Did the job on time no problems. This despite a tricky car management system. Recommend.

I had scheduled my car for a timing belt and water pump replacement—a significant undertaking both financially and in terms of my peace of mind. Derek, the mechanic, had assured me of his expertise and pledged to have the work finished by day's end. Despite the garage being over 20 miles away, they picked up the car on schedule. My assumption was that the job would be wrapped up by the standard 5 pm closing time. To my surprise, work only commenced at 5:15 pm, as confirmed by the Clickmechanic timestamp. Nonetheless, I agreed to postpone the car's return to the following day since I didn’t wish for them to rush any work.

As promised, the car was delivered next day and also with the bonus of a £10 fuel top-up by Derek. This aspect was pleasing, yet matters took a downturn from here. A subsequent inspection of the engine bay later in the day revealed a visibly broken degas pipe patched up with a screw—a makeshift solution that raised concerns. Communicating this to Derek led to his insistence that it wasn't a significant issue and that he was well-versed in addressing it. He further claimed that the pipe had been broken from the outset, although it was deemed inconsequential enough not to warrant documentation. I also inspected notes from all previous garage repairs to see if any such mention had been made, and found no such evidence. Every single garage told me that if any such thing was broken they would have immediately notified me and have a note of it in their work order. This is the standard procedure.

Pressing the matter resulted in Derek agreeing to replace the damaged section of the pipe (for FREE) with a random T connector from eBay. My reservations arose when observing the replacement he sourced—an uncomplicated T connector intended for windshield washer fluid, ill-suited for hot coolant. A cursory online search confirmed the importance of the component for engine functionality [1]. The failure of this very component causes massive problems to this cars engine, and I simply didn’t want to take any chances. Derek was consistently adamant that throughout, citing that the component was unimportant and that he knew what he was doing due to his experience. I simply did not wish to take any chances patching a broken part with something not from Ford. Preferring resolution, I proposed procuring an original Ford part at my expense, provided Derek facilitated the installation. Up until this point the discussion was clear that I would pay for the part provided he fits it. No mention of any additional expenses was discussed.

This sequence of events extended over a week, during which the car remained unused to mitigate uncertainties. After the component was procured, Derek agreed to install it and then sends me a quote to accept the booking. I assume at this point, that the quote is sent to cover the price of the part and also any overhead such as a small call out fee, which I would have been happy to pay. The retail value of the replacement part was £40, yet the quote revealed a charge of £70 solely for the component. In addition, Derek justified a labor charge equivalent to 0.75 hours due to the perceived complexity of replacing three pipes bringing the total cost of this repair to £115. A brief online investigation contradicted this claim, revealing the simplicity of the repair process, lasting no more than 10 minutes. This finding was validated by another local mechanic offering to install the part free of charge if provided. Moreover, no labour charges were agreed to in any of our conversations, despite the fact that it is reasonable to charge labour for work done. This was not a new job to be carried out. This proposed middle ground where I pay for the part and you fit it was in place due to the fact that any responsibility was simply not being accepted by you, and I was still willing to pay for the oversight on your part. It would have been simple to fix the mistake that should have ever happened, instead it was dragged out for two weeks. While it is understandable that Derek might hesitate to cover the part's cost, the substantial increase in the part cost and installation fee was puzzling and unnecessary.

This situation deviated from expectations, bypassing basic repair protocol and culminating in a proposed solution that would only address the issue superficially. This sequence of events prompts questions about professionalism and service quality. I have had too much mental torture dealing with this situation that any other garage would have dealt with instantly and correctly within 2-3 days.

In entrusting my car for an extensive repair, my hope was for a smoother experience. Unfortunately, the outcome was needlessly protracted and frustrating, spanning two weeks, all for a matter concerning a £40 part. I have tried multiple times to amicably resolve this directly with Derek via Clickmechanic and personal messages before writing this review. However, due to this being needlessly dragged out by a) correct procedure not being followed and b) no acceptable solution being proposed to properly address the issue, I have been unable to use my car for two weeks. I have lost lots of work hours chasing this up trying to get it fixed. Overall I’m not too happy the way this has played out, clickmechanic was of no help either. If a part is broken before a repair is undertaken, it needs to be noted and reported, and if it is broken during the repair, it needs be fixed back to original standard. The response to the situation for either case was not appropriate/justified.


[1] https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/commons-committees/transport/Andy-Barratt-Ford-Ecoboost-131110_Redacted.pdf Read more

Derek told me everything he was doing, he was very friendly, he knew exactly what he Wes doing

Arrived on time good communication. Carried out work as per and kept me updated on what he was doing.

A top class mechanic who new what he was doing. A pleasure to deal with. From the time I got the call to say he was on his way till the time it was done 1hr. Great service which I would highly recommend.

Derek was thorough in investigating the issue. No serious issue found in the end, but Derek was able to point to the likely superficial issue which was causing concerning noises overheard initially, which had since stopped.

Was a pre sale check, Derek was superb, answered all the questions I had and gave an excellently informed opinion. Friendly, helpful, on time... even the seller was impressed enough to say next time he buys a car, he will do the same. I'd say went above what he was expected to do. Thanks Derek.

I cannot praise Derek highly enough, I would have no hesitation in recommending him.

great mechanic and very happy with the job done , i will use again and again.

Derek was great and was happy to talk over the report with me afterwards. The report was thorough and has been great assistance in helping me make a decision on the vehicle.