A decent repair garage and bodyshop.
OK, it's taken me over 3 years to find what I consider to be an honest repair shop and also an honest panel, paint and welding shop.
I have posted on this subject before about how I got stitched up on prices from quote to actual bill and got the distinct feeling that if you didn't speak with a Kiwi accent you got charged at least twice as much as someone with a Kiwi accent.
This was yet again born out 2 months ago when I took my car in, to a local place I hadn't used before, with a none starting problem, asked the owner of the garage (big place not a back-street garage) for a verbal round figure quote for front brake pads, sort out the starting problem,change the oil, filter, check the trans fluid (my XR6 has NO trans dipstick and it was made like that!).... I got a quote of $450 max even if it needed a coil and plug leads (I supplied the distributor cap and rotor arm... why didn't I fit them myself... check out where the distributor is located on a EL Falcon.. right tight up under the inlet manifold and needs someone who has done it before and with a very slender set of fingers).
Dropped it off in the morning on the way to school, called in on the way home from school some 6 hours later to check on progress only to be told it was finished..... BUT the bill was a staggering $936 which I wasn't very happy with after a quote of 450 max off the guy who owned the place. I expressed my displeasure at the bill being over twice the quoted Maximum, paid it and drove home (the car was already running when I got in it).
And now here's the rub... got in it to take my son to school the next day and it wouldn't start... I was way more than furious... I checked the bill and there was no new plug leads, no new coil (I had fitted a set of new plugs)... they had machined the front disk rotors (which were brand new 25000km ago so they didn't actually need machining), dismantled the calipers 'cause they said they were sticking, charged me for 10 lit of trans fluid @ $15/lit (they said they has flushed it even though I told them before it went in that it was flushed 10,000km ago), Charged me for 10 lit of engine oil @ $14/lit and the engine only takes 5.5 lit with a filter change. The labor was the highest part of the bill by far and they didn't bother to contact me about any of the unquoted work they supposedly carried out.
I went back to question the bill and to point out that the main thing it went in for was still as bad as it was before they "fixed" it... As a good will gesture they offered to fit me a new set of plug leads FOC after giving me a "refund" from the engine oil. So that was another garage crossed off the list of local ones.
Anyway, as I said I have found a real honest garage in Waikanae where I have had work done on my car and my wifes car (WoF stuff mainly) and I have had good, honest service from him, the place is called Gedz Garage and it is at 8 Parata Street, Waikanae... and the body shop is Pats Panel & Paint on Kapiti Road, Paraparaumu. I can highly recommend both of these from my own experiences as I have had good quality workmanship and honesty from both of them. If you need more info please let me know and I will endeavor to supply it.
n.b. Gedz is also a specialist in American cars, there were four 1960's American cars in there when I called in on spec as I always thought that he only did American cars as there was always some tasty cars parked up there.
Sorry it's a bit long winded.
Hope it is of use to someone.
Cheers
G
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