Airtasker Caused Errors to My Car after Installing Dashcam, What Should I Do?

Good Morning everyone,

I recently purchased a Viofo A139 dashcam and hardwire kit with the intention of installing in my car. I read a few threads saying Airtasker was a good place to find an installer and I accepted an offer for him to come out and install + hardwire it on Wednesday night. He said it would take 1 hour to install, however, took him about 2 and a half, but assured me everything had been completed correctly. After he left, I noticed that several dash warnings appeared on the screen (ESP inoperative, run flat indicator inoperative, cruise control and speedtronic inoperative). The car still runs, however, I can no longer use the hold brakes or cruise control and the error messages remain.

Yesterday I informed him and he allowed me to come out to his workplace for a look, however, just tried disconnecting and reconnecting the battery and then when that didn't work, offered to come to my home after work to fix it. He spent about an hour, however, didn't seem to have any understanding of what he actually did wrong or how to fix it, and just wanted to test drive with the hope that the messages would go away. At around 7:30 I had to leave as I had something planned but I told him we were going to have to sort this out in one way or another. Since then he has sent a request to cancel the task, which I haven't responded to yet. I spoke to a mechanic this morning who seemed to think that he cut power to certain components which is why they aren't working, and the earliest they can fix it is next Thursday.

What are my options here for compensation? Unsure what the cost will be to fix, although it doesn't seem like there's any mechanical problems, just electrical. I read somewhere that Airtasker insurance doesn't apply for cancelled tasks, so maybe that is why he attempted to cancel last night to avoid paying compensation.

Poll Options

  • 1
    Speak to tasker directly and request compensation
  • 106
    Contact Airtasker regarding their third-party insurance
  • 1
    Contact my car insurance company
  • 2
    Cancel task and just pay for repairs out of pocket

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Comments

  • +21

    Did you confuse OzBargain for Airtasker support?

    • +5

      OzBasker

  • +2

    Do you know if this chap was even an auto-electrician?

    He could have been referencing Youtube videos during the install for all you know.

    • Yes, he was a mechanic

      • +44

        Mechanics are not auto electricians

  • What sort of reviews for this kind of task did old mate have

    • Had reviews and completed similar tasks. My first time using Airtasker but he seemed fine to me.

  • +2

    Hopefully you can just clear the codes with a diagnostic tool?

  • Could be fuse blown/loose that controls ESP, cruise control, speedtronic. Check your car's operating manual to identify if it is all 1 common fuse and then check his hard wired connection. It should be connected at the fuse box on the driver's side.

  • +1

    What model car? Could be something that runs a Canbus system (which doesn't like people tapping into random circuits for accessory/constant power)

    Edit: Speedtronic - so Mercedes of some type. Most likely running Canbus depending on the year. Sounds like he has cut/tapped circuits he shouldn't have.

    • This is a good suggestion. An extra 0.5amp draw on the wrong circuit and it'll possibly see that as a fault. Hopefully they used "add a circuit" or similar rather than splicing in to wires in which case it'd be easy to disconnect the camera, maybe disconnect the battery to reset and see if the faults go away. Some sensors may require connection to OEM equipment to reset however.

    • Any money he has tapped into a CAN bus line.

      "Yep, got power here while ignition is on… *crimps scotch lock into harness*"

  • What car make / model?

    Big difference between a shitty old Toyota or a brand new Audi. I'm guessing if you have run flats it's some Euro like a Mini or similar. CANBUS can be a real bi#$h for electrical manipulation.

    • +5

      One would think if you are driving a nice Merc or Audi, you are not going to Airtasker for any type of servicing on a car. would you?

  • Which AirTasker dude?
    I used one bloke for 4 cars and 5 at work in Vic- all spotless and done in very quick time.. he also worked for cash :)

  • +1

    Need to fill up on the blinker fluid.

    Ps hope it all gets fixed

  • +9

    Lol @ Airtasker… Get what you paid for.

    And correlation does not always equal causation. It could be totally unrelated.

    But at a guess, it sounds like he has tapped into a power wire they shouldn't have or removed an earth mount and didn't put all the Earth's back on.

    Would do a quick check on your fuses and make sure that they didn't short a realted fuse somewhere.

    Also, Airtasker… For removing garbage from your garden, ok. To work on your car? Get what you paid for. As a part time locksmith, I think half of my jobs are fixing up shit that "gig economy" cowboys ruin.

    • -1

      See. Another mechanic who thinks he's an auto sparky 😀

      • +12

        Ha! Jokes on you, I am an auto elec. :P Comes with being a diagnostic technican and not a filter monkey. Almost all my work revolves around chasing electrical gremlins…

        • +10

          RIP to me 👍

  • 2 hours? took the guy i used less than 15mins when he installed my Viofo

    • Very much depends on the car. I've done about a dozen dash cam installs and did one on a Picanto last week and it was the biggest PITA yet. Took me about 2.5 hours which is an hour or so more than normal. I could never do one in 15min unless you're talking about just plugging it into the cig socket and not putting any wiring away.

      • I had a front and rear cam fitted recently (and hardwired) and was charged $280… I had another quote from a Car stereo place and that was similar. The one who did it was my regular mechanic and charged by the hour…. I was a bit shocked :( At least no errors coming up on my MD 2015 Mondeo Titanium which has a lot of wizardries… I consider myself lucky I guess.

