How's your main dealer service experience?
Discussion
Whilst I'm long in the tooth enough to know better, I was still naive enough to think that perhaps a premium-marque dealer, with the attendant pricing structure, might deliver a better-than-average customer experience. But no.
I'm quite new to AM ownership, but my car went into a main dealer to have some issues addressed before I bought it. After they had it for a couple of weeks, and after a reassuringly-chunky invoice, so far:
- upon collection, they had re-glued the (horrible, but already there) aluminium heater knobs back on. So much so that one of them could not actually be turned. Fortunately I spotted that before I left, but it took another half an hour for them to rectify.
- they fitted new rear tyres to it. The dealer did this themselves, it wasn't farmed out. When I washed it a few days later, I found a neat score all the way around both rims. They have refurbed the wheels now but the car was out of service for 10 days.
- they checked and re-gassed the aircon and said they couldn't detect any leaks. That lasted all of 2 weeks before blowing out warm air again. I haven't even told them about this yet, I think I'll go elsewhere.
- they also fitted a new wiper arm assembly. Last night I was out in it and go caught in torrential rain, the first since they replaced the arm. Put the wipers on and heard a hideous graunch. It was dark, I couldn't see what the issue was, and I was 10 mins from home so I had to minimise use of the wipers to get myself home. Checked in the daylight today, the main spring on the underside of the arm is impacting the windscreen and yes, you guessed it, it's scored the screen. Won't polish out. Still waiting to see what they have to say about that one.
A minimum level of quality control would have addressed all of the above and would have saved me from having to repeatedly go back at them. Given that they did some other work too, I'm now wondering what else I'm going to discover.
Safe to say that other than resolving issues they've already been paid for, it won't be going back there!
I'm quite new to AM ownership, but my car went into a main dealer to have some issues addressed before I bought it. After they had it for a couple of weeks, and after a reassuringly-chunky invoice, so far:
- upon collection, they had re-glued the (horrible, but already there) aluminium heater knobs back on. So much so that one of them could not actually be turned. Fortunately I spotted that before I left, but it took another half an hour for them to rectify.
- they fitted new rear tyres to it. The dealer did this themselves, it wasn't farmed out. When I washed it a few days later, I found a neat score all the way around both rims. They have refurbed the wheels now but the car was out of service for 10 days.
- they checked and re-gassed the aircon and said they couldn't detect any leaks. That lasted all of 2 weeks before blowing out warm air again. I haven't even told them about this yet, I think I'll go elsewhere.
- they also fitted a new wiper arm assembly. Last night I was out in it and go caught in torrential rain, the first since they replaced the arm. Put the wipers on and heard a hideous graunch. It was dark, I couldn't see what the issue was, and I was 10 mins from home so I had to minimise use of the wipers to get myself home. Checked in the daylight today, the main spring on the underside of the arm is impacting the windscreen and yes, you guessed it, it's scored the screen. Won't polish out. Still waiting to see what they have to say about that one.
A minimum level of quality control would have addressed all of the above and would have saved me from having to repeatedly go back at them. Given that they did some other work too, I'm now wondering what else I'm going to discover.
Safe to say that other than resolving issues they've already been paid for, it won't be going back there!
CAPP0 said:
I'm quite new to AM ownership, but my car went into a main dealer to have some issues addressed before I bought it. After they had it for a couple of weeks, and after a reassuringly-chunky invoice, so far:
Why would you pay for work on the car before you bought it ?CAPP0 said:
- upon collection, they had re-glued the (horrible, but already there) aluminium heater knobs back on. So much so that one of them could not actually be turned. Fortunately I spotted that before I left, but it took another half an hour for them to rectify.
Annoying but minor issue.CAPP0 said:
- they fitted new rear tyres to it. The dealer did this themselves, it wasn't farmed out. When I washed it a few days later, I found a neat score all the way around both rims. They have refurbed the wheels now but the car was out of service for 10 days.
I know of no main dealer that has tyre replacement machinery in the workshop. They would have taken it to the nearest tyre shop.CAPP0 said:
- they checked and re-gassed the aircon and said they couldn't detect any leaks. That lasted all of 2 weeks before blowing out warm air again. I haven't even told them about this yet, I think I'll go elsewhere.
