Main dealers. The little tinkers!
Discussion
Had the windscreen wiper one as well - they are not official Aston ones - they scrape the windscreen.
Seem alright to me - seeing as they are Bosch.
Sir your remote fuel filler flap isn't working. - Yes it is. It doesn't all the time Sir needs a new cable and a couple of hours labour.
I forget how much to replace but lubricating oil on the catch means its works OK.
Had exactly the same from two dealers at service time.
Seem alright to me - seeing as they are Bosch.
Sir your remote fuel filler flap isn't working. - Yes it is. It doesn't all the time Sir needs a new cable and a couple of hours labour.
I forget how much to replace but lubricating oil on the catch means its works OK.
Had exactly the same from two dealers at service time.
Learnt a long time ago to get the main dealer to do the scheduled service. Nothing more, nothing less.
I let them point out what extra work they like and say thanks for the info and leave. I'll then decide how to deal with any issues in my own time.
That Porsche list of extras sounded like a stock list of try-ons to me.
I let them point out what extra work they like and say thanks for the info and leave. I'll then decide how to deal with any issues in my own time.
That Porsche list of extras sounded like a stock list of try-ons to me.
I was in a Citroen garage a couple of weeks ago picking up (Rover) parts. I overheard (listened to) a conversation between the receptionist and an elderly customer. She was explaining that her 2 year old car needed 2 front tyres, front pads and discs, rear pads, a rear shock absorber and an air con re gas. All picked up on a first service!
I know if I tried something like that on it would be my luck that it was a trading standards secret shopper and I'd get shut down.
I know if I tried something like that on it would be my luck that it was a trading standards secret shopper and I'd get shut down.
The problem isn't dealerships as a whole, I previously worked for a family owned dealership and in all honesty they where fantastic and the customer retention demonstrated it.
The real problem comes from group owned dealerships, share holders only care about one thing and that's profit not the customer. As we all know s
t rolls downhill so the staff at the dealers are pressed to constantly up sell not only to make a semi decent wage but oftenly retain their jobs to.
It's pretty gash for everyone involved really.
The real problem comes from group owned dealerships, share holders only care about one thing and that's profit not the customer. As we all know s
t rolls downhill so the staff at the dealers are pressed to constantly up sell not only to make a semi decent wage but oftenly retain their jobs to.It's pretty gash for everyone involved really.
I took my 3 month old car, pre-booked to get a 'noise' looked at. I get there 8.00am and of course it doesn't do it.
Mechanic is fine, says come back later if it happens, cars booked in all day.
Lunchtime i pop back and get some lunch from Tescos next door, on driving off the noise appears so I drive across to the dealer and pull up by the workshop.
Can't turn car off as the noise won;t necessarily reoccur on startup, so am about to phone them when the mechanic sees me and comes out.
After a couple of mins the 'workshop' manager comes out and without introducing himself, says there is a phone call for the mechanic, he gets 'insistent and the mechanic goes off (for what I expect was a non-existent call)' .
Workshop manager then accuses me of walking straight into the workshop, which I didn't do, and then says they can't spend anymore time on the car, and walks away leaving me in mid-sentence., and quite frankly, shocked.
I call the service department guy (top chap) and he gets the workshop manager to come back out to me - I get him, very reluctantly to take the car in, and I wander off back to Tescos to calm down a bit.
On return, he states that the noise is probably normal - ok, I say, what is it then. He doesn't know, well then i say, it's not normal is it. I leave as I'm getting nowhere.
I complain loudly to Volvo uk, and receive a phone call from the dealer principle. At that point I explain my background - Mechanical Engineer who used to work for Ford as a Noise/ Vibration and Harshness Engineer.
Unbelievably he still tried it on, saying again I had just 'walked into the workshop' , I put him straight on this and then he went on to say the noise hasn't sounded 'expensive'.
Shocking service (or lack of) - took it to another dealer who bent over backwards to help.
Mechanic is fine, says come back later if it happens, cars booked in all day.
Lunchtime i pop back and get some lunch from Tescos next door, on driving off the noise appears so I drive across to the dealer and pull up by the workshop.
Can't turn car off as the noise won;t necessarily reoccur on startup, so am about to phone them when the mechanic sees me and comes out.
After a couple of mins the 'workshop' manager comes out and without introducing himself, says there is a phone call for the mechanic, he gets 'insistent and the mechanic goes off (for what I expect was a non-existent call)' .
