My Local Indy not keen on supplying own oil
Discussion
Bit shocked having used my local indy for several years, knowing they've been fine with own supplied parts and oil, but they've turned round saying they prefer not to
They use
PETRONAS 5W-30 fully synthetic Low saps ACEA C3 oil
which a quick google is a LL04 BMW Spec
But I was going to stick with Castrol Edge
They use
PETRONAS 5W-30 fully synthetic Low saps ACEA C3 oil
which a quick google is a LL04 BMW Spec
But I was going to stick with Castrol Edge
ClaphamGT3 said:
Expecting garages to use oil that you buy is the act of a cheapskate who doesn't understand how businesses work. Just don't.
Wat??If you'd walked in with this:
http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Vegetable-Oil...
Then yes.
Asking for Castrol Edge to be put in is perfectly acceptable if the garage doesn't supply it.
Either offer to bung them a modest amount of extra cash, or to get the oil in for you.
Edited by xxChrisxx on Tuesday 14th October 12:41
ClaphamGT3 said:
When you go to dinner at a restaurant, do you take your own steak because you can buy something cheaper/that you prefer in Waitrose?
Expecting garages to use oil that you buy is the act of a cheapskate who doesn't understand how businesses work. Just don't.
i've read forum members have taken their own oil to bmw dealers, i'm talking about my local independent.Expecting garages to use oil that you buy is the act of a cheapskate who doesn't understand how businesses work. Just don't.
I see what you're saying with your analogy, but I've never had this issue before.
As example my previous car a S4 4.2 v8 which are prone to chain rattle upon start up, and was recommended a specific premium oil may reduce this, my other VAG indy was happy to use own supplied oil.
So you're saying taking it to BMW dealer who use Castrol Edge or just let the Indy put in the other stuff?
part of the problem with using 3rd party parts / consumables when providing a service for someone is the split of liability should something go wrong .
I wonder, perhaps, have they or one of the bosses friends' been caught in a hassle filled griefy war of words with someone who supplied parts , which they fitted reasonably diligently ( using at least the skill of the ordinary man professing to hold that skill ) but the parts subsequently broke because they were s
t / fakes and now the customer is blaming the garage ...
I wonder, perhaps, have they or one of the bosses friends' been caught in a hassle filled griefy war of words with someone who supplied parts , which they fitted reasonably diligently ( using at least the skill of the ordinary man professing to hold that skill ) but the parts subsequently broke because they were s
t / fakes and now the customer is blaming the garage ... Edited by mph1977 on Tuesday 14th October 19:43
ClaphamGT3 said:
When you go to dinner at a restaurant, do you take your own steak because you can buy something cheaper/that you prefer in Waitrose?
Expecting garages to use oil that you buy is the act of a cheapskate who doesn't understand how businesses work. Just don't.
Expecting garages to use oil that you buy is the act of a cheapskate who doesn't understand how businesses work. Just don't.
Sourcing cheaper parts and increasing competition is exactly how businesses work. Maybe if everyone starting taking in their own oils garages wouldn't charge such extortionate markups on them.
I've never had a problem taking in my parts and asking for labour only quotes, dealer or indy.
It's a ploy by the OP's garage to regain one of their (very lucrative) profit streams from a customer.
Petronas oil is a relative newcomer to the UK, makes an OK product marketed at cheap price point in order to gain market share. Is it any better than Castrol Edge? Maybe, maybe not. It's probably being pitched at the customer by the garage because it's OK and won't make his engine explode but more important they'll be making a mighty mark up on it, not because it's any better.
The OP could suggest to his garage that he'll bring in his own Petronas 5W30 engine oil.....and await their reaction!
Seriously, I'd force the issue with the garage and insist on using your own acknowledged high quality product. More and more garages are having to enter into arrangements like this with customers. Terrible if you're in the garage trade but better for the customer. Business just has to adapt....like charging £70 for a pair of paper pollen filters. Lol! I could go on...
Is it a surprise that customers baulk at paying inflated prices for consumables?
Petronas oil is a relative newcomer to the UK, makes an OK product marketed at cheap price point in order to gain market share. Is it any better than Castrol Edge? Maybe, maybe not. It's probably being pitched at the customer by the garage because it's OK and won't make his engine explode but more important they'll be making a mighty mark up on it, not because it's any better.
The OP could suggest to his garage that he'll bring in his own Petronas 5W30 engine oil.....and await their reaction!
