Nick

My WR1 5000 service is coming up. Instead of Tileys in Bristol, I'm thinking of going to Vale Motors in Wincanton.

Does anyone have any experience of these guys?

blip

Yes went there recently. Not that impressed overall tbh.

Also they charge you for a courtesy car. Not used to this.

Will continue to use my usual dealer - TH Whites in Cirencester - in future. They are superb!

beamer

Nick
They have just reopened again after going down the swanny, I think that quite a few of the previous staff are back again.

Nick

Thanks Blip & Beamer.

Blip, Cirencester is too far from me, although Wincanton & Bristol are about the same distance away, but Wincanton is a better drive!

I've often been uneasy with the parking at Tileys & now they have a girlie on service reception, you can never ask many questions abotu the car. The service manager is always too busy. A bit like when I was buying my car, the Tileys salespeople ignored me.

Chatting on the phone to Vale Motors, they seem a bit more interested in the car & I could discuss stuff like rattling gearsticks & my loose grill.

Blip, I'd be interested in any more of your thoughts about Vale.

BTW neither garage could come up with a price for a WR1 5k service! Tileys gave a rough estimate at £150, Vale a guide price of £100.

Regards
Nick

blip

Nick tbh it's a similar story at Vale regarding having a girlie who sometimes you have to deal with if the service manager is busy.

Like you I got very good vibes from them when they thought they were going to win my custom from my current dealer, it was just the way they dealt with a subsequent 'problem' (something that I wasn't happy with regarding the quality of a bodywork repair) that wasn't up to the same standards as TH Whites.

Let's just say the old adage of 'the customer is always right' has not found it's way into their customer service handbook

Might just have been a one off, who knows. Just didn't get the same special treatment that I have been accustomed to. Kind of just an average dealer experience at Vale for me. And by the time I'd paid for the courtesy car any saving I made on petrol by Vale being a lot closer for me than TH Whites was lost.

Nick

Thanks for the extra feedback blip.

The Incredible Hulk

Sounds an interesting choice for my next service Blip. I find Tileys much like the other poster, not really interested. It really doesn't take much for a Subaru owner to buy toys and yet Tiley's isn't the slightest bit interested! Oh well their loss.

Kevin

W 12 X T C

i brought my car from them last year. picked up the car. then a couple of weeks later phoned up to sort out 1000 mile service. and they had gone bust. no phone call or anything. i go to tileys now. why do you want to change from them? have you had trouble?

Tentenths

I think I'm right in saying that, following a European ruling earlier in the year, you no longer risk invalidating your warranty if you choose to go somewhere other than a main dealer for servicing (but do check this first!).

In which case I'd recommend David Hendrys in Malmesbury [www.dhcars.co.uk]. They used to be main Subaru dealers, but now deal in and service JDM and Euro import Scoobs. In my experience they certainly know their stuff.