Expert advice and NOthing but BULL****!

[BENT_8]

Yep, you guessed it, you know where this is going and you're probably wondering...'why oh why Benty, you've been around these parts long enough to know nothing good would come of it'

So last fortnight i bought an immaculate 2010 WS Fiesta Zetec, one owner old ladies car with a mere 55,000km's on the dial.
Upon inspection i noticed the usual thing with these cars, soft rotors we're lipped and being granny spec a bit of gutter rash from touch parking.
I negotiated a good deal based on these points and away i went.

So during the first week i noticed a slight knock in the front end and at highway speed it tended to wander around a bit, i figured it cant be much with only 55k on it, i'll take it to someone and get them to have a good look.
Now, who could i take it to i wondered.
I wanted someone i could trust, an expert, someone who could diagnose the problem and without the BULL.
But instead i took it to this mob who advertise all that but deliver the opposite.
Thats right, my local Pedders.

So i roll in, explain whats going on and the friendly guy punches in a few details, grabs my keys and throws them to a pimply faced kid who's probably had less hot dinners than i've had cars.
I roll my eyes and think here we go but i'll give the young guy the benefit of the doubt, you never know, he might be one of us and actually care about cars and his job.

So 45 minutes later my car reappears in the carpark and old mate at the keyboard appears with my report which you'll find here...


That circling was old mates attempt at trying to convince me of his expert opinion and that it needed urgent attention, he also stabbed a note pad with the same pen a few times to reinforce his authority, i was scared for my life.

Note the report clearly says Front strut mount plate FAIL and a description of the bearing failure causing noise when turning and a quote of $319 in parts and $240 in labour.
Old mate then decided to ask if i wanted it in a meal with new struts as my OEM items we're soft and its cheaper to do them at the same time as they need to come out to do the plates, what a considerate guy you're thinking right.

So i thank him for his time and suggest i'll consider his expert advice and get back to him.
I then go to my tyre guy for a balance and wheel alignment as i want to rule out poor alignment or wheel damage before i start to spend up.

Sure enough tyre guy finds quite a bit of camber on the fronts, i mention the expert advice and possible collapsed strut mount plates and whilst he suggests simply fitting a camber bolt kit i figure the poor camber may very well be due to those pesky strut plates.
He also finds 2 of the 4 rims have buckles which i thought may be the case as it had a vibration at highway speed.
He said its quite common in granny spec cars from touch parking etc.

So what do i do, well, what any car guy would do, i hunt around for prices and find old mate NO BULL experts $319 strut plates to be roughly 130% dearer than every other supplier, so i grab some KYB items from Bursons, some new rotors and pads and order a set of shiny new rims.

I fit the rotors and pads and have a good look whilst under there, all looks good, cant see this metal on metal our expert suggests going on at the top of the struts but as the bearing is concealed i give him the benefit of the doubt.
So last night after work i decide to replace the strut plates, only problem is, upon removing the first one i find its actually as good if not better than the aftermarket item im putting in its place, no failed bearing, no metal on metal, rubbers perfect, no play or noise.
So i figure i'll swap it out and move on to the other side as it might be the culprit.
You guessed it, same as the first, here, look for yourselves.














So now im $130 out of pocket for something my expert says has failed and is causing my persistant noise and guess what, the ****ing noise is still there!!!
So im up bright and early on a Saturday morning, i've neatly packaged my worn out. metal on metal, noise causing failed strut mount plates and am about to take them down to my friendly expert and ram the ****ing things down his throat, wish me luck.

Rims look good though.

[Charliewool]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Yep, you guessed it, you know where this is going and you're probably wondering...'why oh why Benty, you've been around these parts long enough to know nothing good would come of it'

So last fortnight i bought an immaculate 2010 WS Fiesta Zetec, one owner old ladies car with a mere 55,000km's on the dial.
Upon inspection i noticed the usual thing with these cars, soft rotors we're lipped and being granny spec a bit of gutter rash from touch parking.
I negotiated a good deal based on these points and away i went.

So during the first week i noticed a slight knock in the front end and at highway speed it tended to wander around a bit, i figured it cant be much with only 55k on it, i'll take it to someone and get them to have a good look.
Now, who could i take it to i wondered.
I wanted someone i could trust, an expert, someone who could diagnose the problem and without the BULL.
But instead i took it to this mob who advertise all that but deliver the opposite.
Thats right, my local Pedders.

