well i have worked on the 1200 since i was 11 and my father has been a great help as he is a mechanic and he will work for a six pack no mater who it is

My local workshop is ace!!

They don't charge me for minor work, and have taught me and the wife the basics. My wife even goes up there on Saturdays to learn some of the heavy stuff, she's probably at second year apprentice level. One of the boys also came round on Saturday while I was out to tidy something up on the car for me.

Good workshops are out there, you just have to look. I must be that lucky bastard who has them fall in his lap.

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lol you must buy good quality stuff, mine was like $30 with all the different adapters.

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Just curious, Do they cut your grass too?

Tyrie i just dont like to buy things twice, mine was actually $246. Its probably the most helpful dignostic tool you could ever own.

Doc, not that far brother!

But its not just these guys. I had to have a gearbox rebuilt in my old Falcon and the place that did it was awesome. Same with my tyre place and panel beater, all very helpful.

It's like anything else, take the good with the bad. Not all workshops are out there to rip you off.

Maybe I get dicked around in other areas, such as work or sport, where you guys have no probs at all.

Just joking mate. I dont think you got it though.

I agree there are lots of shonks out there.
There are lots of good workshops also that get stuffed around by customers who feel they can give a shop a bad rep, just because things didnt work out the way the customer was hopeing. Workshops can't perform magic.
The old saying goes " The customer is always right"
Now this isnt directed to anyones post, its just examples.
You ask a tyre shop to fit specific size tyres, but yet are unhappy when they scrub on the body. Who's in the wrong?
You tell the mechanic, your mate checked it and its the startermotor and to change it.
Mechanic changes it, still same problem. Who's in the wrong?
NRMA checks the car and tells you its the fuel pump. You tell the mechanic to change it. Still the car doesnt run. Who's in the wrong?
All these problems and the workshop is given a bad rep by an unhappy customer.
All these from the start you could of had the mechanic double check the problem. The mechanic might charge $75 an hour for diagnosis and you think bugger that just change the $120 part from the start. But you could get the mechanic to check it, might take 15 minutes, might take 2 hours. Might be a $20 part, might be a $200 part.
If they check the part you said first and its the fault. The cost might only be $20 labour and $120 for the part.
If you straight out say change the $120 part to start and then it still takes 2 hours to find the real fault is a $200 part. Looks like you just wasted $120 on a part you didnt need and the shop still gets an unhappy customer, but yet the shop did exactly like the customer wanted and also fixed to broken car in the process.
Who's in the wrong.

Not all workshops are shonks.
Not all customers are right.

If you get something fixed and its still faulty. You have a right to complain.
If you get your car serviced and 2 days later your left passenger electric power window stops working - you dont have a right to complain.
But yet you will be suprised how many people try to complain and then proceed to tell everyone of the shonky workshop.

Tommy, sorry to hear about all your troubles.
I am also in Canberra and can I suggest you try Total Traction Service in Belconnen. They are rally guys and know their stuff and wont let a car out of their workshop unless its right to go. I have known them for a couple of years and I keep sending unhappy customers to them and I havent yet had any bad feedback.
If you wish you can tell them Paul Walsh suggested you give them a try because you havent had much success elsewhere.

Good luck.

Hmm, so he used the old "came by when you were out to tidy up your car" story did he?

Tommy, I really feel for you. It can be hard to get quality work done on your car at the best of times. I have found that "word of mouth" works good. You only need to find one person who you have faith in and ask them who they would recommend to do other work. A carby guy will know a good electrician who will know a good radiator shop and so on, and eventually you will have a reliable network of repairers. Some may even show you how to do the simpler parts of the repair/tuning/diagnostic process so you then slowly develop your own skills.

I have found the hardest part of repair work is having the confidence to try doing the job yourself.

As was said in this thread, it may take an hour to do a five minute job, but at least you've learnt something and you wioll be able to do it quicker and better the next time.

Hope you don't have too much grief in the future.