Had my car in for a repair at the weekend (1969 XW Falcon S/W). I was just about to leave them with it when the guy asked me "how do you get first gear".So I told him how to drive it. (this is where I should of dragged him out of the car and taken it elsewhere). When I picked it up and was driving home I noticed the the column change for the gears was broken and I couldn't shift gears, I limped the car home in top gear (I live close to the workshop). When I called them they say that it wasn't them. I feel that he has tried to force it into gear breaking the column hub in the process. He should of tried pumping the clutch another time if it wouldn't go into gear! Now I've got the problem of a broken car and a workshop that wont take responsibility for the damage they caused! It was working fine when I took it in and now I can't drive it.
Just having a rant, but if they don't sort it out I'll be naming and shaming.
franko171,
Jun 20, 11:01pm
he mite have been a holden driver rip hit bust
ginga4lyfe,
Jun 20, 11:05pm
in my eyes i would expect them to fix it regaurdless of there statement of them not breaking it, it was in their care , and it got broken, now they should fix it
curiousgrl,
Jun 20, 11:08pm
thats C***S for ya! Well of coarse ya know it happened there other wise ya wouldnt put the blame on them and if you did it on ya way there im sure ya would of mentioned it to someone on drop off. I hate people/companys like that. keep on their backs and take it to court if they dont cough up and take the blame .it can be easily fixed through insurence if they admit it.
curiousgrl,
Jun 20, 11:10pm
exactly!
xpfairmont,
Jun 20, 11:18pm
I don't want them touching it again. I will fix and then bill them. The only person I trust to fix it is myself or someone who has fixed one before which they haven't. I had fully rebuilt this column myself with the help of an old timer at Napier Motors (Dunedin City Ford) who sourced all the had to obtain bushing etc. It was the best working three speed column in the country. was!
xpfairmont,
Jun 20, 11:24pm
they are also trying pull out the ol': "it's an old car". "ware & tear". "Common fault". "didn't notice anything at the time" etc etc. Also expects me to pay for a tow truck so he can see it, if he wants to see it he can come to my house in his own time when I'm home from work or he can pay for tow truck both ways.
curiousgrl,
Jun 20, 11:24pm
yip fix it yourself and bill them.
thunderbolt,
Jun 20, 11:27pm
Good luck but I think you have to give them the option to repair it themselves.
unclejake,
Jun 20, 11:28pm
Those coffee cup shifters are as fragile as an egg, but replacment is a 20 minute job at worst
xpfairmont,
Jun 20, 11:29pm
They didn't cut me any deal etc when they billed me. So I shall return the favor. They're lucky I bought a spare one at a swap meet for a deal ($50). My friend used to sell them out of his auto wrecker in Dunedin for $180-200 - that was over 10 years ago. Plus the one I've got is brown so it will need to be colour matched.
unclejake,
Jun 20, 11:31pm
Then it wasn't broken when it left the workshop
xpfairmont,
Jun 20, 11:31pm
20 minute for me. A few days for a work shop full of young guys like that to pull it apart and loose everything. And then not have it set up right so that it will break within a week of them fitting it.
smac,
Jun 20, 11:33pm
Yah there's a few bits missing from the story - what was wrong that he couldn't get 1st! You say pump the clutch and he would have got it - so clutch had air! Bad clutch shouldn't cause shifter to break no matter how hard he tried.and how did you leave workshop without noticing!
nathanmac,
Jun 20, 11:33pm
When I started reading I was hoping they'd just jammed the mechanism on you like old columns sometimes do, bummer they've broken it.But it's hard to find garages that are still tuned into working on old cars, I guess that's one of the prices of progress.
Second warrant after getting the bottoms of my front guards on the XR replaced, the guy who was putting it on the hoist didn't check where he'd placed the feet and crushed the bottom of one guard.He was like a family friend so I didn't kick up that much of a stink about it - plus I'm not too happy with my touching up of the paint so I wasn't as grumpy about is as I would have been if I'd just spent a mint on the paint.
Hope they come to the party and help you get it sorted.
nathanmac,
Jun 20, 11:35pm
you still hope he wouldn't force it to the point of breaking though.maybe like most old cars it has it's own technique to get it right, but it would be a bit disappointing to be in op's shoes you'd have to agree.
unclejake,
Jun 20, 11:39pm
They just break without warning under 'normal' use. I have broken several and got in the habbit of keeping a spare one under the bench seat and changing it on the side of the road
xpfairmont,
Jun 20, 11:39pm
Yes it was broken. It got reverse, which felt a bit strange but the guy was taking to me in through the window so didn't really pay to much attention/notice. Then when I was in the middle of Gt north rd I could hardly get first. The column was sitting all 'wonky' gently managed to get it into top gear and limp home. Also They were meant to fix it on Friday but they double booked work. So I had already lost half my Saturday waiting for them and just wanted to get home.
kevymtnz,
Jun 20, 11:42pm
most people who know about gear boxs will select 2nd gear and then slot into 1st and thats for any box i would give them a chance to fix it then take it further
xpfairmont,
Jun 20, 11:46pm
You must be hard on your cars unclejake. I've had this car for over ten years. Broke it once being silly in a Go-to-woo with the Otago Ford club. Fixed, treat car with love. and it will last.
xpfairmont,
Jun 20, 11:53pm
The way I see it is that they fractured it by being to ruff. I jumped in and it just feel apart as I tried to drive home. PS It is still in one peace but only just. The hub is sitting all wonky and I can see in and see a new very shinny crack/break that is only hanging on by a few millimeters.
nathanmac,
Jun 21, 12:00am
like most old stuff - can be fine but doesn't take much over normal load or just a bit of fatigue to make it go ping.when we took the fleetmaster to Wellington a few aeons back Dad had the foresight to have some spare axles in the boot.sure enough pulling out a steeper than steep drive it lost drive.the surprising thing was to see how the crack had progressed to the point that maybe only 1/3 of the axle was still 'connected' at the point before it gave out.
xpfairmont,
Jun 21, 12:30am
Yes, you are correct. i'll give them a chance to do so but how much do I sell them the part for! or do I tell them to track down in their own time and at their own cost! If they get one for cheap good for them if they can't too bad!
rkauto,
Jun 21, 12:48am
ahh the old "ëver since"story.
nathanmac,
Jun 21, 1:06am
the problem is though that we have to take it to them if we want road legal vehicles! one inspector snapped the plastic gear lever knob off our 48 chev - when we drive it we use the metal shaft to hold the gear lever, not that plastic knob. couple that with an unfamiliarity with vacuum gear changes and it's a recipe for carnage.unfortunately we can't give every mechanic a half hour tutorial on how to drive an old car, but we do have to entrust them with our cars.
it's a 2 way street, and as much as we can assume the part may have been wearing out, it may also have been mint.hard to prove either way.
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