I took my car to Luke to get a few things done on it.
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1.
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cam-belt change
2.
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new water pump
3.
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coolant change
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4.
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respray and fit a replacement wing and door with a local body shop while it was with him
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I picked it up today and I was shocked and amazed by what had happened to my car.
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OK, he'd done all the work I'd asked and to a very high standard but:
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1.
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It was shiny.
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Very shiny.
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All over.
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It's as if some cowboy has polished the whole car after the panels were fitted.
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Perhaps I liked the fine scratches on the other panels? At no point was I asked if I wanted the car to actually look better than before.
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How dare he?
2.
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The coolant is now red.
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I'm pretty sure I didn't ask for red coolant.
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The original coolant was greeny/yellow.
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I kinda liked its greeny/yellowness.
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Apparently he'd replaced it with Toyota Forlife coolant which he tells me is better.
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Red coolant.
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.
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.in a blue car.
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Shocking.
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.
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.
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3.
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A large proportion of the original black vacuum piping in the engine bay had been removed without my knowledge or agreement.
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The fact that he has replaced it with far superior quality silicone piping in a colour to match the bodywork is irrelevant.
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I didn't ask for that! It's a good thing he didn't charge me for it.
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4.
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The original lower brace bars in the engine bay that had been with the car since it was built 20 years ago had been removed.
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They were integral to the patina of the car! Their moth eaten appearance and complete lack of structural integrity were all original.
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Instead, I now have shiny stainless steel ones with no characterful rust or holes that will outlast the car.
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Incredible behaviour!
5.
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The rattling noise that used to come from the engine bay to tell me my turbo heatshields were still there is now gone.
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How am I supposed to know now whether my heatshields are still attached??
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6.
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On top of all of this, he had the cheek to charge me nowhere near enough for the work that was done.
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Pure arrogance if you ask me.
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So yeah, BIG warning
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- if you want someone who does the bare minimum to your car and charges you a fortune, I'd avoid Luke.
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You'll just be disappointed like I was.
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