Workshop manager then accuses me of walking straight into the workshop, which I didn't do, and then says they can't spend anymore time on the car, and walks away leaving me in mid-sentence., and quite frankly, shocked.
I call the service department guy (top chap) and he gets the workshop manager to come back out to me - I get him, very reluctantly to take the car in, and I wander off back to Tescos to calm down a bit.
On return, he states that the noise is probably normal - ok, I say, what is it then. He doesn't know, well then i say, it's not normal is it. I leave as I'm getting nowhere.
I complain loudly to Volvo uk, and receive a phone call from the dealer principle. At that point I explain my background - Mechanical Engineer who used to work for Ford as a Noise/ Vibration and Harshness Engineer.
Unbelievably he still tried it on, saying again I had just 'walked into the workshop' , I put him straight on this and then he went on to say the noise hasn't sounded 'expensive'.
Shocking service (or lack of) - took it to another dealer who bent over backwards to help.
Edited by mph999 on Wednesday 11th September 13:37
When I was getting my alloys refurbished the guys at the workshop told me that a lot of their work consists of refurbing wheels for local dealers where a customer has brought their car into the dealer's after kerbing the rims.
They told me that they charge the 'prestige' dealers about £60/rim, who then stiff their customer £150-200/rim. Shocking, but then again if the customer hasn't the nous to search out a local refurb specialist maybe they deserve it
They told me that they charge the 'prestige' dealers about £60/rim, who then stiff their customer £150-200/rim. Shocking, but then again if the customer hasn't the nous to search out a local refurb specialist maybe they deserve it
Escort3500 said:
When I was getting my alloys refurbished the guys at the workshop told me that a lot of their work consists of refurbing wheels for local dealers where a customer has brought their car into the dealer's after kerbing the rims.
They told me that they charge the 'prestige' dealers about £60/rim, who then stiff their customer £150-200/rim. Shocking, but then again if the customer hasn't the nous to search out a local refurb specialist maybe they deserve it
the customers must think they're getting the special Jaguar/Audi/BMW/Mercedes/etc. refurb. When I worked at an Audi dealer quite a while ago now we'd have the big rusty super-long wheelbase Alloymaster Merc Sprinter sitting in the car park all day doing the alloys at £30 a wheel. Bigger dealerships have brought this in-house since wheel refurbing has become a lot more popular though.They told me that they charge the 'prestige' dealers about £60/rim, who then stiff their customer £150-200/rim. Shocking, but then again if the customer hasn't the nous to search out a local refurb specialist maybe they deserve it
I used to work as a salesman for a main dealer, the service dept would lift the leg of the sales dept.
(Brakes, windscreen wipers required on most cars it seems, occasionaly a diff seal or something bigger would crop up if the workshop was quiet) Sometimes if a car had been in stock for 3 months it would need a safety check, guess what new brakes required before delivery. Customer would book the same car in for a service the following year, new brakes again. I've known 3 sets of brakes go on a car over a 10,000 mile 18 month period.
I complained to the brand director (I don't think embezzlement is too strong a word for someone who invents fictitious work to achieve a target)
Said director just shrugs his shoulders in a "this is a piece of st but it's your piece of st not my piece of st" kind of way.
I've seen what goes on in these places, I would never use a main dealer or work for one again.
(Brakes, windscreen wipers required on most cars it seems, occasionaly a diff seal or something bigger would crop up if the workshop was quiet) Sometimes if a car had been in stock for 3 months it would need a safety check, guess what new brakes required before delivery. Customer would book the same car in for a service the following year, new brakes again. I've known 3 sets of brakes go on a car over a 10,000 mile 18 month period.
I complained to the brand director (I don't think embezzlement is too strong a word for someone who invents fictitious work to achieve a target)
Said director just shrugs his shoulders in a "this is a piece of s
t but it's your piece of st not my piece of st" kind of way.I've seen what goes on in these places, I would never use a main dealer or work for one again.
Devil2575 said:
Not at the same level but a colleague of mine took his Alfa into the main dealer for a service. Every time previously they had managed to squeeze screenwash in and charge him for it so this time he filled it to the max and taped the top of the bottle shut with a label saying "do not fill".
The invoice came and sure enough, £10 for screen wash. Before he left it had been removed from the bill.
I've done similar - filled the screen wash bottle before taking the car for service and then, on collecting the car, complained about and had removed from the invoice the cost of a bottle of special Audi gold plated screenwash.The invoice came and sure enough, £10 for screen wash. Before he left it had been removed from the bill.
When I got home I found a brand new bottle of screenwash in the boot . . . .
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