Main Dealer Servicing...Another Cautionary Tale!

[mackay45]

andrew said:

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 ?

Was it designed by Pineinfarina?

[Adam B]

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!

shocking story, sorry (and scary) to hear it

on a totally unrelated point, it would be helpful if people put something accurate in their profile under region rather than "UK" so we might have an idea where they get their cars serviced

[Dolittle]

Adam B said:

shocking story, sorry (and scary) to hear it

on a totally unrelated point, it would be helpful if people put something accurate in their profile under region rather than "UK" so we might have an idea where they get their cars serviced

Good idea, Region updated.

[Cerberaherts]

Rocco1 said:

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

I think less so nowadays. Most people who own these cars are smart enough to do their homework and know who the decent specialists are. Having worked for two, so called respected main dealers in the past I'm glad I work for a marque specialist. Horror stories abound...

[baptist]

Id much rather see the stamp of well respected independent than a main dealer.

[roygarth]

cgt2 said:

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.

Plus the hourly rate is, in Holland, less than 50% of UK.

[bentley01]

I have always been wary of main dealers for good reasons. Having said that I recently had my car an Aston serviced by JCT at Leeds and they were superb. Very good customer service and when they phoned me to say the petrol filler release spring was worn and quoted £95 to repair I told them to do it. On pick up they said the job had taken less time and only charged me £25. I know it is only a small thing but it does cause you to have trust in them.

[Pau1]

baptist said:

Id much rather see the stamp of well respected independent than a main dealer.

Agreed

[monkeysandbears]

I would like to add my experience to this thread just for the record.
Firstly generally speaking I avoid main dealers with my other cars but I really don't have time to fiddle around with the lambo so I send it off to the dealer. My car is an !07 Nera.
I have had the car three years and the first service was thrown in by the guy I bought it from and was carried out by Birmingham. Standard service and no issues.
Last year I took it to another dealer closer to home and had one of the worst experiences ever.
Apart form the normal service it "required" the following work.

Steering Rack nearside leaking - £500 (I crimped up the gaiter = 5 min job done)
brake vent holes blocked - £150 (lol)
oil pump seal leaking - £5000 (yes it has the tiniest ever oil leak -i.e. not one drop on my garage floor even 18 months later!!!!!)And to cap it all, it isn't coming from the oil pump either - it just looks like it is. This will need sorting but I will be going elsewhere or may even do it myself. Jesus I could take a week off work and pay myself 5k for the week.
front pads worn close to sensor - recommended new pads AND discs (they didn't get as far as giving me a price for this !) I will do these myself when they actually need doing.
A full geo was done at £250 but was so bad I had to get it done again elsewhere for £60 ?????
After the service I had a fault with the navtrak and pulling off the inspection cover in the foot well(which hadn't been fixed back on properly) I found a snap-on ratchet rolling around which had shorted the wiring. In addition to this the diagnostic plug hadn't been put back into the loom. They denied all knowledge of the ratchet or of the plug. However they did send me a new plug which I fitted myself and I also kept the ratchet.
They "washed" the car and left the matt paint in a terrible condition.
All in all - a shocking experience.
Tomorrow the car is booked in at Sevenoaks for a major service.
If I have another bad experience I will sell the Lambo and buy a McLaren !

[kitz]

I took my Bentley GT for a service at six thousand miles and was told it needed replacement discs and pads all round .
I said don't bother ....
I sold it at thirty thousand with the same discs in good order .
This was at the height of the recession and the garage had a very shiny very expensive showroom to pay for .....
The same garage did later services and made no comment on the discs ..

[monkeysandbears]

Hi

I took my car to Sevenoaks after a bad experience with another dealer. Sevenoaks have had a couple of recommendations on here.
I dealt with James who was brilliant. He even gave me his mobile number in case I had any other issues.
I have to say the whole experience was very good overall.
They share the workshop with Jaguar which is no bad thing at all.
I had a number of technical issues. After speaking to James and discussing these I am pleased to say they dealt with all the issues I had with the car properly.
I even ventured into the workshop and met the actual mechanics working on my car!
Would I use again?
DEFINATELY

[br d]

Second that. I dealt with James at Sevenoaks when I had the lambo and I couldn't have been happier.

[Murcielago_Boy]

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??

I own the same car and frankly, I can't see the big deal..
I mean - it's just a car right?

[Dolittle]

br d said:

Second that. I dealt with James at Sevenoaks when I had the lambo and I couldn't have been happier.

Id agree also. Very honest dealership, despite the fact that the most southerly lambo dealership in the UK said their mechanics were inexperienced, and didnt know their way around a Lamborghini.