Main Dealer Servicing...Another Cautionary Tale!

[sa_20v]

In 2014 I had the Superleggera serviced and was told a significant amount of work was required which wasn't. That post is here.

Despite an apology from that dealer (after I sought a second opinion), I decided to go with another Lamborghini dealer this year and was encouraged by the fact the car would be 'picked up'. On the day of collection I was expecting a nice warm covered trailer but instead two chaps turned up in a BMW with barely any ID and no clue where the car was going. So off went the car for a service, a thousand miles since its last, on a 100+ mile drive...

I was then told a significant amount of work was needed beyond the £2.5k service. The brakes, in their view, were so bad that they wouldn't even return the car unless I had them done - so I picked the bloody thing up instead. Again, like last year, the brakes were fine - slight pitting around the drilled holes. As I drove home I discovered the air-con no longer worked...

Having, again, spoken to third parties (two actually) this is the outcome of what I was asked to pay and, in bold, what actually needed doing:

A/C service: Labour: £55+VAT, Parts: £18+VAT (As no gas in system after service?!)
Tyre inflator kit: Parts: £119.25+VAT (I didn't need two!)
A/C condenser: Labour: £440+VAT, Parts: £320.88+VAT (Fins damaged by stone chips but good condition)
Front discs and pads: Labour: £165+VAT, Parts: £824.16+VAT (Fine)
Rear discs and pads: Labour: £220+VAT, Parts: £791.49+VAT (Fine)
Steering rack mounts: Labour:£110+VAT, Parts: £225.45+VAT (Fine - actually as new!)
Oil pump feed pipe (From oil tank): Labour: £220+VAT, Parts: £433.58+VAT (Showing signs of corrosion - fixing)
A/C drain pipes: Labour: £82.50, Parts: £14.90 (Fine)
Handbrake cables: Labour: £137.50+VAT, Parts: £152.54+VAT (Fine, however, they'd missed the fact a handbrake pad was binding and needed to be replaced)

Sadly I know my experience isn't unique but hopefully this post will make others question 'necessary work' before having their trousers pulled down.

[Pioneer]

Can you say who the third parties were?

[sa_20v]

Pioneer said:

Can you say who the third parties were?

PSR Automotive - they work on both private and track day (experience) Lamborghinis, Ferraris and other exotica. The other, a close friend, looks after private collections, and works on everything from racing bikes to prestige brands - email me if you want his details or want an intro to PSR. If either offered a Lamborghini stamp it would actually be worth something...

[Sarnie]

Car sounds a wreck............better sell it...........to me

[sa_20v]

Sarnie said:

Car sounds a wreck............better sell it...........to me

I have a special price especially for you!

[SirMark]

Ooooo have I got something to add to this but currently talking to the dealer concerned but to say one dealer was caught left right and centre and after going to a different authorised dealer their video evidence has disproved what was documented as needed to be rectified as their false expert allegations suggested. Shame the pistonheads rule against name and shame ,I would sooner suggest they opt For a truth and facts policy (of course if can be proved)

I an currently seeking compensation from the company involved as an out of court settlement.

Gl op

[cgt2]

I have had the worst service with Ferrari Main Dealers in the UK, on more than one occasion a perfectly healthy car comes back with faults. And by contrast I've had the very best service from Ferrari Main Dealers in Europe (Germany and Belgium specifically).

Answer - combine a service with a road trip.

[sa_20v]

SirMark said:

Gl op

And to you! I got off lightly compared with some of the stories I've heard (dolittle's being the most recent).

[Sarnie]

sa_20v said:

I have a special price especially for you!

Ha!

These cars are tanking now better get out quick!!

[Dolittle]

sa_20v said:

In 2014 I had the Superleggera serviced and was told a significant amount of work was required which wasn't. That post is here.

Despite an apology from that dealer (after I sought a second opinion), I decided to go with another Lamborghini dealer this year and was encouraged by the fact the car would be 'picked up'. On the day of collection I was expecting a nice warm covered trailer but instead two chaps turned up in a BMW with barely any ID and no clue where the car was going. So off went the car for a service, a thousand miles since its last, on a 100+ mile drive...

I was then told a significant amount of work was needed beyond the £2.5k service. The brakes, in their view, were so bad that they wouldn't even return the car unless I had them done - so I picked the bloody thing up instead. Again, like last year, the brakes were fine - slight pitting around the drilled holes. As I drove home I discovered the air-con no longer worked...

