GTA in C P Garage Services dundee belt and brakes

Car is in getting timing belt and service done. Dropped it off on Tuesday morning got a call today (hwta they been doind for 2 days) to say that when they were doing the service the back pads fell apart!! Now why would they take the pads out during a service? I know I know to change them but I didnt ask for them to be changed its just a oil and filter change service oh and the belt at 5 years. I dont want to fall out with them as they are local and cheaper than Western Perth but where do I stand as I wouldnt have changed them right now!
Next now they are goosed what do I put on I would have done some investigating before changing but now in a bit of a hurry to tell them what I want done do I put OEM £32 ones on or buy EBC red stuff at £50 or another I dont do track days to much of a chicken so just road use.
Also has a oil leek and a belt warning light on what an expensive service this is going to be!

[Mike2909]

Ask them why they had the pads out if you did not ask for them to be checked. Then tell them you will supply the pads and try to agree on the price for the labour.

[jj147]

A belt warning light??? Seat belt??

Yeah seat belt light on dash!! Think its the passenger seat tensioner as when I moved the seat back one day it came on

Originally Posted by Mike2909

Ask them why they had the pads out if you did not ask for them to be checked. Then tell them you will supply the pads and try to agree on the price for the labour.

Yeah was going to be my responce and say about labour costs as they touch them and I didnt ask them too. Surely they could just check them anyway 1 through the wheel (alfa teles) and 2 if they wanted to see nearer just with the wheel off and not remove the pins and pads. I hope they dont add that labour cost to the bill too!

[rhett71]

I had a similar experience when I returned a car for warranty work on a seat frame. They rang me and said it needed new pads, because they check it all out before road testing. If they complete the original required work they may try to wriggle out of any garantee because they daren't go on the road to try it out! This was a peugeot under warranty at the time but I think they might just trying to increase your bill?

[Mike2909]

Originally Posted by 147gtaiwish

do I put OEM £32 ones on or buy EBC red stuff at £50 or another I dont do track days to much of a chicken so just road use.

Track days are nothing to do with "chicken" the track is much much safer than the road, "nothing coming the other way, or pulling out of side roads without thinking" and you can use the whole of the road/track. Most problems on the track occur because you try to keep up with faster cars/drivers . Track time is good to go that bit extra with your car and you only have to go as fast as you want to as long as your not causing danger to the other track users.
Only downside is its expensive and hard on your car, brakes, tyres engine and anything else.

[cj romeo]

Inspecting the brakes is part of the service.

If the pads looked suspect they would inspect them further- and if they fell apart, lucky for you that they are so thorough.

[alfanano]

Originally Posted by cj romeo

Inspecting the brakes is part of the service.

If the pads looked suspect they would inspect them further- and if they fell apart, lucky for you that they are so thorough.

Well said! Completely agree.

[shinymetalass]

Ask Euan nicely,he fitted mine free when my belt was done.Cp garage is one of the best italian specialists in the east.Car gets a full check when they got it not just the job it is booked in for.personal opinion tho Anyone agree/disagree

[fife164]

Reply on behalf of Euan at CP Garage Services:-

"As any professional garage will tell you, ensuring the free movement of the brake pads against the surface of the brake disc is an essential part of any service. In addition, if the car is not used daily, checks like these are even more important. This is why the brake pads were removed, as they would be on any car at CP for a service."

As others have correctly commented, had the break-up of the pads occurred whilst the car was being driven, the cost of not checking them may have amounted to more than the cost of a new set of pads.

Steve

[Pascs]

I dont really see what the complaint is about, the garage were doing their job as part of a genuine service and found something wrong with your car even though you didnt ask them to service your brakes. You are driving one of the fastest Alfa Romeos and I think they were right to look at the brakes, probably their experience highlighted a problem which is why they proceded to service them.

The brake pads need to come out to remove brake dust, clean, grease, refit and adjust and I think the garage did exactly the right thing - isnt that the sort of service you would want from a garage?

If the garage hadnt serviced the rear brakes and in a weeks time the brakes had failed, wouldnt you have been complaining why the brakes had failed?

Anyway the rear brakes do very little and IMO just as well to replace them with standard Alfa pads and at £32 they're pretty inexpensive

Originally Posted by cj romeo

Inspecting the brakes is part of the service.
If the pads looked suspect they would inspect them further- and if they fell apart, lucky for you that they are so thorough.

Anyone want to tell Western Perth this then I had to ask them to look at a squeak on the near side rear brake cause I heard it and the charged me more they were rubbish last year.

Originally Posted by fife164

Reply on behalf of Euan at CP Garage Services:-

"As any professional garage will tell you, ensuring the free movement of the brake pads against the surface of the brake disc is an essential part of any service. In addition, if the car is not used daily, checks like these are even more important. This is why the brake pads were removed, as they would be on any car at CP for a service."

As others have correctly commented, had the break-up of the pads occurred whilst the car was being driven, the cost of not checking them may have amounted to more than the cost of a new set of pads.

Steve

As I said above cause I wouldn't call Western professional! And eh who's a snitch?

Originally Posted by Pascs

I don't really see what the complaint is about, the garage were doing their job as part of a genuine service and found something wrong with your car even though you didn't ask them to service your brakes. You are driving one of the fastest Alfa Romeos and I think they were right to look at the brakes, probably their experience highlighted a problem which is why they proceeded to service them.

The brake pads need to come out to remove brake dust, clean, grease, refit and adjust and I think the garage did exactly the right thing - isn't that the sort of service you would want from a garage?

