Hi guys,

I have had a very bad eperience, and a huge bill from my mini mechcanic. He took on my job 2 weeks ago, knew exectly what I wanted done, (i got him to do the job, even though I am more than capable of doing the job myself) all it was, was a simple engine swap outta my van, and into bluey. Pull it all out, raditor and all attached, all parts I supplied, and straight into bluey. Turned up there on wednesday with the car, to find out his given the bussness to some young wally who knows nothing about mini's watsoeva!! and tried telling me my mini didn't need a choke, and that its tuned properly!! when it drove like crap!! and now my mechanic who used to be the owner just works along side of him. Anyway to get to the point, i gave the work to him, due to the fact that i didn't have the time to change the engine myself due to uni, but its been more stress and time getting them to do the work, than it would have been to do myself now!! 2 full days the 2 of them it took to do it!! Didn't take the car for a test drive, and check it out. I take it away and it runs like sh** gets hot, misses and chofes, and when i got there, the fella had the temperature gauge wire hooked to the alternator, didn't even have the oil switch wire on the gauge, and couldn't work out why it didn't start without an extra wire to the coil in the engine bay!! B4 I start the car to leave, i pop the bonnet to see all of this, choke wire left hanging, wires missing, and was so obvious where things had to go!! Fixed them up, and it starts first time, some mechanic aye? To get to the point, Im left with the car now, having to go and redo all the work they've done, things that have just been left hanging, hoses etc, a good days work for me, to sort things in order, including timing and tuning. I am certainly NOT happy one bit. And worse is to come the BILL!! For those of you who know how much work is involved to replace and engine unit from one to the other, tell me how much you think the job roughly is worth? I had my ideas, but they got blown way out! See if you come up with the same price as this fella does aye?

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Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

While most of us can appreciate your frustration and anger its done and yes even after getting it professionals to it things go wrong.

A few years ago I had a reconditioned motor for a commdore put it. It had to be fitted by the reconditioners fitter or the warranty was void.

When I got there and there were a row of cars all having engines fitted. Very quick and slick but..... I spent a week doing up the things they neglected to do properly. Tightening hoses, retightening manifolds etc.

Thge car also ran light a dog but it was a dual fuel commodore and they told me they weren't authorised to do LPG work so take it to an authorised tuner.

So it happens and happens a lot.

Glad you didn't name and shame though

These days any mechanic not charging $75 (or more) an hour is not making money and they have a book that details the number of hours that any job should take. You can reasonably allow two hours out and two hours in for each motor so if one car had no motor its a reasonable four hours.

A few years back a team of ausmini-ers helped out someone with a motor change and from scratch to motor on ground it was twenty minutes. But that was mini people on a mission. Two hours is reasonable time.

Mike

So you say you supplied parts, but it was just an engine swap? Depending on if you asked them to fit a few new things etc adds extra labour on what mike suggested.

If both cars had engines, so 2 removals, and 1 fitment i would say 6hrs at $90hr (all the local workshops near where i work are $88hr) thats $540 just for purely removing and fitting, nothing extra.

Unless your bill is substantially more then that, without justification for extra labour then its not too bad.

You should in future (if you didn't already) try and get a quote that they can try to stick too. However quotes in mechanics don't always work as half the time something pops after starting the job that needs extra labour.


On a side note lockie, please try to hit the enter button every once in a while in such a big block of words

haha sorry Matt. I was writing that in the most of piss** of moods, I can admit it does look a block of an essy sorry.

On the side not, for some of those who PM'ed me, this guy I have used for many many years now, all he did was purely mini's. He is an old fella, but was starting to loose his touch for things. (Actully asked me quite a few times to take over the business, as he thought i would be good at it. But i didn't want to, cos cars give me the sh**s, And becuase the new young fella has taken over the bussiness, who knows nothing about mini's has been the last straw.

Also after trying to fix a few things, retightening of hoses, mainfolds, linkages, i took it for another run, then all of a sudden my lights started getting dimmer and dimmer, and then suddenly just started to loose power and take off. To the extent where it didn't have enough go, and ran out. Turns out he had attached the wires to the waser bottle to the alternator, and i wasant getting any charge. I had a funny feeling the wires looked weirdly placed.

So here i was stuck on the side of the road for 30mins tonite, while dad came and rescuded me, with my other battery. I'm about to go out and try and rewire the wires and redo the connection ends.

When I meant parts, i just mean, things like the new uni joints, and a few seals the needed to replace the engine (as you do) including hose clamps etc. All bolts needed etc. Turns out half of them are missing as well, all but 2 grill bolts for missing for example.

Now you tell me, a mechanic that you pay good money for, for a proper jobs, takes the car for a run, checks these things b4 the customer takes it, and ensures that the temp and oil gauge are hooked up, and surely puts his multimeter thing on, to check the alternator is correctly wired up so its charging? Even I can do all of that. FFS

really annoyed atm as you can see. And yes the bill is different

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Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

"Back in the day",,, the """BOOK Time""" was 2-hours out, 4-hours back in & running

we "Generally take about 1/2 an hour to get em out (altho we`ve been know to have spme of them out in 15mins)

but ---> "Normally" """AT LEAST""" 3 hours to get them back in & running --->
because """Usually""" there is a pile of other ancillary type things to play/muck with or modify or improve as we go back in,,, exhausts, mounts, extras eng steady bars , radiators & associated braket & thermostat housing changes, axle & gear shift changes , inlet & exhaust system dramas/changes/improvments, wiring etc etc etc,,, depending on the miss-match of packages that inherantly are within the norm with mini engine swaps

sorry to hear about your ordeal Lockie,,, i wish i could have been there for you , but alas,,, it`s a matter of """horses for courses""" yet again,,,, i`m not too bad at brain surgery for a mini mechanic,,, but i personally wouldn`t take the brain surgery job on in the first place,,,, seems there are some people out there who think they can & also "think" they can get away with it

you took your horse to the wrong course mate

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

Couldn't agree more.

Sounds like you got burned (and I need to increase my labour rate )

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How can it be rusty when it's covered in so much oil?

yeah sure did mate. Only reason i took the car there, was cos its here on the gold coast, and his the only one I know who USED to be good. Now that this new arse hole whos taken ova, knows nothing, (not big noting myself, but atm it seems like i kno more than him) im just scared to go out there again, and fix the wires, cos everytime im in the engine bay, i seem to find more sh** work things done wrong

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Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

no mate, only 1 removal and one fitment.

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Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

i had done the rest, for them prior to my bad health. Even bonnets were off, ready to go for engine pull outs and in.

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Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

Why not name and shame?

I own a brothel and strip club here in Perth and there are several forums where premises and girls are constantly reviewed both good and bad.

I too have had some shocking experiences with mini mechanics and to my mind they should be named and shamed. One in particualr i have spent at least 6K in the last 12 months and I get treated like a piece of shite every time i go there.

I have tried taking the car to non mini mechanics and that is a complete waste of time.

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1965 Riley Elf
1974 Ex Army Moke
1997 Rover Cooper
2002 JCW Cooper
2003 JCW Cooper S

Babes,,, how many girls & for how long per-each girl, can i get for $6K`s worth of mini work ???

reminder to myself when i`m next in Perth, look up Babes

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

Have you thought about taking it back and asking him to repair the dodgy work at his cost?

I understand you dont want to go back there but i am sure he would not want his name tarnished and any good mechanic will want to keep a good level of customer satisfaction otherwise his business will go bust!

I have worked with many workshops over the years, if your not happy, i suggest taking it back and letting the guy rectify his own poor work. at his cost not yours.

if i had my car repaired, or tuned somewhere and it was not what i wanted as a result i would have discussed it and worked out a solution with the repairer. if he does not want to come to the party over his poor workmanship, then take it elsewhere.

just a suggestion.

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'66 BRG Morris Mini Deluxe 60HP ATW

Because that's against forum rules and it could end up in litigation for Poeee who doesn't make a thing from this site.

Sorry to hear about the bad experience lockie.

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"In two years time your car will be like a lady's clothes, out of date, my car will still be in fashion when I am dead" - Sir Alec speaking to Pininfarina

I think we should name babes strip club, and orgainse a road trip there! maybe the Brothel to!!

Hows your MINI in the UK going? Still got it?

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yeeeeah boy

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