So i roll in, explain whats going on and the friendly guy punches in a few details, grabs my keys and throws them to a pimply faced kid who's probably had less hot dinners than i've had cars.
I roll my eyes and think here we go but i'll give the young guy the benefit of the doubt, you never know, he might be one of us and actually care about cars and his job.

So 45 minutes later my car reappears in the carpark and old mate at the keyboard appears with my report which you'll find here...

image
That circling was old mates attempt at trying to convince me of his expert opinion and that it needed urgent attenttion, he also stapped a note pad with the same pen a few times to reinforce his authority, i was scared for my life.

Note the report clearly says Front strut mount plate FAIL and a description of the bearing failure causing noise when turning and a quote of $319 in parts and $240 in labour.
Old mate then decided to ask if i wanted it in a meal with new struts as my OEM items we're soft and its cheaper to do them at the same time as they need to come out to do the plates, what a considerate guy you're thinking right.

So i thank him for his time and suggest i'll consider his expert advice and get back to him.
I then go to my tyre guy for a balance and wheel alignment as i want to rule out poor alignment or wheel damage before i start to spend up.

Sure enough tyre guy finds quite a bit of camber on the fronts, i mention the expert advice and possible collapsed strut mount plates and whilst he suggests simply fitting a camber bolt kit i figure the poor camber may very well be due to those pesky strut plates.
He also finds 2 of the 4 rims have buckles which i thought may be the case as it had a vibration at highway speed.
He said its quite common in granny spec cars from touch parking etc.

So what do i do, well, what any car guy would do, i hunt around for prices and find old mate NO BULL experts $319 strut plates to be roughly 130% dearer than every other supplier, so i grab some KYB items from Bursons, some new rotors and pads and order a set of shiny new rims.

I fit the rotors and pads and have a good look whilst under there, all looks good, cant see this metal on metal our expert suggests going on at the top of the struts but as the bearing is concealed i give him the benefit of the doubt.
So last night after work i decide to replace the strut plates, only problem is, upon removing the first one i find its actually as good if not better than the aftermarket item im putting in its place, no failed bearing, no metal on metal, rubbers perfect, no play or noise.
So i figure i'll swap it out and move on to the other side as it might be the culprit.
You guessed it, same as the first, here, look for yourselves.


image

image

image

image

image


So now im $130 out of pocket for something my expert says has failed and is causing my persistant noise and guess what, the ****ing noise is still there!!!
So im up bright and early on a Saturday morning, i've neatly packaged my worn out. metal on metal, noise causing failed strut mount plates and am about to take them down to my friendly expert and ram the ****ing things down his throat, wish me luck.

Rims look good though.

I can’t really comment on their condition as the pics aren’t quite big enough to judge properly…

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by Charliewool

I can’t really comment on their condition as the pics aren’t quite big enough to judge properly…

I never understand this, when i click the link they come up ok?

Am i using the wrong option from the list imgur gives?

[BENT_8]

Car is currently on their hoist, i must be mad you say but im a forgiving kind of guy and they did admit my worn out, noise causing, metal on matal factory strut mounts were actually in perfect working order and not the cause of my knock and have not only offered to reinspect my car but also install a set of camber bolts that i bought from them, free of charge.
Good news is, the owner is adamant there will be a closed door internal discussion about this failure of expert advice which im sure will consist of high fives and an as you were.

[Franco Cozzo]

We've still got one of these in the family - it survived being my first car

If it has the OE alloy wheels they are very soft and it doesn't take much to bend them - decent pothole strike on the highway and they're halal.

Ours the mighty 'interceptors' cause povvo pack base model

I found with ours at one point lot of vibration and noise on the highway, tyres we're still in good condition, it's only done about 4000km in 3 years, I changed them out for some Michelin Pilot Sport 3 and it went away completely, rubber was just old.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

We've still got one of these in the family - it survived being my first car

If it has the OE alloy wheels they are very soft and it doesn't take much to bend them - decent pothole strike on the highway and they're halal.

Ours the mighty 'interceptors' cause povvo pack base model

I found with ours at one point lot of vibration and noise on the highway, tyres we're still in good condition, it's only done about 4000km in 3 years, I changed them out for some Michelin Pilot Sport 3 and it went away completely, rubber was just old.

Was definitely the wheels, flat spots on inside lip were unbelievable, new wheles on and no vibration now.

