BSA Shaun Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Just got back from a lovely holiday to Ireland, lots of Guinness lots of laughs etc. However on the way back from the airport the turbo decides to give way on my Galaxy tdi, sat on M25 from 21:15 for an hour waiting for recovery. Truck arrives and informs us that the AA have told him only to tow us to the nearest services then another lorry from the AA will come to take us from there, arrive at services at 22:45. Get a call from the AA saying they know we are at the services and someone will be there shortly. Now obviously its getting cold and I am getting concerned about my wife being out in the cold at 8 months pregnant (have informed the AA about this from the very beginning!) Hour later still no other lorry. Now its 23:45. Phone the AA and have a rant, only to be told no other lorry has been arranged. Well this opened a whole new level of incompetance to me, they had been informed that the wife was pregnant and that she is astmatic (sp?) and I am livid. The response I get is the usual, "you are a priority call sir", well obiviously not as I have now been waiting the best part of 3 and a half hours to get home. Get the usual pathetic apologies and am told a lorry will definitely be there at 0040 so another hour. As there seem there is nothing I can do about it I sit and wait. 00:40 - no lorry. By now all the fight has gone out of me and I just want to get home, phone the AA, they respond with, "oh he should be there soon!" 01:05 - the flashing orange beacons finally resurrect some life into me, get towed home at last only for the driver to say he has no idea why the first lorry did not take us home. I am beyond it well and truly by now. The 4th emergency service my ****. Just getting over this nightmare and coming to terms with the bill that will now be coming my way for the turbo, so I decide we can use my other car for a little while just to tide us over. Get in it in the morning, turn it over and the fan belt twists itself on the pulleys and squeals and smokes like a good un, at least I know what today will be sent doing! Some people have all the luck eh PS any guestimates on the turbo replacement costs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr lee Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 What a right royal pain in the ****! No idea on the turbo mate but we had similar dealings with the AA in the past. Once went to pick up a caravan for the father in law from down south and the engine on our terrano decided it would go bang big time! No power or anything. We managed to coast to a stop and had to ring the AA. The usual 'one hour' comment was given to us down the phone so we sat and waited. Like yourself the hour passed and no recovery vehicle turned up. I waited till an hour and half had passed and then rang them back. Again we were told they were very busy and someone would be along anytime. Another hour passed and I was starting to get a bit tetchy at being left stranded on the motorway with no power and no recovery services to move us to a safer place. Again, we were told we were 'priority as we were stranded in a dangerous spot..' Eventually a small flat bed van turned up and looked at the LWB terrano and caravan and said he couldn't accomodate our weight or size as his van was only really for small cars. I blew up in a rage at this utter incompetence and got onto the phone with the AA asking why they had sent a small van to collect us and the caravan. The woman at the AA spoke to the recovery guy who they had contracted to do the job and soon enough he agreed to try and put the car on his van and tow the caraavn to the services where a large truck would collect us and the caravan instantly. Once the car was onhis van the rear bed of his van was about 2" off the floor. Once the caravan was attatched it was even less. His little van struggled for about 5 miles to get us to the nearest services bottoming out on every bump in the road and eventually ripped one of his rear lights off. He phoned his boss asking when the truck would be there and that he had damaged his van recovering us. (he even admitted he told his boss before setting off his van was too small to pick us up..) About two hours later a large truck turned up put the terrano on his flat bed and the caravan on the rear. It was dark at this point and his truck would only power 24v out of the rear plug and the caravan needed 12v for the lights to work so people could see when we were slowing down or turning. Needless to say, he couldn't plug it in. We eventually got home about 8 hours later than expected and contacted the AA to complain. Waste of time really as they aren't interested. Our car had dropped a ring and taken a piston out which in turn had bent the conrod and then slammed the piston sideways through the side of the engine taking out a further two pistons and the best part of the upper engine. Fortunately it was all under warranty as the repair came to well over £4000. Now with the RAC and had no problems with them as such so far. Only had to use them twice and both times were not for my motors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masson Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Blimey! Both not good adverts for the AA As for the turbo, could you look at getting a used one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Been there with the AA as well, had the turbo go on my brothers laguna resulting on the engine running on engine oil and impossible to stop till it ran out of oil and seized at full revs. Not pretty AA called told there were 5 of us and it needed recovery as they wouldn't get it going, they proceeded to send a van that couldn't take 5 people and we had to wait another hour for a lorry. In your case i'd send a really stinking letter to them as it really wasn't on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatcatsplat Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Probably tempting fate here, but have nothing but good to say about them. When i was driving around in old bangers, they came out quite frequently to help me get home (Got a letter one year advising me that one more callout and my membership was cancelled !!) and could not have asked for better service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Probably