If the garage hadn't serviced the rear brakes and in a weeks time the brakes had failed, wouldn't you have been complaining why the brakes had failed?

Anyway the rear brakes do very little and IMO just as well to replace them with standard Alfa pads and at £32 they're pretty inexpensive

I have to agree with you Pascs in the end I was having a bad day and this is the place for it, was typing my rant and my experience of garages in general out on that fact! I really felt Western were trying to rip me off last year and felt that I was driving a bucket of s**t when I drove my car out of Western (maybe I am). After all the faults (in their eyes I needed 4 new tyres pads all round and I cant remember what else cause I ripped the service sheet up in rage) I left there and she passed a MOT at another garage a week later. I only changed 2 of the tyres after another 2 months just cause one was away not cause all 4 were! I had to ask Western to look at a squeak on the near side rear brake cause I heard it and the charged me more for it so I thought that CP were doing the same! Oh dear what a thought does to a planting a brick!!!!

Any hoo I picked her up on Monday £1032 lighter and had her for a total of 1 hour enough time to get her and fill her up as CP used all my fuel in the tank and take her off for a MOT.

I apologise to the Queen and the ground for my comments and hope I will be forgiven over time and through space.

Happy not really, still waiting for the lottery to come up!

[Pascs]

yeah know how you feel. The Alfa dealer here isnt exactly busy and I feel they would say I need parts fitted if they could get away with it.

Had a quote of about £5000 for work on my Landcruiser from the Toyota dealer - the garage just quote for new parts on everything that needs attention, ended up paying £1500

[fife164]

[QUOTE=147gtaiwish;2633638]

As I said above cause I wouldn't call Western professional! And eh who's a snitch?

[QUOTE]

I'm the snitch.

If someone wishes to question Euans business practices, I feel that Euan has a right to know about it so he has the opportunity to defend himself.

Steve

[cj romeo]

Originally Posted by 147gtaiwish

Anyone want to tell Western Perth this then I had to ask them to look at a squeak on the near side rear brake cause I heard it and the charged me more they were rubbish last year.

Its one of the 'checks' in the book, primarily a visual inspection at the discretion of the dealer, a diagnosis into a specific issue is a chargeable event.

No I dont work for Western!

[ALFAPAT]

Western are not looking good for a new dealer why do they do this?
Have a look at a thread on 156 and titled;Does this look like selespeed pump failure by dogfishddl.
By the way euan 100% in my book and has been for the 20 yrs that I have known him.

[mr-mac]

A lot of independants actually include a brake clean and re-grease as part of their services to give some added value over a main dealer.

Just grin and bear it. If whole pad fell off metal plate the may be defective. If it crumbled and fell to bits it has been overheated and likely been glazed. Once glazed it cracks the surface when the gases try to escape and cause pad to break up.

either way good job it was spotted.

Unusual for rears to get glazed unless calliper was sticking so a clean and re-grease should sort that as well.

John

[dylanswift]

cool mate, im going to book my car into cp aswell, ive heard inverness alfa is a waste of space, now ive heard perth is aswell, all these people saying good things about cp, keep it up, its hard to find a good alfa mechanic these days, especially one with a consistently good reputation.

thanks

dylan

[dinomito]

Originally Posted by dylanswift

cool mate, im going to book my car into cp aswell, ive heard inverness alfa is a waste of space, now ive heard perth is aswell, all these people saying good things about cp, keep it up, its hard to find a good alfa mechanic these days, especially one with a consistently good reputation.

thanks

dylan

Western in Perth are very good mate. I used to work for them (sales) and used them for various work on my 147 a few years back and more recently on my GTV as well. I took my MiTo to CP for its 1st service and I'll use them again also.
Western offer a discount to members on AlfaOwner also

Euan at CP though will look after you. He's the top man in the Scottish section of AROC, and a more genuine Alfa enthusiast will be hard to find.

[mymito10]

Originally Posted by dylanswift

cool mate, im going to book my car into cp aswell, ive heard inverness alfa is a waste of space, now ive heard perth is aswell, all these people saying good things about cp, keep it up, its hard to find a good alfa mechanic these days, especially one with a consistently good reputation.

thanks

dylan

Bear in mind the posts you have been reading are over 2 years old!

My experience with Western Perth is to be commended - so don't knock them until you have tried them!

[8CRED]

Originally Posted by mymito10

My experience with Western Perth is to be commended - so don't knock them until you have tried them!

+1, especially since that dodgy salesman left.

[dinomito]

Originally Posted by 8CRED

+1, especially since that dodgy salesman left.

Easy tiger!

[dylanswift]

thanks 8cred and dinomito,

good to get some feedback on western perth, does cp give a discount to aoc members too, i think my particular problem needs a very experienced alfa man so im leaning towards cp, going offshore today but ill phone and get it booked in when im back, aye, i heard cp gives ceurtosy cars too, thats grand, does alfa perth do that too

thanks

[dinomito]

Alfa in Perth will provide a courtesy car if required. Not aware of CP offering a discount for AO members. They are very keenly priced anyway, so I've never felt the need to ask.

Cheers
Graham

[b0shty]

sory for butting in on this topic but whould thay help me out on a 20 year old alfa155? normaly do all work on this my self (mechanic buy trade) but im struggling to find parts for the engine and have moved to a new flat with out a garage or drive anymore so engine work is a pain on the curb. needs tappets setting/shimed up. will thay manage this ?