Last week I ran into a problem. My car failed its MOT on a rather big issue – it didn’t have a catalytic converter fitted.
I know straight away what you’re thinking, and yes I did check – turns out what looked like the cat was just a fake box around a de-cat pipe, and the previous owner failed to mention this fact. Anyway, as we all know, that’s illegal and not the kind of thing I like, plus needing an MOT, I had to think money.
However, the garage I went to, which I’ve been to a lot since I moved to my area, only deals with OE exhaust parts, as they don’t have the equipment to customise. No worries, I worked with them, they suggested I see about buying a third-party cat and they would fit. They even found a part number for me. It turned up, I went down there, thinking ‘great, job done’.
No
As well as a de-cat, I also had a stainless manifold fitted, which meant the flex-pipe was further forward than it needed to be. Again, the issue was that the garages would need OE parts to return it to standard. Quote? ÂŁ1,700…
But, the technician recommended a custom exhaust specialist he’d been to for his car, about nine-miles away. One call and I was booked in for a look, and two days later, with the cat, I headed to see them. A look turned into the job and an hour later, with a receipt for ÂŁ85, I had a catalytic convertor on my car again. Then, I booked into the original garage for the driveshaft to be replaced and the re-MOT. That went without a hitch, and the car is back on the road.
I know there’s a debate about fitting customer supplied parts, but the garage worked with me on this, the story is one of cooperation. Working together we achieved the best result, a garage was recommended and I went back for the completion of the work. I know it’s teaching your grandmother to suck eggs when I say that garages should help each other with their specialist areas, but it doesn’t just save money for a customer, it fosters trust.
And next time I buy a car, I’ll be doing a more thorough check of the exhaust system!
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