Bad garage experience - Ken's Auto's Croydon

Give your buying feedback here - one thread per company, please.

Moderators: guru, SJG

Post Reply [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable
User avatar
hotfuzz87
Regular Visitor
Posts: 401
Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2011 3:41 pm
Location: Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Bad garage experience - Ken's Auto's Croydon

Post by hotfuzz87 » Fri Jan 10, 2014 1:24 am

Partially my fault but I'll tell the story and you can make your own minds up…

Now usually I won't trust my cars with anyone but my mate Kieren, he is an 800 enthusiast and knows them inside out (he owns 3) and a mechanic by trade.

In the weeks leading up to christmas I noticed the front offside brake calliper on my 825 sterling was starting to stick, making a constant squealing noise that was driving me mad. Unfortunately Kieren was off for quite a while over christmas so I thought rather than let it get worse, i'll order a new Calliper and book it into my local garage - Ken's Auto's on the Brighton Road in Croydon, after all it's only a calliper, how hard can it be?

So I ordered a new calliper and booked it in. I took it in as arranged and got a call about 2 hours later to say my car was ready for collection. £84 later and I was on my way. I pulled out of the garage and straight away something didn't seem right. The brake pedal felt incredibly spongy compared to how it was before. In hindsight it was probably then I should've taken it back. However I continued on thinking it might just be the new calliper bedding in or something (i'm no mechanic). Through town it didn't seem to be that bad, not great but it was stopping.

I hit the A23 flyover and was doing about 55 and approaching a roundabout, as I started to brake my heart sank as I realise the car wasn't slowing down, my foot was almost to the floor and the brakes seemed to be doing very little, the roundabout was getting closer, luckily it was clear and I went round it pretty much sideways. It was a bit of a lucky escape because I just wouldn't have stopped in time if anything was coming.

I very gingerly drove back to the garage and explained to them what had happened. They took it back and looked at it for about 20 minutes before coming back and saying that they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I assured them that there most certainly was. They bled it a second time, then told me to give it a run to see what i thought. Second time round it felt a little bit better but still not great. I took it back and told them that it still didn't feel right. The manager then took it for a run. He came back and said that it felt fine to him and there was nothing more they can do. Reluctantly, I left and rang Kieren as soon as he was back

Basically, it was the totally wrong calliper and the pads were hardly making any contact with the disc resulting in much reduced breaking power and increased pedal travel. Now like I said, it's partially my fault for ordering the wrong calliper but surely that was something the garage should've picked up?? they potentially let me leave them in a death trap.

Needless to say, I won't be going back there
1987 Rover 820E white diamond
Previous 800's…
1998 Rover 820 Sterling fastback
1997 Rover 825 Sterling KV6 saloon BRG
1995 Rover 827i Nightfire
1991 Rover 820 Turbo 16v saloon Nightfire
1987 Rover 820 Si Shantung gold

Image

User avatar
rovercoup
Rover Guru
Posts: 2248
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2012 9:34 pm
Location: Herefordshire
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Bad garage experience - Ken's Auto's Croydon

Post by rovercoup » Fri Jan 10, 2014 7:17 pm

I think a call to these people would be in order. The next person may not be so lucky. http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/extr ... =/contact/
Rover 827 Vitesse Fastback Man Mk1 89
Rover 827 Sterling saloon Auto 90
Rover 820 Fastback 2.0 MPi Auto 90
Rover 820 Coupe sport 94
Rover 827 Sterling Saloon 95 auto
Rover 820 Vitesse Fastback 98
Rover 25 2.0TD 01
MGTF 135 02
Rover 45 1.6 SE 05

User avatar
vito
Rover Guru
Posts: 962
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:39 pm
Location: Lincolnshire & Enix, España
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Bad garage experience - Ken's Auto's Croydon

Post by vito » Fri Jan 10, 2014 7:43 pm

That's a disgrace .................
Gaz (or Gary if we're being formal)

2004 Streetwise Diesel 5 Door in Silver.

deano
Rover Guru
Posts: 1287
Joined: Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:19 pm
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Bad garage experience - Ken's Auto's Croydon

Post by deano » Fri Jan 10, 2014 8:37 pm

My mate used to take all his motors there(his, missus and daughters).
Now nothing bad ever happened, but every MOT there was always something major...ish to shell out for.
Brakes, tyres, suspension shocks or somat and some were quite minor problems that other MOT shops would probaly have put it down as an Advisory notice
But they always made it sound bad and if you didnt let them fix it now then it wasnt gonna pass the MOT.
Some of the items(which i cant remember now) i`m sure wasnt even part of the Mot.

Eventually after about 3 years of this he got pi**ed of with it and went elsewhere.
1993 Rover 827 SLI Fastback Mk2
1999 Rover 825 Sterling Saloon Mk2 (HGF)
------------------
Previously
1996 Rover 825 Sterling Coupe Mk2
1993 Rover 827 Sterling Saloon Mk2
1990 Rover 827 Sterling Saloon Mk1
1972 Rover P6 2000TC

Post Reply
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests