Has anyone dealt with Great British Engines in Basildon?

[compass]

Random question, and I'm not having a dig at the company, just wanting to get a feel of what others think of my situation.

In September, I bought a Volvo off a chap on eBay. He had just had a new gearbox fitted, with a 2 year warranty with Great British Engines. This was appealing when buying the car. Anyway, within a couple of weeks of owning it, the box wasn't acting as it should, and it overheated. I got it recovered back to GBE ( I live in Chesterfield). They checked it over, and found the oil cooler to be at fault, and caused the problem. They have a disclaimer on their invoice stating any damage caused by faulty oil coolers will invalidate the warranty. So, I get a bill for £1550, which I pay. This is where it gets interesting. They weren't happy with the way the box was changing after the repair, and found an issue with the loom, and a speed sensor. They've had to outsource this work to an auto electrician, as electrics isn't their thing. Obviously, I'm going to have another hefty bill for this work.

They still have the car now, and have had it for 3 months.

The thing I find hardest is not just being able to nip in and see what's going on. Ive no idea who I'm dealing with really, and only sent the car there as this was where the initial work was done. Theyve been pleasant and helpful on the phone, but I cant help get the feeling I'm being given the runaround.

Any advise as what to do here?, Ive never been in a situation like this before. I thought about having the car collected anyway, and finishing the work off up here. That would no doubt get messy though, as I'd still have to fork out for the additional work by the sparky, and whoever i took it to locally would no doubt have to start from scratch.

If anyone has dealt with them, or know of them it'd probably pit my mind at rest!

Cheers

[composimmonite]

Do you know why the (I assume auto) box was changed in the first place ? Maybe it was because of a fault in wring and the seller simply wanted to get rid before incurring the same sort of costs as you have experienced.
Also what model / year car is this plus what sort of mileage ? Has it got a towbar ? I find autoboxes normally are normally quite robust and can do high mileages if treated right but if abused, say by heavy towing, can fail quite easily.
Maybe a quick call to trading standard for advice might be worth trying. You never know they might give GBE a quick call to clarify the situation and reason why the delay. Today you order a part from main agent and it arrived next day so it can't be that aspect.
Hope you can sort it out soon but it's probably time to start putting things in writing rather than phone calls. Recorded delivery letter politely asking GBE for an explantion IN WRITING for the 3 month delay and expected / predicted date when you could expect the car to be fully repaired might be the first thing to try.

Paul H

[compass]

Thanks Paul. Putting it down in writing sounds a good idea.

I don't know why the box originally failed, but the previous owner did pay GBE over £2k for the new box. It is an auto, but no towbar. Its an 06 XC70 D5 ( i know its not retro, sorry!)with 140k and FVSH. It looks a well cared for car, and the 5 speed auto box isn't known for being weak.

The car was cheap enough, and maybe the seller did expect problems. What zi don't get, is why GBE didn't insist on replacing the oil cooler when initially doing the gearbox. They say they advised the customer to change it, but the previous owner says they never mentioned it.

I'll give them another ring Monday, and if I don't get a definitive date, might just need to go down the letter route.

[cactus]

I've lived in or near Basildon for over 30 years and never heard of them!

Been doing Recovery I thought would have!

If you want me to check them out P.M. me...

[cactus]

Right,They are less than a mile from where I used to live!

I go past them on my way to work.

There is no signs on the enterance to the farm,that's why I'd not heard of them.

Some of the workshops burnt down last year.

Speaking to people I know in the Motor-trade They say GB Engines have a terrible reputation.

I have had no dealing with them but...

Just passing on the rumours.

Looking through the gate into the yard I saw no Volvos...

[compass]

Thanks for the info mate. I`m not surprised at all about their reputation.

I`ve spoken to them again this morning, and it`s looking like I should have it back this week. I`m not holding my breath though.

I just can`t shift the feeling that I`ve been ripped off!

[alfagt20jts]

 yes total  rip off I am taking court action to recover my money back and all costs .. if you need any help or advise  give me  a call  I would be happy to help you  George 07831 368 316 or email [e-mail]

[smorange]

I currently have a car with GBE...this second bout at their 'garage' has lasted 6 months....It is under warrantee (the stupid reason I went with them) so I'm not paying anything now, but their original effort was awful. Not once did they apologise for it either, their attitude is terrible, almost as bad as their ability to answer the phone. The amount of days I cannot get ahold of anyone is shocking...I have seen their setup, unfortunately too late, and it's hardly a garage...I'm almost surprised each time someone actually answers the phone as I'm sure the dodgy owner will do one with all his dodgy motors.

George, I've sent you a rather long and detailed e mail regarding my GBE experience...sorry for rambling on, any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I am reaching the point where I will just have to get the car transported back and commence court action. I have since replaced the car and just want to sell it as soon as I get it back to recoup the loss. I will give full disclosure about its history however...unlike what could have happened with the OP.

I see this thread is a few months old now, but I would be interested to hear back from Compass. Did you manage to get your car back?...and more importantly what condition did it come back in? I keep thinking they must be able to fix cars, otherwise they couldn't still exist, but surely they've had to deal with small claims before...as it seems they are just as incompetent as I feared....so I'm just hoping I will get a lovely, fully functioning car and won't have to go through small claims...but I'm a realist!

Out of interest, even if I do get my car back and it's fine, can I still make a complaint against this garage?...is there anything I can do to help put them out of business, as I truly believe they deserve that.

[compass]

It really does look like GBE are as bad as I first thought!

So, I gave up on them a good few weeks/months ago. After they had had the car for 6 months, and all I was getting was excuse after excuse for why it wasn`t finished, I just had it collected and transported to a Volvo specialist near me. From what I can see, they changed the oil cooler.....I can`t see anything else that they did. I paid £1550 for this, and paid in advance too..........which is something I won`t be doing again.

The car was filthy when I got it back, and smelt mouldy inside. The built in sat nav had stopped working, and I had an extra 3 warning lights on the dashboard. Needless to say, I genuinely don`t think they know what they`re doing, and shouldn`t be let lose on anyones cars. In the end, the Volvo Workshop in Chesterfield sorted mine out. I then promptly sold it.Although it was working as it should, I just couldn`t stand to look at the car any longer!

I had every intention of thaking GBE to court. I had written my letters to them etc, but just never got round to it. It`s something I wish I had done, but won`t do now so much time has passed and the car is no longer mine. I did, however, report them to trading standards, who were handy to speak to. I`d advise anyone in any kind of situation with GBE to speak to Trading Standards. The more people who report them, the less chance of them scamming other people.

If either of you need me to elaborate on this any further to help your case, please PM me. I`ll happily talk to anyone on the phone or put my experiences down in writing for you.

Cheers, and good luck.

[smorange]

Thanks Compass for responding so quickly. Unfortunately I'm not surprised by the condition your car came back in, considering the condition mine came back in. Like you, I have learnt several lessons from this experience, I too live up north so getting to the garage to check on things wasnt really an option.

I spoke to the citizens advice bureau before I sent it back and they suggested writing a letter to them so they could confirm they would fix the car, under the warrantee, to a road-worthy condition. I decided not to do this as I assumed they would not do anything with it (they don't seem like the letter reading/responding type of people)!...depending on the condition the car comes back in I will decide whether to take them to court, at the very least I will speak to Trading Standards, possibly today.

I spoke to Ashley on the phone yesterday, he said he had an update and if I could phone him after lunch. I phone many times yesterday following lunch, and many many times today, on different numbers (which all seem to divert to other numbers), to no avail. I've just an sent e mail to Lee (the boss, I believe), so lets see if that does anything.

I'd be curious to hear some of the excuses they gave you? It seems they have run out of them for me now...and just ignore my calls.

[smorange]