Turns out the slight knock is in the rack so i'll be on to the yard i bought it from for warranty repair.

[Franco Cozzo]

They're good little cars, handle like go-karts, the A/C leaves a bit to be desired though.

[Falcon SXR8]

Reminds me of when the local ford dealer rang me to say my rear tyres were worn bad on the inside and that i needed the rear cradle aligned. Funny thing was i had fitted brand new tyres on the rear literally the day before. Not the first time they tried to rip me off unfortunately.

[Bossxr8]

Lol anyone who takes their car to farking pedders. You deserve to get ripped off. Everyone knows they would rip off their own grandma.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Lol anyone who takes their car to farking pedders. You deserve to get ripped off. Everyone knows they would rip off their own grandma.

I thought you had me on ignore?

And how was i ripped off again?
I spent $28 on an 'inspection' that they did twice and fitted a camber kit and wheel alignment for free.
They even offered to put the factory strut mounts back in for free.
I reckon i did alright for my $28 to be fair.

[.:4:.]

The bloke who did the initial inspection probably got a royal serving over that, and the boss is probably being nice to try and maintain a reputation of sorts.
So even good tradesmen sometimes make a bum diagnosis. Its the poor tradesmen who make a habbit of it. Now the majority of people hang off every word as they dont know what needs to be done, so people get away with needlessly changing parts etc.
One example of this i came across was one building i worked in when i was on the tools had 1 lift that kept crapping out. Im not a lift guy. But every time the lift guy would swap the pcbs in the controller which werent cheap. So the building manager who wasnt all up on lifts asked me to go up with the lift guy and have a look. I know nothing about lift controllers. So instantly i noticed burn marks on the main breaker. These controllers a 3 phase so when down a phase, the blow cards apparently. So breaker = a lot less then even a single card for that antiquated system.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

I never understand this, when i click the link they come up ok?

Am i using the wrong option from the list imgur gives?

The pics overflow off my 8" screen and land on my coffee table, lol, look fine to my screen.....

[BENT_8]

Bit of an update..

So after having the car back to Pedders and the subsequent diagnosis by the store owner of shot rack mount bushes i received a call from him last week to say he'd done some homework and there was no listing for aftermarket rack mount bushes.
He also said he rang Ford who confirmed no individual bushes which meant a full rack replacement at around $980 fitted.
I explained that i wasn't prepared to spend that on what should be a warranty repair through the yard i bought it from and thanked him for his time.
I asked him to book my Ranger in for a look at the suspension and he said he'd be happy to have it looked at by his senior mechanic.

So i took the Fiesta to the yard i bought it from with a detailed report of what Pedders suggested and what i'd done, i figured the more info they started with the better chance of finding the problem and fixing it.
I received the car back yesterday after 5 days and the problem appears to be solved only it didn't need a new rack, their mechanic said it was perfectly fine, what he did find was a damaged rack end and play in the LH tie rod end both of which he replaced.
He suggested this was a result of a reasonably severe kerb strike which i believe is quite plausible as my Daughter did the same to her 04 Focus and required the same repair of new rack end, tie rod end and replaced buckled wheels.

So again Pedders diagnosis of a stuffed rack and repair quote of $980 was incorrect/fraudulent.

Hesitantly i decided to take my Ranger down there today to see what they had to say, i have absolutely no confidence in them at this stage but figured i had nothing better to do this morning.

So i drop the keys on the desk, tell them what im there for, explain that the store owner has promised me no one except his senior mechanic touches my cars from now on and say im off to get a coffee.
So i wander across the road, grab a coffee and watch my Ranger like a hawk.
Sure enough, the kid who did the initial diagnosis of my Fiesta jumps in the drivers seat and takes off flat out.
Steam pouring from my ears i walk into the office..

"Wheres my car mate?"

"On a test drive"

"Who's test driving it mate?"

"One of our mechanics"

"You mean that kid who misdiagnosed my Fiesta 3 weeks ago?"

"Umm, yes"

"Didnt i just explain to you that your store owner said no one except the senior mechanic touches my car?"

"Yes, but..."

"Stop right there champ, get the ****ing car back here now and give me my keys, i'll be notifying your store owner of my displeasure and explaining how you've just cost him thousands of dollars worth of ongoing business from me and my extended family."

Steer clear of Pedders at Salisbury guys.

