Choosing VW garages and services

Discussion in 'Mech Tech' started by Diddymen, Sep 7, 2015.

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  1. There are many excellent classic VW restorers and garages in the UK, but unfortunately as with all other trades there are scammers and rogues looking for a quick profit.

    thelatebay.com cannot allow name and shame threads which could lead to a threat of legal action, and thelatebay.com or its owners & staff cannot be held responsible for any bad advice or recommendations from other forum users.

    However, there are steps you can take to avoid getting ripped off, or having your pride and joy stripped for spares by an unscrupulous trader.

    1) Always do your research when taking your VW to a garage, word of mouth & recommendations from other VW owners are always a good place to start.

    2) Ask the garage if you can take a look at some of the work they are currently doing, this might give you some idea of the standard of their work.

    3) Don't assume that because their garage is full of VW's, that they are reputable, the VW's you see might belong to the owners, and are being done up for a quick sale.

    4) Ask for a written quote - if the garage is reputable they shouldn't argue over giving you a brake down of work, cost and estimated time. Make sure all work is included and includes any parts you are supplying.

    5) Spiralling costs - classic VW's are money pits! and it is quite common for a small job to escalate, do not agree to any extra work over the phone that the garage says needs to be done, unless you are absolutely sure of what is involved and the costs.

    6) Restorations - restorations can run into months or even years, and can cost £1000's. Never hand over the full cost of the restoration up front, try to negotiate stage payments upon completion of packages of work.

    7) Know your VW - get to know your vehicle intimately! ensure you know what is currently fitted to your VW, any optional extras, electronic ignition modules etc. If you know what is fitted to your van, it will be easier to spot if any working expensive parts have been swapped for cheap alternative parts ....your expensive parts could end up sold to another customer.

    8) Knowing your VW will allow you to spot which parts have been change. If you have paid for a service you should be able to spot that the parts you have paid for, have been fitted.
     
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