Having, again, spoken to third parties (two actually) this is the outcome of what I was asked to pay and, in bold, what actually needed doing:

A/C service: Labour: £55+VAT, Parts: £18+VAT (As no gas in system after service?!)
Tyre inflator kit: Parts: £119.25+VAT (I didn't need two!)
A/C condenser: Labour: £440+VAT, Parts: £320.88+VAT (Fins damaged by stone chips but good condition)
Front discs and pads: Labour: £165+VAT, Parts: £824.16+VAT (Fine)
Rear discs and pads: Labour: £220+VAT, Parts: £791.49+VAT (Fine)
Steering rack mounts: Labour:£110+VAT, Parts: £225.45+VAT (Fine - actually as new!)
Oil pump feed pipe (From oil tank): Labour: £220+VAT, Parts: £433.58+VAT (Showing signs of corrosion - fixing)
A/C drain pipes: Labour: £82.50, Parts: £14.90 (Fine)
Handbrake cables: Labour: £137.50+VAT, Parts: £152.54+VAT (Fine, however, they'd missed the fact a handbrake pad was binding and needed to be replaced)

Sadly I know my experience isn't unique but hopefully this post will make others question 'necessary work' before having their trousers pulled down.

I had an issue with this very same dealer.


When my car went into them for a PPI I was told:

It needed Cam cover gaskets, head gasket and O rings Cost £878 parts and 27 hours labour

Front diff seals £15.66 parts plus 3 hours labour

Steering rack mounts £572 plus .75 hours labour

2 x door struts £104 plus 3 hours labour

Headlight Jet £70 plus .75 labour

L/H mirror glass USA spec £57.14 (Really???) Yet they were too dumb to notice the aftermarket headlights!

Gear box noise, I most probably needed a new gearbox or a differential. Needed investigating. Cost £££££££

Something that really summed it up was that they considered the condition of the leather "OK for age" The leather was mint!

Lots of other problems were pointed out also, too many to list.

The pads apparently had 30% wear, They were brand new on! The so called technician admitted at the time that he may have made a mistake in calculating! Been caught out more like!

To rub salt into the wound when I drove the car home it stank of fags! No doubt from their chain smoking mechanic.

Based on the information I was given, and that I thought that I had had good service from this dealership in the past I renegotiated a deal with my cars buyer, considering the car looked like it needed £10K plus work doing to it, I knocked £10k of the price of the car. Probably the cheapest Murcielago in the country ever!

I got a call from the buyer of my car a couple of weeks later saying he had taken the car to another dealership to get it serviced and to find out exactly how much it was going to cost him to get them to do all the work. Apparently the service department said that there was nothing wrong with the car! I phoned this dealership, and was told "Apart from a dodgy headlight washer jet, it was one of the nicest cars in superb condition that they had had through their work shop and that included some of the SV's that they had had in. Nothing wrong with the gearbox, nothing wrong with the gaskets that is not normal on the murcielago.

Obviously I was stunned, I contacted the first dealership, their first response was that the dealership that had said it was a nice car were not very good. Their mechanics weren't very skilled!! This dragged on for a while getting nowhere. They wanted to re-inspect the car, I was no longer in ownership obviously and the new owner didn't want to help. So there was nothing I could do. The main dealer washed their hands of it. I know that the senior guy I spoke to at the dealerships head office knew they had screwed up, but couldn't admit it, or pay any compensation because that would just prove that they have a crap service departments in their dealerships.

I am now just stuck with two inspection sheets, one saying the car was crap and one saying the car was excellent. Even that in itself would be enough to warrant further investigation you might have thought??? But Lamborghini Italy, they just referred me back to the guy at the dealerships head office!!! You really couldn't make it up.
I know a few of you have probably already been bored by my issue in the past, but I really feel I need let others know to be very careful. No matter how good you think your dealership is. There is a huge amount of dishonesty, And whilst £10,000 might not be a lot to a lot of you, its a fair amount to me.

Edited by Dolittle on Wednesday 17th June 09:43

[SydneyBridge]

£10k is a fair percentage of the value of the car and a lot of money to most people

Makes you wonder how many people blindly trust main dealers (as you should be able to do really) and just authorise whatever they say needs doing.

[GusB]

This month I took my 599 to the Franchised Ferrari dealer I bought it from to have the ball joints replaced under the warranty, I was told by them it had been rejected by FNE and that it would cost c£2100... I wasn't convinced and took it to another Franchised Dealer for a 2nd opinion, they replaced them under warranty within a week...

GusB

[Rocco1]

This is how i found my car parked up whilst awaiting to be serviced at a main Ferrari dealer
Wonder what their workmanship was like??