[Franco Cozzo]

Senior mechanic at Pedders is probably the 4th year apprentice

They're flat out picking their own part numbers correctly on their own shelf when you order stuff.

LV auto repair is a ****show across the whole industry regardless if its Pedders, a dealership, franchise or an independent, if you find the holy grail of a good automotive repair workshop then stick to them like **** to a blanket because you've basically found diamonds.

Was talking to the owner of a HV workshop yesterday morning, is struggling to attract HV mechanics and he's offering $90K-$100K which is a ****load more than what LV mechanics get around Melbourne, the guys he does have he has to watch like a hawk and check over their work to make sure its done properly.

I imagine it would be even worse in mining states because the brain drain would be occuring on a bigger scale where people with those skills get sucked up into the mining industry vortex where the money is - with us no one can compete with the construction industry in Melbourne, then also losing our manufacturing industry has iced a lot of other trade opportunities.

We're going to need an experienced fitter and turner soon, good luck finding one of those they're all old bastards about to drop off the perch

There's not many kids going into trades once they finish high school and the little that do end up in the construction trades rather than automotive or other trades.

Out of the 140 kids who finished Year 12 with me, only about 10 of us went onto trades, the rest went to university, its something pushed by careers advisors and teachers in the schools.

Its a multi-faceted issue thats been going on for years, they've been bandaid fixing it with 457 visas because you can pay them **** all and treat them like **** because of the threat of deportation.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Note the report clearly says Front strut mount plate FAIL and a description of the bearing failure causing noise when turning and a quote of $319 in parts and $240 in labour.

I'm no expert, but surely somebody telling you that a Strut mount contained a "bearing" should have been a red flag?

There's a fundamental problem with franchising in Australia, and it effects every industry. You have what is essentially a small business, paying massive overheads and markups to head-office. And for what?

The independent guy down the road can provide exactly the same service, has access to a better array of parts (better and/or cheaper) and doesn't have to pay a massive national advertising levy nor turn over a big slice of his profit to head-office.

And if you think you've got it bad, try being in Perth. Anybody that wants to do that kind of work, has an IQ above 80, is prepared to work at least some of the time, and isn't a raging drug-addict, can easily earn $150~$200k in the mining Industry. Doesn't leave much fodder for the local workshops.

[Citroënbender]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

I'm no expert, but surely somebody telling you that a Strut mount contained a "bearing" should have been a red flag?

Many McPherson strut cars have a ball or roller bearing element in the strut top. It allows the spring - bound by load to its lower seat on the strut - to rotate with the strut body as the vehicle steers. It’s a fraught element, prone to damage from dust or pressure washing and relies on excellent metallurgy to survive under suspension activity.

I’m no fan of this franchised brand (or many other franchises, for that matter) - but they’ve been around long enough for people to be capable of disabusing themselves prior to engagement. Sometimes the fit may be amicable.

[Dr Terry]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

I’m no fan of this franchised brand (or many other franchises, for that matter) - but they’ve been around long enough for people to be capable of disabusing themselves prior to engagement. Sometimes the fit may be amicable.

100% agree !

Franchising works for some & not for others, I'm no great fan myself.

Dr Terry

[T3rminator]

Interesting to hear peoples feedback on said franchise. It gets a lot of pretty ordinary rep. I have had really bad and really good experience, all depends who the "owner" is and who they hire.

The bad - took my car in for the $28 check. The attendant gave the keys to this bloke who spent the 10 mins I was there watching videos on his mobile. "Don't judge a book by its cover" i told myself. Anyway, when I went to pick it up, I saw the same bloke back my car over the curb AT FULL SPEED. WTF!

The good - I found a good one a few years ago At the time I was desperate for someone who could fit me in to fix a really annoying knocking noise. As usual, they do their $28 check, give you a list of $2000 items to fix, but he pin pointed the item that was going to address my issue. Couple of hundred bucks later, all fixed and I'm happy. I have been back to him a few times since, its been faultless every time. He has moved a couple of times, and I keep following him even though I now have to drive 30 mins out of the way. One quiet satday morning, he even walked me through the basics on how they do their $28 checks on the hoist i.e. all the bushings and how they try to pivot it with their crow bar to test their effectiveness etc.

[arm79]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Hesitantly i decided to take my Ranger down there today to see what they had to say, i have absolutely no confidence in them at this stage but figured i had nothing better to do this morning.

