What do you expect from an indie?
Discussion
As good if not better without having your arse slapped.
I use an engineer who works on an ex farm industrial estate and his workmanship and quality are second to none, he is a V8 specailist who can also work on sp6 engines, but its not always engine work that is required. I am definantly not afraid to go indie.
Take Top Cats for example, Great experience and wormanship but work out of a nissan hut on an old airfield.
Never judge a book by the cover..
I use an engineer who works on an ex farm industrial estate and his workmanship and quality are second to none, he is a V8 specailist who can also work on sp6 engines, but its not always engine work that is required. I am definantly not afraid to go indie.
Take Top Cats for example, Great experience and wormanship but work out of a nissan hut on an old airfield.
Never judge a book by the cover..
In the TVR world, the Indies are generally regarded as better than the dealers as they're set up by real enthusiasts of the marque and/or ex factory foreman. They generally seem to know the cars better and usually offer considerably better prices than an official dealer.
p.s thanks for the description on how to change the window regulator and motor over on the MINI forum
As predictable as it sounds, I just want someone who knows what he's doing and won't rip me off.
Indies do have better reputations than dealers, but my experience so far with the 3 TVR indies I have used has ranged from disappointing to shocking - and two of them have good reputations on PH.
I'm starting to think that the boast of 'used to work in the factory' is rather a lame way of saying "I know how to put things together by rote, but I'm not a mechanic by nature, and won't know how to investigate stuff properly".
I've given up on TVR Dealers/Indies now for everything apart from service stamps, and will go to a local non-TVR mechanic for future work, rather than send it halfway across the country just so I can have 'TVR' on the very expensive invoice. The money I've lost on poor service will not be regained on sale for a couple of logos.
So, what I want from any mechanic is a reputation for honest competence. It's really not asking a lot. Your business plan should have an emphasis placed on customer satisfaction and accountability.
Indies do have better reputations than dealers, but my experience so far with the 3 TVR indies I have used has ranged from disappointing to shocking - and two of them have good reputations on PH.
I'm starting to think that the boast of 'used to work in the factory' is rather a lame way of saying "I know how to put things together by rote, but I'm not a mechanic by nature, and won't know how to investigate stuff properly".
I've given up on TVR Dealers/Indies now for everything apart from service stamps, and will go to a local non-TVR mechanic for future work, rather than send it halfway across the country just so I can have 'TVR' on the very expensive invoice. The money I've lost on poor service will not be regained on sale for a couple of logos.
So, what I want from any mechanic is a reputation for honest competence. It's really not asking a lot. Your business plan should have an emphasis placed on customer satisfaction and accountability.
Edited by Lurker on Saturday 26th May 18:45
Just because they're an indie and "passionate", does not mean that you do not need a clean, organised tidy workshop and be professional. Little things like a printed service check list so that you can see the correct procedure has been followed, not "did you do?" .... "oh sh!t, hang on I'll just sort it"!
Good at the job, fair on pricing and Professional
Good at the job, fair on pricing and Professional
You need someone who is honest and is actually doing what you pay them to do, i.e. if your going for a service, they do what is needed for it, not just what is easy to do.
The printed paperwork is great, you can actually see what has been done, and if anything goes wrong you have a point of reference.
But above all they have to have a passion for the cars they are dealing with, and don't mind you calling in to check on your P & J occassionally and actually letting you see the work in progress.
If you get a job well done, then you don't mind paying a fair price for it. And you will recommend them to others.
The printed paperwork is great, you can actually see what has been done, and if anything goes wrong you have a point of reference.
But above all they have to have a passion for the cars they are dealing with, and don't mind you calling in to check on your P & J occassionally and actually letting you see the work in progress.
If you get a job well done, then you don't mind paying a fair price for it. And you will recommend them to others.
burriana said:
Just because they're an indie and "passionate", does not mean that you do not need a clean, organised tidy workshop and be professional. Little things like a printed service check list so that you can see the correct procedure has been followed, not "did you do?" .... "oh sh!t, hang on I'll just sort it"!
Good at the job, fair on pricing and Professional
Listen to the man!!! He be right....Good at the job, fair on pricing and Professional
d_drinks said:
YI8TVR said:
As good if not better without having your arse slapped.
Take Top Cats for example, Great experience and wormanship but work out of a nissan hut on an old airfield.
Never judge a book by the cover..
But it's a nice nissan hut!! Take Top Cats for example, Great experience and wormanship but work out of a nissan hut on an old airfield.
Never judge a book by the cover..
Cheers
Darren (Topcats Racing)
Mark.
