SAFMINI Club Forum

Charliesdad · Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 3 Location: Birmingham

Charlie is my daughter's 1998 Mini Cooper S.
A couple of months ago the clutch failed, the pedal going straight to the floor. The RAC took the car to a nearby garage in Gamlingay.
About a week later, the garage rang to say the car was ready. When she went to collect it, they presented her with a bill for £400. Exclamation

Being mechanically innocent, she duly paid up!
A little over two weeks later, the clutch started slipping badly, so she took the car back to the garage, for them to correct the evident result of their earlier work.
Nearly two weeks later, they rang to say the car was ready again, but this time the bill was £651.70 Exclamation

The clutch had oil on it, from a leaking oil seal.
I don't believe that either of these bills are correct. The first time, they changed both Master and Slave cylinders, the second time they replaced the entire clutch assembly, as well as the faulty oil seal.
Am I right in thinking that they are just ripping off my daughter, as she has no way of knowing what they should have done?

Your opinions would be much appreciated.

Charlie lives in Royston, by the way.
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KFC407F 1974 Mini Marcos

Pippy · Site Admin Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 37

Hi there,

To be honest - they are completely taking her for a ride.
My husband and I run a classic car restoration company, we wouldn't have changed more that 4 hours labour plus parts so it would have been around the £250 mark.

I'll PM you the number and she can give us a call if she needs anything further, it really gets my goat when people get charged so much!!!! gggrrrr!!!

Philippa Wink

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Running Cars into the ground since 1997

Charliesdad · Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 3 Location: Birmingham

Many thanks, Pippy.
I've passed your number to my daughter, Emma, and she will be in touch very soon. Very Happy

While we're talking, how simple/difficult is it to change the speedometer drive components in the gearbox? Can it be done with the engine still in the car? Does the oil have to be drained first?
As you'll soon appreciate when you meet her, my daughter knows nothing about how a car works, and it's been many years since I last worked on a mini! Mine was a Mini Marcos, 1975, built from an 850cc Mini Van. I replaced the motor with an MG 1275 unit, swiftly upgraded the brakes Embarassed

, then swapped the twin SU carbs for a Weber 45 DCOE. That car was a lot of fun! Marriage and a growing family forced the sale. Ah well, happy days!
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KFC407F 1974 Mini Marcos

Pippy · Site Admin Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 37

Hello,

Sounds like a cool mini... I know too well the dangers of a 1275 without upgrading the brakes!! hehe!!

Spoke to the worse half about the query and he said are you changing the drive because the speedo is out? If so, he said it's a lot easier to get the speedo recalibrated.
If not, it's a pig of a job with the engine in place as the drive is at the back of the engine. It can be done, but you'll have to loosen the engine mountings and the engine steady bars. If you have tiny tiny hands you can just get down to it.

Any probs - give us a call and we can have a look.

Cheers
Pippy.

P.S. Get her down to one of our pub meets.... all the help you could ever need!! Wink

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Running Cars into the ground since 1997

Charliesdad · Joined: 09 Aug 2007 Posts: 3 Location: Birmingham

We need to change the speedo drive following a gearbox change. Charlie threw a pin through the diff casing. and Emma was told the best fix was a replacement gearbox. She found one via the 'net, in Huddersfield no less. It turns out to have come from a 1275 Metro, we believe.
The change was done by her boyfriend's dad, as she's in Royston and I'm in Birmingham. We've been told we need a 6 and 16 tooth pair, but the boyfriend's dad didn't wait and pressed on regardless, using the parts already in the new gearbox.
The boyfriend is now an ex-boyfriend, so any more work will have to be done by someone else! Rolling Eyes

So, as the alternative, what's involved in getting the speedo recalibrated?

I really appreciate your help with all this. Living 100 miles apart, I feel very frustrated that I can't do this sort of thing for my daughter myself. I actually used to enjoy doing all my own servicing and repairs Confused

I will encourage Emma to get to one of your meets. Which pub do you gather at?
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KFC407F 1974 Mini Marcos

Pippy · Site Admin Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Posts: 37

See PM

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Running Cars into the ground since 1997

reefshark · Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 17 Location: royston, herts

i think shes been ripped off if the clutch failed 2 weeks later why should she have to pay for it to be fixed
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1992 mini cooper: rc 40 system, roof mounted Ariel, wipac spotlights, k&n filter

Emz · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 7 Location: Royston, Herts

Hi, Its actually me that owns the car (just joined your forum) I know I have been quite badly ripped off, it must be because I'm a young blonde woman! Mad

I'm just trying to find a way of making sure they cant make me pay the following £600!
Totally agree with you "reefshark", I dont even think it was two weeks later, more like 6 days!!
Grrrr!
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Charlie - My first, My last, My everything