CON ARTISTS

<p> </p> <p>I would strongly advise that if you are in the unfortunate situation of experiencing a mechanical breakdown, under NO circumstances allow your vehicle to be towed to Speedy Towing and Spares in Plumstead in the hope that it will be fixed by a competent, truthful mechanic.</p> <p> </p> <p>My '96 Mercedes Benz broke down on the evening of the 22nd Dec. 2016 in Constantia.</p> <p>Speedy Towing and Spares came as a recommendation.</p> <p>When the driver arrived I explained what had happened and said it seems my Merc might have a water blockage which caused the car to overheat which may have resulted in a cracked head gasket as crackling sounds were very evident.</p> <p>He proceeded to speak to his boss / owner of Speedy about what was the suspected cause of the breakdown and then informed me that the car could be fixed in a day. (My two witnesses can confirm this.)</p> <p>My car was towed to Plumstead as I was told it could be fixed in a DAY!</p> <p>The following morning I rang and spoke to Mr. Speedy himself to get a diagnosis of my car.</p> <p>I was told that he thought the head may be cracked (OMG) and he had to wait for his mechanic.</p> <p>Disappointing and not the news I was expecting to hear at all. So I kept calling to see the progress and each time there were excuses: no mechanic available and waiting for one to come as the engine needed to be stripped.</p> <p>Then throw the extended Xmas weekend and New Years in and of course there were always valid reasons for why there was no progress.</p> <p>By the 3rd January 2017 I was told there were compression tests being run on the engine.</p> <p>And what followed was a diagnosis of an apparent cracked head which they would either be sending off to possibly be welded or if that was not possible then they were also sourcing another head.</p> <p>I was eventually quoted R15 000 to repair my car.</p> <p> </p> <p>However a week later came another shocker as I was told the engine block is cracked and it appears the motor was going to go. It felt like a bad dream.</p> <p>I was quoted R18 000 to repair my car which consisted of an entire engine replacement.</p> <p>As I reside and work in the Northern Suburbs and was relying on and paying a lift service for transportation it was difficult to get out to Speedy in Plumstead.</p> <p>However I finally managed to go there on the 24th Jan. and as I was going through my boot Mr. Speedy caught site of a computer server. What followed was a discussion regarding my once-off IT services in exchange for the repair of my car. It would go into the workshop the following morning.</p> <p>Wonderful I thought and finally I could have my car in working order again. I was told it would be ready by the 4th Feb 2017.</p> <p>But in the week leading up I struggled to get any progress and wanted to confirm my availability to provide the IT services they required.</p> <p>Mr. Speedy did not respond to my calls. Very strange. I spoke to the admin lady and found out that the car was still standing outside of the workshop and had not been fixed yet.</p> <p>What on earth was going on I thought.</p> <p>I arranged to go in on the 3rd February and see for myself. The admin lady mentioned they were waiting for parts! Really a whole engine replacement and you are waiting for parts.</p> <p>I was done! 6 Weeks and I could not take any more of this!</p> <p>So I paid for the towing and got my car out of the clutches of Speedy!!!</p> <p> </p> <p>THE MOST SHOCKING WAS YET TO FOLLOW!</p> <p> </p> <p>A qualified mechanic looked at the car and has told me the engine has never been stripped. All the bolts and seals are intact and the manufactures glue used in the 1990’s is still evident.</p> <p>The engine block and head are not cracked. The engine is still in a good condition.</p> <p>Speedy did nothing but spout lies for 6 weeks and cause stress and a huge inconvenience in my life.</p> <p>And I suspect I was deceived by them in the hope that I would become despondent and fed up and leave my car with them and take the R13 000 they had once offered.</p> <p>I feel they may have had their sights set on my 6 cylinder turbo engine. They would possibly repair the car and sell it for a hefty amount. Of course these are my thoughts and I cannot prove this theory…</p> <p> </p> <p> </p>