snowy mountains mechanical

Booked my Commodore in for a basic fuel filter replacement. The job was supposed to take no more than five hours — that’s what I was quoted. Instead, I was slapped with a bill for 22 hours of labour.



So what happened? The mechanic damaged a bolt during the job — his own error — then proceeded to spend hours fixing it and charged me for the time he spent cleaning up his own mess. Not once did he contact me for approval or even let me know what was going on.



To make things worse, he told me there were “four different fuel pumps” for my model, and that figuring it out took extra time. But the reality is, he didn’t check the VIN correctly in the first place and ordered the wrong part. That wasted time? Billed to me.



When I questioned him, he threw out a mix of excuses:

• “That bolt was already a problem.”

• “These cars are known for tricky layouts.”

• “It’s Holden’s fault.”

• “You still got a good price.”



Charging someone over four times the quoted labour isn’t a deal. It’s exploitation.



And to top it all off, I wasn’t even given a chance to approve the final cost. I had to call him late Friday just to get an update — and only then did I find out the job was done, the car was locked away, and the invoice was sent. No consent. No transparency. Just a huge bill.



❗️Avoid this place completely. The guy makes mistakes, covers them with excuses, then makes you pay for it. Absolutely no professionalism, no honesty, and no regard for the customer.

So easy to get along with. Great customer service.