  • +4

    The errors you report (ESP inoperative, run flat indicator inoperative, cruise control and speedtronic inoperative) are similar to those you would normally get after disconnected and reconnecting the battery on a Merc and/or jump starting a flat car. There may not be anything actually "wrong" with the car.

    Initial troubleshooting steps for this would be:
    1. Reset the runflat indicator using the central screen/intrument cluster Settinngs Menu
    2. Reset the steering wheel angle sensor by:
    a) starting the car, leaving it in Park
    b) turning the steering wheel full lock left and full lock right a few times
    c) go for a short drive
    d) stop the car and start it up again and see if the errors have disappeared

    Apologies if you've already done this

    • +1

      You may also have to reinitialise your auto up/down power windows/sunroof by manually going full down/full up

      • Thanks for help, already done these to no avail unfortunately

        • +1

          Other common issues would be:
          1) Disconnected/shorted fuse for ESPwhere they've tapped/add-a-fused a circuit (installer should have checked that)

          2) They've triggered a fault on your ESP module which needs resetting (simple enough to check if you have an OBD dongle or for a mechanic)

          3) They're a klutz and legitimately damaged some unrelated wiring :S

          4) Pure coincidence, and you've got a single wheel speed sensor that's failed on its own (would explain all the error codes listed). Should also show up on an OBD scan

          Also, does the camera work?

          • @rocketpoweredmice: The camera works fine (as well as parking mode when ignition off).

            Have booked in mechanic for next Thursday, will be interesting to see what it is. Tasker isn't replying to my messages, have got in touch with airtasker support to organise the dispute. Thanks for your help, very well informed.

            • +1

              @wooroongarra: No worries, good luck!
              With luck, an OBD scan + code reset may resolve everything.

              For whats its worth, CAN Bus damage seems unlikely given the small number of errors and the fact they are all related to a single subsystem (ESP/wheel speed).
              Engine or Chassis CAN bus issues would ususally affect the car much more widely.

  • How much did you pay for the installation?

    • +2

      A canbus module :(

    • $0.00 because payment hasn't been released and tasker requested to cancel task.

  • +1

    Modern cars are full of electronics and computer chips and it doesn't take much to cause major and expensive damage to them.

    Personally, unless the 'expert' who worked on your car OP is a qualified Autoelectrician I wouldn't be letting them play around with it again and I'd be taking the car to someone properly qualified and hoping the 'expert' hasn't done any major damage.

    • +1

      Exactly. I had a 2011 Peugeot and NOBODY wanted to install a towbar because of the touchy electronics and their bad experiences with fitting one! Very easy to disturb those sensitive sensors….

  • did you try disconnecting the dash cam altogther in case of power tapping from a wrong circuit or CAN BUS line ? I mean even from the power connectors. You can also use an OBD reader to get more information.

    • Do you mean removing USB-C Cable or actually going into the wiring / circuits and doing it? Have no experience with that so would rather not touch anything in there

      • how did he wire it ? does the camera record even when car is switched off (always recording ?), if so he might used a 12V power convertor directly connected to a circuit from battery. Otherwise we can just plug Viofo to a lighter socket to 5V USB adaptor ( that's how I have installed my A119 V3)

        • Yes, was hardwired (unsure of exact details) but still records in parking mode when car is switched off.

          • @wooroongarra: ah, then better to get professional help to fix it, you can just try by "removing USB-C Cable" from the camera as you said, but I am not sure because the actual circuit would be slightly loaded even without the camera as the load. I think he had used a sensitive ciruit to get 12 V, usually it can be taken from radio BATT or so.

  • +3

    I am an Airtasker too. A lot of people claim a lot of things that they can't do or have never done. They might not be certified to do that too.

    Always ask for correct permissions / certification after assigning the task, to be sure that you have someone qualified. Doesn't matter if they have 100s of similar tasks with 5 star reviews. If they are not qualified to do that, don't let them touch your stuff.

    And yes, Airtasker would cover any extra charges to fix that.

    • And yes, Airtasker would cover any extra charges to fix that.

      Airtasker would cover repairs? I really doubt that.

      • +1

        They have insurance for mishaps / error caused by tasker.

        • With probably a mile long list of T's & C's.

          Not saying they won't cover it, and well worth chasing it up but good luck in being successful.

  • +1

    take the hit and move on. I tried airtasker once and some on there can be so unreliable.
    I am sure there are legit people on there but it's a gamble. Think about it… how much of a headache was the whole experience?

  • +1

    That seems like a canbus system not recognising the unusual power draws. Had similar problems when I tried to 'mcguiver it' and install accessories on my BMW :) Some items can be re-set as a warning, for others, you need to remove the canbus taps and install via proper connection points in the circuit. Take it to an auto electrician who knows their way around canbus circuits.

  • If the car is a Mercedes as ppl have mentioned, and you can afford that, why would you scrimp and use an air tasker to mess with it? Come to that, why are you on ozbargain? (Maybe that's why you can afford a Merc) hehe.

  • +2

    Look, your vehicle is a computer. It is detecting things that ought not be there. You SIMPLY just need to reset the computer, as if resetting after an oil change.

    This takes 5min. Call into the dealership and have them do it on the spot.

  • Hey OP, any updates on this?

    • +1

      Yep, Tasker removed fuses and forgot to put them back in, just needed that put in and diagnostic reset from mechanic and it's back to normal.

      Tasker did cancel so I got a refund in the end.

  • +1

    Imagine getting an Airtasker for a job you need an experienced person for, LOL

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