Springs resident a victim of daylight robbery – AA gives advice

Servicing your vehicle, especially a vehicle which is out of its warranty period, can be a daunting experience.

While there are many reliable, and reputable, operators on the market, there are those who take advantage of a lack of knowledge of modern vehicles, in order to fleece consumers.

One indication of how bad this problem is, is the fact that the Motor Industry Ombudsman (MIOSA) handles more than 4 000 calls a month.

Any disputes relating to work done on your vehicle can be forwarded to this body for dispute resolution, but it can be avoided with a little forward thinking by the owner.

Springs resident, Ilse Esterhuyse, says she was done in badly by a mechanic when she took her daughter’s car in for repairs.

“I heard about this man through word of mouth and took my daughter’s car to him. I was alone at the time and he saw that I knew nothing about cars and the cost of fixing them,” she says.

She adds that she was astounded when he gave her the invoice after the work was complete and could not believe her eyes.

“Long after, I spoke to another mechanic about it and he said the man took me for a ride and overcharged me, almost double the cost.”

According to the AA it is important to do your homework before selecting a technician to work on your vehicle.

“Word of mouth is a good way of determining who the good mechanics in your area are, but as a responsible owner, you should also be visiting workshops, and speaking to the mechanics to get a feel for how they operate and what their hourly rate for labour is,” the association says.

The AA adds that it is also a good idea to ask for references and to inspect the workshop.

A clean workshop where everything has its place sends a far stronger message than a workshop that is dirty and cluttered, and where the mechanics don’t know where their tools are.

Once you have decided on a workshop, it is important to get a detailed list of the work that the mechanic plans to do and the projected costs and time frames.

Again, do homework and research the cost price of spares that may be needed.

Remember, though, that workshops will add a mark-up to the parts and will charge for labour.

“It may not always be possible to see what was done, but you may, for instance, be able to see that a new fan belt has been fitted because it will look new and have easily identifiable numbers on it.

“If you are unsure of what was done, ask the mechanic to go through it in detail with you,” says the AA.

If you have any concerns about the work that was performed, go back to the workshop immediately and speak to the mechanic.

If you let a third party work on the vehicle before taking it back to the person who worked on it first, you may have no recourse.

It is also important to go back to the mechanic as quickly as possible, and not wait too long before doing so.

The association further explains that it is very important that a car is serviced regularly to maintain its mechanical condition.

If the car is out of its warranty period, selecting a good mechanic is vital.

To recap, some important tips for owners servicing their vehicles are:

• Agree on a timeline for the completion of the work, and on the costs involved, prior to any work commencing,
• Clarify if there are any other risks the mechanic identifies prior to the work being started, or if there are any potential problems that may arise from the initial work being done,
• Ensure you get a detailed written quote from the workshop before any work starts, this means you and the workshop both agree on the work to be done and the costs involved,
• Clarify with the workshop if the specific servicing will fix the problems you have highlighted, remember that diagnostic repairs can be expensive,
• Don’t allow a repair to drag on. If work has not been completed within the set time frame, contact the workshop and get answers,
• Keep track of your repair and service history, to protect you in future and to assist your mechanic with his diagnostic process,
• If you have your vehicle serviced by a workshop that forms part of a group, you can escalate your complaints to a higher authority within that group if you are unhappy with a mechanic’s response.

For more information on the Motor Industry Ombudsman, please visit www.miosa.co.za.