Well, this is the second post I have done on this subject.
3.5 auto, followed alot of the advice found on this board.
Flushed the box with 200 bucks worth of oil.
Eventually the fault was there all the time.

So, running out of ideas I took the car to Wangara Automatics in Perth - they rebuilt the box 18 months earlier, and ripped me off at the same time!
Well they connected their Snap On analyser and no faults came up with regards to the transmission.
They ran another test and then said there was an A/C fault log.
The 2 guys went away for a chat away from me and 2 minutes later recommended me to go to an autospark buddy of theirs to get that problem fixed before going any further.
I don't trust them after my first encounter with them so instead I phoned North Coast Auto Electrics in Wangara.

I asked them do they work on Magnas?
Yes we do!
Have you got an analyser that can check the fault logs etc.
We certainly do!
So you can connect it up and basically pinpoint where the actual problem is eg, sensor or relay etc?
Yes, we certainly can.
So how much will that be?
It will be $85 sir.

So I booked it in.
24 hours after having the car, I got a call.
We have found the problem, your heater core has been leaking and water has got into a relay.
Damn, my son mentioned he read somewhere that a guy fixed a similar problem by by-passing his heater core, but he didn't have the full story of why he did the by-pass.

Anyway, I was expecting the $85 quote to now be anywhere up to $250, because they actually went ahead and replaced the relay - even though I just wanted them to put the analyser on and tell me what the fault was.

Well I got a nice surprise!
$535!!!!

Yes sir its $85 to run the analyser test, there was 3.5 hours labour, $29 for the relay, we had to test various circuits including the ECU to make sure there was no damage there, plus road testing blah blah blah.

What happened to the squeaky clean $85 quote at the beginning which is all I wanted?

After some arguing with the guy I got him down to $400.

What a bloody rip off!

I reckon they probably fixed it in about 15 minutes - you could tell the guy was lying thru his backside.

Thats another one added to my list of being ripped off in recent time!

yeah sounds like a rip off , the only thing I could see for that price was if they actually replaced something other then the relay which was $29. 3.5 hours could be for pulling out the dash (if its anything like a 2nd gen and is actually under the dash?) but I think you will find it won't take as long as what they said and $135 difference sounds very shifty too me

You should ask:

Does it list anything like coolant flush etc?

They didn't replace the heater-core? does that mean its still leaking ? (they ripped you off)

Wow. What exactly did they fix or replace?

If you don't trust them I'm sure some members here would be able to recommend a good workshop in Perth.

Mate, there are 3 relays

one is attached to the ECU tray, it is a simple matter of on the RHS of remove foot rest, bring back carpet, undo 1 10mm head bolt, unplug and reverse. If these ass clowns could not do this in 10 minutes it is time for them to shut up shop

The price they charged you I would not only replace the relay but also replace the heater core seals lol

I got the same problem... Help me please, Topgear and third gear gone ? frist second go strong but it jumps into safety mode if i boot it... have changed the auto oil, and the old stuff was black :S and smelt burnt, it trys to go into thrid but free revs ? What you guys reckon, Dont know alot about autos :(

yes i hear that alot about NCAE... sales reps have very loose lips :)
job like that should be $85 for use of scan tool, $90-$135(1hr-1.5hrs) for repairs and testing, and relay $10 - $30 = $185>$250+GST.....if it came into my workshop. Although you would have received a call about fixing the heater core if it were leaking and for go ahead to do the job
workshops that operate like that really irk me because the motoring public classes us all as dishonest

Ummmm i need help...:eek2:

Ummmm i need help...:eek2:

Your gearbox is broken. They are not meant to handle the kind of torque your engine is now putting out.

It needs a rebuild.