Bad Experience
Hey guys thought I’d warn you all of the bad experience I had with an independent Ferrari specialist. Having owned my Modial for 8 years I have only ever took it to a garage twice, once was a main agent when I originally bought the car, which in it’s self was a bad experience so I vowed never to take it again. But after 8 years I noticed on EBay a garage offering fantastic service for old and abused Mondial’s and 308’s. I rang the garage and the guy said they were doing a special offer of £1400 + VAT. As well as requiring the service I also had a few ‘bits’ that I required the garage to look at. However there were parts of the service that I didn’t require (as it came as a package). I booked the car in and was told to bring it in that Saturday.
When I turned up there was nobody at the garage. I called the number and Terry answered. (Terry is the owner of the garage) I’ve underlined the word answered, you will understand why further on!! Terry sent his son to take delivery of the car. I explained to the son that I didn’t require an oil change, oil filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, air conditioning re gas, air filter, cam heads polishing, break disks skimming, break pads, gear box oil changing. This was advertised as included in the service. These jobs have already been carried out by myself.
What I did require was Timing belts and tensionor, the water pump pipe needed a new jubilee clip, there was a intermittent fault on the starter, which I asked him to re run the live feed to the starter and a ticking from a cracked manifold. I tried to rely this message to Terry’s son who said the ticking might have been caused by a sticking or bent valve. Which got me worried because it was a cracked manifold but there again he is only 17 years old!
Week 1
Reluctantly I left my car. On the Monday I had to travel to London on Business, I made a slight de tour passed the garage to see and speak to Terry myself, unconvinced that his Son would relay my requirements. I explained to Terry what I had explained to his son, “ not a problem” he said and assured me everything would be sorted and that he’d ring me by the end of the week. I waited for the phone call! By the end of Friday I’d not heard anything, so I called Terry who and with no apology said he’d not had time to look at the car yet. I’d need to leave it another week but he’d call me on the Tuesday with an update.
Week 2
No phone on the Tuesday, however he did call on the Friday to advise that a blanking plate around the distributor cap?? Had got a crack in it and it was leaking oil. He had got a second hand plate in London but he wouldn’t be able to pick it up till the Saturday. He would ring me mid week (3rd week) with a progress report.
Week 3
I rang him constantly Wednesday Thursday and Friday. There was no answer from both of my mobile phone numbers. On the Saturday I rang him from our home phone to which he answered. He said he’d fixed the blanking plate! He then proceeded to tell me that I was an extremely lucky man, the sump plug was only being held on by two threads and this could of come loose at any time! He would now have to have a new sump plug made and re tap the sump pan. ( Please not I’d asked him not to change the oil!) He said he’d ring later that week with an update
Week 4
No Phone Call! I tried calling him from all three phones to which he didn’t answer to any! I tried on one occasion and straight after borrowed my colleagues phone, just to check it wasn’t my calls he was ignoring. He answered to that number straight the way, even though I’d just tried from my own number! I advise it was me and asked for an update. He was now struggling to get the sump plug, so they couldn’t fix it . He advised he’d call middle of now week 5 to update.
Week 5
I given up ringing from any of my numbers as he no longer answered my calls. I used my colleagues phones again to which he didn’t answer. I borrowed another colleagues phone which I hadn‘t used before to which he answered. I was getting rather annoyed by this point! I asked him how it was going! He still didn’t have the sump plug. I told him to forget getting a new sump plug, to use the old one without the copper washer, if this would hold I would collect my car and fix this problem myself. At this point I just wanted to get my car back! He advised he’d do this and call me back the same day to see if this worked. He actually rang me back that day!! He’d got the original sump plug back in they were testing to see if this would hold. He would call me Friday to confirm if the car was ready to collect and advise the total bill!! I rang him from my mobile phone on the Friday and he answered, the car was ready!! 1400 CASH - No VAT!