tempting fate here, but have nothing but good to say about them. When i was driving around in old bangers, they came out quite frequently to help me get home (Got a letter one year advising me that one more callout and my membership was cancelled !!) and could not have asked for better service. Me too, in my younger days I spent more time on the back of AA trucks than actually driving on the road - in fact they were instrumental in allowing me to go courting P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masson Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 And btw Al4x, great avatar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayward Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 ouch http://www.turbocentreuk.co.uk are good for exchange units ... they will send you one and you pay a surcharge until they get yours quick delivery and guarantee on the refurb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossy835 Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 im with the rac. much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractorboy Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 price for turbo about £900 a mate where i work has just had his turbo done he aint happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted September 15, 2008 Report Share Posted September 15, 2008 Just got back from a lovely holiday to Ireland, lots of Guinness lots of laughs etc. However on the way back from the airport the turbo decides to give way on my Galaxy tdi, sat on M25 from 21:15 for an hour waiting for recovery. Truck arrives and informs us that the AA have told him only to tow us to the nearest services then another lorry from the AA will come to take us from there, arrive at services at 22:45. Get a call from the AA saying they know we are at the services and someone will be there shortly. Now obviously its getting cold and I am getting concerned about my wife being out in the cold at 8 months pregnant (have informed the AA about this from the very beginning!) Hour later still no other lorry. Now its 23:45. Phone the AA and have a rant, only to be told no other lorry has been arranged. Well this opened a whole new level of incompetance to me, they had been informed that the wife was pregnant and that she is astmatic (sp?) and I am livid. The response I get is the usual, "you are a priority call sir", well obiviously not as I have now been waiting the best part of 3 and a half hours to get home. Get the usual pathetic apologies and am told a lorry will definitely be there at 0040 so another hour. As there seem there is nothing I can do about it I sit and wait. 00:40 - no lorry. By now all the fight has gone out of me and I just want to get home, phone the AA, they respond with, "oh he should be there soon!" 01:05 - the flashing orange beacons finally resurrect some life into me, get towed home at last only for the driver to say he has no idea why the first lorry did not take us home. I am beyond it well and truly by now. The 4th emergency service my ****. Just getting over this nightmare and coming to terms with the bill that will now be coming my way for the turbo, so I decide we can use my other car for a little while just to tide us over. Get in it in the morning, turn it over and the fan belt twists itself on the pulleys and squeals and smokes like a good un, at least I know what today will be sent doing! Some people have all the luck eh PS any guestimates on the turbo replacement costs? Rebuild for around a monkey Shaun and you would be capable of fitting it yourself. Downside is making sure there is no debris anywhere in the oil supply/return and finding the cause of the problem in the first place I have some numbers or specialists if you require them. LB LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 Grab a coffee and browse here - you may need to join the forum though. Galaxy forum turbo topic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myzeneye Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 i had a spout of greif off the rac aswell.... broke down in an old car... rang them and said id need twing home.... they asked where i was and wher e i lived also... then they told me the distance was over the allowance of 30mile radius from where you break down......it cant have been much more though.... i said, "well tow me 30 miles towards my house" thinking i could maybe push it or get help from a friend when i get home..... they asked me for a post code which was exactly 30 miles from where i had broke down.... obviously, i didnt know any to give them.... they then refused to help.... isuggested just taking me 30 miles then stopping when the oddometer hit 30 mile mark... they just didnt want to know.... 14 years id been a member, called them maybe once or twice in all that time..... what a bunch or muppets..... im in the aa now, but fortunatley, i havent had to call them out yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSA Shaun Posted September 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 (edited) Rebuild for around a monkey Shaun and you would be capable of fitting it yourself. Downside is making sure there is no debris anywhere in the oil supply/return and finding the cause of the problem in the first place I have some numbers or specialists if you require them. LB LB Thanks for the replys fellas. Problem with it LB is getting to it, it's tucked right behind the engine! And I know what you mean about debris - friends went on his audi and he had to flush the engine, but there was no actual bang as such, just smoke and loss of power. No nasty noises from the engine either - grinding wise - just a sound like a ghost train? I am wondering if I have got away with just a hose coming off? I also have a 3rd party warranty through Auto Protect - they say the turbo is covered, but I know how ****e warranty companies can be! Edited September 16, 2008 by BSA Shaun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Sweepy Posted September 16, 2008 Report Share Posted September 16, 2008 I once embarrassed myself infront of a RAC man So i could never go back to them. We now have cover through the bank. xxxxsuzy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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