bloody car

i have been getting loads of grief with the coop recently.
just took the car to well trusted garage to get loads of work done and it s just as bad as when it went in.
i had the cambelt done because it whined badly and didn't trust it! spoke to this guy on the phone 3 times and said look need the cambelt done asap because of this and please check the water pump and so on. anyway car is back with worse belt whine than it went in with! if the water pump need changing hell will be paid trust me.
also had the clutch changed and since then it now some times slips on launch and juders some times and the odd crunch on 1st and 2nd even though i told him to check the gearbox as it felt like it could be worn and he promised me it was ok.
i also asked him to look in to why my car had a knocking noise when hard connering, he said it was the tcs which did look worn but guess what it still knocks.
oh and lastly asked him to see where a blow on the exhaust was and check the manifold. he said it was just on the joint from the cat back and not on the manifold and said it puff a tiny tiny bit on start up but thats it. took the car in to a trusted tyre place to get new tyres and tracking and they told me it was blowing badly from the manifold.
this hasn't even been a week since it went in :-(
so a bill for £886 and now its just the same as before.
this is without doubt the most expensive car i have had and by far not the nicest either!
what do i do now?
to say i am not pleased in a understatment.

Well one thing I wouldn't do woulod be to fit a prv and gtech, as the car should be running 100% before that should happen!

the problem is it also is only boosting 0.5 bar and paul faild to sort that out either!

what did he say when you told him it's no better?

to be fair i am ringing him tomorrow so in all fairness i haven't given him a chance to fix it.
but also it does mean another day of work 200mile round trip and loads in pertrol if he does fix it!

main thing is i just want to know there car is alright like the clutch is just bedding in and the belt whine is either normal or because there new?

Belts always whine for a while after being changed. How many miles have you done.

I'd suggest doing some hard launches to bed the clutch in nicely, and as for the manifold; unless it's cracked, I cant see how it can be blowing from there unless the nuts to the head have come loose (as they do sometimes).

What's a 'tcs'?

matt that is the exact answer i was waiting for that :-)
i know i over worry about my cars and i alway do but it still doesn't seam that right.

do coops normall have belt whine?

maybe 200/300 miles since it was done

hi buddy,

no disrespect and i understand your point fully but the way you have written your first post on this thread will be frowned upon by many memebers as it comes across as your douting paul's ability with coupes when he along with people like Rog(poweritalia) Joe (country cruiseing) etc are very WELL respected amongst this forum for their ability/knowledge of coupes.

Your not happy with the work done and want a few things fixed/explained so firstly ring paul and explain your issues which he will gladly sort out/explain everything to you! looking at your other thread of praiseing motormech up and all the work he done in only that short time eg cambelt clutch etc thats incredible in its self but as for him maybe not having the time to fully diagnose the little problems you mentioned about to him, maybe he may have got something wrong or there perfectly good explanation!
if you speak to paul and he is at fault and refuses to sort any of the problems then maybe this post would be called for but tbh i think having not explained your issues to him before writing a post like this will be frowned upon by many members!

so a bill for £886 and now its just the same as before.

firstly not the same as before as you have a Vital recipet showing major work done at Motormech to add to the service history of the car.

this is without doubt the most expensive car i have had and by far not the nicest either!

you have douted the coupes from the start, are trying to compare the coupe to cars on totally different end of the scale. Coops are about passion,unique style combined with performance depending on how far you want to take things!
Skylines are just about BHP "mainly" you wouldnt get many owners buying a skyline purely for its look! where as many people buy the coop purely for this reason only!

So if that what you honestly think buddy maybe Coupes are not for you and before you waste anymore money on your coupe you should think about if your really gonna get out of it what you are exspecting of it!?

Im not having a go in anyway but just giving some advice

Well mine did for a bit after it was changed and I know several other people who had the same thing.

I can understand your frustration, but I think the best thing to do would be to discuss your concerns with Paul. I'm sure if there is any sort of a problem then he'll happily sort it out.

i know luke at its not taken in the wrong way.
paul is very repected and i don't as such doubt his work more of the fact does the coop have these tendencys for belt whine and niggly gear changes/ juddery clutches or is there something wrong.
this post was more aimed at seeing if i was being over fussy or that this faults haven't been fixed..

i am going to edit the garage name out as its not fair on him .

as of with the skyline my r34 was stunning and i am not just saying that becasue it was my car but i like the look of skyline but thats not what this is about.

as of yes the coop has cost me about 4 k so far in 4 odd months so yes id say its expensive for something now worth 2k and its not that fast or that comfy but its growing on me apart from how often it needs fixing for relitvley low bhp fiqures

Might be worth looking at other things aswell, i have a whine from my belt area and its not even my belts. Its the power steering pump, maybe your whine is worse as there is better tension in the auxiliary belts and its highlighting a problem that was already there.
Ive seen and heard nothing but praise for Motormech so i'm sure your doubting his abilities wont go down well. Before posting things like this id of most def talked to him first as posts of this nature just annoy people.
We all get frustrated with our Coupes. They give loads with one hand, then take plenty away with the other. Its a case of ticking off as many things as you can. And i seriously wouldnt put your GTECH in or your PRV until the car is running correctly else your spelling disaster.

i will call him on monday to ort it out but i did take a day of work spend £50 in petrol and wake up a 5am to get this sorted and i don't want anoth £850+ bill and do it all oer agin as i can't keep doing it. i sold my skyline because it was drinking petrol but this is costing me even more money that the skyline.