Seriously, I'd force the issue with the garage and insist on using your own acknowledged high quality product. More and more garages are having to enter into arrangements like this with customers. Terrible if you're in the garage trade but better for the customer. Business just has to adapt....like charging £70 for a pair of paper pollen filters. Lol! I could go on...
Is it a surprise that customers baulk at paying inflated prices for consumables?
Depthhoar said:
It's a ploy by the OP's garage to regain one of their (very lucrative) profit streams from a customer.
Petronas oil is a relative newcomer to the UK, makes an OK product marketed at cheap price point in order to gain market share. Is it any better than Castrol Edge? Maybe, maybe not. It's probably being pitched at the customer by the garage because it's OK and won't make his engine explode but more important they'll be making a mighty mark up on it, not because it's any better.
The OP could suggest to his garage that he'll bring in his own Petronas 5W30 engine oil.....and await their reaction!
Seriously, I'd force the issue with the garage and insist on using your own acknowledged high quality product. More and more garages are having to enter into arrangements like this with customers. Terrible if you're in the garage trade but better for the customer. Business just has to adapt....like charging £70 for a pair of paper pollen filters. Lol! I could go on...
Is it a surprise that customers baulk at paying inflated prices for consumables?
I agree probably loosing some margin on not using their supplied consumables, but they too had the analogy of going to a restatuant asking them to cook a different piece of steak type scenarioPetronas oil is a relative newcomer to the UK, makes an OK product marketed at cheap price point in order to gain market share. Is it any better than Castrol Edge? Maybe, maybe not. It's probably being pitched at the customer by the garage because it's OK and won't make his engine explode but more important they'll be making a mighty mark up on it, not because it's any better.
The OP could suggest to his garage that he'll bring in his own Petronas 5W30 engine oil.....and await their reaction!
Seriously, I'd force the issue with the garage and insist on using your own acknowledged high quality product. More and more garages are having to enter into arrangements like this with customers. Terrible if you're in the garage trade but better for the customer. Business just has to adapt....like charging £70 for a pair of paper pollen filters. Lol! I could go on...
Is it a surprise that customers baulk at paying inflated prices for consumables?
found another indy who is happy to supply my own or they've looked at sourcing Castrol for me, which I will probably try.
Sump said:
This is what happens when mechanics start their own workshops. They are mechanics, not businessman.
Over some marked up oil (worth what I can only imagine is £30 mark up) he has lost a customer who has gone to a competitor, he's lost out on future services and repairs.
or conversely, over the scenario posited i nmy earlier post in this topic afterspending tens if not hundreds of hours and an unknown aobmount of money defending a spurious case caused by the 3rd party parts supplied by customer being rubbish / fake he's decided it;s simply not worth the hassle.Over some marked up oil (worth what I can only imagine is £30 mark up) he has lost a customer who has gone to a competitor, he's lost out on future services and repairs.
mph1977 said:
Sump said:
This is what happens when mechanics start their own workshops. They are mechanics, not businessman.
Over some marked up oil (worth what I can only imagine is £30 mark up) he has lost a customer who has gone to a competitor, he's lost out on future services and repairs.
or conversely, over the scenario posited i nmy earlier post in this topic afterspending tens if not hundreds of hours and an unknown aobmount of money defending a spurious case caused by the 3rd party parts supplied by customer being rubbish / fake he's decided it;s simply not worth the hassle.Over some marked up oil (worth what I can only imagine is £30 mark up) he has lost a customer who has gone to a competitor, he's lost out on future services and repairs.
Slightly off topic, but my car has the same "BMW recommends Castrol" oil filler cap. I popped into my local dealer (Stephen James in Blackheath) to get a 1 litre can of the correct grade when my oil warning light came on recently and they sold me Mobil 1 and were insistent that it was the recommended choice for the car.
checkmate91 said:
That's a long list! My Focus has one Ford Recommended oil only (there may be 2 or 3 others on the market now).
OP, go with the garage's Petronas (it's on the list) and ask them about Castrol in future...
What checkmate says!OP, go with the garage's Petronas (it's on the list) and ask them about Castrol in future...
That post is exactly what I was going to say, with the exception of the bit about the Focus. (I don't have a Focus)
When I worked in a Mercedes Dealer. A customer supplied his own oil. We were perfectly happy for him to. But when I started to poor the contents of the Mobile 1 jug into his engine, I realised he had filled it with water. In these days of litigation and every customer saying "it's only started doing it since you serviced it". I would be perfectly happy saying we supply the parts (including lubricants) and fit them. Or you supply them and you fit them. Of coarse if you want a specific oil from a reputable company I would supply that. But it does not surprise me if a garage has a set policy.
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