Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 28, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 Guys, I've no idea whether they have tried to clear the existing fault codes. As far as I know this is just an ordinary garage with ordinary mechanics who undertake work for this particular dealer. It seems clear to me that they haven't a clue what they are doing when it comes to the Legend (no specialist knowledge at all), but I'm not really in a position to intervene as they seem to think they are following the best path. At best they'll fix it and we'll both be happy. At worst they'll waste a lot of their own money. The only frustration for me is having to wait while this silly process plays out. I'm gonna HAVE to make a "This is not my car" poster for that bloody Smart car in my drive....... You'll have to get a bumper sticker made Steve........"My Other Car is a Honda" Well, today is Thursday and hopefully they'll be calling you soon with an update. If it's close is it worth driving past and taking a cheeky peek as to the status, it could be parked up in the lot doing nothing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted May 28, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted May 28, 2015 Hmm, that dignifies the Smart car with ownership Geoff! Why not park the Smart car round the corner Steve and deny all knowledge? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Unfortunately, TypeVGeoff, it's in Sutton Coldfield which is about an hour away, depending on the traffic. Not very convenient for spying on them! I can't really nag them now until Monday, which is when they said it should be ready. What a drag! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 29, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Steve....Sutton Coldfield is "up the road" from me, literally 3 miles away. Send me a PM of the address and I'll pop by, stop and have a look for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted May 29, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Vee haff vays ov vinding sings out!!! Ja wohl!! I hope they are actually working on it Steve and not just feeding you a line in the hope of getting the car back, perhaps to pass on to someone else who maybe has the knowledge etc to fix it and then sell it, perhaps at a greater profit than they are making from you. Geoff - just a weird idea - you could pose as a trader looking for a Legend for a customer and see if they off to sell you Steves car. That might be a way round the problem in fact - if they can't fix it, they refund Steve, "sell" it to you who then "sells" it to his "customer" aka Steve who then uses the difference in the money to get Stu to fix it properly. Could be worth a try and benefit all concerned? :excl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 TypeVGeoff and Laird_Scooby, you guys are hilarious, with all your cunning plans. Honestly, I'm quite certain the car won't be there, but will be at whoever's garage it is that does their minor repairs for them. However, if you really are determined then feel free: VFL Cars, Curdworth Garage, Kingsbury Road, Curdworth, Sutton Coldfield, B76 9EE. The registration number is P62 KRW and it's a kind of dark blue colour, I think. But honestly, Geoff, you'd be mad when you could be at home drinking tea! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 29, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Our plans are indeed cunning. I know exactly where they are, I used to drive past it to work. It's literally 4 miles away, I won't be able to get there until Sunday, however, their website says they're closed Sundays. I might drive past though and see if I can see your Legend. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted May 29, 2015 Administrators Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 don't forget your hidden crotch cam if you go snooping about :lol: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted May 29, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 don't forget your hidden crotch cam if you go snooping about :lol: Just don't get nicked for "indecent exposure"!!!! :lol: :lol: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 30, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Pmsl. No room for a crotch cam Stu. I will be deep undercover though. I'll report back tomorrow if I manage to get there. Danny Boy, Danny Boy. Over and Out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted May 30, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Pmsl. No room for a crotch cam Stu. I will be deep undercover though. I'll report back tomorrow if I manage to get there. Danny Boy, Danny Boy. Over and Out. Bragging again!!! :lol: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 31, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 "Danny Boy, Danny Boy, calling Danny Boy" Well Steve, I've just driven past and didn't see your Legend, then parked up, had a good look out front, still no sign. It must either be inside, round the back or elsewhere. Looking forward to your update next week. Fingers crossed all is well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted May 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 Thanks, Geoff! Presumably it's still at that garage, then. This waiting is getting very boring, but I don't think it could possibly last any longer than the first few days of next week. As always, I'll report back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted May 31, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 No problemo Steve. Depending what the garage says early next week will determine which cunning Plan to initiate: Plan A. Tell the garage you'll still take the legend showing the ABS fault and ask them to refund you x amount so you can get it fixed yourself. Methinks the garage will be glad to see the back of it. Then take said Legend to Stu, shower him in £10 notes. Mission Accomplished. Plan B. Ask the garage for a full refund and your car back. Sell your car (if they still have it, of course, and it's not already at the local car auction site) and buy a V6 Accord Coupe, and still have enough change to buy a house. Mission Accomplished. Plan C. If Plan B happens - and you really really really want the Legend instead of a coupe - then contact me and we can put Dave's cunning plan into practice. I will contact VFL and enquire regarding "any Honda's they have". They're only open 9-5pm and as I work, it would be impossible for me to get there in the week. However, If they bite, then I can ask them to keep the Legend until Saturday and I am more than willing to meet you Saturday morning "round the corner". I can take the cash off you and then purchase the Legend for you. Drive it out of the gates and hand the key over. Mission Accomplished....although you would probably need to bring someone to drive both your cars home! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Cryistic Posted May 31, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 Are you buying a car or planning a coup d'etat Chill out and relax I say, if your meant to have it then it will be sorted and if not, well there are a couple of others about at the moment, and the supply of Coupes is on the up again after a quiet period. So you can move on and plan I would have a word with the dealer and set a final date, be civil and polite but point out that you need this sorting or you need to look at other options due to the timescales involved. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted June 1, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Are you buying a car or planning a coup d'etat Chill out and relax I say, if your meant to have it then it will be sorted and if not, well there are a couple of others about at the moment, and the supply of Coupes is on the up again after a quiet period. So you can move on and plan I would have a word with the dealer and set a final date, be civil and polite but point out that you need this sorting or you need to look at other options due to the timescales involved. Both!!! As for the "if it's meant to be" thing, normally i would wholeheartedly agree and back you up all the way on that but ebay royally jarred me off this evening over a vehicle i was going to bid on and stood a good chance of winning. For some reason my bid wouldn't go through so lost out and i thought "it wasn't meant to be" but still miffed! I'm guessing Steve is feeling pretty similar about his Legend. Worse in some ways for him though as he's already parted with his ill-gotten and actually driven the beast and started to bond with it, at least i only had pretty pictures (ok some weren't so pretty! ) and hadn't parted with any money. Good idea on the "polite ultimatum" though, might just kick the garages collective butt into gear and get them to offer Steve the car and a refund of some of his money. If not, Geoff can go all "Secret Squirrel" again and perhaps arrange an "after hours" viewing of the car if they nibble - could always say you're just starting in the trade Geoff and you're keeping your main job for a month or two until you start getting some cashflow going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveThackery Posted June 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Guys, I've got such a big grin on my face! The dealer did say it would be today before they expected to know, so of course I will ring them a bit later on. I will indeed deliver the polite ultimatum, although I suspect it won't be necessary because I think they know they've run out of road if this ECU doesn't work. I've no idea how amenable they will be when it comes to giving me some money back. Logically they should let me buy it for the top trade price, but some people don't behave logically. There will be a phone call today and, one way or the other, I will report back. And thanks, chaps, for all your moral support - it's been amazing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted June 1, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 We aim to please Steve. Good luck with the call. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted June 1, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 What Geoff said Steve! Personally i would suggest top trade price is a bit high - after all you're buying a vehicle with a known fault. Joking aside, i'd suggest a lower figure and let them push me up a bit, that way they probably still make some money so although they won't be ecstatic they should be happy and you get a bit more of your hard-earned back to use towards getting it into tip-top running order. Of course it's very easy for us all to sit here and tell you to say this, say that etc - you're the one at the "coal-face" as it were and only you know the relationship/rapport you've built with this particular dealer and how they're likely to react to any given situation/offer/deal that you may suggest. So good luck, looking forward to hearing a positive outcome!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member Mazda Man Posted June 1, 2015 Founding Member Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Yep, agreed Dave, it's Steve who will have to use his charm, persuasive and negotiation techniques on the dealer at the end of the day. I have worked in credit control for 25 years, and I'm not telling you how to speak to people....but you get more results being calm, polite and courteous with people rather than going 'all nuclear' on them, in my experience. Ahh so, old Chinese proverb say....."You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar". Good luck Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted June 1, 2015 Administrators Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Me personally I wouldn't even buy it at trade if they can't fix the problem I would chalk it up and take your money + old car back and move on and find a better example maybe a few more miles on it with more records with essential maintenance already carried out. Simply because you will need to spend more money on this one to ensure its longevity e.g timing belt & balancer belt, water pump and a gearbox service at a minimum. Also the ABS fault its likely due to indifferent maintenance so more brake related problems could surface e.g corroded brake lines, cracking hoses, shock absorbers are all due for replacement really, probably why the ABS system failed in the first place with contamination in the system. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted June 1, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Yep, agreed Dave, it's Steve who will have to use his charm, persuasive and negotiation techniques on the dealer at the end of the day. I have worked in credit control for 25 years, and I'm not telling you how to speak to people....but you get more results being calm, polite and courteous with people rather than going 'all nuclear' on them, in my experience. Ahh so, old Chinese proverb say....."You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar". Good luck Steve. Hence women setting "honey traps" for potentially cheating husbands lol! What you say about how you approach the problem is spot on Geoff. Having spent 25+ years in maintenance engineering be it in the motor trade, plastics industry, concrete industry or whatever, i've experienced all kinds of people requesting all kinds of miracles and those that requested nicely usually got their miracles delivered first. It also helps to be able to stay calm and polite when some Production Manager is doing their block because a particular machine is down and there is literally nothing that can be done in the next half hour to get it running. Most of them can't handle it when you smile sweetly and ask politely if they've finished so that you can explain what's happening and why. Same applies when you're trying to get a problem sorted, i often explain to the person on the phone (or wherever) i'm furious with 2 capitals "F"s (which usually gets them laughing so they feel guilty about laughing and do their best to help) but realise it's not their personal fault and can they help? Works wonders in my experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted June 1, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Me personally I wouldn't even buy it at trade if they can't fix the problem I would chalk it up and take your money + old car back and move on and find a better example maybe a few more miles on it with more records with essential maintenance already carried out. Simply because you will need to spend more money on this one to ensure its longevity e.g timing belt & balancer belt, water pump and a gearbox service at a minimum. Also the ABS fault its likely due to indifferent maintenance so more brake related problems could surface e.g corroded brake lines, cracking hoses, shock absorbers are all due for replacement really, probably why the ABS system failed in the first place with contamination in the system. Good points Stu although it could be an isolated fault with no other cause except a simple component failure. That said, the evidence suggests otherwise with the instruments or whatever it was being painted to hide the bulb! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators hughezee Posted June 1, 2015 Administrators Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 Yeah maybe your right Dave, but I like to be upfront with people and what other expenditure is on the horizon with a car almost 20 years old 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted June 1, 2015 Moderators Report Share Posted June 1, 2015 A very good way to be Stu. On the good side most of what you mention is a "one off" expense at certain points in a cars lifetime so it may well be Steve has already considered that and you will be showered with tenners for some time to come as he gets it up together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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