" The guy's a good mechanic but will absolutely rape you without Vaseline.
Our old Fiat Punto's (it's actually my father-in-law's and it wouldn't have been my choice if I was paying for it which I did anyway) radiator fill spout split at its base under pressure from the hill climb leaving Podgorica. A flatbed just happened by (this is a common thing there and the flatbeds roam like sharks looking for work). He offered to take us to the shop at the bottom of the hill, this place. The ride took about 5 minutes.
The shop's owner quickly took out the old radiator in a few minutes and informed us of the obvious that we needed a new radiator. But, he told us the replacement is in Podgorica and will require a taxi to deliver it. Not having a choice or phone with Google, we agreed.
The radiator supposedly cost 166 Euro and labor was 50 Euro. But, the flatbed was 70 Euro and the taxi delivery cost 50 Euro.
After an hour and a half and no taxi, the owner got on his scooter, went a few doors down and magically appeared with the new radiator and no receipts (hmm). Another 20 minutes later, 336 Euro lighter and pissed off, we were back on the road. I made sure to tell him to thank the valiant taxi driver for his efforts.
Knowing that the Punto is the European equivalent of a US Ford Focus in terms of popularity and the that parts are ubiquitous, I estimate we were overcharged by 125 Euro ($150). Mostly from the magic "taxi delivery charge" and the overpriced 5 minute flatbed tow.
In a conversation with the border policeman, who noticed our lack of cheer, he informed us that this particular mechanic was well known and described him in a Serbian word that translates to "thief".
If you have a working phone with Google, find someone else. "
Anynomous
" lopovi .u sirokom luku zaobici "
22 August 2023Anynomous
" The guy's a good mechanic but will absolutely rape you without Vaseline.
06 July 2023Our old Fiat Punto's (it's actually my father-in-law's and it wouldn't have been my choice if I was paying for it which I did anyway) radiator fill spout split at its base under pressure from the hill climb leaving Podgorica. A flatbed just happened by (this is a common thing there and the flatbeds roam like sharks looking for work). He offered to take us to the shop at the bottom of the hill, this place. The ride took about 5 minutes.
The shop's owner quickly took out the old radiator in a few minutes and informed us of the obvious that we needed a new radiator. But, he told us the replacement is in Podgorica and will require a taxi to deliver it. Not having a choice or phone with Google, we agreed.
The radiator supposedly cost 166 Euro and labor was 50 Euro. But, the flatbed was 70 Euro and the taxi delivery cost 50 Euro.
After an hour and a half and no taxi, the owner got on his scooter, went a few doors down and magically appeared with the new radiator and no receipts (hmm). Another 20 minutes later, 336 Euro lighter and pissed off, we were back on the road. I made sure to tell him to thank the valiant taxi driver for his efforts.
Knowing that the Punto is the European equivalent of a US Ford Focus in terms of popularity and the that parts are ubiquitous, I estimate we were overcharged by 125 Euro ($150). Mostly from the magic "taxi delivery charge" and the overpriced 5 minute flatbed tow.
In a conversation with the border policeman, who noticed our lack of cheer, he informed us that this particular mechanic was well known and described him in a Serbian word that translates to "thief".
If you have a working phone with Google, find someone else. "