# advice wanted - gearbox repair



## roxby (Feb 17, 2008)

Hi I need advice on Gear box exchange or repair my camper went in the garage 5 weeks ago for what i thought was a 5 day job its still in 5 weeks later and have now been told tat after all the work and timebeen repaired but on the test run it was just as bad as before repair so cant have the camper for two more weeks in the meantime i have had to cancell 5 ferry crossings costing every time i have had to change also it will be 7 weeks road tax and insurance while its sat in the garage,Any advice on how to gee this firm up


site helper note - more detail in title, moved to Gearbox forum


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

*Re: advice wanted*



roxby said:


> Hi I need advice on Gear box exchange or repair my camper went in the garage 5 weeks ago for what i thought was a 5 day job its still in 5 weeks later and have now been told tat after all the work and timebeen repaired but on the test run it was just as bad as before repair so cant have the camper for two more weeks in the meantime i have had to cancell 5 ferry crossings costing every time i have had to change also it will be 7 weeks road tax and insurance while its sat in the garage,Any advice on how to gee this firm up


I would query if these guys know what they are doing, could you not limp to another garage?


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

You have not provided a huge amount of information as to what the initial problem was so its difficult to comment.

However as I see it you contracted with the garage to sort out whatever the problem was. They have clearly failed to fulfill their part of the contract.

I would suggest a chat with Citizens Advice/Trading Standards before doing ANYTHING else.

Keep us posted (name and shame the garage as well so it can be avoided by others)


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## Spiritofherald (May 18, 2012)

It all depends on how competent you think they are as even people good at their jobs get things wrongs from time to time. There's the old saying 'The only person who never makes a mistake is the person who doesn't do anything'. 

If you think they are competent then have a chat with them and find out more detail, including how much longer it's going to take and what they're going to do to compensate for their mistakes. 

If you feel they're not competent then it gets more difficult and I would consult a legal expert (maybe starting with CAB). I have no legal knowledge but suspect you would have to give formal notification that you're not happy, ask for a settlement bill, dispute the bill in writing if it's unreasonable, negotiate the cost and pay the bill (might involve taking them to court at a later date if they charge too much) then arrange to have it towed somewhere else. 

Do it by the book and you will be better covered if it goes to court - ranting & raving does not usually resolve anything. Having said that, I would find it hard to keep my cool - but then there is the other famous saying 'Take my advice, I'm not using it'. 

Good luck in getting it sorted and back on the road.


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## roxby (Feb 17, 2008)

*gear box*

To greygit Mr plodd spiritofherald Thanks for replies i am waiting for my kamper and have missed appointment in spain i needed to get to I think the whole problem was caused by them fitting a fake clutch plate it lasted 4 months then my problems started i was then in portugal 2000 miles from my garage... locals could not help.. the gear box started jumping out gears my original clutch lasted 11 years wheni took the camper in for them to look at it they siad it could not be the clutch then when stripped down the clutch was burnt black i have no sence of smell so would not have noticed smells
the fact is now after 5 weeks they still say it will be another two weeks before its fixed and the first estimate at the start for the job was £2200 i think ill leave it there an buy another camper

Thanks for listening i now feel better bob roxby


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

The VED and insurance cannot be helped - that is the joy of owning a vehicle, you cannot use it 24/7 so it would be nice if we only had to pay for insurance when we were using it - but of course it is covered against all sorts of other problems as well as being driven. So that is simply an expense of owning a vehicle.

Did the garage quote for repair in advance?

If so then you can try to hold them to that (written) quote, but if course of the problem has not been sorted then they have not fulfilled the contract.

But of course, if you simply asked them to "sort it out" then you remain liable for all of their attempts, however inept they may be......

Blaming a garage for possibly fitting an incorrect part is a non-starter - their response would probably be "we fitted a clutch plate, you did not ask us to fit an original manufacturers plate" so you are unlikely to get anywhere along that route IMO.

I am struggling to understand where you are now - you said you are 2,000 miles from your garage when the problems started and that the locals could not help. Did you therefore drive back to your garage (2,000 miles) for them to sort out? If so that would probably contribute to any further damage of the clutch was faulty.....

I am afraid that this is NOT going to be an easy one to sort out and hope that you seek professional advice - you may well need it. Not the answer that you will want to read but "_caveat emptor_" seems appropriate......

Dave


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## rogerblack (May 1, 2005)

Am I right in assuming this is not an approved dealer for your base vehicle manufacturer?

One of the reasons I always use our nearest approved Peugeot dealer for the motorhome is that you have the assurance that should anything go wrong, you can escalate it higher up the chain, whereas with an independent garage you have little comeback. And yes, I know that the dealer may well be more expensive but to me it's worth it for the reassurance. Also, they use approved replacement parts - again, maybe not the cheapest but there is comeback if any problems.

Having said all that, I do now use a local reputable garage to service & MOT my Vectra estate but that's another story. My Vauxhall dealer seemed to think I was a cash cow and would pay more than the car was worth for things they would find 'needed doing' each time they got their hands on it!


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## Spiritofherald (May 18, 2012)

A faulty clutch could prevent you from selecting gears or cause clutch slip (revs increasing with corresponding increase in road speed) but a faulty clutch will not cause it to jump out of gear. It sounds to me like you could have two diferent problems (assuming the clutch is still in need of repair). 

Jumping out of gear can be caused on some vehicles by worn or badly adjusted selector rods (from the gear leaver the gearbox) or more likely by worn components within the gearbox itself.


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

*Re: gear box*



roxby said:


> To greygit Mr plodd spiritofherald Thanks for replies i am waiting for my kamper and have missed appointment in spain i needed to get to I think the whole problem was caused by them fitting a fake clutch plate it lasted 4 months then my problems started i was then in portugal 2000 miles from my garage... locals could not help.. the gear box started jumping out gears my original clutch lasted 11 years wheni took the camper in for them to look at it they siad it could not be the clutch then when stripped down the clutch was burnt black i have no sence of smell so would not have noticed smells
> the fact is now after 5 weeks they still say it will be another two weeks before its fixed and the first estimate at the start for the job was £2200 i think ill leave it there an buy another camper
> 
> Thanks for listening i now feel better bob roxby


I would have hoped for a replacement gearbox at that price. 8O 8O


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