So I put my car in for a service on Tuesday knowing that the front brakes might need doing as they had told me at my last service that the front brakes were getting low and would need replacing at the next service. Dustin wasn't happy with the job the previous mechanic did where it was serviced last so I took it to "Midas" in Beenleigh. And that is when the drama started...
I dropped it off at 7am on my way to work and had my dad pick me up and take me to the train station, once at work at about 9am I received a phone call saying that not only did the front brakes need replacing but the back cylinders needing replacing as well and also the front bearing. (I had noticed a noise that I asked them to check out and it turned out to be my back brakes) As it was brakes related I didn't argue with them and told them to do what they needed and so that took the total from $230 to $960. At that point I asked them to service it whilst it was there as I was planning on getting it serviced in the next 1,000 km anyway, which then took the total to $1,174. I was merrily working expecting to pick my car up after work when I received a phone call at about 4pm saying they couldn't get the bearing out of the hub because it had heated up that much that it had weilded itself in there and so the whole bearing, hub, cv joint and shaft had to be replaced... basically most of my front suspension... my only hope was if they could somehow get the bearing out of the hub... so it was soaked for a few hours and placed in the press with 50 tonne of pressure placed on it and still wouldn't budge. They took it to a store next to them which had 100 tonne press and it still did not budge... alas it was not budging and they would have to replace more parts.... for this they did not have the parts in store and so there would be a two day wait to fly parts up from Sydney. I caught the bus home and walked in the rain as it stops about 1km from our house and did the same thing the next morning to get to work (still raining). Once at work yesterday I received a call from them saying that the part that had been flown up was the wrong part and Sydney has said it would be a further 3 day wait for the right part. At that point the guys at Midas gave up on the Sydney distribution centre and called every wreckers they knew trying to find a spare part they could recondition. Luckily one was found, alas it was in another kia that had also seized. They collected that part and put it in the press, and it popped straight out so they reconditioned it and put it in my car. Then they replaced my front and back brakes, tightened my handbrake, gave it a service and a tune up and then told me I could pick it up at 5pm yesterday. I asked what the total was, and with the extra running around and second hand parts etc they said the total was now $1,603. I called a friend of mine who was a mechanic (who hates doing drum brakes and hence why I did not give it to him to do) and he said with what had happened that price sounded about right. And as I really need my only car I reluctantly handed over my credit card details and thought to myself there goes my Christmas budget and half my spending money for our trip! But alas I have my car back and I nearly put myself through the windscreen at the intersection on my way home last night because it stopped so hard and fast with new brakes front and back!
So that is the latest dramas of my car... now off to work and then to go to the Thanksgiving dinner tonight... I am not sure what this pumpkin pie thing is all about but I will give it a go!
Also, am trying to do one blog a week to keep you all updated on our lives. Dustin already has two that he wants to do so we will see how we go...
