G'Day Ozbargain,
Let me start this by saying I am not usually the guy to leave reviews anywhere unless if it's exceptional service then I would sometimes go and leave a good review but have ever left one bad review in my life which was also related to the car but that's story for another time.
I am from Canberra and unlike Syd/Melb all labor/services here are super expensive, I try to do most things myself as much as I can but due to my workload I have been feeling bit burned and got some things done from outside.
Below is my experience with THREE different businesses all within last few months and I have not yet left a review for any of them.
FIRST Business: Basic Service Oil Change
I have serviced my car for past maybe 100K Km's but as mentioned, work got the best of me so took it to a shop which was recommended by non-car guy friend and I thought wth how can you mess up an oil change, Here is what they did.
Installed oil filter without lubrication(it was leaking and took me 2 hours and alot of swearing to take off - Pics > https://imgur.com/a/aXUp1aD
Installed smaller washer which was again leaking oil from sump - Pic > https://imgur.com/a/o1Pg5HY
My turbo return line was leaking and needed a sump gasket which is 2 min job, I showed him under the hoist what to do just take 2 bolts off slide the gasket in and bolts back in that's it, He then stripped both bolts for return line which was the hardest thing to get fixed afterwards(no pictures for that one)
SECOND Business: Towbar Install
Had to get the tow-bar installed, I had everything needed but had never done something like this before which could end up being safety issue I thought I'll let the professional handle it, Found a mobile mechanic who was qualified mechanic with good reviews online, Made a deal he came and installed the towbar but mentioned my car having an aftermarket exhaust he had to drop the exhaust on both sides, would've been good to know during the job but I was wfh so I left him to do his thing and started working.
He dropped my exhaust from both sides and left them hanging saying exhaust shop will need to fix that, I thought to myself I guess it's not his fault my car does have many aftermarket parts so he did what he had to.
Fast forward by him forcing the exhaust down it cracked from a spot, all the rear bumper clips he took off he damaged my paint by using screwdriver, Didn't install one of the bumper clips so it was hanging out after a drive.
Photos > https://imgur.com/a/5fHQbPR Note: Car is bit dirty in photos but in person damage is very noticeable
THIRD Business: Exhaust Shop
Now this is the one which is grinding my gears the most, If you have been following along you may notice that due to getting towbar installed my exhaust had to be dropped and I was told I will most likely just need hanger adjustment, took it to a shop near me which has fairly good reviews in google, Once I got there guy advised my rear mufflers are bit too big and are touching the towbar, he advised they're also cracking in places which I couldn't see but I did have a exhaust leak so him being professional I took his word for it, He said we can install muffler or hotdog with new tips which should clear the towbar just fine. Due to not having enough room I was recommended to go with hotdog which will make it little louder, I said if it's just a little louder I can live with that. Now as soon as we got there I told him there is some sort of exhaust leak I can hear it clearly from outside the car near diff area, He said no problems we will fix that.
Fast forward couple hours I got the ring that car is ready for pickup and they advised there is no exhaust leak(I asked before getting my keys if they found any leaks), I got there and everything looked good from outside but car was very very loud, I thought maybe I'll just need to get use to it, Drove it home and literally felt embarrassed about driving it that's how loud it was.
Even with car being this loud I could still hear the exhaust leak so got the car on jacks and what can you expect from useless mf's there was still a massive exhaust leak near Diff area and the hotdog they installed weld was leaking from there as well.
Rang Friday morning advising the issues they said please come on Monday and we'll fix it
Got there on Monday and they said ooh we're stuck with these cars can you come back tomorrow
Got there Tuesday and they fixed their shitty weld job but advised fixing other leak would be an hour or so labour, I said can you also make this quieter this is too loud, They're like yeah that will be $650 to make it quieter plus hour labour for exhaust leak.
I originally paid them $650 to do a proper job and now my car sounds worse than a tractor, it's deafening loud and has exhaust leak, That's pretty much $650 gone down the drain, to rub it all in I paid $700 for my entire brand new exhaust system back in 2017 which has been working great until all this.
What would you do if you were in my position ? I am so sick and tired of useless people running businesses who know how to charge money but are not even remotely good at what they do.
I've decided I might just buy a welder and learn how to use it, I am sick of paying people to break my car :/
Edit: Sorry for long post guys, I guess I just needed to vent somewhere, I have decided to just get over what was and focus on what I can do to fix it , That's another one of those things where I can live and learn.
That's a lot of instance's