Sell it then and buy a good 1 and until you speak too Paul i think you should stop slagging him off, he knocked you money off and your not even a member

The only whine i can hear is from this post.
Think before you post is a good idea.

hang on its not knocking money off its £886 and its the same as it went in!
i don't want to name names hence me deleting his name.

io thin k its fair enough to post for help on a issue when i have just spent alot of money i want to make sure i am not being fobbed off and that this is something to worry about not to slate the garage but to fix my car.
so back to it is these problems normal and if not what can i do about it.
hillbilly you might be on toi the powersteering pump but its all the times and gets worse when the car gets hotter.

mods can we keep names out of this as i am not having a dig at the guy just want my car running 100% and fustrated thats all

I'm not going through everyone's posts and editing them. If you want, I can delete the whole thread and you can start a new one (in tech problems) asking for help with whatever you think the problems are. But this time without insinuating that anyone has done you over.

I've never been to Motormech personally but from what i've read they have a very good reputation. Surely you'd of been better off posting this after speaking to them and giving them a chance to resolve the issue/s?

ok fair enough keep it open i don't care i wanted to protect paul but i have the £886 bill and buggered car so i want it sorted

even if he sorted the problems i would be two days holiday down,£120 petrol down and 16 hours of my life wasted walking around the bull ring lol

but even then you're the one choosing to use a garage that far away...

i only went there for the rep through here!
it was between paul or rog as i wanted the best to work on my car hence feeling disapointed

Like I said before until you speak to Paul you should keep quiet his mobile number is on the bill

Do you actually know of these are "problems" or more quirks of having a car thats had a lot of knackered parts replaced on it?

I.e: if you had a coupe that had a knackered clutch to start with and you've replaced it and it doesnt feel right i'd say the more likely answer is that it isnt bedded in properley yet rather than an expert getting it wrong with a decent, brand new clutch.

Same goes with the belts, it may whine but by the same token it may be the normal noise that goes after a little while.

Id give them, and the parts you had fitted the benefit of the doubt, or failing that see if theres a member in the local area who can come round an assess the 'problems' to see whether the speculation and your trip back to get it fixed is justified.

thats what i really want to find out if its normal or if i have a major problem.
i might have gone about the wrong way but i am just annoyed after such a big bill to still have the same issues.

anyone local who might have a look and knows coops well?
the thing is i don't want to make loads of fuss if its normal but i want my car sorted if its not right and i have paid for it.

how many times do you need telling it is normal for new belts to whine and that cluches need time to bed in , peanuthead !!!!!
pauls is the only place i ve ever taken a car thats come back with the work done and all the bolts back in the right place as it should do.....

I would have volunteered but ive since moved from the area.
Im sure someone would take a look.

ok so you guys think its ok then and would trust paul?

Yes. Trust Paul and the parts fitted.

A mechanic would never make a living by sending cars out as fccuked as they were when they went in. Fact.

I think if i had just spent the best part of £900 and got the car back exactly the same as it went in, then i would be pretty hacked off aswell, to be fair to peanuthead.
But i think you should certainly speak to the garage and get his explanation as to these issues.
But i can certainly see where you coming from being annoyed, but probably not the best way to set about getting it resolved.

yeah i just wanted to ask you guys if i was being ott and over worring or not before i went to the garage like a bull in a china shop.
i thought the idea of forums was to discuss good and bad things you experiance that invole your cars?

so what if the garage is repected on here it doesn't mean he doesn't make mistakes or his work shouldn't be quized from time to time.

i am a gas technical adviser and teach corgi exams and work for a massive boiler manufacture working with engineers and i can tell you there are enough so call experts and people who make lots of money and don't have a clue and rip people off but still have a good name.
just because they trade doesn't mean they actully know everything or won't bodge.
not saying this place have but i want to know for my piece of mind as it just sounds wrong and i wan't expecting this.

Nobody is saying you cant question it. The point is that if the garage doesn't know you are unhappy then it's a bit unfair to come on here and insinuate that you've been swindled when you've not talked to them first.

And that's irrespective of who 'the garage' is.

hence why i don't want his name on here but want to know if this is right before i go in there all guns blazing.

and yes lots of people say i am unfair for not giving the benifit of the doubt or not asking if this is right first where i think it is fair enough.

