Thread: Rip off of the week

Originally Posted by earplay

A recent happy discovery was car parts via Aliexpress - purchased a new rear tailight for a Nissan Qashqai - $80 (included LED panel and indicator bulb). Repco told me I'd have to go to a Nissan dealer to find one, and estimated $3-400.

you have to watch some of the asian tail light plastics, they fade and you end up with white lights to the rear

@blip. Yep, get those sorts of jobs quite regularly. We as trained/qualified mechanics get to fix jobs after backyard mechanics have had a go. You Tube doesn’t help either. We love it, doing those sort of jobs, like fuck we do!

Originally Posted by 19Badger

you have to watch some of the asian tail light plastics, they fade and you end up with white lights to the rear

plus some of the cheap shit lights dont even fit properly, throw a shit beam pattern, leak water into them or sometimes the wof guy wont pass it as it doesnt have standards markings on them so ends up not being so cheap after all.

Mrs and I are both strangely not phased in slightest. It can go to wreckers,and we will just buy another cheap runabout.i do 40 KMs going to work n back each day and other than that the car seldom did further than fifty cars each way. Our Terrano goes on long trips. It's just a shit happens moment. I might offer car to mechanic mate if he wants it to do up n flick off?? Better than wrecker as it's otherwise still in good Nick other than paint fade.

Originally Posted by tac a1

why so dear mickey do you know??

You only normally need to do water pump, cam seals and maybe crank seal while yr in there.

Cam belt , tensioner, pump, seals. Oil and filters

There isnt 2 k in that sorry.

No I don't know but as car cost us grand five years ago....I figure we have had money's worth out of it lol.

Originally Posted by blip

Did a job today. Guy reconed the rip off mechanics were charging to much for a crank angle sensor so he went and got a cheap sensor off the internet and did the job himself cause he was getting ripped off. Bought it in still running worse than before he saved money fixing it himself. Turns out he didnt put it in properly it fuked the sensor and the pickup behind the crank pulley so yea now he has to get a rip off mechanic to do it properly and use the proper sensor...

Yep

I got a honda powered fuel pump second hand recently

Fresh gas, wouldn't start
Ether turned it over but wouldn't stay running once the ether had gone
New sparkplug, same deal
I have now come to the end of my basic diagnostics skills and will happily turn it over to my local small engine mech and give them that information

Point is I try not to fuck with things beyond what I know and try to hand them over to my mechanic not half fucked already

Man's got to know his limitations

My favourite one was a while back, guy comes in in his diesel toyota van asking how much for an oil change gave him the price and sure enough we were rip off cunts its just changing the oil and anyone can do that bla bla. I think it was $150.00 from memory. So he storms off spinning the wheels to try and teach us a lesson I guess. About a week later I see this van parked on the side of the highway at the end of an oil trail. Turns out he saved heaps on the oil change but didnt take the old oil filter o ring off. Couple of days later his wife is ringing around for quotes for a new engine.....

Originally Posted by blip

My favourite one was a while back, guy comes in in his diesel toyota van asking how much for an oil change gave him the price and sure enough we were rip off cunts its just changing the oil and anyone can do that bla bla. I think it was $150.00 from memory. So he storms off spinning the wheels to try and teach us a lesson I guess. About a week later I see this van parked on the side of the highway at the end of an oil trail. Turns out he saved heaps on the oil change but didnt take the old oil filter o ring off. Couple of days later his wife is ringing around for quotes for a new engine.....

Yeesh. $150 is actually pretty reasonable too. Oil and filter parts only used to cost me $110.

a few years back repco had a sale on oil. since the subby takes 6l to do i bought 2 4l packs at $20 each and a filter. which was an awesome deal.
whats better is i did the scratchy cards attached the oil and entered the competition.
a month later i was driving a mustang on the west coast of the usa all expenses paid.

good thing i change my own oil !

Originally Posted by 19Badger

you have to watch some of the asian tail light plastics, they fade and you end up with white lights to the rear

Must admit that was my main concern - although figure can go through a few of them for the price of a OEM part!

Yep , Not all mechanics are rip off.
There is a reason it is a trade.

Another vote for AliExpress... the bright white headlamp globes that sell for $100+ for a pair at SCA and Repco can be replaced by $15 a pair globes from Ali. And the Chinese ones throw the same pattern and last longer!
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtayhWX

Originally Posted by jusepy81

Yep , Not all mechanics are rip off...

Good and honest mechanics are as rare as hen's teeth

And don't trust Google star ratings either if you looking for a mechanic.

Originally Posted by Snap 4T

Good and honest mechanics are as rare as hen's teeth

And don't trust Google star ratings either if you looking for a mechanic.

I disagree
I've found quite a few straight up mechs, auto sparkies and tyre guys

I did however once get a wof from VTNZ Porirua which turned out to be illegitimate because the woman working there was stealing wof stickers and her Mongrel Mob boyfriend was selling them on the black market

I would never use Google ratings for anything - word of mouth works for me

I had a tinker with a poorly running go-cart engine a couple years back, after it had been given a ‘tune-up’ by a workshop.

It ran a lot better once I reassembled the intake bits in the correct order..