Lube Mobile
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Misdiagnosed leaking brake hose and left a wheel nut loose
TLDR: My appointment was rescheduled, my car was wrongly diagnosed with $800 worth of parts instead of $50 hose, and the mechanic left a wheel nut loose on my car, which is dangerous and unacceptable! They also charged me $230 for the privilege of all that and ended up only adjusting my handbrake (my wheel now squeaks too, which is a random bonus extra!) What started well became a long, terrible experience. My car's handbrake wasn't working and then my brake pedal started going all the way to the floor, rendering it undriveable. So I booked lubemobile that night for the next day while I was working from home (my one day a week). The call out fee was on special for just $90 and they said it often included basic repairs, so I was happy to accept. Then things started going down hill. They called to reschedule as they had a mechanic go home sick, so rebooked me for the following day while I was back in the office, which was manageable but not ideal as I really wanted to be there. I said hi at 8:10 as I walked to the bus (they were booked to arrive at 8), and pointed them to the car in the carpark (town house complex). 9:45 they called to tell me they have had a look and the handbrake just needs adjusting (simple 20 min job), and my brake booster and master cylinder need replacing, as well as a belt tensioner and belt. Cost: $2100, with parts of $1100, and labour of $1000. I declined this and subsequently got the parts for $200 (second hand with a 2 week postage wait). The brake booster and cylinder went in within 30 minutes and installation was uneventful. We went to bleed the system, and the front right brake hose was gushing brake fluid (videoed), which should have been an immediate determination by a mechanic when making an assessment. We replaced the hose, and the issues have ceased. Curious about the quality of diagnostics by Lubemobile, we took the old booster in to get tested at a nearby mechanic (without biasing them!), and it was fine. They said they would never have recommended replacing it. So all's well that ends well...EXCEPT when we removed the rear left wheel to bleed the system one of the wheel nuts was loose (that wheel also now squeeks like they adjusted it wrong), and we spent $200 on unnecessary parts.