Car Accessories in SA, where NOT to go
Submitted: Wednesday, Feb 22, 2006 at 22:06
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Snowy 3.0iTD
G'day all
I am not about to deliberately slander any company, but a direct retelling of events.
Wanted to get a boost gauge fitted to my GU Patrol when I was in
Adelaide back a few weeks ago. Called up a mob called Car Toyz, who assured me that they had done plenty of 4WD Boost gauge installations before including "the latest model patrols". I explained to them over the phone that I either wanted it recessed in to the centre dash below the sub-tank switch or on top of the dash next to the driver side windscreen pillar, they assured me they could do either.
Rocked up there on the arranged day, they had forgotten to tell me that they had moved from Elizabeth to Hindmarsh despite their whitepages online ad still saying Elizabeth. Left the car with them, 30 mins later after a series of phone calls I have to return as my confidence in their ability to do the job was bleep tered. At the end of the day they could not mount it in either spot I wanted and charged me $180 to do a half-assed job.
Took it in to the local car radio guy today, and was later told by him that the whole install job was that dodgy he ended up stripping it out right back to the boss on the turbo pipe and redoing the installation exactly how I wanted for $50.
Needless to say I would not even consider going to Car Toyz again, or even recommending them to anyone for anything. But maybe my experience was just a once off.
Regards
Snowy
Reply By: Russ - Wednesday, Feb 22, 2006 at 22:40
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2006 at 22:40
Thanks Snowy, I will remember this.
Prickle.
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Reply By: Gunnell - Wednesday, Feb 22, 2006 at 23:27
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2006 at 23:27
I had a similar problem with them about 12 months back, my leather steering wheel was looking a bit worn so I did the ring around and they quoted a fair price for a resew. Not wanting to be without my car for a day I borrowed a used steering wheel from a wrecker mate and went into cartoyz so they could remove my wheel and swap it over while they got it recovered. After a 90min wait they told me they needed to obtain a wheel remover and could I come back later.
Not happy I left and returned the next day. Wheel swapped, recovered and then I got a $60.00 bill for the removal and refitting! about 5 mins work i reality. I will never set foot in that place again!
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Follow Up By: Outnabout David (SA) - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 00:03
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 00:03
5 mins to get the car, put in workshop, look what needs to be done, remove horn pad or even longer if air bag fitted including air bag diarming. Undo nut , attach puller remove wheel and the do the reverse. 5 mins be damned but if that is correct I want that bloke doing all my repairs.
Have no affiliation or knowledge of this company just hate bagging.
Now did you here the one about lawyers or was that accountants, maybe even plumber, electricians.????.........lol
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Follow Up By: Boc1971 - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 07:15
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 07:15
I’m with you on this Outnabout David, it may APEAR to be a five min job, but in reality some jobs take a lot longer due to unforseen circumstances- IE speciality
tools that may be required for a job that may take a few hours to hunt down. A NUT or bolt that refuses to move so a spray of penetrine or similar and a 1 hour wait whist it soaks in
I am not condoning this company , and any past actions / Inactions - Its just that some people that are not mechanically minded enough to do these type of jobs (work) themselves need to appreciate that some jobs are not clean cut as they would first appear .
Frank
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Follow Up By: Member - Pezza (QLD) - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 14:41
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 14:41
Gunnell,
If you weren't happy after 90 min of nothing happening (this I can understand) why did you return the next day ?
Avagoodn
Pezza
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Follow Up By: Eddy - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 22:52
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 22:52
I totally agree with outnabout David (SA) & BOC 1971.
It is not a 5 minute job.
10 minutes maximum.
What nut & bolt? and what would you spray with penetrene on a steering wheel. Get real!
Most mechanics I know (& I spent a few years in the trade) remove the horn pad, loosen the steering wheel nut & give the wheel a pull & a twist & it is off.
You don't charge customers for time spent chasing down "Speciality tools"
Have a go at someone who deserves it.
Now if you want to hear about the mob that installed my split system a\c
I could write a book.
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Follow Up By: Boc1971 - Friday, Feb 24, 2006 at 07:16
Friday, Feb 24, 2006 at 07:16
Eddie , my comments were in general - NOT DIRECTLY to the removal of the stearing wheel - i just wanted to make a point that not all jobs that you think are simple, actually eventuate as such.
So your a mechanic huh ? you know that we fitters call you guys new parts fitters right ??? :)
Boc
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Reply By: Outnabout David (SA) - Wednesday, Feb 22, 2006 at 23:58
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2006 at 23:58
Never been to the place but all I can say is that you should have confirmed the address. Unfortunately the phone book is out of date when they are printed and they stick around for another twelve months. White pages dot com dot au shows the address at Hindmarsh. Think you are a bit unfair bagging them for changing address. +\
Not sure who did the job for you in the end but I would have thought that a complete redo would take an hour or more. $50 sounds like a 3/4 hour job so something smells fishy
Maybe a slight embellishment me thinks by an unhappy customer.
