Dippy

I've read some threads about this Dealership, but I'd like to get an update.

I bought my MY00 from them and the Sales guys were excellent. Judging from the comments about SGT it looks like anyone who wants to buy a new Scoob in the Reading area should go to Lancaster.

BUT I have to say that my opinion of aftersales service from Lancaster is dropping. I admit that it's still better than the Ford and Vauxhall garages I have used in the past, but based on JD Thingy it should be a LOT better.

Anyway, I am getting the 1st service (1K) done by Lancasters, and they can't do much wrong can they? At least I will be making sure that they do use a good brand semi-synth especially as I'm sure I will be paying over the odds for it.

But now I'm thinking about future services. I live very close to Lancasters, but fortunately I work in Basingstoke and I've read good things about Mill Lane Engineering. So I have a choice - or do I?

Having paid megabuck more than the sensible people who imported from Europe (I would have done but needed a car quickly), I'm at least going to protect my precious warranty. So if I use Mill Lane do I still keep it?

Please would anyone with (servicing) experience of Lancasters and/or Mill Lane give me an update? Are Lancasters still bad and are Mill Lane still good?

MarkL

I also bought my car from Lancaster Reading (a few years back now), but since I now live in Hampshire I regularly use Mill Lane for servicing. I have no complaints with their service, except that I ordered a new key from them at the start of the year and they just forgot about it, despite me asking a second time. I just wish they would give me something better than that bloody awful Justy as a courtesy car!

I had my 1000 mile service done at Lancasters with no problems.

You won't have any warranty problems if you get it serviced as per the schedule at an authorised dealer. You don't have to keep going back to the same dealer.

Sheridan

I too have nothing but praise for Mill Lane, that Justy is ok, my wife drive a ford (I know I know we will be changing it soon.... Evo maybe) have you ever tried getting a courtesy car out of Vardy's ? Take the Justy and be happy.

JamesH

Had an Impreza GL out of Lancaster 7 Oaks

PeteC

Dippy,

Just noticed that you posted here as well as in General Questions!

I'm very interested to know what bad experiences you've had with them as I intend having my car serviced there when it arrives.

I've found from past experience that in order to have a good chance of getting a garage to resolve any non-standard problems, it pays to prepare a detailed problem list explaining the exact nature of each problem, and the circumstances in which it occurs, and leave the list with them when you leave the keys. Works for me, and the mechanics tend to prefer it too.

Previously, I've wasted my time explaining a problem in detail to the guy on the reception desk, only to get it written on the work list as "investigate XXXX". I'd then get the car back with the problem still not sorted because the mechanic didn't know what he was supposed to be looking for!!

Pete

pslewis

Well Well - cant believe so many people live around the Basingstoke/Pangbourne area and drive scoobies ... I live right in the middle of both the dealers in a little town called Tadley - if anyone out there lives in the area they may know it!!

I bought my scooby from Simpsons in Swindon because niether Mill Lane or Lancaster could supply a Turbo in the 4 weeks Simpsons were quoting - consequently I had my 1000 mile service in Swindon .... very very nice set up indeed (could have done with free coffee mind you Simpsons!!) but the paper was a nice touch and the viewing window is superb - but hearing my precious metal being thrashed by the mechanic out on its first blow out made me whince, ouch!!

Sadly the Swindon outfit is quite a distance away and I am looking at using Mill Lane or Lancaster in Pangbourne ..... if Mill Lane is cheaper and I hear no bad comments then its Mill Lane for me - its very important that we use the best dealer as it will pull the poorer one up by the ***** (its their bread and butter after all)

Talking of terrible dealers - Sparshatts of Botley comes way bottom of my list ... that is in my humble opinion - when I was looking to buy and had £22000 bulging out my pocket - the sales manager was, how should I say this?, crap - yes thats the word ... and if thats what they are like when you want to give them money I would hate to see them in action on the servicing front!!!! so, travel North my merry band of scoobies!!

Cheers all - flash at me if you see a fat bloke in a Mica Blue MY00 5-door !!!!! ha ha

Peter

Dippy

I posted here as well as General Questions as I think that although more people regularly read GQ, the responses are often less than serious. In this forum I know I'll get serious responses but probably less of them...

Thanks to everyone who responded. I think I'm probably over-reacting but as I originally wrote, my expectations have been high because of the JD report, which the dealer gave me in the first place.

I only have 2 'bad' experiences as follows:

1) I ordered some roofbars on the day I collected the car. 4 weeks later no phone call so I chased it up. Parts debt told me they had no trace of the order but the had some in stock. Parts also said that the Salesman had no recollection of my order. Anyway I went to collect the same day said bars and had to wait about 15 mins while he found them. He then asked if I needed to pay for them, and I said I already had and showed him the invoice.

2) Trying to book my 1st service I either get no-one answering the 'phone or a promise to 'phone me back. It took 3 days for me to actually speak to the service department.

