Paul_J
Member
Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
User status: Offline
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Those who have previously been following my disaster at santa pod, would know that due to a group N mount I sheared my lower engine gearbox mount, leaving me with a perfectly working gearbox but a gaping hole (so all the oil falls out).
Well, took the car to the garage today with 3 new engine mounts and gear selectors etc to get it all fitted. I had bought a 2nd hand gearbox for £175 (plus about £25 of fuel) so £200. I was told it was a mint condition VTS box which was completely fine, that had supposedly covered 22,000 miles.
I have a Gearbox casing that would replace the area where there's a hole on my old gearbox (on the car), which I'd get someone to fit when I got it off the car. My old gearbox was a minter only 14,000 miles, and still worked perfectly fine apart from cosmetics.
Well after towing my car to the garage, I left for work. Essentially the mechanic removed my old gearbox, leaving my car with no box fitted, driveshafts unconnected. Then found out the gearbox I had bought had a bent bolt, plus 2 fucked places where it bolts onto the mount! And refused to fit that gearbox. (so I've bought a piece of shit for £200).
To make matters worse, since the car was now in his garage, with no box on - he took it apon himself to get me a gearbox. He knew there was a recon gearbox bloke near by and without consulting me (the owner of the car! FFS) ordered a re-con box (usually £700) and gave the bloke my old box as part ex (so it was costing me £550!).
Then add into the mix £120 for the 3 new mounts I bought and the fact I'm gonna get charged a load of labour and possibly time for the car taking up space in the garage, I'm not impressed!
The original plan was, get the gearbox on, then repair the old gearbox! This would've left me with a spare gearbox that would be worth at least £200 (or more as it was a mint condition box).
As it stands, I'm £200 down for the gearbox that is shit. Down £120 for the normal mounts, down £127 for the original group N mount that caused all this, I've lost a essentially £200 gearbox, being charged £550 for a recon box and will get charged labour on top (say £200).
I can't fucking believe it 
Not including new mounts or group n mounts it comes to £1150 - for essentially something that should've cost about £300 and left me with a decent box worth over £200 as a spare.
Add in the mounts
£200 + £120 + £127 + £200 + £550 + £200.
£1397 spent...  I'm not a rich man at all, and this has just made me twice as skint
The worst part is I hate recon boxes, they're essentially boxes that are high mileage and have been blown up, repaired so they'll always be a high mileage part somewhere in there to go wrong again!
Absolutely gutted!
Paul
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City
Member
Registered: 30th Dec 03
Location: Wakefield Drives: Red GSi
User status: Offline
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tell him to take it off you never asked for that to be fitted
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broster
Premium Member
Registered: 6th Dec 02
Location: Drives: E39
User status: Offline
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thats a bit of a bad thing to do, when ever we need to do anything to a car we ring and consult the owner, even down to a set of spark plugs!
as for recon boxes being rubbish, i have a recon box on my car..... granted i gave them the box to recon, but they are good boxes!
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Paul_J
Member
Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
User status: Offline
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The thing that gets me broster, is the amount they charge for recon boxes I could buy a QUAIFE LSD and have a 2nd hand box  with a Diff fitted.
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broster
Premium Member
Registered: 6th Dec 02
Location: Drives: E39
User status: Offline
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true, i paid £900 for my box as it stands, that was a free box off robin, box rebuild and that includes me build the diff and them fitting it..... thats with stuff at cheap prices aswell...
i know what your saying, and as for them to fit a box without asking you
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Dave A
USER UNDER INVESTIGATION - DO NOT TRADE
Registered: 10th Dec 03
Location: County Durham
User status: Offline
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maybe refuse the recon box? if they didnt contact you for authorisation to spend your money then you have no obligation to pay them for it.
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big eck
Member
Registered: 20th Apr 03
Location: Tullibody. Drives - Audi B8 S4 & Fiesta Zetec-S
User status: Offline
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Who did you buy the VTS box off???
Get onto them and get your cash back as for that guy fitting a new box without consenting you tell him to remove it and that you'll pay for labour for the removal of your box and thats it
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Paul_J
Member
Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
User status: Offline
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The problem is, what can I do?
They have my car, with no box on it! (as it's already removed) - they don't want my car there if it's not earning them money. So I'd have to pay them to for taking my box off and pay them to put it back on again, to then tow my car back home again, until I got a new box, took it back, paid them to remove it again, and fit the new one!
Essentially I was fucked.
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Paul_J
Member
Registered: 6th Jun 02
Location: London
User status: Offline
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plus I'm trying to contact the guy I bought the box off of - who has pm's to me on SSC saying "I have a vts box here *exactly same as the GTI box*
Dont wine or nothing, is in good condition. Thanks mate."
Good condition my arse!
The problem is, he's in Cardiff and it was 135 miles each way to collect it! and that was only to the services, its like 150 miles each way to his door!
I doubt he'll give me a full refund without getting his box back, but I'm not driving back to cardiff again! and he won't bother coming to me!
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