Airbags and inexperienced installers

Have to air an experience from our recent trip. One of our fellow travellers decided to fit air bags on their rodeo mid trip at Katherine. To cut a long story short the outback, as expected, has only an average supply chain due to its remote location so it was decided to have these bags sent to Kununurra for fitting after waiting for some days past the expected arrival date.

The supplier in Katherine worked their butt off (there is nothing like good country hospitality), they rang an installer in Kununurra to check if they could do the job (they said they could) so it was booked in with plenty of time etc. Now when we arrived we introduced ourselves to the installer who said he was very busy and would need to look at the car tomorrow to see if the part was correct – so it was booked in. Next day following the inspection all was OK but we would need to wait another couple of days to fit in with the work – so it was booked in. Interestingly he quoted 6 hours labour for the work.

The vehicle was delivered early in the morning for fitment and late afternoon we received a call that the part was incorrect and for our friends to come and pick up the car and the useless part. We made a few hurried calls to the Katherine supplier and to the manufacturer both of who confirmed that this was in fact the correct part and they would ring the installer to give guidance. A later call to the installer had not changed his situation so the car was picked up and a bill of $250 paid for labour.

Rather upset and dismayed my friends took the vehicle to a 4wd place around the corner where the bags were fitted after they had to reshape one of the brackets which had been belted flat – all this for 2 hours labour. They did not have a nice thing to say about the other installer. So my advice to anyone needing mechanical services in Kununurra is do not go to the place that has Top End in its name because they are obviously incompetent at best.

PS. on going back to Top End after having them fitted the front man tried to suggest that we needed to speak to the manager etc. Couldn’t give a rats and certainly was not about to refund any monies no matter how wrong he was.