I hate having work done by garages

Last time I was there, @Merlin Cat , I actually asked him if he still was interested in our old vans....he said he was, but that he didn't like more than 1 in at a time, because they were unpredictable as to how much time they would take....at £48 + vat an hour, wouldn't have thought he was bothered.

 

I try to do my own work, the stuff I've seen coming out of main dealers is shocking...and don't get me started on the Nissan dealer in Stoke, the swear filter wouldn't cope

 

He's got Mot facilities now....told me it costs as much as an extra member of staff to run....bet his charges will soon go up !

 

I had a Peugeot 205 estate
When it was 3.5 years old i got a recall notice something to do with the air conditioning
So the wife took it in.
She came back with a list of jobs that apparently needed doing according to the main dealership totaling £2300
One of the jobs was replacing all the disc brakes, another was the cat
We didn't take them up on their offer and my daughter now has the car 3 years later and its flew through every mot since.

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Rip off Britain.

 

My son has a Golf Gti, very nice. Last year the engine management warning light came on so he booked into the local VW dealership to diagnose the problem. They rang him to say it was something to do with the fuel flow metering and would be £500 or an extra £60 if he wanted it repaired the next day! The car was drive-able with no apparent detrimental effect so he got the diagnostic code and we googled it. Turns out to be a common problem and can be caused by the petrol cap not sealing fully.
With the car back home I removed the cap, cleaned the rubber seal (it had a tiny bit of grit on it), replaced it, started the car and hey presto the engine management light extinguished.
Back to the dealership for a meeting with the service manager where our feelings were made crystal clear. They countered with they have to follow VW national policy which is to fix faults based on the diagnosis and so would have to replace the faulty unit, even if the fuel cap repair had removed the fault. At least now we know where we stand.
This April my son received his annual service & MOT reminder from the same dealer, he used a trusted local garage instead.

 

I don't agree.

In main dealers defence they have to pay for those flashy showroom/workshop, free courtesy car, free coffee and free valet of your car.
They also don't want to speed time tracing and investigate small issues when it's more cost efficient for them to bolt on a new box. Often they will go on the side of caution and if they don't think that the brake pads/discs will last until the next service witch could be 2 years they will say they need doing.

 

hmmm
flashy showroom, free drinks, free gifts ...?
much like a casino....

 

Being a technical trainer for a manufacturer it’s difficult to get enthusiastic young people who have a passion for cars. Dealers find it hard as service plans with new cars leave little room to make a profit. The industry is suffering with wages not being that high. If you go to a gp you get a referral if it’s not their field but a mechanic needs to know all the systems. Mechanics now need to understand electrical systems,Have problem solving skills and be able to have the ability to use their hands. I am not defending poor workmanship or people being ripped off but it’s not an easy industry. They also need a certification system similar to corgi to prove they have an idea on what they are doing.

 

Maybe the industry is suffering but how about the ripped off customers?

Garages have a poor reputation and its their own fault, treating customers as some sort of cash cow rather than being honest and genuinely wanting to help their customers who would likely come back again if treated properly.

Good trades people do a good job at a fair price and the customer gives them repeat business and recommends them to others, so the trades folk build their business and earn a good living. That's the way to do it.

Can't think of any garages I would recommend to anyone.

 

I agree customers should not be ripped off. Having been there and done that it’s not easy. The old days of being able to diagnose things quickly and easily have gone on modern cars. There were jobs to cover diagnosis like valve jobs and head gaskets. With high overheads and rushing to give the customer a diagnosis/repair the mechanic jumps to replace replace. There is a lack of understanding on how things work and the skill level is dropping. I started when you would rebuild a gearbox or alternator but the skills have gone. I prices the parts to rebuild my alternator added in my time it was cheaper to get a new one. Back in nz where I am from there were people fixing everything but now for example I can’t find a machine shop within 25 miles of where I work that can “knock me up something” as I said I am not defending the garages just trying to show you from the point of view of the bloke who has to train them

 

In franchised dealerships there seems to be a disconnect between the front of house sales dept and the back of house service dept.

Customers are enticed into service plans and they seem to actively encourage warranty claim work, presumably because they can recharge the manufacturer for it?

 

I think some do care but not the majority. Some customers are not willing to pay to make sure the diagnosis is flushed out fully and then when it does not work out it leads to disappointment. Your experience is typical of inexperienced or disorganised garages making up things and not doing the job correctly looking for shortcuts. This is what is making the industry bad. We try and teach people what the customer is expecting and how they would feel being on the other side. There is no excuse for theses garages and I don’t use particularly ones when I need something done and don’t have the time to do it.

 

There are big disconnects. Sales is the driver and workshops are just there for sales prep in the main.
Service plans keep customers coming back and warranty can be pushed but dealers are monitored a lot on things like that

 

Don't think that the manufacturers give the dealership much cash for work done.
The Ford dealership I use, has stopped doing Ford paint warranty work because there was no money in it....they do some beautiful restorations and paint work, but Ford didn't even cover their costs.