You do realise the definition of insanity/stupidity is doing the same thing more than once and expecting a different result.

Originally Posted by BENT_8

"You mean that kid who misdiagnosed my Fiesta 3 weeks ago?"

"Umm, yes"

"Didnt i just explain to you that your store owner said no one except the senior mechanic touches my car?"

Surely you came to the same conclusion I did that the kid actually is the senior mechanic!

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

And if you think you've got it bad, try being in Perth. Anybody that wants to do that kind of work, has an IQ above 80, is prepared to work at least some of the time, and isn't a raging drug-addict, can easily earn $150~$200k in the mining Industry. Doesn't leave much fodder for the local workshops.

You have McClown and his stupid border policies to thank for that. Simply cutting off access to interstate FIFO labour is causing massive issues in Perth.

My sister works for a company that does contract accounting and payroll to mining companies and the like. Right now she is working in payroll for them.

The people you talk about are a revolving door of personal for the mines at the moment. As soon as they hire a group they are shortly after firing them and they are swamped by termination payments.

My sister is newly back to the workforce now that one kid is in school full time and the other can be dropped at daycare. She started in their book keeping section with some other ladies. She is a capable and conscientious worker and at a basic speed she was performing 3 to 4 times the work of each other person. They didn't like that and quickly bullied her out. There were times she has left in tears and anger.

The company is too afraid to sack these other people under the "better the devil you know policy" and they are desperate to keep my sister so they shifted her to payroll with better conditions. But even then they are dumping more work on her than is reasonable given her experience and its causing her stress. I've encouraged her to have a tough conversation with them or leave and find something more manageable.

It's an unmanageable employment market you have. Typical mid level drongos are circling around the mines making a ton of money which then leaves the pond scum level as the available fodder.

Originally Posted by T3rminator

As usual, they do their $28 check, give you a list of $2000 items to fix

Long ago I took my FPV to the Red Bull because of some niggles in the rear end. On returning I the defect list included ALL the bushes in the front end, which I'd replaced with Nolathane 2 or 3 weeks earlier. They just said "they were of poor quality". When I told them they were brand new they just said "Dont care, they are of poor quality". I then said "but Nolathane and Pedders bushes are the same. That means if I pay you to change them you are putting poor quality bushes back in".

It was at the moment the sh*t flew full speed into the fan and I made a quick retreat never to return.

Back then you could download images of the bushes from both Nolathane and Pedders websites and even though they would be modelled differently, if you zoomed in close you'd see the same casting numbers in the same spots

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by arm79

You do realise the definition of insanity/stupidity is doing the same thing more than once and expecting a different result.



Surely you came to the same conclusion I did that the kid actually is the senior mechanic!

Yes, but confession time, i was bored, had nothing better to do as the weather in Adelaide was **** on the weekend and figured id waste some of their time for wasting mine.
I still had 2 inspections and a camber bolt kit fitted for $28 so im infront, lol.

No, the senior mechanic is actually a solid tradesman but he wasnt in on either Saturday i had my cars booked in on which is my luck.

[arm79]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Yes, but confession time, i was bored, had nothing better to do as the weather in Adelaide was **** on the weekend and figured id waste some of their time for wasting mine.
I still had 2 inspections and a camber bolt kit fitted for $28 so im infront, lol.

Hahahahaha... Fair enough and understandable. I just couldn't help not having a dig.

I have done similar myself.

There are times when I've had a problem but not the experience, understanding or tools to diagnose it. I'm against taking a car to a mechanic for a free diagnosis knowing once I had the answer I wouldn't take it back, its just morally wrong to me.

But Pedders was there to do this for me so I'd have a clear conscience because I was paying for their time and not wasting it. So like you I'd take a car there for sometimes sh*ts and giggles and a half hearted way to find an answer.

I suppose as long as you got to kill some time and enjoyed a little revenge... But you did do well out of it!

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by arm79

Hahahahaha... Fair enough and understandable. I just couldn't help not having a dig.

I have done similar myself.

There are times when I've had a problem but not the experience, understanding or tools to diagnose it. I'm against taking a car to a mechanic for a free diagnosis knowing once I had the answer I wouldn't take it back, its just morally wrong to me.

But Pedders was there to do this for me so I'd have a clear conscience because I was paying for their time and not wasting it. So like you I'd take a car there for sometimes sh*ts and giggles and a half hearted way to find an answer.

