Very disappointing experience
Very disappointing experience – not the professional diagnostic promised
I booked my car in with VolcanMotors for what was clearly advertised and verbally confirmed as a professional and detailed diagnostic. When I made the booking, the owner assured me they would carry out proper due diligence and identify the root cause of the issue.
Unfortunately, the experience fell far short of that expectation.
After a few hours, I was told the “diagnostic” had been done using a diagnostic machine only, with no meaningful additional investigation. There was no visual inspection, no deeper fault-finding, and no attempt to properly validate the issue. They simply repeated the same fault code information I was already aware of.
Based on this very superficial check, they quickly recommended a major and expensive repair — without demonstrating any thorough analysis to justify it.
When I asked reasonable questions to understand their process and reasoning, I was met with a rude and dismissive attitude rather than a professional explanation.
What’s most disappointing is not just the lack of diagnosis, but the lack of honesty and professionalism. If the garage does not have the expertise, time, or willingness to properly diagnose a vehicle, it would be far more professional to say so upfront rather than provide a costly recommendation based on a basic scan.
I trusted them to treat both the job and me as a customer with professionalism and respect. Instead, I received neither.
I would not return to this garage and would not trust their diagnostic conclusions.
Reply from Vulcan Motors Ltd
We’re disappointed to read your review, as it does not accurately reflect the service or reasoning behind the work carried out.
Your vehicle was booked in for a diagnostic, which we completed using professional diagnostic equipment alongside our experience with these engines and known fault patterns. The data obtained strongly indicated a fault with the turbo actuator — a well-documented issue on this vehicle.
As explained at the time, Land Rover do not supply the actuator separately and specify replacement of the turbocharger assembly as a whole. While cheaper aftermarket actuator-only repairs are available, these do not follow manufacturer guidelines and often lead to repeat failure. For that reason, we will only recommend repairs we can stand over.
We spent approximately 1.5 hours assessing your vehicle but only charged you for 30 minutes as a gesture of goodwill. Further investigation would have required significant strip-down time (circa 4 hours labour), which we clearly advised and required approval for, in order to protect you from unnecessary cost.
At no point during booking or drop-off were we made aware that you already suspected this fault. Had this been communicated, it could have saved both time and cost.
When you declined further investigation, we provided our findings based on diagnostic data and extensive experience — not guesswork. Ultimately, our intention was to prevent you from incurring additional investigation costs before moving forward with what is, in our professional opinion, the correct repair. Proceeding with further strip-down would have added significant expense without changing the likely outcome, which would have left you further out of pocket before the issue was resolved.
We also reject the suggestion of unprofessional behaviour. The discussion in reception became challenging as we attempted to clearly explain our process and reasoning, however our position remained consistent throughout. For transparency, this interaction is recorded on our CCTV, and at no stage were we anything other than professional. We are a professional outfit and will not, under any circumstances, proceed with work that may be detrimental to a vehicle or goes against ethical standards or manufacturer guidelines.
You are, of course, free to proceed elsewhere, but we stand by our approach, which prioritises correct diagnosis, ethical repair practices, and long-term reliability for our customers.
— Vulcan Motors LTD