So are you saying you expect them to test your car's aircon for two weeks before letting you have it back ?CAPP0 said:
- they also fitted a new wiper arm assembly. Last night I was out in it and go caught in torrential rain, the first since they replaced the arm. Put the wipers on and heard a hideous graunch. It was dark, I couldn't see what the issue was, and I was 10 mins from home so I had to minimise use of the wipers to get myself home. Checked in the daylight today, the main spring on the underside of the arm is impacting the windscreen and yes, you guessed it, it's scored the screen. Won't polish out. Still waiting to see what they have to say about that one.
They should replace the windscreen for you, absolutely.CAPP0 said:
A minimum level of quality control would have addressed all of the above and would have saved me from having to repeatedly go back at them. Given that they did some other work too, I'm now wondering what else I'm going to discover.
Safe to say that other than resolving issues they've already been paid for, it won't be going back there!
Keep this in perspective.....Safe to say that other than resolving issues they've already been paid for, it won't be going back there!
1. overenthusiastic gluing....remedied in 30 minutes
2. Tyre shop cocked up and the the dealer remedied the issue.
3. aircon fault because it wasnt tested for two weeks ...really ?
4. They must replace your windscreen whether due to faulty part or fitting
To add further.....
I have my 15 year old Aston serviced by the oldest AM dealership in the country.
A year ago I was warned the discs were thinning and should be replaced at next pad change. Just had it serviced last week. Very low mileage for last 12 months . Disc advice was the same. No need to get it done now but should be done at next pad change.
They are not all out to get you or deliver poor service.
I have my 15 year old Aston serviced by the oldest AM dealership in the country.
A year ago I was warned the discs were thinning and should be replaced at next pad change. Just had it serviced last week. Very low mileage for last 12 months . Disc advice was the same. No need to get it done now but should be done at next pad change.
They are not all out to get you or deliver poor service.
pschlute said:
Why would you pay for work on the car before you bought it ?
Where did I say I paid for it?As for the tyre machine, the dealer told me it was their own, he described it to me.
And the aircon - they had the car long enough to fully test it, and said they had done so, they advised that they had put dye in the system and thoroughly inspected it for leaks...clearly they didn’t look very hard.
Not quite clear on the need for the combative response, although I’m not surprised either. I was just interested in other people’s experiences.
CAPP0 said:
Whilst I'm long in the tooth enough to know better, I was still naive enough to think that perhaps a premium-marque dealer, with the attendant pricing structure, might deliver a better-than-average customer experience. But no.
I'm quite new to AM ownership, but my car went into a main dealer to have some issues addressed before I bought it. After they had it for a couple of weeks, and after a reassuringly-chunky invoice, so far:
- upon collection, they had re-glued the (horrible, but already there) aluminium heater knobs back on. So much so that one of them could not actually be turned. Fortunately I spotted that before I left, but it took another half an hour for them to rectify.
- they fitted new rear tyres to it. The dealer did this themselves, it wasn't farmed out. When I washed it a few days later, I found a neat score all the way around both rims. They have refurbed the wheels now but the car was out of service for 10 days.
- they checked and re-gassed the aircon and said they couldn't detect any leaks. That lasted all of 2 weeks before blowing out warm air again. I haven't even told them about this yet, I think I'll go elsewhere.
- they also fitted a new wiper arm assembly. Last night I was out in it and go caught in torrential rain, the first since they replaced the arm. Put the wipers on and heard a hideous graunch. It was dark, I couldn't see what the issue was, and I was 10 mins from home so I had to minimise use of the wipers to get myself home. Checked in the daylight today, the main spring on the underside of the arm is impacting the windscreen and yes, you guessed it, it's scored the screen. Won't polish out. Still waiting to see what they have to say about that one.
A minimum level of quality control would have addressed all of the above and would have saved me from having to repeatedly go back at them. Given that they did some other work too, I'm now wondering what else I'm going to discover.
Safe to say that other than resolving issues they've already been paid for, it won't be going back there!
None of the above is acceptable, sadly just being a premium marque seems not to make any difference.I'm quite new to AM ownership, but my car went into a main dealer to have some issues addressed before I bought it. After they had it for a couple of weeks, and after a reassuringly-chunky invoice, so far:
- upon collection, they had re-glued the (horrible, but already there) aluminium heater knobs back on. So much so that one of them could not actually be turned. Fortunately I spotted that before I left, but it took another half an hour for them to rectify.
