Tweet
I usually get a mobile mechanic to service my 2005 3 ltr Prado and have always felt he does a good job. No more though and I'll show why. Last Friday he arrives as arranged and I disappear indoors and let him get on with it as I think there's nothing more annoying when you're trying to work and someone else wants to chat.
This was for a basic service by the way, at 110K.
About an hour later I go out and he's got a bottle of GTX3 which I use in the wifes Camry......"All right to use this" he asks "I'm about 1/2 a litre short of oil as I did a truck service before coming here?"
"Don't use that" I say "Use this" and gave him a container of Castrol Edge diesel oil I used to use in another vehicle. He gave a quick top up and I thought then it was hardly worth worrying about it was such a quick slurp of oil.
Anyway I paid the bloke when he finished and off he went.
Now, I've got a security system set-up consisting of cameras linked to a 500Gb HDD which can be accessed from anywhere and I review what's been happening once or twice a day.
I won't go into why I have this system but it's shown yobs entering the driveway and trying car doors etc. which the cops show no interest in even though I told them who it was! Their attitude being one reason I've got it.
The mechanic gets on and jacks the vehicle up etc. drops the oil, does greasing while it's draining, changes the filter then sticks the bung back in and proceed to fill her up. A green about 5 litre bottle goes in (don't know how much oil was actually in the container), followed by a bit from a blueish bottle, then he looks around and scratches his head ......and disappears out of camera range into the carport where I store all my oils.
Out he comes with a container of USED Magnatec and tips that up but quickly stops when he sees it's used oil. Back into the carport and out he comes with the red GTX3 and pours probably 2 litres in before I appear which is when he asks me if it's alright to use it. Getting my negative answer and the Edge oil he pours the above mentioned drop in and the service is virtually finished. I pay him forgetting he's used a litle bit of my oil but I'm not worried about that.
After seeing what he's been upto I phoned him the next morning and complained bitterly as I'm fanactical about my oil and filter changing! He denies it but not long after he comes round to again deny doing it and asks why I don't trust him as he's been doing the servicing for a couple of years now.
I tell him in no uncertain terms that the oil must be changed or I'll take action and have already received advice concerning this and he agrees to re-do it.
So that's the end of his doing my work and I just wanted to say to those living in the northern Perth suburbs to be careful of what you leave laying around that your friendly mobile mechanic can use instead of what he should have bought to do the job and for what he's going to charge you for.
AlanH.
This was for a basic service by the way, at 110K.
About an hour later I go out and he's got a bottle of GTX3 which I use in the wifes Camry......"All right to use this" he asks "I'm about 1/2 a litre short of oil as I did a truck service before coming here?"
"Don't use that" I say "Use this" and gave him a container of Castrol Edge diesel oil I used to use in another vehicle. He gave a quick top up and I thought then it was hardly worth worrying about it was such a quick slurp of oil.
Anyway I paid the bloke when he finished and off he went.
Now, I've got a security system set-up consisting of cameras linked to a 500Gb HDD which can be accessed from anywhere and I review what's been happening once or twice a day.
I won't go into why I have this system but it's shown yobs entering the driveway and trying car doors etc. which the cops show no interest in even though I told them who it was! Their attitude being one reason I've got it.
The mechanic gets on and jacks the vehicle up etc. drops the oil, does greasing while it's draining, changes the filter then sticks the bung back in and proceed to fill her up. A green about 5 litre bottle goes in (don't know how much oil was actually in the container), followed by a bit from a blueish bottle, then he looks around and scratches his head ......and disappears out of camera range into the carport where I store all my oils.
Out he comes with a container of USED Magnatec and tips that up but quickly stops when he sees it's used oil. Back into the carport and out he comes with the red GTX3 and pours probably 2 litres in before I appear which is when he asks me if it's alright to use it. Getting my negative answer and the Edge oil he pours the above mentioned drop in and the service is virtually finished. I pay him forgetting he's used a litle bit of my oil but I'm not worried about that.
After seeing what he's been upto I phoned him the next morning and complained bitterly as I'm fanactical about my oil and filter changing! He denies it but not long after he comes round to again deny doing it and asks why I don't trust him as he's been doing the servicing for a couple of years now.
I tell him in no uncertain terms that the oil must be changed or I'll take action and have already received advice concerning this and he agrees to re-do it.
So that's the end of his doing my work and I just wanted to say to those living in the northern Perth suburbs to be careful of what you leave laying around that your friendly mobile mechanic can use instead of what he should have bought to do the job and for what he's going to charge you for.
AlanH.
Comment