where NOT to get your exhaust done/car worked on

[jbod]

Thought id be privlaged enough to tell the fellow toyspeeders about quite possibly the worst service i have ever had with my car on making an exhaust!

Ladys and gents Geddes automotive in onehunga!

I had a quote to do $840+gst to make a downpipe with about 2 meters of exhaust section after this on my st205! this seemed pretty steep at the time..I went back to Geddes about 2 weeks after the quote, run by an old fart (Petter - who seems inocent but is a tosser) and dropped the car off with a custom downpipe i already had and to do the rest of the work between the downpipe and the existing exhaust..so the work should have been 840 less the downpipe (he recond his downpipe to make would be 480 so i figured 400ish should cover it)
nek minit...
i get a txt from him saying itl cost upwards of $1000 to make a mid section of exhaust, goood joke? didnt want to buy the car again
..he txtd this after he had pulled half the car apart to get the factroy downpipe off

i said no and after his ridiculous labour& material cost the cheapest way out as my car was in bits was to finish fitting my custom downpipe and weld abit of section to fit it to the pre existing exhaust for a overpriced $400

once i picked it up the price further increased antoher $10 as he said needed some extra nuts and bolts.

I then realised after i paid the temp sensor hadnt been encorperated into the exhaust..possibly doesnt need it as it measures cat temperature however i still wanted it there.

To cut a long story short Petter the guy running the show is a prick that specialises in screwing customers, he will do half the work for double the quote..the geddes moto one would say, that and his welding was that of a todler, so a word of warning, dont get your exhaust made there, its a complete joke, what comes around goes around hope the old tosser gets bitten!

(I am some what grumpy - learn from my mistake )

[Dell'Orto]

I dont know that I would trust any workshop that would txt me about extra charges. Sounds like he either didnt want to do the job, or wasnt comfortable doing it.

[Bling]

On the flip side, here is another thread you may find helpful in the future.

viewtopic.php?t=86574&highlight=exhaust+work

[jbod]

they use a system where they use their email which send u a txt, i thought it was very unprofessional. als mufflers did a good job on one of the toher st205s i had however since they have gone out of bussiness..

i called pitstop onehunga as i had heard several people say they are pretty good, upon calling them the guy there recomeneded a specific person at pitstop greenlane, i called them and he said he could do it wednesday, from the way he spoke he seems to have done a few of the st205 knowing abit about it.

in the past i have only heard people complaing about pitstop, i once had a bad experience there to, any suggestions!?

[DVSMOTORSPORT]

I dont know that I would trust any workshop that would txt me about extra charges. Sounds like he either didnt want to do the job, or wasnt comfortable doing it.

I work for a dealership, and we regularly use the text message system. Even the oler people dont seem to mind it at all. Although if we need authorisation for the job/extras the text would be for them to call back when they are in a position for a phone call.

[TRDWGN]

You should have pushed it across the road to Mr Muffler, Dean is the master

[Dell'Orto]

I know its getting quite common (work in the auto trade too) but I find it a little unprofessional.

[Akane]

Common thing in NZ brah.

There's almost next to no honest workshops in NZ, everyone just out to make a quick buck, and thinks you don't know better.

[jbod]

yes i hate taking my car anywhere, for watever reason so i do the work myself. i even gave him the correct torques for the downpipe when mounting to the turbo. however i dont have a welder or a mandrel bender so the exhaust was somewhat out of my react. i chose him because he seemd to knw what he was on about and was an old man who wouldnt take my car for a boost around the block..however he was a decieveing old prick that needs a slap..in short. Can anyone backup that pitstop greenlane will eb any good?? im pretty convinced that they will be, HOWEVER, that is the idea it seems, to convince the customer then try rip them once the work is underway; some sad little people out there!

[ch4ng]

Have not had any experience with Pit Stop Greenlane but *Another vote for Dean @ Mr Muffler*

[iOnic]

Go to Pitstop Grey Lynn. Owner is on Toyspeed and has a jzx100. You will be looked after.

