Water Pump...
Posted by: DaveBk on 11 December 2009
I've had better days... The story started on Wednesday night as I drove through the nether end of Bradford trying to find my hotel when the sat nav gave up as half the roads it thought existed had been dug up for a new development. Turning to my trusty iPhone in case it had nore up to date maps I began to make my way in vaguely the right direction. Approaching a mini roundabout at about 30mph my dashboard turned red with a 'battery warning', bugger I thought but carried on only to find that a more appropriate warning could have been 'power steering failed' - it was mildly exciting to hawl a E320 round a tight corner when I was least expecting it...!!!
After limping to my hotel and parking on a flower bed as tight manoeuvring was now longer an option I discover that the poly V belt has come off. This was replaced at a service 6 weeks ago so I'm rather annoyed at the apparent shoddy workmanship. The next day I negotiate with Mercedes to take to my car to the nearest dealer - this is where it gets interesting...
The dealer rings me back to tell me my water pump has failed - £150 for the pump, £600 to fit it... not shoddy workmanship after all, just normal ware and tare. I agree to pay the bill and the work is scheduled for today - I'm hoping at this point I can drive home. I get a call this afternoon that goes like this:
Hello, is that Mr Burke?
Yes, I glad you're calling - have you got good news for me?
Urrr No, you see the water pump, well it's kinda disintegrated...
And....
Well, I'm holding about half of the impeller in my hand.
Where's the other half?
It's in bits, somewhere inside the engine.
That does not sound good, what do you suggest?
Sorry sir, I've not finished yet, you see when it disintegrated it gouged great chunks out of the housing... This is the timing cover and will need replacing too.
How much?
(tapping sound on keyboard) The part's about £170...
And the fitting?
Well....... it's a big job.... could be 15 hours... that'll be £1400 minimum....
Ahhhh..... how much?
Plus VAT. And the £800 for the pump.
What about all the bits of metal in the engine?
Well, most likely when we put it all back together one will come free and bugger up the pump again.... would you like us to proceed?
Urrr No...
Would you like to speak to our sales dept?
The net result of this is a broken car, uneconomical to repair ( 6 years old, and 120k on the clock) and I'm stuck in Bradford.
I ring the Mrs to explain the situation... first reaction.... "Is this some kind of scheme to get a new car!!!!!"
No sympathy!
After limping to my hotel and parking on a flower bed as tight manoeuvring was now longer an option I discover that the poly V belt has come off. This was replaced at a service 6 weeks ago so I'm rather annoyed at the apparent shoddy workmanship. The next day I negotiate with Mercedes to take to my car to the nearest dealer - this is where it gets interesting...
The dealer rings me back to tell me my water pump has failed - £150 for the pump, £600 to fit it... not shoddy workmanship after all, just normal ware and tare. I agree to pay the bill and the work is scheduled for today - I'm hoping at this point I can drive home. I get a call this afternoon that goes like this:
Hello, is that Mr Burke?
Yes, I glad you're calling - have you got good news for me?
Urrr No, you see the water pump, well it's kinda disintegrated...
And....
Well, I'm holding about half of the impeller in my hand.
Where's the other half?
It's in bits, somewhere inside the engine.
That does not sound good, what do you suggest?
Sorry sir, I've not finished yet, you see when it disintegrated it gouged great chunks out of the housing... This is the timing cover and will need replacing too.
How much?
(tapping sound on keyboard) The part's about £170...
And the fitting?
Well....... it's a big job.... could be 15 hours... that'll be £1400 minimum....
Ahhhh..... how much?
Plus VAT. And the £800 for the pump.
What about all the bits of metal in the engine?
Well, most likely when we put it all back together one will come free and bugger up the pump again.... would you like us to proceed?
Urrr No...
Would you like to speak to our sales dept?
The net result of this is a broken car, uneconomical to repair ( 6 years old, and 120k on the clock) and I'm stuck in Bradford.
I ring the Mrs to explain the situation... first reaction.... "Is this some kind of scheme to get a new car!!!!!"
No sympathy!
quote:Originally posted by Tony Lockhart:
I lust after a 530d, but then I'll lose the 57mpg average the Bora gives me!
Nah, already got one of those! (Although mine is an old E39 Touring with 155k on the clock, has been known to average north of 44mpg, and done 626 miles, > 1,000km on one tank of diesel)
what you really, really want is a 535d, as good on fuel as mine and an extra 100bhp on top!!
John
They say every cloud has a silver lining... This arrived just before Christmas 
