BAD: Mr. Clutch Strood Kent

[Gremlin]

Avoid just read my posts on my topic entitled Clutch. (please Mr Admin move it in here as will be a start.

BUT yes avoid these guys at all costs. Just seem to rip off in all and there typical cost is just to get you in once there wow they find everything wrong and nothing is included....

Ok here we go.

Story is as follows: Buy car, notice very early sign of clutch slipping...
OK, phone around for quotes and they range from £250 + VAT to £600 all in. OK after picking myself up fro the sheer shock of this price, I then agree to let a garage do the work.

OK SO FAR

After leaving the car at the garage and being told would take three to four hours give or take, I take a train ride home: approx journey time 1 hr, this includes walking to and from station although garage only ten minutes up the road. I walk indoors and the answer phone is flashing i press play and I'm greeted with this message.. Hi Mr Newman, we have your car stripped down here and have found some extra bits of work that could need doing. Drive shafts leaking both sides not too bad but will need to be done £29 per side. A seal onside is starting to show signs of leaking and could leak onto your new clutch; £18 also i have noticed that your fly wheel has signs of heat damage now these are expensive, however we can re-skim them here and this will stop any uneven wear on your new clutch this is only £54.99. So I decide not to have the flywheel done neither the drive shafts I can get them cheaper else where sure of it. fly wheel well that's one of those things never been too bad before so will leave that. He then goes on; also as the vehicle has a slight leak the gearbox oil is low that will be an extra £23.99 for that as well.

So I pick the phone up dial them back and ask what's going on. Why if they are replacing an inner seal are they not automatically replacing oil in the gearbox etc. Get that sorted and then sit down and wait for the call to come and collect it.

About half past two I get another call from the garage. Mr Newman, your clutch is done but we have found another problem. You will need to replace your clutch master cylinder as we cannot get any pressure looks like that has gone. Only problem is I cant get one till Tuesday morning and its gonna be an extra £100. Now I am screaming at them and wanting to know what's going on. They have no-one able to go and collect a part from the dealer, so will have to be Tuesday as we have Easter Sunday and Bank Hol Monday.

Well that's my wasted weekend so far......

Couple of quick questions: does the price sound about right? and secondly does anyone reckon there trying to pull a fast one on me?
Thanks
Simon
Just hoping they don't charge me storage as well lol...

 

[Cherie]

Hard for me to say on all of it. What I can answer is this:
The labour hours sounds about right, it's not a quick job. To get to the clutch, you've got to take off the wheels, remove the driveshafts, the linkage from the gearstick to the gearbox, secure the engine then drop it sufficiently to get to the gearbox and take it off. Whip the old clutch out, stick a new one in, then put everything back again.
A Ford clutch can be gotten for a little over £100, plus whatever markup the garage put on parts (some do, some don't).
I would have expected them to replace the gearbox oil anyway. It's not cheap and works out at easily £6 a litre, and you need about 3 litres to fill the gearbox. I wouldn't expect them to mix old and new oil either, so the full 3 litres should be about right.

Did they say what the problem was exactly with the driveshafts? Do they mean it's the gearbox leaking oil where the driveshafts go in? The driveshafts themselves don't have any oil of any kind.

Can't say whether they'd be right with the flywheel and master cylinder, but as they were replacing the clutch, I would have expected them to suggest replacing the slave cylinder regardless, as that's an easy change, and they're only about £30-£40.

The only bit of advice I can give, is when you go and pick it up, take someone with you who knows a bit about cars and see if they can reasonably explain to both of you what the issues were. Even better if you can get there early and get them to show you what the problems are.

Might even be worth giving Chris (C.B. Autos) a call in the morning as the only reason I know anything about the process of changing a gearbox and clutch is because I watched him do mine!

 

[crystalpuma]

as they were replacing the clutch, I would have expected them to suggest replacing the slave cylinder regardless, as that's an easy change, and they're only about £30-£40.

I would have also expected this, and surely it would have been included in the quote?

 

[jacko]

you need to pressure bleed the puma clutch fluid....or it doesnt 'feel' right....which i think is what there basing the 'needs new master cylinder on'.....

driveshaft seals are 50p to £1 each, oil is a tenner or so for 5L & a 10 min job to top up AND SHOULD BE PART OF CHANGING THE CLUTCH!!!!! as some will usually leak

flywheel etc; ARSE, absolute rollocks

name & shame & mention small claims court if they dont get there botties in gear

 

[Gremlin]

Should have explained a bit better..
Its the driveshaft seals, and they quoting a lot more than 1pound each .
Yes they have replaced the slave cylinder (well say so) there saying that they cant get any pressure on the system and thats why i need to pay 100 more for it. As far as i am aware it went in for a basic clutch with everything working and comes out with a complete new system , but from what you are saying i wonder if they actually know what they are doing!!

 

[jacko]

nope!

any air in the system (ie not bled under pressure; most cars dont need to be but puma does) & it will feel like that......

yep driveshaft seals are pennies, hours labour on there own, add 20mins to a clutch job.....

 

[C.B.Autos]

Jacko where do you get the gearbox fluid from at that price. as i cant even get it that cheap.. and i really want to lol..

 

[Gremlin]

All done and jacko if possible where do you get those seals fro and i will do them myself as well as the grearbox oil. As they were insistant that it was extra to the job .However nice to be back in her again missed her over easter lol and the Company was MR.Clutch Strood branch.
NEVER FELT so awkward to be a customer and also felt like they were not arsed if they had it in or not.Well comeon Four Days days is a bit much. But these things have to be done

 

[jacko]

any good seals / transmission place; look in yellow pages. you will need the internal, external sizes & thickness & ideally a seal to take in to show them. i tend to use a seal 1mm too small on the internal side as it gives a better seal. buy plenty as its not a case of knocking them in all the way, you have to get them just right to seal perfectly....usually takes me a few attempts.

gearbox oil is 75 90, was talking more about a top up bottle (ie y was so cheap!)......(as they come with the extendable spout; better for diy'ers). iv got an empty one of those & buy 5L bottles.......