I was very happy to be just getting my car back, but not happy with the service that I’d received. I went to collect the car on the Friday. Terry Keys advised me he was to busy to be there on the Friday but his son would be there to collect the money. I went into the office, to handover the money and as I counted the money out in front of his son. I told him how I felt like I’d been treated like a second class Ferrari citizen. I was annoyed with the lack of service that I had received and it felt like they were only interested in the higher priced market of cars or the easier servicing work. To me a garage that advertises that they are specialists in ‘Old and abused Ferraris’ Which mine is old but no abused! Should love our cars in the same way that we all do. That they would share the same passion and love rather than just treating them like the average ford fiesta. How can a garage change the servicing price of a Ferrari but provide less thought and service than you would expect at the scrapyard. If felt like him and his Dad would be laughing at me over the dinner table at how long they’d actually been able to keep my car! The Son advised that I could always ring his Dad and tell him how disappointed I was. I explained that he never answered my calls, but it would be nice to receive a phone call from him so I could tell him, I’ll wait with baited breath. He handed me my stamped service book with a full breakdown of what work had actually been carried out.
New Oil and Filter - Not Required
Air Condition re gassed - Not required
Changed Air Filter - Not Required
Gear Box Oil Changed - Not Required
Spark Plugs cleaned and Gapped -
Replaced Distributor end oil seals -
Tuned Engine -
Replaced Cam Belt and tensioner bearings
Removed rear exhaust manifold and repaired
Geometry set up
Please mot this is less that advertised as the breakdown on eBay!!
Out of this list there was only 6 things I required. But no mention of the two other outstanding items. (water pipe and starting problem)There was also no rebate for the work that hadn’t been carried out , (valve adjustment £400 on eBay, Brakes skimmed etc)
Drove home and parked my pride and joy on the drive. Decided to take my wife out shopping to justify the £1400 I’d just spent. Now because of the ‘old’ starting problem I used to have, I always used to park my car on a slight hill in case it needed pushing. Low and behold when came to get back in the car and it wouldn’t start lucky for me old habits die hard and I had a wife willing to push! Starter motor not fixed. To top this off on the drive home the exhaust started to blow like a tank. We eventually got home and I was so upset I couldn’t face looking at it that night. Sunday morning I looked at my car. The starter hadn’t been looked at and neither had the water pipe. I was also still waiting for the call from Terry. I’d lost all interest in my car at this point. Knowing full well I’d just spent £1400 and now I probably had to take it to another garage to get it fixed. At the end of that week I rang Terry - 3 times no answer! By luck I had business to do again in London so I called in on the way down. Terry and his son were in the office. Terry advised I’d upset his son, he thought I sounded happy when I called and he’d told me my car was ready ( I was he’d had it 5 weeks) He didn’t understand why I said I was unhappy when I collected it? We aired our views and our differences. I told him that I wanted to give him a chance before I wrote this sort of letter on the internet. I also wanted to get something for the £1400 I’d already paid! I like to be able to recommend Ferrari garages they are so few and far between. He told me to bring my car back! I was going on holiday so it would have to be in two weeks time. On my return I rang, he answered, he told me his extremely busy and wouldn’t be able to fit my car in that week. Ring him next week. I rang again on the Friday to see if I could book my car in. He said yes bring it in park it outside and put the keys through the letterbox. He’d pop down later to pick it up. He would ring me later that week to advise when it would be ready to collect.
No phone call materialised! I tried calling him from my phones, my children’s phones, colleagues phones wife’s phones all these numbers I called him on before. It seemed if he knew it was me calling he’d ignore it. I eventually got hold of him on the Friday to see if I could pick my car up. He told me he hadn’t even looked at it. He would look at it on the Monday and ring me on the Tuesday to advise what he was going to do, surprise surprise he didn’t ring. I started ringing him again on the Thursday from several numbers he would not answer any call. By luck I finished work early on the Friday, we drove to Silverstone, by this point I just wanted my car back. I’m sure you can appreciate when you’ve left your pride and joy with somebody who doesn’t even answer the phone your not feeling happy or comfortable. I walked into the garage and just said can I have my keys. He went to the cupboard got the keys out the box and gave them to me. I turned my back. I was so furious! All I said is I suppose you’ve done nothing to the car. He snapped back, it’s all done! The car started straight the way, the exhaust was also fixed! I drove home with the wife following. Parked the car on the drive. Went out half an hour later to put her away in the garage. She wouldn’t start, after we’d pushed her into the garage we were greeted with a water leak on the drive!
I don’t write much on the internet and I’m not computer literate. In fact I’ve asked my daughter to do this for me. I feel there is no way I can get back at him for the lack of service and the way he’s miss treated my car. The only thing I can do is warn you all of my bad experience. Then again he must be doing something right. He garage is always full of Ferraris and he always seems busy. Maybe it’s just us classic owners!!
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Originally Posted by rmdferrari
