Hello there, perusing for a while now. Some great looking cars and brilliant stories. Plenty of reading to do.

I bought my 1990 2.0 900i back in March last year for $700 and spent another $1600 getting it road worthy. Having arrived from the UK where I could have found something with an MOT for £500, I was a little taken aback to say the least. The other was the price of a pint - about 6 quid!!! in most pubs here.

Anyway the car was roundly lauded as 'very clean' and 'not had a hard life' by two independent Saab mechanics but that didn;t stop the alternator going a month or so later.

Now you have to understand, you could indeed eat your dinner off what you saw underneath the bonnet and the same goes for the alternator, sparkling. The car had done 193,000kms but it was clean as a whistle and didn't exhibit a bump anywhere (according to the mechanics) apart from garage door knocks along the suage line of the drivers door.

Anyway, the replacement of the alternator was the start of the problem. I popped out SAAB Wrecks in Melbourne and got a reasonably clean (nothing compared to the one on mine) recon'd one and called an auto mechanic to meet me at my place to fit it. First mistake.

I agreed that if they didn't supply and fit a new one they couldn't guarantee it.

The guy and his mate duly arrived and proceeded to take the best part of two hours to fit the new one. I was popping out periodically to see how they were getting along and offer a cuppa. I'm an inquisitive sod and could see they were struggling. It's a bugger, I could see that.

Anyway, a couple of weeks later I'm driving along and the rattling begins. I found the alternator was able to move about. The mechanic who did the job was duly called who said the engine mounting bushes needed replacing, saying that he told me at the time. I was a bit perplexed at this as I would have said send for them???

I bought the bushes and took the car to my wife's cousin (Holden mechanic/service manager & VW service manager) who rang back to say the bolts attaching the alternator ...whatever they attach to, had completely shorn off and the only remedy was to have the remainging pieces drilled out. He said the only explanation he could find was that they were badly fitted ie threaded when they went on.

hallelujah

So off it goes to the engineering place (I have the name somewhere) that he sends VW's to anf $693 later I have a road worthy car again. The engineering firm confirmed themselves that the problem would have only occurred through bad fitment in the first place.

The intitial mechanic was $200, so $893 all up. A fair bit of time as well.

So where do I want the money from? The mobile mechanic's company who tell me the part wasn't guaranteed to which I say, but your work is surely and this was shoddy workmanship.

Anyway two days later I get a call from the mechanic telling me he's been threatened with the sack, 3 kids to support and all that and that he told me it wasn't right at the time?!?!?! And he let me go with it like that because I needed to get on the road sharpish. Yeah and like I'm going to drive about in something you say isn't quite right. Anyway, he was near to tears enough to have me accept the $200 I initially paid out which he would drop round. Well that didn't happen.

So now I'm looking to you. He's going to deny he put it on wrong so I wondered if anyone had had any experience (particularly original fitments) of the attachment bolts for a 900 alternator shearing off?

I want to get together as much evidence as possible to claim te $693 back from the mobile mechanic firm. I might not have bothered but the witch that runs the joint has been a right pain in the rectum and vertually accusing me of lying.

In the meantime, I've put on a few miles/kms since. Melbourne to Sydney and back both done in a day without missing a beat. The return was pretty much non stop at 110kms.

Breezed it did our Layla.
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