Main Stealer servicing
 

This probably shouldn't be in here, but hey someone will move it if needs be.

Did you know ...... Your car can now be serviced by any garage and your book stamped if OEM parts are used? Yes of course you did :thumb:

Did you know there is a database of all the work which must be carried out as part of each service for every car and a time against this service? This is what EVERY garage should use before they can stamp your book.

Now for a quick story.

My friend wanted a service on his 206 (including cam belt), he obtained a quote from his local Peugeot dealer who said £280.
I rang my friend (local garage) and got a comparison quote £320. I asked my friend how he could be dearer than a main dealer, he said ''I cant be, they charge £80 and hour I charge £40''. He rang the main dealer posing as a customer and got the same quote asking for a break down of the work to be done. Suprise suprise they weren't doing half the jobs quoted on the computer. The 3 1/2 hour service was going to be done in about 2 hours.

So the moral of the story is that main delears are combating the local garages right to be able to service and stamp your book by leaving out parts of their service .......

One of the items being left out was the changing of the brake fluid :nono: :nono:

So be careful out there people :thumb:



ps ....... my friends final bill from the stealer came to over £500. They found he needed new brake shoes and charged him over £200 to change them :wonder: Stupidly he thought they would be cheap and told them to get on and do it :(

Main dealers will follow a checklist of what to check. They will check this list and only this. My mechanic will check everything, regardless of any checklist, therefore if a filter, spark plugs, brake fluid etc. need changing, they get changed. At a main dealer (and many indies) they will only change what's on the list.

A cheap (as in # of hours) service is cheap for a reason (they don't check much).

Unfortunaltely some DON'T follow a check list this is half the problem they have the reputation.

I'm friendly with a senior Vauxhall technician and he tests his younger staff by tampering with a car and seeing if they check it. His favorite trick is to remove the rear wheel, and see if they comment on it. More often that not, there is a tick in the spare wheel tyre tread acceptable box :D

He says he's not want his car serviced by these plums.

But the computer data log or whatever it's called states what MUST be done before the service book can be stamped. This is the same for everyone, main dealer or local fred in a shed.
If it says change brake fluid on the data log it should be done. You shouldn't have to ask them if they have modified the log to suit themselves.......

[QUOTE=davyboy;6749159]

I'm friendly with a senior Vauxhall technician and he tests his younger staff by tampering with a car and seeing if they check it. His favorite trick is to remove the rear wheel, and see if they comment on it. More often that not, there is a tick in the spare wheel tyre tread acceptable box :D

QUOTE]

What!!! They don't notice a rear wheel is missing, must be difficult to move the car in and out of the garage!!

Take a look at the PDI list. If you reckon they do all those checks faithfully then you're fodder for the likes of double glazing salesmen, gas/elec. salesmen and the shopping centre clip-board merchants! :)
The 2-yr. service on my STi was £90 cheaper at Extreme Scoobies than my local dealer, and that included the 70 mile round trip to Extremes compared to 6 miles for the dealer! (And Exremes used PRO-S as opposed to Magnatec at the dealer)
JohnD

There should be a level playing field for main deallers and ANothers. The list of what's to be done is there for a reason.........

Did you know that what consitutes "inspecting brake pads and disks" on a BMW service is a visual inspection WITHOUT removing the wheels?

Probably knocks off fifteen to twenty minutes labour doing so, but proper inpection of brakes is very difficult with the wheels in situ.

How many times do you get told you need new pads AND disks? Could it be that bad inspection from previous services has caused the pads to wear to the metal? Or is it they cannot measure or inspect disk condition properly with the wheels fitted, so assume them to worn and change them to be on the safe side? One does wonder LOL.

Well, we all know that the Apprentice does the Services at the Main Dealers .... I had my 4 year Service carried out at a cost of £650 - thats a damned HUGE profit made on what they pay the Apprentice!!

I know that they need to train, but - the Dealers should offer you a 50 year old Mechanic at £60 an hour ..... or, an Apprentice at £15 an hour :thumb:

Read the inside front page of the service book. It says the main dealers will only use Subaru trained mechanics. So if they use an apprentice as I can believe they do they are in breach of contract.

When I won my recent case against Jordans of Hull the solicitor on their side brought along the mechanic who supposedly did the work on my car. When I pressed to see his Subaru qualifications I couldn't get an answer and the Judge wasn't impressed.

Had a service done a while ago on a Fiesta TD.
Was asked due to mileage would I like the Brake fluid change? Extra £45. Why not Brakes are important and after 30K odd miles probably needed it.

So, I did the Tipex trick. Put some under the nipple rubbers.

Picked the car up and checked it over. Brake fluid locked new.
Checked the rubbers and TAH DAH...... Tippex is still there well FMOB.

So, in reception in my best voice asked to see the service manager as I am not happy with my car.

The queue is building up nicely behind me of fellow customers waiting to collect cars from reception.

Service Manager appears " Yes Sir how can I help?"

Me "I paid for a brake fluid change and it as not been changed!!!!"

SM " I can assure you it has!!"

Me " Can you explain how you change brake fluid without opening up the bleed nipples?"

SM " You can't!!!"

Me " How come then, there is still Tippex on all the bleed nipples on my car?"

The service reception is now as quite as a disused church.

Me " So if I crashed on the way home with defective brakes would you accept the blame?"

One hour later and £45 refunded I left with a car that had the brake fluid changed and not just the contents of the resevoir.

Tippex for lifes little mistakes:thumb:

It's just bang out of order isn't it?

[QUOTE=Blue Dragoon;6750802]One hour later and £45 refunded I left with a car that had the brake fluid changed and not just the contents of the resevoir.

Tippex for lifes little mistakes:thumb:[/QUOTE

Bet that pleased the mechanic! Are you really sure that the fluid in the reservoir was not once the contents of the mechanics bladder! - very similar colour? :eek:
JohnD

:lol:

No I got to watch:D

This is a very common trick ... syphon out resevoir with syringe and then just top-up with new fluid ............ and charged for the whole change - it's downright dangerous!

About 2 years ago my Corsa 1.4 Sport stopped working. The cam belt went and they told me that all the valves had fried (it was a while ago I cant remember exactly what they said and I know nothing about engines). They wanted about £1600 to repair it for me. It turned out they hadn't changed the cambelt when they should of. Also a nut had been left loose somewhere and that snapped the belt. After a lot of talking they said if I paid £500 that would settle it, unfortunately for them I disagreed and after standing firm I didnt pay a penny. All done at a Vauxhall main dealer!

Have to say I'm pleased with the service I get at my local Dealership - including the 10% discount off parts & labour and a 2.5 WRX as a courtesy car. :)