What to do??

[Dr S]

Today in the workshop I have a 15 year old Jaguar XJS Convertable with just 51,000 miles on the clock. It belongs to a lovely old chap who has travelled 200 miles to get it rustproofed. I spent a good hour chatting about his car with him this morning and it's evident that it's his pride a joy.
I did diplomatically point out that there was a little filler in the sills (ok, it looks like a home made bodykit it's so obvious), but he insisted that it gets an annual (and expensive) service at a Jag main dealers and it had been pronounced sound just a few months back (gaining a fresh MOT in the process).

Well, ten hours later I'm ready to call time of death on this old bird. There is rampant rot in both sills which has spread into the floors, the seatbelt mounts are heavily corroded with large holes for and aft. Both rear suspension radius arms are rusted out and have cracked, the brake pipes are rusted to the point of bursting and that's just the back half. I'm only halfway down the car. I have been scraping rust off all day.

So what do I do? Work all night to fix the problems, get the rustproofing on and make a loss, or do I phone him up and tell him that his pride and joy is actually a shed and he had better drive home carefully before scrapping it?

I should get my head seen to really as at the end of the day I'm trying to run a business. But he was such a likable chap and I hate nothing more than the rip off merchants in the motor trade that have left this car to deteriorate in such a way.

I'm knackered, hungry and have not seen my kids today. What should I do?

Cheers
Si

 

[rosstheboss]

Tell him the truth

Look at it from the perspective of if he crashed and the seatbelt failed due to it not really being connected to the car, what's the last thing he had done to the car? Show him the evidence, he may be surprised but better safe than sorry, and at the end of the day, business is business.....

 

[IDB1]

Personally I would probably do the work all night and make a loss thing.. but that is not the right thing to do imo and one of the reasons I'd be terrible running my own business..

Unless I were minted and could easily swallow the loss...

Just wondering how it went through an mot??

 

[MattyZaskar]

Id tell him the truth but give him the option of you could repair it for him if he wanted you too

 

[IDB1]

He needs to know the situation regardless... imo

 

[computerbitz]

Tell him at the end of the day you would want to know if it was you, but if you can make any of it safe and roadworthy for him would give him the choice, that though would probably give him the notion your tryiong to take more money of him. really is a hard one especially if your going to make a loss after what work you already done on it i really hate moral dillemas they are always the hardest to make decisions on.

othe thing you could do is get him back in and show him what your on about and ask how the hell it passed its MOT might be a friend of a friend and they passed it for him regardless might be they thought what the hell he a regular lets just pass it but if its a death trap its not only him thats at risk its everyone else on the road that its a danger to aswell

 

[Grannygrinder]

.

Surely if its that bad he must already have an inkling?
I think you are going to have to let him down gently, explain the situation.
If he's as genuine as you say he is he'll understand.
It is sad for him though, is that model renowned for rotting?
Sounds like the 'Jag main dealer' are a bunch of crooks as it must have been unsafe when it left them :?

 

[Dr S]

It was the Jag main dealer that did the MOT. Very disturbing.

I'm not trying to find more work, I'm booked up solid until Christmas. If I stay and do the work on it tonight it will be to my usual high standard and safe as houses. I just could not just cover it up with waxoyl and hope for the best- that's just plain wrong. Also I'm not too bothered on loosing out on the work I've already done should I pronounce it dead.

In an ideal world, I would fix it up, finish the rustproofing and say here you go mate, good for another 15 years (at no extra cost because I like the old guy). But I'm knackered and already doing 80-90 hours a week trying to cope with the work I have already got.

I know this guy will be gutted when he finds out what a state the car is in.

So not really a moral dillema at all. It's a case of do I play the good guy and bust a gut to sort it out or do I just walk away from it and ruin his day?

 

[MattyZaskar]

I think your a good guy so bust a gut for him and fix it

 

[computerbitz]

In an ideal world, I would fix it up, finish the rustproofing and say here you go mate, good for another 15 years (at no extra cost because I like the old guy). But I'm knackered and already doing 80-90 hours a week trying to cope with the work I have already got.

I know this guy will be gutted when he finds out what a state the car is in.

So not really a moral dillema at all. It's a case of do I play the good guy and bust a gut to sort it out or do I just walk away from it and ruin his day?

You sound to me like you want to do it with that statment, and your looking for an excuse not to i think on the basis that you like the guy and sound like you would feel bad if you didnt do it, i would do it and send the old guy on his way a happy man and you not feeling like you let him down.