A lesson for all drivers: make sure you get the service that you pay for

Here is a lesson to us all this week to make sure we are getting the car service we pay for.

A reader told me how he recently got his Land Rover Discovery serviced by a “very reputable” company in the Leinster area.

It supposedly got the full works: new air, pollen, diesel and oil filters; oil change; windscreen fluid top-up; and new front brake pads.

But soon after he got it back he discovered there was no windscreen fluid, even though he was charged for a top-up. He then discovered the air filter housing in the engine had not been changed. The top cover screws had not been removed. “It looked like they had never been removed or even touched with a screwdriver,” he said. He took photos of it.

He said: “I also took a video of myself removing one of the filter housings and checking the condition of the filter. It was clearly not a new filter – full of dirt and there were a lot of old dried leaves inside as well.”

The company’s first reaction was that it had been serviced correctly, until he sent the photos and video.

They agreed to take it back and check it.

They agreed the work had not been done and said they would do a full service. The only parts that had been replaced were the front brake pads. They apologised and said that they would investigate what had happened and call him back. That was on May 25, he has heard nothing since. He won’t be going back.

The service with the brake pads was €1,053.54. Without the pads, €758.

He wrote to us to highlight the danger of people getting a vehicle serviced, even by a so-called highly reputable company, and the possible consequences of it not being done correctly – engine failure.

He was very lucky he knew how to check whether the components had been replaced. A lot of people wouldn’t know how to.

Get ahead of the day with the morning headlines at 7.30am and Fionnán Sheahan's exclusive take on the day's news every afternoon, with our free daily newsletter.