Motorcheck Mechanics - Free Expert Advice From Ireland's Leading Motor Mechanics

I really just have a query. I dropped my car in to have my timing belt done the other day but the mechanic broke the bottom pulley. He says he needs to re-bore something but all in all i'd need a new engine as it's impossible to re-bore it. He has told me i have to pay for all this which is amounting to over 1000 euro. I drive a honda hrv jeep 04. Can someone explain to me am I completely liable for the cost? He broke it. Excuse the mech terms I'm a beginner.

Hi, I will make a long story short here to explain my situation. Damaged my engine in flood water. Rang insurance and was covered. Took to main dealer who could not find a engine for the car. Sourced a reconditioned one in England off an engine company. It was delivered to the workshop fitted and next thing I know I'm being told the engine is seized and not reconditioned. Got on to company and eventually got the right engine which was fitted and perfect. I'm being billed now for fitting and removing two engines. Rang English company and they say engine should have been turned on the ground. Mechanic says I supplied the engine so it's my problem. Any opinions on this??? Is it proceedure to check engines before fitting?

Hi I have a Renault Megane 00 5-door hatchback and have a list of thing that I think need repairing and fitting I have comprised a list of parts and symthoms. Would you think that they are acceptable remedies? Renault Megane 00 5-door hatchback Clutch Cable: Cluth pedal seems to be a bit heavy , and smoother when cable is lubricated Possible Gearbox Mount?. Gear stick shakes/pulls when accelerating/ deccelerating A few dashboard lights, maybe 2-3: Not essential but if its not an awkward job will get fixed. Front shocks: A knocking sound coming from the wheel areas when going over uneven ground. And finally what would be the reason if fuel is being consumed faster than usual, maybe related, but sometimes when i start the car the revs go high or go low as to cut out. Plugs maybe? Any advice is very much appreciated as I know theres alot there. Regards James

Just a quick question. Brought car in to have work done but the mechanic said he couldnt complete the job as he had difficulty getting parts off the car. But yet he still charged me for labour on the car even though nothing was really done. Is he right to charge. I felt like i went to a shop and paid for an item that i couldnt actually take home.

Hi Gav, You should seek a written receipt or invoice detailing the work done on the vehicle for which you are being charged. If you have doubts that the charges are valid you should contact the National Consumer Agency to discuss your rights in such a situation: /www.nca.ie

I have an Opel Meriva. There is a loud scraping noise coming from the front left wheel. The sound stops when i brake. I think it may be the front disk being worn down. There is no difference in the braking ability of the brakes despite the sound. I noticed recently when turning right around there is a sound. There is no smoke or discharge around the brake of wheel when stopped. The noise is not there all the time. On short journeys (up to eight miles it does not appear however after this it is quiet evident.

Hey, I drive a 03 Opel Astra. Bought the car a few years ago, never an ounce of trouble. I dropped it into my mechanic over 2wks ago to get a routine service and a timing belt kit fitted. He took nearly a week to do the work. Said that the treads on the crankshaft was damaged from before and that he had an awful job getting the bolt out of the bottom pulley that the fan belt sits on but got a tool to get it out. Fitted the timing belt kit and put stud lock on a 'new bolt' and said the job was 100%. I paid him well for that job plus I bought the kit myself. I asked would it be alright and he said it would be grand. Next day after I got home from college, an awful banging was coming from that same area so I left the car off and he towed it down to the garage. He said that the stud lock didnt work and the bolt came loose, which wore the metal washer away, causing the pulley to bang. He said he'd fix it. Got the car back yesterday afternoon plus another bill!! He said he put stud lock plus spot welded the bolt. He also replaced the pulley with a 2nd hand one. I didnt hand over the money at the time. I noticed that there was a clicking noise and the pulley was slightly swaying when I got home from him. (Only 10mins from his house) Went to a soccer match yest eve, on the way home, an awful noise came out of the car like something was dragging on the road. The whole car switched off, the battery light in the dash came on and I pulled in straight away. Looked under the bonnet, the pulley was no longer there and the fan belt was sitting on the floor of the car. Got in contact with him. I told him I wanted to leave the car there until today but he was extremely anxious to get it towed to his garage. I called out to the house today to pick up a spare car. I told him I wasnt paying him again for a job I had already paid him for in the first place. He said it wasnt his fault.. He wanted to sell me the spare car, which isnt to decent for 200 and he'd fix my car for free. I declined. So the car is in his garage at the mo. Can you tell me how a previously healthy car that never had any problems at all has tuned into this? The pulley, belt, everything is mangled.. Surely he is in the wrong as I paid him initially to fit a timing belt kit plus service and now this has hapened, twice.. What do you think of the situation or what could I do or who could I talk to? Sorry for he long msg but Im trying to gain as much advice as possible. Thanks a mill for taking the time to read this.

