness. So either the wrong shocks are fitted (later model spec, RS shock or shoddy non-OE pattern parts), or the spring are knakered - in which he should have noticed.

Sorry for the rant. I'm not happy, infact I'm fuming as I know the bill will be over £1000 on stuff that didn't need doing and teh old man will not take my advice and listen, and take the word of a bloke in a pub who's after every penny he can get.

I needed to vent it somewhere, so here will do nicely!

But anyway...how to you make your dad listen to you?

More importantly, how do I convince him that he's being ripped off, the car is most certainly far from right and far worse than it was originally?

A few more mad smilies and I'll be done There <deep breaths>

The Chief

You will never win mate because your his son and he is your dad in his eyes you are always wrong and he will be always right.

My old fella is the most arrogant git i have met and if everyone said the sky was blue he would still say it was pink.

Go for a beer with him and have a talk, if he does not listen then leave him to it
and if he gets ripped off then he might listen next time.

Sorry cant be more helpful

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Cheers, I tried to talk to him, just like brickwall. No shouting or big arguments yet, I just bite my lip very hard

I was thinking of getting hold of one of his close mates...who happens to know a fair on jags and he's on my wavelength aswell. I would get him to look at the car, form his own opinion. I know my dad will listen too him...problem is tracking the bloke down as he works all over the country

I am at the point of saying f**k its his money, his car, his waste. But I cannot stand the thought that some dodgy mechnic posing as a "mate" will get away with it - and the old man will just keep paying him more, and more. If I had conclusive proof I would have trading standards on him like a shot (although not even sure if it's a legit business). Unfortunately, the old calipers and master cylinder all in working order are in a bin somewhere. And I can't complain over a car that's not mine!

Still, a tip off the to nice tax man is on the shortlist

Dazza01

might be worth trying mate.

can't offer any practical advice on the jag as i no sh"t about mechanics

Floyd

iTrader: (9)

Your old man my secretly realise something is wrong but he is too full of pride to admit it. He also has the wrong belief that this pub mate is is friend and he is more afraid of upsetting this chap than losing his money. Perhaps he thinks that he will be a laughing stock in the pub, or there will be much unpleasant-ness?

I think you'll have to back off and let him work it out himself. It'll probably end in tears but he's a big boy and he'll get over it. It'll be hard for you to see him get ripped off but that's because you obviously love him and care for him. It's just a car and money after all so it can ultimately be fixed with your help. Just don't rub it in and let him save some face. If he's big enough he'll realise you were right and he'll listen next time...perhaps!

Any more for agony aunt Floyd? I really have been reading to many womens mags

F

thecirsch

Why don't you suggest he takes it to an authorised Jag dealer and ask them to have a look at it and see what they suggest needs doing?

In the short term it might prove expensive, however long term it may save him (and let's face it, it's your inheritance we're talking about ) money. Plus, there is always come back if things go wrong with a dealer.

TopBanana

Seconded. My local Jag dealer has been excellent (Lancaster Reading)

Apparition

This is a tough situation. Been there late last year. My Mum (now 80), decided to ask one of these here stair lift types over to "discuss" the possibilities of having one installed..... yes... you guessed it, she had signed up against my strict instructiuons not to. £2,500 on her credit card......... yikes !
To cut a long one short, I stepped in and after hundreds of calls got the order cancelled and found a re-cond. one for her £1,000 cheaper !

Its difficult because you don't want to step on parents' pride nor make out that they are getting old a daft. But you do have look out for them.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I hope my children will be as considerate as you!

I know what you mean, but my parents normally listen as they believe I know enough people to get things done cheaply!!

kammy

Dads never listen. My dad bought a brand new Renault Espace for 15K and kept his 325td-parents now live by themselves, why o why would you need a family van thing??
kam

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

That could be the case. It wouldn't have been the first time too. Last time he rufused to listen was when a mate offered him a Roll Royce Silver Spirit for £5K. I Took one look at it and told him do not buy that car. He bought it, and it turns out it was a badly repaired CAT C write off...and was down at the DVLA as being scrapped! it had a dodgy MOT and needed at least £3K in parts alone (mainly suspension) just to get it through the next MOT.

I did tell him to take it somewhere else to get a 2nd opinion (somewhere I know and trust). Not a main dealer admittedly, but even then a main dealer wouldn't go off replacing parts before I had a quote and agreed to it. But before I could do or say anything, the car was picked up, shoved up a 2 poster lift and had all the front brakes stripped off before I could do anything about it....This is when I smelt the first huge rat. As I was with my dad when he popped in to see him, and he went on at how shagged the brakes were and a huge long list of other stuff that I know is OK, from my own and independent inspection, ffs it even had just passed the MOT 2 months beforehand - if anything was wrong with the master cylinder or brake lines/calipers it would have failed it didn't..it failed due to the fog lamps not working (bad earth) and nothing else, apart from the usual warning about the front subframe.

Thing is, the pads had only 2000 miles on them, the car had been stored for indoors for 1 year, so the discs had very light surface corrosion (mainly due to the car being washed and driven straight back in the garage too many times. I've seen discs with corrosion miles worse on 2 year old cars which cover 10K per year. These would dress up, they didn't even need re-grinding. This bloke had already fitted the new discs and had the pads ready before I realised or do anything about it. And the other thing is the rear discs are in identical condition...yet they are pain in the **** to replace (inboard) and he didn't mention a word about them.

At this point I told my dad tell him to stop, finish the pads and discs, put the car back together. Nothing else needs fixing on it. But no, instead he told him to do what was nessercery, which was an open invitation for him to go wild on the car. No prior quote...he just went ahead and replaced what he felt needed doing.

And the alarming point is this....he completely missed (or maybe that's lined up for the next anticipated visit ) to mention the front subframe. It's an old car, the subframe at some point in the next 5 years will need to be removed and either replaced or restored. This is pretty much the complete removal of all the engine and front suspension. This will really need doing at some point, and it will cost a hell of lot of time and money to sort out. But it's not a nice an easy job...which is why I suspect the bloke ignored it and went for the easy jobs and brainless bolt on stuff.

And this is where I kick myself, as it should be me doing the work on it, just with present lack of time and comitments meant that all I could do was service it, Inspect it and keep an eye on it. - Low and behold...it's just been serviced yet again only 4months after it was last serviced (covering an almighty 1200miles) by my favourite con-man mechanic

Problem is just blowing £1K on brakes and servicing that didn't need doing is going to mean the old man will not want to spend another £2K in few years time to sort something when it will fail the MOT, and I smell either scrapyard heaven or the car being laid up which is sad, as it really is a nice solid car as all the body rust was fixed and sorted out 2years ago