Being new to TVR I took the chance and used a new indie, TopGear Automotive M54 J2, they really know the TVR (and Lotus) and have a good background knowledge. They offer a clean environment, good customer service (willing to answer even the silliest of questions), do an excellent job and all at a good price. They don't have a posh waiting room but are happy to give you a cuppa whilst you're waiting (you can even make it youself!!) If you can't wait they have a courtesy car which you can use.
So what do I expect from an Indie - going to a garage that calls them a specialist and having a specialist working on my car, good customer service and having an excellent job done by someone who not only knows what they are really doing but who cares about the car they are working on, treating it as if it's their own. Oh yes and not being ripped off!! I can now honestly say I've found a good and trustworthy Indie.
It might be worth having a word with Mart or Kev about their experiences in setting a new business up.
So what do I expect from an Indie - going to a garage that calls them a specialist and having a specialist working on my car, good customer service and having an excellent job done by someone who not only knows what they are really doing but who cares about the car they are working on, treating it as if it's their own. Oh yes and not being ripped off!! I can now honestly say I've found a good and trustworthy Indie.
It might be worth having a word with Mart or Kev about their experiences in setting a new business up.
d_drinks said:
YI8TVR said:
As good if not better without having your arse slapped.
Take Top Cats for example, Great experience and wormanship but work out of a nissan hut on an old airfield.
Never judge a book by the cover..
But it's a nice nissan hut!! Take Top Cats for example, Great experience and wormanship but work out of a nissan hut on an old airfield.
Never judge a book by the cover..
I'm sure Peter Norman Nissen, were he not dead, would be deeply upset to be confused with a Japanese car manufacturer.
blackspider said:
What scope of service do you expect from an indie?...Are you looking for quality or cheap,a full on dealer experience or Jeff in a barn?
Im writing a business plan and want as many sensible veiws as possible/
Cheers,Blackspider
Come to Scotland!!!! Theres only one tvr servicing outfit up here!Im writing a business plan and want as many sensible veiws as possible/
Cheers,Blackspider
d_drinks said:
YI8TVR said:
As good if not better without having your arse slapped.
Take Top Cats for example, Great experience and wormanship but work out of a nissan hut on an old airfield.
Never judge a book by the cover..
But it's a nice nissan hut!! Take Top Cats for example, Great experience and wormanship but work out of a nissan hut on an old airfield.
Never judge a book by the cover..
Cheers
Darren (Topcats Racing)
Ditto everything Frazer says.
But in view of Blackspider's other posts, perhaps I ought to add that if I was looking for a specialist, I'd be looking for someone who specialises in one marque of car only... it's not clear whether Blackspider is intending to open up shop working on one marque only, or several, but anyone claiming specialism in Lotus, TVR, Mini and BMW would strike me as just being slightly opportunist, since the brands share little common ground in terms of engineering philosophy.
I expect my specialists to be dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts for one marque of car alone, before I'm willing to believe that they can offer more expertise than the average garage!
edited for typing when drunk
But in view of Blackspider's other posts, perhaps I ought to add that if I was looking for a specialist, I'd be looking for someone who specialises in one marque of car only... it's not clear whether Blackspider is intending to open up shop working on one marque only, or several, but anyone claiming specialism in Lotus, TVR, Mini and BMW would strike me as just being slightly opportunist, since the brands share little common ground in terms of engineering philosophy.
I expect my specialists to be dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts for one marque of car alone, before I'm willing to believe that they can offer more expertise than the average garage!
edited for typing when drunk
Edited by Sam_68 on Monday 28th May 08:36
frazer guest said:
NCC1701 said:
frazer guest said:
I want someone who is happy to take cash, whatever the amount, without asking any questions.
I just want someone to be as honest and reliable with me, as i am with them.
I just want someone to be as honest and reliable with me, as i am with them.
I've used two indies for the 6 BM's I've owned.
What I expect is that they KNOW the cars. Its hard to define but both I've used offered this. They know all the weak spots (eg front subframe on E36 M3, control arm bushes on M5 etc), and should be able to come up with creative solutions to fixes - if you have budget constraints or want to upgrade to non-standard parts.
One of the indies CARED about my cars as much as I did. The other charges close to dealer prices and I fear tends to see customers as walking wallets!
What I expect is that they KNOW the cars. Its hard to define but both I've used offered this. They know all the weak spots (eg front subframe on E36 M3, control arm bushes on M5 etc), and should be able to come up with creative solutions to fixes - if you have budget constraints or want to upgrade to non-standard parts.
One of the indies CARED about my cars as much as I did. The other charges close to dealer prices and I fear tends to see customers as walking wallets!
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