Main Dealer Service History- worth it?
Discussion
A friend of mine is in a dilema as to whether or not continue taking his 2005 Continental GT to the main dealer for the annual service. This time round its the small one - but £1000 before any extras! Is it worth it at this age and value (£45k) or would an independant be just as ok? He plans to keep it a few more years. What do you think?
This could be because there aren't many indie's that service these cars. A quick look in the RREC 'Advertiser' shows just a handfull, e.g. Stewart Walker, Exclusive Cars of Notts and Nigel Sandell. The latter is well known to me and has invested a lot of cash in opening a new workshop complete with diagnostics and a funny table thing which separates the engine from gearbox. He is used by Jimmy Carr for his GT.
Horses for courses, but if I were keeping the car for a few years, I'd go down the indie route.
Horses for courses, but if I were keeping the car for a few years, I'd go down the indie route.
IMHO, I would rather see history from an independent specialist (well, depending on how old the car is), as many main agents don't have too many folks who are properly knowledgeable about the SZ cars and back...At least that's the case here in the US. I know over in Blighty, you guys have a buffet shoot of RR/B shops to pick from (P&A, Phantom, Hillier Hill, Frank Dale, etc..) but here it's a bit different. I'm in Cincinnati, Ohio and fortunately, one of my best mates, whom I also work with on occasion, is a factory trained RR mechanic who has his own shop and that's his specialty and has been for 25 years. He understands the rigorous requirements set forth by Crewe, however is also a bit more practically minded insofar as you won't see dollar signs in his eyes when certain things are 'suggested' by RR. He gives owners the option to blow out the service with every little detail or will do only what is really and truly necessary with the understanding by the owner that it may jeopardize the car's provenance in some people's eyes, however most of those folks who go that route keep their cars for eons and drive the heck out of them without regard for what it's worth on the used market (must be nice!). I tend to keep somewhere in-between Crewe suggestions and practicality, and that seems to be a good recipe for keeping my car happy and, for the most part, out of the workshop.
The problem with independent specialist dealers is that often their stamps just have the company name so you could have two identical cars for sale one with Bentley history and one from Sam Smiths Garage (making it up) most uninformed buyers would buy the first one. If it said Sam Smith Bentley Specialists then they might consider the second.
Craigjm;
Funny you mention "Sam Smiths Garage". There is a "Rolls" shop in my town with a name that is eerily similar to that. They don't work on my car, however, we have a true factory trained RR guy here who works on most all of the Rollers and Bentleys in town, versus the dozen or so I've ever seen at the other place.
Funny you mention "Sam Smiths Garage". There is a "Rolls" shop in my town with a name that is eerily similar to that. They don't work on my car, however, we have a true factory trained RR guy here who works on most all of the Rollers and Bentleys in town, versus the dozen or so I've ever seen at the other place.
bergxu said:
Craigjm;
Funny you mention "Sam Smiths Garage". There is a "Rolls" shop in my town with a name that is eerily similar to that. They don't work on my car, however, we have a true factory trained RR guy here who works on most all of the Rollers and Bentleys in town, versus the dozen or so I've ever seen at the other place.
How funny Funny you mention "Sam Smiths Garage". There is a "Rolls" shop in my town with a name that is eerily similar to that. They don't work on my car, however, we have a true factory trained RR guy here who works on most all of the Rollers and Bentleys in town, versus the dozen or so I've ever seen at the other place.
CONTI T said:
IN MY OPINION MAIN DEALER SERVICE IS A JOKE, YES WE ALL NEED IT TO SELL THE CARS, BUT THE SERVICE FOR THE MONEY PAID IS GARBAGE I HAVE LOTS OFF GRIPES AND KNOW I CAN SERVICE MY CARS BETTER BUT CAN,T BECAUSE OF THE BLOODY SERVICE BOOK.........
Can anyone reccomend an Indi to get Conti T's caps lock turned off?Paul
ufoufo said:
was suprised that all of them have full bentley service history - even the cheap ones!
I would wager good money that many of them don't, despite the claim. I've been to see many a car advertised as having full RRBSH, yet an examination of the books/bills shows that it simply hasn't.A 'proper' FSH is a very rare thing IMO.
As ever, there is a world of difference between 16 years service history, and 1 years service history sixteen times.
bergxu said:
IMHO, I would rather see history from an independent specialist (well, depending on how old the car is), as many main agents don't have too many folks who are properly knowledgeable about the SZ cars and back...
This is true in the UK too, certainly on older cars.On a late GT, I would want and expect a main dealer FSH, on an older car, I would like to see main dealer FSH for the 1st few years, followed by FSH from a good indy, if not all of it main dealer.
Often, what is claimed to be FSH though (which to me, is the right service at the right time/mileage, in the correct order), usually isn't.
Take a Turbo R for example. There are 8 seperate service schedules, with a 'short' in between, which after an 8, returns to a 1 schedule and repeats. So on a 10 year old car, I would expect 1 to 8 in full, followed with a 1 and a 2, and all the 'shorts' in between too.
Not many cars out there that have had a 4 and an 8 done though, they are usually skipped by even the wealthiest of owners, as they are huge services and cost a fortune.
IMO, if it hasn't got 1-8, repeated, as many times as the age of the car dictates, then it just isn't FSH.
..If you were buying a Bentley and there was a choice of two identicial cars. One with specialist service history and one with full main dealer Bentley service history, which one would you buy...?
As for the cost, I have just obtained a cost of £850.00 inc vat for my boss's GT from Broughtons in Cheltenham, which I thought was good value when I checked the
work that went into it and It shows dealers will discount.
As for the cost, I have just obtained a cost of £850.00 inc vat for my boss's GT from Broughtons in Cheltenham, which I thought was good value when I checked the
work that went into it and It shows dealers will discount.
Balmoral Green said:
bergxu said:
IMHO, I would rather see history from an independent specialist (well, depending on how old the car is), as many main agents don't have too many folks who are properly knowledgeable about the SZ cars and back...
This is true in the UK too, certainly on older cars.On a late GT, I would want and expect a main dealer FSH, on an older car, I would like to see main dealer FSH for the 1st few years, followed by FSH from a good indy, if not all of it main dealer.
Often, what is claimed to be FSH though (which to me, is the right service at the right time/mileage, in the correct order), usually isn't.
Take a Turbo R for example. There are 8 seperate service schedules, with a 'short' in between, which after an 8, returns to a 1 schedule and repeats. So on a 10 year old car, I would expect 1 to 8 in full, followed with a 1 and a 2, and all the 'shorts' in between too.
Not many cars out there that have had a 4 and an 8 done though, they are usually skipped by even the wealthiest of owners, as they are huge services and cost a fortune.
IMO, if it hasn't got 1-8, repeated, as many times as the age of the car dictates, then it just isn't FSH.
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