On 12/15, I had an indy LR shop perform post-sale inspection of ‘03 Disco SE7 w/66K miles. Mechanic suggested replacement of ignition wires, left and right valve cover gaskets, throttle body gasket and serpentine belt. $90.00 post-sale inspection fee “waived,” and $588.00 for parts and labor on aforementioned repairs. Now, here’s the thing: after having read many of the posts here and on other fora concerning the importance of maintenance (particularly, major service at 60K), wouldn’t it seem logical that for the price paid for the service and considerin the items replaced that the indy would have suggested the 60K service being performed? I know nothing is free; just hoping this guy isn’t gonna try and charge me $650.00 for 60K service when he’s already replaced what appear to be the major parts replaced during the 60K service
Maybe this doesn’t hold true for Rovers, but it would seem to me that if you put in new ignition wires, makes sense to replace the plugs and air filter, too. And having my car for two days you’d go ahead and perform all the fluid flushes, etc., if you’re truly performing a post-purchase, bumper to bumper inspection. In my mind (although, prolly not realistic), it seems like I should only pay the difference in price for the fluid replacement/flush. In hindsight, b/c the seller paid for the repairs, I wasn’t paying as close attention as I should (and I wasn’t armed with the info I picked up here – especially DiscoMike’s 60K list). I called indy last week and mechanic pretty much indicated 60K service needed to be performed at a cost of $65.00. So, here’re my questions:
1. Would a reasonably competent LR mechanic be able to tell whether or not 60K service had been already performed (by looking at fluids, condition of serpentine belt, etc.?) when conducting an “inspection” of the vehicle, and SHOULD he have suggested I go ahead with the 60K service?
2. Should I be concerned about a mechanic who failed to mention that the 60K service needed to be done – especially when he had my car from Saturday until Tuesday?
3. Would it be unreasonable for me to tell indy that he only needs to perform fluid flush/replacement for difference in cost of first repair? $650.00 less $588.00 already paid, plus any incidentals (cost of fluids. filters, for example)? No worries if I DO need to pay the $650.00; just don't wanna get screwed.
4. Would this scenario give you concern about using this mechanic in future?

Thanks for your help.

 

Hello,

I think you may be analyzing it a bit too much. I wouldn't be worried about a mechanic who only does what needs to be done. Some folks get bent out of shape when a mechanic takes some initiative to do more than is necessary which increases the costs, and some have the money to afford a better level of care and prefer that the mechanic do a little extra work to save more work later. There is no way for the mechanic to know what you prefer unless you tell him, so it's best to have that communication from the beginning. Otherwise, I expect the default modeto beto only dowhat is needed.

Kinda like bedside manners and doctors. Some of the best doctors on earth have no people skills whatsoever, while a con artist is a master of communication.

There is no reliable way to tell if the 60K service has been performed in its entirety. You may have a new belt but old coolant that just looks new, for instance. Better to perform all of the items on Mike's 60K checklist that you have not already had performed and sleep easy.

Dave

 

I would think you would be able to tell if the belt and the plug wires have been replaced. The belt should not have any visible cracks in it if it is new. The plug wires however after detailing a vehicle will be hard to tell, but if you pull any one of the plugs this will indicate if it was done or not. A new plug will not have any burn marks on it at all or discolored in any way. As for the fluids, this is going to be hard to determine visually. The coolant doesn't loose a lot of color unless something has entered into the cooling system (like oil). So the answers to your questions,
1. Yes a good any mechanic should be able to tell and if it hadn't been performed he should have recommended it.
2. In my mind I would be concerned, however I don't put any trust in any shop, I usually specify what I want done, and take their recommendations under advisement until I review everything they tell me. I also have been working on cars and RVs for 20 years, so I feel most of the time I know when someone is blowing smoke up my tail pipe.
3. That will be a decision you have to make, there is always room for negotiations in every business transaction but better to be safe than sorry.
4. I would be concerned, as mentioned above.

Good Luck

 

Thanks for the reassurance, Dave. (I do tend to be overly analytical.) Guess I thought when her performed the inspection, he'd pick up on everything the car needed, including 60K service. I'll go forward with the remaining items on the list through this guy sinceI'mnot yet comfortable with performing my own maintenanceon the LR. Gotta get one of those RAVE CDs so I can do the simple stuff in the future on my own. Thanks again for the insight! You guys are a great resource.

 

I can't vouch for your mechanic, but what he's charging you, parts and labor, is not a bad deal. If I had one in here that would give me the same price for that job, I'd take it.

 

I totally agree with Geo. Unless you received records showing that a 60k check was done, it would be difficult, via inspection, that everything was done properly. Sure there are somethings, like the serp belt, that can be noted instantly. But some of the other things are harder to catch. I also wouldn't assume that your mechanic checked for other issues or did a 60k checkup without you requesting it. I could be wrong, but most of the mechanics I ran into, like Geo mentioned, they rarely fix anything without your permission.

I recommend getting your hands dirty when it comes to maintaining your disco. It's a good idea to become as familiar with your disco as possible. This forum is the best tool for learning and troubleshooting anything that pops up on your rover. However you will breathe a sigh of relief if you have a mechanic do the 60k check now. The cost (if they do indeed charge you more) is really worth the piece of mind.

-w

 

Hey, Jay -- 60K service wasn't suggested; I asked the mechanic a week later if he could tell if 60K service had been done based on what he'd replaced, and he said "probably not," and that I should have it done. Raised a red flag for me because I assumed (whether correctly or not) that the inspection would tell him and me everything the car needed -- including 60K service. I guess he did a good job, but I don't know anything about Rovers so I don't have a yardstick by which to measure. Lots of Rovers in his garage, so I assume he gets pretty steady traffic flow. But hey, that's not necessarily an indicator of him being a good mechanic. The thing is, if I'm gonna have to throw money at this car to keep it running in top form, I want to have a mechanic that I trust. But, I'm suspicious by nature -- I work with litigators. LOL! Second potential red flag, is during call I asked what brand of of ignition wires he used, and he thought they were Stratton-Statton-or something. Prolly no big deal, but I guess I expected Magnacor or that he'd be able to definitively tell me what was used. Of course, I'm pretty **** about that kinda stuff, too. Don't get me wrong, he appears to be a nice guy. But even the seller told me to remember that he's a mechanic. Even told seller check engine light was on when, in fact, it wasn't.Theonly Rover owner I know is one of the partners in my office. He gave me the name and number of his mechanic, John Brandt of Brandco in Dallas, but I didn't use him because I wanted the car inspected immediately after I purchased it because I was planning a road trip. Patience may just be a virtue.I didn't get very many of those genes in my DNA makeup, though.

 

JMT -- yeah, his prices appear to be pretty reasonable. I'm not bashing the guy; I just don't know YET what to expect and what is reasonable.

 

Hi, Wesk -- well, I thought the point of the inspection was to determine what needed to be done, but it seems that I assumed incorrectly.I did most of the repairs on my Saabs myself, so I don't mind getting dirty and am pretty mechanically inclined for female. Right now, I've got a huge learning curve. I'll prolly join Texas Rovers so I can meet some DIYers who can hopefully lend a sister a hand. LOL.

 

just remember that an inspection is just looking at it. Only way to see if the service has been done is to go by your dealer and have them print the service records. They can bring your truck up by the vin and print it all off for you. The benefit of the magnacor wires is being 8mm wires. factory are 7mm. Take mikes list to him and just get a quote to finish it. If you want to try some yourself, shout and we can help

Cheers