[Rocco1]

Edited by Rocco1 on Wednesday 17th June 15:33

[sa_20v]

Rocco1 said:

This is how i found my car parked up whilst awaiting to be serviced at a main Ferrari dealer
Wonder what their workmanship was like??

Urgh, that shows the problem - these guys just don't care. With the Morgan I was lucky enough to find a dealer who cares - for the benefit of all dealers this is the level of service they offer:

1. Coffee on arrival
2. Walk around car and discussion about issues, kind of use the car gets, what I would like improved, upgrades I might be interested in - they show genuine interest in the car and customer. Includes tour of their premises and discussion about what they do during your first visit.
3. Car is serviced and I'm kept informed of progress/issues etc.
4. Dealer uses their common sense, knowledge and experience to fix issues - for example removing surface rust from a wishbone and then protecting appropriately at no cost.
5. Dealer test drives car once.
6. Dealer fixes issues found on test drive (usually leaks and creaks on a Morgan).
7. Dealer repeats 5 and 6 until happy - they treat the car as if it is their own.
8. Dealer calls to say car is ready.
9. I arrive at dealer and I'm again offered a beverage.
10. Car condition and work is discussed at length.
11. I pay a mere pittance despite their expert and trustworthy service.
12. I drive home with a huge smile realising that every single issue - not just those mentioned to them - is resolved, every bolt has been tightened and every part of the car has been cleaned inside and out as part of the service.

It's not rocket science and given what we pay we should expect the same from Lamborghini, Ferrari et al.

[Rocco1]

Yet most buyers prefer to see a main dealer stamp opposed to a specialists

[mackay45]

Dolittle said:

Based on the information I was given, and that I thought that I had had good service from this dealership in the past I renegotiated a deal with my cars buyer, considering the car looked like it needed £10K plus work doing to it, I knocked £10k of the price of the car. Probably the cheapest Murcielago in the country ever!

Edited by Dolittle on Wednesday 17th June 09:43

I feel for you.

I guess the buyer thought he (or she) was doing you a favour by telling you that the first garage had tried to rip you off but you'd have thought that unless the buyer was happy to stump up the extra £10k to you (on the basis the work wasn't needed) then they would have been better off keeping quiet about the discrepancy.

[Dolittle]

mackay45 said:

I feel for you.

I guess the buyer thought he (or she) was doing you a favour by telling you that the first garage had tried to rip you off but you'd have thought that unless the buyer was happy to stump up the extra £10k to you (on the basis the work wasn't needed) then they would have been better off keeping quiet about the discrepancy.

It was totally my decision, a foolish decision I made. But I was so stressed that my car needed over £10k worth of work that I could ill afford at the time I just wanted to get shot of the car, and felt lucky that the buyer still wanted to buy it as he had the cash needed to throw at it. If I was the buyer, I think I'd have given £5k back to ease my guilt, but everyone is different I guess, I recon he couldn't believe what a bargain he had got. Who's to blame him I suppose. As for the people in the dealership, at one point I wanted them to fall down an inspection pit or similar, but now, I just hope Karma bites them on the ass, which I am sure it will. One of the saddest things for me is that I am now reluctant to ever buy another Lambo again, no matter how much I desire one. Which I really do right now!

[andrew]

Rocco1 said:

This is how i found my car parked up whilst awaiting to be serviced at a main Ferrari dealer
Wonder what their workmanship was like??

is that a firari ?

[mackay45]

Dolittle said:

It was totally my decision, a foolish decision I made. But I was so stressed that my car needed over £10k worth of work that I could ill afford at the time I just wanted to get shot of the car, and felt lucky that the buyer still wanted to buy it as he had the cash needed to throw at it. If I was the buyer, I think I'd have given £5k back to ease my guilt, but everyone is different I guess, I recon he couldn't believe what a bargain he had got. Who's to blame him I suppose. As for the people in the dealership, at one point I wanted them to fall down an inspection pit or similar, but now, I just hope Karma bites them on the ass, which I am sure it will. One of the saddest things for me is that I am now reluctant to ever buy another Lambo again, no matter how much I desire one. Which I really do right now!

Hindsight is a wonderful thing though - I can see why you handled it the way you did at the time.

Agreed a £5k split might have been a nice way to deal with it, like you I'm not sure I could deal with the guilt of keeping the £10k to myself (with or without telling the seller).

I wouldn't let it put you off future purchases. Obviously I don't know the full details but I imagine you could easily have spent £10k selling it to a dealer/via a dealer on SOR so it's just unfortunate to have had that happen via the private sale. At least you've got the memories of ownership of a V12 Lambo!