Now this is not particularly bad service, it is simply not good service and it makes me nervous. But it was not this that prompted me to start this thread, it was an earlier thread:

"Body service - a word of caution"

Robyn

Had my 7.5k and 15K service done by Lancasters at Pangbourne. Found it very good guy turned up at work to pick the car up exactly when he said and got it back to me 2 hours before I requested. All were very helpfull. Cant fault the service really and both times the car came out not only clean but running really well.

Have not tried out Mill Lane only when I was looking to buy, but they could not source a car to test drive till after I had tested one at Lancasters and I couldnt just leave the car there had to have it.

PeteC

Robyn,

Glad to see that you've had Lancaster's pick up and return the car for servicing with no problems.

As I work in London, getting the car serviced is a real pain. With the Primera, I've had to charge home early on a Thursday so I could drop the car off at the Nissan dealer's in Reading just before they closed, and then pick the car up first thing on Saturday morning.

Pangbourne is too far away for me to do that with the Scoob, and I can't afford to take a day off everytime I take the car to the garage, so I'm planning to use their collection service.

Somehow, I can't see Mill Lane being keen to come up from Basingstoke to collect the car!

Pete

Robyn

Pete

Let me know if they come up to london to get the car at the moment they will pick up from work (bracknell) or home (woking) but with jobs constantly changing I would like to know how far they will go.

Robyn

PeteC

Robyn,

Sorry, I should have been a little clearer. I work in the centre of London (New Oxford Street) and it would be madness for me to drive in - not that we've got much parking space anyway. So the car only gets used at the weekend. I go up to town by coach or train, which is why it's such a hassle to get back, get the car out, and get over to the garage before they shut!

I'm amazed though that Lancaster's are prepared to travel as far out as Woking (or even Bracknell) to collect the car. How much do they charge you for that?

Pete

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I live and work in Surrey, but I always take my car to Mill Lane Engineering in Basingstoke!

I've just bought my second turbo'd Scoob from them and I have nothing but praise for the sales and service teams!

I think it says a lot that I'm willing to travel about 30 miles for a service, rather than use a place closer to me!!!

Maybe I'm lucky, or maybe it's because I've bought two cars from them, but I never get a Justy as a loan car!!! (I've enjoyed the wonders of quite a few Sports and a Forester!!)

I still don't forget the day I picked my car and it was nicely washed. It's a shame some poor chap had to do it in the pouring rain!!

Good service, always deliver, friendly and reasonably priced!!

'Nuff said!!

V697DMO

used them for quite a while, both cars sourced via them, good service (was more visibly upmarket when it was joint Jaguar dealership). About to take car in for 7.5k service so will report back after that

WAL

pslewis
Yes Sparshatts sales are IMO pretty mediocre, but the service department is by far the best I have ever come across. They know the cars absolutely inside out, which is quite handy given I own a MY 98!

pslewis

Thanks for that WAL ..... interesting that they have a good service department - thats great and I am happy for you.
After the way I was treated by their sales manager (the sales team was very pleasant) I would rather have my toe nails pulled out with a blunt instrument than to give them any of my hard earned!!
The managing director, in his defence, wrote me a letter and apologised he was obviously very disturbed. So the attitude does NOT come from the top. As we all know a monkey on half day could sell Imprezas!! ha ha !!
Pete

Kempo

Peter, does the name Bob Kennedy sound familiar? I booked a test drive for an Impreza Turbo at Sparshotts last year (2 weeks in advance) and when it came round turned up at the dealership in my pristine MkII Golf GTI (which the other half now has). Straight away he started with the "how are you going to finance this", "give me your money now" questions and granted I was actually a couple of months away from wanting to part with any cash but I knew that a Scooby would be mine soon yet he declined me a drive! Fair enough I went for a used MY95 from somewhere else in the end but a similar experience was had by a friend of mine who literally turned up with £21k in his back pocket. He now has an A3 1.8T. Perhaps with the waiting lists they are high up themselves and decide to be choosey.....

pslewis

Thanks for that Kempo

That name doesnt ring a bell - I will not name the culprit here as it may be considered unfair - he knows who he is!!

It would seem that Sparshatts act all stuck up because of the 'no-need' to sell the car - however I see the waiting list for new is now only 3 weeks.......we shall now see the bad boys go to the wall!!!! shame :-)

The comparison with other dealers could not be more marked.

Pete

WAL

I totally agree with your comments ref sales at Sparshatts, I went there in a similar way when buying our Scoob with cash....bought somewhere else instead.
The cars don't exactly fly off their forecourt so I guess you are probably not alone in your views.
The original thread was with reference to SERVICING that is why I felt give credit where credit is due and gave a thumbs up to their (excellent) service department.
Warren

Sheridan

Interesting the different experiences we have all had, I went to Sparshats and Lancaster for test drives, they were both virtually identical in the cars being provided, the part ex balanced out (one was a cheaper purchase price but lower px). Ended up buying from Sparshatts and haven't set foot in the door since I think crap is the word, glad to here the service is better, but since all this I have found Mill Lane and have all my servicing done there, I'm looking to buy another Scoob at the end of the year guess were I'll be going