[Al]

Some dick in the mr2 club years ago recommended some old guy who used to own a muffler shop down Wairakei Rd. Said he was the best.

So I went to him with my old mr2, had my N1 3" muffler with me and told him I wanted a 3" system off the downpipe to the muffler. How much and when can you do it.

He then started asking "why do you want a 3" system? It will be too noisy, this muffler will look crap why don't you get another muffler with a better tip on it? I did an exhaust on a AW11 Supercharged, it didn't need a 3" exhaust and it would be much more powerful than this"

He had no f$&king idea. I went to Uniweld, told them what I wanted, they made it and were total GC's. Still use them every time I need exhaust work.

[BlakeNZ]

Good "name and shame" jbod. well done. spread the word people.

[jbod]

Haha thanks mate, well yes, name and shame! Id mostly like to make sure no one goes there thinking you will get a good job and then gettin ripped off to the days.. id try the grey lynn one but it is abit far, guess im going to go to pitstop greenlane, get a written quote, and bite the bullet on the financial damage that this old fart has caused :L

[MrOizo]

You should have pushed it across the road to Mr Muffler, Dean is the master

Reading the first few lines of the first post i started thinking this!

I have only been to Geddes to have a wheel bearing pressed and the ginge there made some bullshit up about it being hard and all that so was something like $80! Never been back there.

Dean across the road at Mr Muffler is the man! Pity he doesnt like welding stainless otherwise he'd have the job of doing my system!

[Elmendorf]

I remember having issues with work an exhaust company down here on my MR2. Wasn't the price for the job that was the issue, it was that the "new" exhaust had more holes in it than the old one

They were nice enough to fix it, free of charge (as they should) but still wasn't impressed i had to go without a car for 2 days because of their workmanship.

I agree with Dell'Orto, it is getting quite common (although I thought it was just because I was female )

[Looonie]

If by Pitstop Greenlane, you mean the one on Great South Road, Penrose... I don't suggest going there.

I went there after I was recommended to, was simply getting the factory front pipe (after extractors) replaced with new 2" piping and the cat removed (it had collapsed), so probably about 1m of twin 2" and then another metre of 2" piping to mate up to the rest, and 3 flanges.

Quote was for about $650, when I went to pick it up they'd thrown another $100 on top and claimed it was because the studs and nuts were $&#$%.

Maybe I have a different view on best business practice, but I would expect it better to build into your quote the expectation of replacing a few studs/nuts on a nearly 20 year old car and not piss the customer off. Unfortunately in the automotive industry, quoting appears to be seen as a game of "go low to get the customer then reem them once you've got the job".

Suggest going to see AJ at Pitstop Grey Lynn, he's a genuinely nice bloke, and while I haven't had any work done there yet myself, I plan for that to be the only place I go for exhaust work in future (after unsatisfactory experiences with 2 seperate "exhaust" workshops now).

[rollaholic]

i go to AJ at pitstop grey lynn also.

hes a genuine car enthusiast, and apart from the JZX he also has an E30 with 1UZ, and a EG civic track hack with a B18C. he is also good to deal with.

he may not be the cheapest option out there, but like you i dont like to send my car out for work if i can help it. when i do, knowing i can trust the person doing the work means more than the lowest price, ya know?

also, QFT

Maybe I have a different view on best business practice, but I would expect it better to build into your quote the expectation of replacing a few studs/nuts on a nearly 20 year old car and not piss the customer off. Unfortunately in the automotive industry, quoting appears to be seen as a game of "go low to get the customer then reem them once you've got the job".

[Akane]

I love it how they add $$$ on to existing quotes because they say "Oh the <insert thing here> was a bitch to get off"


So, how is that my problem again? That's the reason why I dropped the car off and get you to do it.

[TONKA]

Yer i got shafted by this guy few years back ended up costing me $700 to fix a manifold leak,more than double what he quoted me.
He reckons every stud broke so that added another $400??
Mr muffler across the road is way better,took it to him orginally but he was booked out and i wanted it done asap.Should of just waited