Hi, HELP really needed! My renault scenic 51 reg snapped cam belt which in turn ruined valves ect..was told it would cost around £1400 to repair in the garage.I have used a mobile mechanic for minor things on my car and he told me it would be cheaper to have a new engine put in. He said that they could do it if I supplied the engine and gave me a reasonable price. I found an engine and one of the mechanics workers came out and fitted it. As soon as we drove the car we knew it wasn't right. I drove the car for about 10 mins and then the car started revving and wouldnt move. I had to call the AA out to tow the car back to the house. I called the mechanic and they came back out. Turns out that they had "forgot" to put oil in the gearbox.They put the oil in and said it should be fine.Three days later the car got stuck in gear and would not move. AA came out again and lifted the car back to the house. Spoke to mechanic again and he said it could of just been that the gearbox was on its way out anyway but as he was such a nice person he would supply a gearbox if i paid a small amount for them to fit it. I agreed to this and he sent a different mechanic out to do it. When it was fitted we tested the car and there was something wrong with the gearbox. This second mechanic told us that the first mechanic had messed the gearbox up in the first place and that we should not be paying for anything. I didnt pay him and spoke to the boss and said that there was still a problem. He told me he would get another gearbox sorted out but that I had to pay to have it fitted! It has now been nearly 2 months and still it has not been done. I have rang repeatedly but have now been told that the boss is in hospital and they have to wait for him. I am at a loss as what to do now. Any suggestions? Really am despairing. Regards Kelly

I had a new fanbelt fitted to my 05 Mazda 6, 3 days ago. The reason for changing the fanbelt was that there was a constant noise coming from it. The same evening while driving the car the steering wheel refused to turn. After parking the car it was discovered that the fan belt had fallen off. I have taken the car back to the original repairer and they now tell me that the car requires a fan belt tentioner at a cost of E330.00. Can someone tell me if this was a result of the fan belt being improperly fitted? Was it not possible for the mechanic to see that the tentioner also needed replacing while fitting the new fan belt. I feel I am being given the run around?

I own a '95 BMW M3 and recently brought it to an indepenent BMW specialist to replace 4 rear axle bushings (2 each side). A few hours after I dropped the car off I recieved a phone call from the garage to inform me that when they removed a bolt which holds the axle to the car body that the part off the body collapsed due to rust and it would require welding, a job they cannot perform. I brought the car to a main dealer who have informed me that it could cost thousands to fix if it is at all fixable. Where do I go from here? Who is liable for these costs?

There were little drops of oil leaking from my car when I left it in to be fixed. The mechanic said that a gasket for the oil filter was cracked and needed to be replaced as well as a valve. That was last week - I have the car back 5 days now and it's still leaking oil and now the water pump has gone as well! I took the car back to the mechanic but he said it's nothing to do with what he done..is there anything i can do? I'm 300 euro down and still have a broken car.

Hi, I drive a '99 audi A6 2.5tdi that failed the nct twice. The only major issue..leaking oil. I put it through without doing anything the first time, it failed. My mechanic said without taking the engine apart and incurring major costs, it could not be fixed simply. It drips a couple of drops a day, I do a lot of milege, so need to put oil in every 6 weeks or so. So before the re-test, mechanic cleaned the whole engine down, and completed a temp seal job where he could..it looked like new! But he said it spluttered a little oil underneath after he tested it on road. I powerwashed underbody 30min before nct, and it failed! Too late for another re-test to add insult to injury! I know these cars are renound for oil leaks.. could I get some advice from someone whos been through this..cheers! Also, driver door handle (outside) giving me trouble since today, door will only open after about 30 tries.

I have a '03 Volvo S80 2.4 petrol with 215K miles on the clock. Recently. the instrument panel looses power intermitently, ie the fuel, rev counter, temp etc gagues shut down for long periods. Doesn't seem like a fuse problem as it comes back at intervals. The problem does not interfere with the indicators or lights. Any suggestions ?

Hi, I need to get a new fanbelt on a 2000 Renault Megane. Do you know how much that should cost me (including the part). Thanks a million (it's good to know the cost in advance!)

hi, inside the forthcoming weeks im am going to buy the Veilside Fortune bodykit which i have been planning on now for some time and thinking about in great detail , it wil cost be over 9 thousand euro for the bodykit which is around 11,000 thousand usd dollars which they are looking for 1,000000 yen, basically 1 million yen =9253 euro. the rx7 i am also looking at which i need is between the year of 93-97. these years only can equip the bodykits. all i need is to my a good quality rx7 around 10000 euro then spend another 9253 euro on the exterior,and another 15 thousand on hks,greedy motor parts. However, my problem is finding a mechanic that will be able to put this bodykit on the car for me . its rated 4/5 difficulty rating and if i do get the mechanic to do this job , i would also get him to install the new 20b turbo and fuel pump and other likewise accessories.. im living in cavan at the moment and im finding it difficult to find the right mechanic. the body kit includes for starters ♠ kit. Includes front bumper, rear bumper, right left sideskirts, door panels, headlight assembly, rear gate, spoiler, tail garnish, aero mirrors and hood. there is also a lot of interior needed and engine,parts. could you find me a professional mechanic with these high tech facitilites reasonable priced that is reputable please . Charlie

Hi, I have a peugeot 407 1.6 sw. A light has come on telling me Particle filter additave level to low. How much would it cost to refill the additave and reset the counter? I think it has to be reprogrammed also does the wiring to the diesel cap have to be replaced? Can I still drive the car? Another problem is the fan it does not seem to be working. Chris.

Hello, I'm building a mid engine buggy with an audi 80 2 litre elctronic distribitor i want to change to points what bosch points distribitar will fit? Thanks, Terry.

Hi, i know little to nothing about cars but need some help please. I drive a 1996 (I know old) Toyota Carina 1.6 SLI. Recently I noticed when either driving or stopped that the car is shaking as if if is about to cut out. Some people are saying I might need a new clutch but again I know nothing about cars. Could someone help me? Also does anyone know a trustworthy mechanic/dealership in the blanchardstown/city centre area and any idea on how much a clutch is to replace if that is the issue? Thanks in advance, Steve

Hi. My car's just been at the mechanic because it failed the NCT on low idle (it was revving too high). My mechanic couldn't fix it and told me to bring it to a Nissan dealer to have the throttle body re-calibrated. Is this an expensive procedure? Thanks!

hi i have a 99 opel astra ive had it a while and i find it julks alot and pulls bac and very slow taking off im just wondering do you no whats wrong wit it tanks

Need help, bought an 05 peugeot 1.6, off bluebell motors, paid 7700e it came with six months warranty. It has been back in garage 3 times since it was bought 3months ago,window leaking and computer not working properly, now its back in and their saying the ball joints are gone and it will cost 800 odd euro to fix it. I looked up the price of ball joints and the lower one left and right is around 120e and top is 25e for a peugeot. first why are they charging so much and second their saying that the six months warranty only covers engine and gear box, if thats the case then why did take the car in to fix window leak and computer. 8000e doesn't grow on trees,haven't even got it 3 months and all these problems are coming up. I really thought that when buying a used car that you would get it, at least in driving condition..I've tried the nicey-nicey approach, any suggestions on what to next would be appreciated. BTW the window is still leaking and its saying on the computer that I have 2000klms before the break pads are due

I've a 2002 Mondeo TDCi . I brought it to a mechanic I know who does a bit of auto electrical yesterday morning to get my Parrot bluetooth from my old car transferred to my new car All was well and he rang me at 4 to tell me he had fitted it and I was scheduled to pick it up around 5.30 . At five o clock today he rang me to tell me that when he moved it out of the service area to where I was collecting it there was a loud "clunk" and he said he turned the engine off immediately. He then said he hasn't really investigated it much yet but that it sounded like the "big end had gone" and I asked him what we needed to do the get it fixed, he just said to call in and we'd discuss it tomorrow. Most likely a new engine is on the cards, or so I believe. My question before I get anything done is is he liable in any way for what happened through his insurance? I don't fancy paying 1500 to 2000 euro in repairs on a car that's worth about 2,500 in the first place, thanks, John

I have a 09 mondeo and the right hand indicator light keeps turning itself on when I am driving the car. When the car is turned off the right hand parking light keeps coming on. Does anyone know what the problem is. Thanks

my 03 2.0l diesel mondeo wont start only hear a clicking noise from the starter ive tried to jump it and no joy but it will start when i push it 2 years ive replaced the dmf to a solid flywheel so i dont think thats the problem please help as i need the car to bring the kids to school in the morning

Hi, Yesterday my 1.4 16v seat leon struggled to start got it going eventually, the car began to chug and would not allow me to accelerate, no electronics working in the car , car unevenly ticking over and I could just about clutch it home, could this be the battery? spark plugs? or something more serious? Thank you, Robert Masterson.