Never dealt with the place itself but have a problem with people bagging business because they are disgruntled. Far better avenues to take I think,
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Follow Up By: bigcol - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 01:45
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 01:45
Think of it this way.
If the said business did right the first time he wouldn't bagging them.
Sorry but i've had a gutfull of the cowboys out there.
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Follow Up By: Snowy 3.0iTD - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 09:40
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 09:40
OutnAbout
Next time before you reply, can you please read the post a little more carefully. I said at the beginning that I was not out to bag them, just relaying the facts, at no time did I call them anything untoward, or start using insults, a simple statement of the facts. It was the whitepages online, which are updated on a weekly if not daily basis not the phone book.
Again I will not start name calling, but when I am assured they do top quality jobs, charge top quality prices ($180 not including the gauge), I expect top quality work, not something with wires twitched together and wired in to the wrong circuit, enough holes drilled in my dash to make one section look like swiss cheese, and pressure hose run through weird
places so that it ended up kinked and blocked.
Again this is the simple truth, maybe my case is a once off but these are the simple FACTS of the matter.
Regards
Snowy
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Follow Up By: Outnabout David (SA) - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 21:18
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 21:18
Snowy,
Your topic reads "Car Accessories in SA, where NOT to go " if that aint bagging then it is pretty damn close. I re-read carefully as suggested your post and can only see a very one sided emotional story of events that may or may not be the truth.
Maybe a better thing to get it off your chest would be to have a topic that said "very dissatisfied with work done today" said your piece , got it off your chest and didn't mention any names. You may of got a rough deal by a sub standard mechanic but I bet there are a hundred satisfied customers for this company. Certainly if you went back and were polite and discussed the matter rationally and gave them the opportunity to fix things up and they then didn't ........
well then you probably could have a go.
Anyway get over it and worry about how long before you have to haggle over a new engine.........lol ........and that is a lighthearted joke by the way
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Reply By: Member - TPM (SA) - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 03:26
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 03:26
If you are unhappy and it is a genuine gripe and not a personal / offensive attack on the store, good on you.
Thats for forums are about , discussion on matters that make you happy or un happy. The problem with dodgy outlets is that you never know till its too late, if people warn others its a good thing. If it is a one off gripe it will be the only one you will ever see. If they take your money they better back up the service with quality or they dont deserve your business.
Not sure if it makes sense to not talk about bad outlets and only the good ones?
Be wary of the outlet that uses a goanna as their logo,I learnt the hard way trying to save dollars, it cost me more. nuff said.
I know it costs more but I only use the big vendors now. Happy trails
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Reply By: Willem - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 09:13
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 09:13
Now tell me Snowy
Did the gauge work when you picked the car up?
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Follow Up By: Snowy 3.0iTD - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 10:09
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 10:09
Gauge worked sort of:
Slow response which I was not sure if that was normal until I asked around, this was apparently due to the kinked hose, which also caused a hissing sound which developed over a week or so from behind the dash. Backlight only worked with low beam headlights on, did not work with high beam on or when park lights only were on, did not find this out until I was on my way back
home from
Adelaide on Sunday night.
Again I will emphaisze, I have not slandered this mob, my case may be a one off, but these are the facts as they happened.
Regards
Snowy
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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 10:01
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 10:01
I'm against bagging companies as well. One unhappy customer and only one side of the story is often all you get on a
forum.
But I can't say I'd ever take my 4wd to a company with the name "cartoyz". Just doesn't sound real. I'd guess they specialise in doof doof
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Reply By: old mate - Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 10:40
Thursday, Feb 23, 2006 at 10:40
I have to ask.......
Did you take it back to the mob that did the shoddy job?
Did you show them what was wrong and demand they fix/give them a chance to fix it?
Did you see the end product before you paid and if so you did why did you pay? I mean if you say it didn't work, why not turn around and go straight back to them and complain. Did they contact you when thay couldn't install it where you wanted it?
Did you take the sales guy and show him exactly what you wanted and leave instructions that they contact you if it couldn't be done the way you wanted?
I'm not having a go at you but I am amazed at how many people purchase a good or service and instead of returning to the supplier and try to sort something out they start getting stuck into them on forums etc. Why not tale the thing back?
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Follow Up By: Pete and Lez S.A. - Saturday, Feb 25, 2006 at 15:36
Saturday, Feb 25, 2006 at 15:36
Well said, I have had a few problems with servicing at a large toyota dealership, but EVERY time I have raised any concerns they have only been too happy to rectify any concern I have had. Better to judge a company on how they deal with problems.
Cheers Peter
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