Right, I got an answerphone message from Lee pretty prompt to be fair (actually lets not be fair...it seems he responds immediately to e mails but never seems to answer the phone nowadays). He told me the reason I cannot get in touch with Ashley (the guy on the phone) is because a phone mast is down...I am 100% convinced this is Bullplop! I don't know if anyone can confirm or deny this...but my end it seems just like the phone rings out, plus the timing of it is so very convinient for them.
On the answerphone message he told me he does have an update on my car, just like Ashley said yesterday...but for the fact neither of them told me then it seems likely that its still not fixed...and I predict it 'needs a new part' and they'll 'have to order it in' and will 'get it on test next week'...
Over my lunch I did speak to citizens advice/trading standards (you can contact them on 08454 040506). They had my oringinal complaint, from October, on file, and they told me at that time the complaint would have been passed onto trading standards. He then said if they get enough complaints then they would investigate. So, I will request that anyone who has ever had an unpleasant dealing with these people then phone that number and speak to trading standards, even if you're not going to take legal action it builds up the complaints until they have to take action.
This forum thread appears quite high on google, so it seems like a good place for people who have been screwed over by GBE to discuss our experience and help each other take action against them. I will do my best to update about my situation on here. If anyone wants to PM me to discuss in more detail then feel free to do so...I cant really help with any of the legal stuff at the moment, I will need to speak to people myself to get an idea of exactly what's involved.

One thing I noticed today is that their limited website has disapeared...which doesnt seem like a good sign. It was by no means a professional, in-depth website, but combined with a cheap quote, and a 2 year warrantee, it was enough to fool me.

[alfagt20jts]

my car went in for a recon engine and they totality destroyed my car this man is a cheat and a lair he is never going to fix your car go and get your car back if you want to take court action you will first need his real name and gbe Is one of many company names used search the address on google anyone in need of help call me 07831 368316 George

[smorange]

www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=711518&page=1

I am certain the garage that is being discussed in the above thread, piston and cogs, is what became GBE. Dammit, I wish I had done this much research before I sent my car down there...it looks like this Lee is a serial rogue trader. I wonder how long GBE has before it gets reborn as a new company.

"For anyone else that is interested, Piston & Cogs used to be called EnGear Ltd,
I found tons and tons of complaints that all sound very similar for them also one called Lees Engines & Gearboxes, and they seem to have just changed their name again to Auto Gear Tech."

If anyone has any knowledge on any of his previous ventures then please let me know.

[cactus]

The update I have to offer is that this company sent over 20 cars to the scrapyard,via a company called Wickford Salvage, a few months ago!!

This would be where most un-finished cars would have ended-up.

They are East European bodgers who I would not let put air in my tyres let alone touch an engine!

[rumbieb]

I have been dealing with these thieves since last year and i wish i had come across such a thread before i left my car with them.
From what i can see they are treating me in exactly the same way as you guys. You call them and sometimes they don't answer- when they do i have been told the same thing about waiting for an electrician. The reason why my car went to that garage is because they claimed to be 'specialists'. So much for that. My car had a gearbox problem. It stayed with them for 2 months- got it back and it worked for only ONE day. The transmission fluid started leaking and i had to pay £100s to tow it back to the garage. You would think they would cover that cost since it was their fault that the vehicle was not working in the first place. They kept the car for a further 3 months! And i had to buy a new engine because they had to replace it (they had kept it for soo long that it was them using the battery up!). I eventually got my car back and it worked for about 4 months. Then it just stopped- gearbox problem again- so i towed it back to the same garage because of my warranty. Now they have kept my car for almost 2 months - and theya re giving me the same Stupid excuses. They need to be sued and customers need to get their money back. Busy robbing people in broad daylight.

[smorange]

Hi Rumbieb, sorry to hear you're in the same situation I was in. I did eventually get my car back, but it was hard work. I had arranged for my car to be picked up at midday on a Saturday, I let them know a week in advance, and they were fine with that. The transport guy got down there and they said it wasn't ready...The engine was still in bits! The main guy told me it would be fixed and he'd arrange transport, but I wasn't buying that, by this time I knew he was full of curse word. Luckily the transport guy was amazing, and had a bit of mechanical knowledge and stood his ground, he waited there until 6. When the car first got back it didn't start (shocker!). But I took it to a local garage, and while there were minor issues, and it drives a bit rubbish from cold, on the whole it seems ok...by no means would I ever recommend using them, the garage up here had to connect things up properly, and some minor bits were missing...and to be fair I've not been driving it since I got it back, so it could still fall apart. I was surprised it worked at all, and I'm pretty confident it wouldn't have been in as good a condition had the transport guy not been there watching them. What he told me wasn't surprising, as I had already been to the garage. A load of Eastern Europeans bodging cars together, terrible workmanship, and the main guy Lee doesn't appear to be a mechanic. He does talk the talk though.
I certainly had thoughts of legal action, but like other people I've spoken to about this guys various companies, I don't want to ever deal with them again. The whole situation was extremely stressful. I do hope they get what's owed to them, they have ripped off so many people. But he just keep creating new companies at the same address.