Everyone makes mistakes. I have found the guy to be very helpful even when under pressure. Like everyone says, you have to give the guy chance to comment before going public, its just good manners

he has been very helpful and i can't fault they way he delt with me just seeing if i need to worry about the work or if its normal.
some say its fine and some say itd not right so i don't know where to go.

I think we're done with this now aren't we? Let us know how you get on

not really

Have you rang him yet?

no becauser its got worse over the weekend and i din't want to bother him over the weekend.

So - lets get this right - you've gone from this



this



and this



to this



this



and this



So - he did LOADS of work, fixed problems you didn't know you had, gave you a discount even though you're not a club member, advised you what the cause of the boost problem was, made you a brake hose for £4 and you have the bloody nerve to criticise and question his work BEFORE you've even spoken to him.

Paul doesn't get onto the forum very much, but I sincerely hope he hasn't read any of your posts before you call him.

And as for whinging about the day off and the distance you travelled - WTF!

hey calm down. i no you love paul but i did try to dig at him just making sure i haven't wasted £900 on my car if the faults are still there

also i deleted stuff for a reason so don't use your mod powers to stir xxxx

This thread is going nowhere.

I hope you any issues with your car resolved one way or the other and i also hope you'll post the results up of what was wrong/not wrong when your done.

you haven't deleted anything - all the quotes above were copied from your recent posts.

And as for accusing me of stirring, you have to ask yourself who posted the statement "don't trust him" in the first place.

One of your early threads mentions that you were a little surprised that your cheapest quote for a clutch and cambelt was £850. However, a few months later, and you're moaning that a cambelt, clutch, track rod ends, ABS light, sidelight bulbs, diagnosis of the boost problem and sorting a brake hose cost you £886



Are you not reading what anybody is posting? You've spent money on a new cambelt, a new clutch, new track rod ends. This ISN'T wasted money. You've been told what the likely cause of the boost problem is and how to fix it. Stop trying to make out that Paul somehow "failed" you, just because he didn't MEND the boost issue.

I hope Paul does read what you've said

i couldn't care less if he reads this as i will speak to him tomorrow.
the problem is i have massive belt whine and clutch judder and wanted to see if this is normal. i didn't want to dig at paul.
i don't care about the boost i care about the work he carried out is done porperly.
the boost probelm is fine as if what he says is true there isn't a problem.
my worry is with the belt whine and clutch judder and with these things i asked checking now seam to have a problem when he said they didn't
i guess thats ok?

ok ok .stop it now.lets see how monday unfolds.merry xmas

I know I shouldn't be up this late and that this post needs to stop now but there are a few more things that need to be said. the clutch judder just like brake judder could be un-even friction material on the plate and the crunching of gears is quite common when you have to get used to an entirely new bite point.
Also the belt whine could be a/c, p/s or altenator or even just a shiney 100,000 mile tensioner wheel would do it.
To be fair you didn't give him a chance to fix the other problems in one day and it's certainly not his fault that you live 200 miles away.
Give the guy a freakin' chance first

the tensioners should be changed and if he hasn't changed something that is worn but should be while the cambelt is done then thats his fault as he should know what needs replacing.
clutch i can see is most likely needing bedding in even though i asked him if i needed to and he said no. i just hope the water pump isn't going hence the noise and he couldn't be bothered to change and the flywheel was skimmed and that a scored flywheel isn't the problem!

see wmy concren when i have paid £886 and its the same if not worse than when it went in.

Have you spoken to him yet

Peanuthead, my advice as a club member and a previously very satisfied customer of Motormech is *stop digging*. Paul is nothing but professional and you've been advised a number of times to stop throwing accusations about and give Paul the chance to answer your queries.

Take some good advice and STFU.

ok i have spoken to paul and he is going to look at it so really this can be closed now.
i wanted to leave his name out of it but there didn't happen and the mods where the wrose for bringing his name up!

In your second post in response to mine you mentioned his name, so don't try and bullshit your way out of it by saying you didn't bring him name up!!

Got to say, iv often had the issue of whether to travel to Motomech or PowerItalia, as their prices are very good and they come highly recommended on here, which, when it comes to specialist mechanics, is worth its weight in gold. However, I have always opted to use L&M, and the reason is simple, they may be slightly more expensive ( and i do mean only slightly ), but I have built up a good relationship with them over the years, as they are local, I trust them implicitly. If I suspected I had problems, and had the choice of traveling 10 miles to a specialist, or 200 miles to a specialist, it would be a no brainer for me. Peanuthead, as traveling to and from Motormech is a issue ( and quite rightly with fuel prices ) I would suggest L&M in future, they are up the road from you, and this would allow you to be nearer should you require it. Iv had big bills from them, and they have saved me money in other areas, but are always more than happy to explain issues, and suggest options. This is the story of performance italian car owning unfortunately, but TBH, I would change the coupe for anything

they just seam much more expensive. i got quoted £250 more for a cambelt change

can this thread be closed now???????????

This is going nowhere now. Let us know how you get on when it’s all sorted out.