I suppose as long as you got to kill some time and enjoyed a little revenge... But you did do well out of it!

Totally agreed, i've used the same mechanic for almost 30yrs and my Father used them for a good while before that, i've often gone to them and they've offered to take a look and if its something they knew i could do would openly diagnose and explain how to do it myself.
I'd never have them of the impression they were diagnosing something that they would fix and then do it myself.

When i had my VRX Magna they didnt have time to do the cam belt, water pump and housing and rocker cover gaskets so they ordered the parts at trade and lent me their home made cambelt tensioner tool and said do it.

Pedders is different, they offer a no obligation check and charge a fee, the report is often full of things that they openly admit arent in need of immediate repair but may be within a time period, its up to the paying customer to then sort the wheat from the chaff and either engage them to fix some or all of the issues or make alternative arrangements.

Problem is these days, and my mechanic even confirmed this himself, is that not too many mechanics can pinpoint a problem, they just start replacing parts at what may be the most likely cause and continue on until they eventually get it sorted as they arent playing with their money.

[BA-XT]

A girl on my instagram page took her BA XR6 to pedders. $4,200 in repairs. I mean come on.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by BA-XT

A girl on my instagram page took her BA XR6 to pedders. $4,200 in repairs. I mean come on.

Saw her coming. To Pedders, a bit of dirt on a suspension bush means it needs to be replaced.

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Saw her coming. To Pedders, a bit of dirt on a suspension bush means it needs to be replaced.

I’m hearing what you say.

Many years ago, my first car had “rattling / shaking” steering, and I took it to Pedders for a repair quote. It ended up being a “worst case” scenario, basically replace everything including the front steering rack etc.

On the way home I had to “fill the car up” ( with petrol ) and spoke to the mechanic at the local servo. He put it up on the hoist, tightened a few bolts / fasteners, and “the problem” went away. I gave him $20 cash ( but he didn’t want anything ).

I rest my case, I’ll never go back to that franchise again, EVER ( and as I said, this was MANY years ago ).

[fiestaz]

NRMA motor serve in NSW tends to do the same sort of thing.

A VX commodore that needed a service and a rego inspection failed and allegedly needed $5500 in repairs.
Went to a local mechanic, $400 later items needed fixed and rego passed.

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by BA-XT

A girl on my instagram page took her BA XR6 to pedders. $4,200 in repairs. I mean come on.

That seems a bit light on for a BA.

[T3rminator]

These cars are getting near on 20 years old. Just suspension and springs change alone will be just over $2k.

A good pedders will walk the customer through the report and explain what needs immediate attention and what can wait.

Imagine if pedders left a whole bunch of stuff off their report and that part carks itself in a couple of months time. Said customer would be livid "they were not told".

[Citroënbender]

Any good workshop can do that, and some dealerships. I’ve known a service manager who would walk low-income clients through prioritising urgent repairs between “NOW”, “LAST WEEK” and “MONTHS AGO”. He felt it was better to see them more often than push them into heavy credit and risk further blowback for allegedly ripping them off.

[FTE217]

Posts 28/29 are bang on the money for me.....

No matter the business be it Franchise and not is only as good as the person who runs it.
Having been a fitter to a Rep and more in my early days I've visited countless useless rip off Mechanical workshops that are owner operaters.
We all have, we all also have found that good mechanic who does the right thing and you stick by them.
Be it Pedders/Ultra Tunes/Jaxs etc they have the same good and bad.

BENTs issue really rests on the store owner who knew upon discussion that only the head tech should be working on his vehicle.
Thats terrible for how easy is making sure of that kind of customer service.
Alas in this industry is still one of its major flaws so when a good one is found you grab it with both hands.

What I dislike the tarnishing of the name/brand.
We've seen no different to Ford dealerships right.

As mentioned above, a good Tech will walk the customer around if possible and point out the priorities and the to do's at a later date.
Whereas if not its the usual, you should have seen what peddders quoted me whereas I went to my local servo and he just quoted on the 1 job at hand.
Talk about the typical spiral though thats normal out there.

My wife behaves the same re getting Tradies quoting on jobs at home......
Sure at times I think what a rip off but I at least consider what the job involves quality etcetc.....
Whereas the dragon lady just looks at the bottom figure and goes WHAT with her eyeballs popping out, I pity some of these poor blokes lol......