In summary, if a garage is based at Tiffanys Farm, Burnt Mills Road then it is owned by a rogue trader called Lee, also known as Adrian Clive Abbott...that info can be gained by doing company searches, as well as addresses. It seems Great British Engines wasn't even a registered company (shocker). Also any company using an e mail address of [e-mail] is owned by the same guy. They get custom with great quotes, with a 2 year warrantee. I received their quote after enquiring on a part finding website (findapart.co.uk I think). I strongly believe that they replace fully functioning parts with curse word old parts. They seem ever so keen to replace 'broken' gear boxes.

[sorecustomer]

All of the above is true.Following the failure of the crankshaft on my quired on the internet for a recon engine.the only reply offered a 2 year guarantee,fully fitted for £2300.The website looked reasonable so I went ahead.After the allotted 2 weeks I was told that the car would be ready the next day but the boss was going on holiday and the staff could not accept payment.(In the meantime various technical stories had put the bill up to £3,100 .!)A bank transfer was duly arranged and low and behold the car was not ready!!!I had now paid and kept getting excuses!Eventually after many phone calls I arranged to collect the car from outside their premises on a Saturday afternoon.The transmission cooler was in the boot!The car drove home but was loosing water.Having lost patience with Great british engines I fixed the many faults myself.I discovered that the engine had never been removed from my car and had been crudely sprayed with black paint.3000 miles later whilst towing my caravan through Belgium,the main bearings became noisy.Returned to England,another garage,crankshaft u/s another £3000.Letters of complaint to GBE and trading standards did absolutely no good.Hopefully the report to customs and excise would help to bring down these crooks!Adrian Clive Abbot should be locked away for conning so many people out of so much money.BUT as is usual,the police say that is not a criminal offence to take money under false pretences!!!!(the policeman I spoke to was based in,guess where?Basildon!!!!!!!draw your own conclusions!!!!!!

[skylinedave]

I would have a guess that if these engines are coming out they are either putting in less shagged ones or putting in second hand parts and building bitsa engines without proper checks or measurements , probably second hand bearings or bearings of the wrong size etc .

[sorecustomer]

Jan 29, 2015 22:29:52 GMT skylinedave said:

I would have a guess that if these engines are coming out they are either putting in less shagged ones or putting in second hand parts and building bitsa engines without proper checks or measurements , probably second hand bearings or bearings of the wrong size etc .

The original fault was a sheared crankshaft pulley bolt..this is a Mitsubushi designed engine with this common fault.As my car had done something approaching 100,000 miles I thought that a recon engine would be the answer.There was nothing else wrong,it did not use oil or water and showed no signs of the mileage.I should,in hindsight,have had the crankshaft thread helicoiled and left it at that!After the bearing failure in Belgium I had to have a new Kia crankshaft and bearings.The bearings were a problem for the garage to measure and aquire.The local Kia dealer was the only way forward with measuring the bearing sizes and matching to the journals.The old crankshaft showed no sign of having been machined and the shells appeared to be the originals.The thread in the end of the shaft had been "bodged and a very large spacer used to refit the pulley!GBE did not bother to refit the transmission cooler and merely joined the pipes together,a number of bolts and clips were missing,there was no antifreeze in the cooling system,which was leaking at a bodged joint at the back of the engine,the front exhausts had never been dismantled from the engine and the heads had never been off!I was quoted for a fully reconditioned engine with a 2 year guarantee and paid the asking price for that work....apparently,that is not taking money under false pretences!!!I am firmly convinced that it is!!!!Obviously the police no better!!!!Trading standards were a waste of time and as a pensioner I had just paid out over £6000 for repairs to a car which was only worth £2000 part ex!!!Trust me...I am not bitter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[skylinedave]

That truly terrible . I'm betting inside that place they just have engines torn apart of the floor or benchs and muddle them together . And braking plastic stuff really gets on my bits . Mechanics not bothering to undo things to save time . I actually watched a mechanic [ he owned the place ] , who i knew well , snap bits of my intake and engine cover as i stood by him . He didnt seem to see anything wrong with it .