- they fitted new rear tyres to it. The dealer did this themselves, it wasn't farmed out. When I washed it a few days later, I found a neat score all the way around both rims. They have refurbed the wheels now but the car was out of service for 10 days.
- they checked and re-gassed the aircon and said they couldn't detect any leaks. That lasted all of 2 weeks before blowing out warm air again. I haven't even told them about this yet, I think I'll go elsewhere.
- they also fitted a new wiper arm assembly. Last night I was out in it and go caught in torrential rain, the first since they replaced the arm. Put the wipers on and heard a hideous graunch. It was dark, I couldn't see what the issue was, and I was 10 mins from home so I had to minimise use of the wipers to get myself home. Checked in the daylight today, the main spring on the underside of the arm is impacting the windscreen and yes, you guessed it, it's scored the screen. Won't polish out. Still waiting to see what they have to say about that one.
A minimum level of quality control would have addressed all of the above and would have saved me from having to repeatedly go back at them. Given that they did some other work too, I'm now wondering what else I'm going to discover.
Safe to say that other than resolving issues they've already been paid for, it won't be going back there!
I have had some good experiences and a few that involved a lot of money for nothing short of del boy treatment.
Well I'm on the other side of the globe but I can say that the service from my local AM dealer (Gold Coast AM, Australia) has always been excellent.
I bought my V8V from an interstate dealer and it was shipped to AM Gold Coast who preened it and delivered it to me - no charge. I have always had it serviced there and they have been available to answer questions, help with small issues and cover a few warranty items. When I sold it they talked to the buyer pre purchase and he now gets it serviced by them.
When they had a V12VS in for sale the Manager organised to let me have a drive even though he knew I wasn't in the market at that time. I subsequently bought one from another AM dealer and again they have serviced it and carried out warranty items. Their costs are less than my RS4 used to cost for service, they are helpful, happy for me to supply oil, brake pads, parts etc and I can't fault them.
Just the way it should be.
Hope you get your items fixed.
Graze
I bought my V8V from an interstate dealer and it was shipped to AM Gold Coast who preened it and delivered it to me - no charge. I have always had it serviced there and they have been available to answer questions, help with small issues and cover a few warranty items. When I sold it they talked to the buyer pre purchase and he now gets it serviced by them.
When they had a V12VS in for sale the Manager organised to let me have a drive even though he knew I wasn't in the market at that time. I subsequently bought one from another AM dealer and again they have serviced it and carried out warranty items. Their costs are less than my RS4 used to cost for service, they are helpful, happy for me to supply oil, brake pads, parts etc and I can't fault them.
Just the way it should be.
Hope you get your items fixed.
Graze
Anytime I do an AC unit, I pull a vacuum till it's down to below 200 microns, and then see if it will hold for at least a couple of hours. That will see all.
Usually it's either a seal in the compressor, a leak in the condensor/evaporator or, commonly it's dried o-rings. There is a special grease you can use for AC o-rings. Works great but rarely used by the pros. I use Nylog. Def. don't use the PAG oil on the o-rings as that causes them to fail in short order...
Usually it's either a seal in the compressor, a leak in the condensor/evaporator or, commonly it's dried o-rings. There is a special grease you can use for AC o-rings. Works great but rarely used by the pros. I use Nylog. Def. don't use the PAG oil on the o-rings as that causes them to fail in short order...
I've had one dealer with really excellent service, one good but disappointing in the details - same as the OP It was care and inspection - eg with new suspension arms under Timeless the steering hadn't been set to the straight ahead and dubious advice on clutch - 'it's nearly worn, sir' 'Oh, really? It's a new AMR twin plate put in but another dealer 2000 miles ago'.
Two specialists who have both been excellent.
I think the point here is on thoroughness of testing and inspection - rigour, you could call it. And I would expect AM to offer this at premium rates and luxury experience (read lovely showrooms etc etc, which I do like!)
Two specialists who have both been excellent.
I think the point here is on thoroughness of testing and inspection - rigour, you could call it. And I would expect AM to offer this at premium rates and luxury experience (read lovely showrooms etc etc, which I do like!)
My main dealer experiences have been very varied from "perfectly ok" to "I'll never even speak to them again let alone walk through their doors".
I bought my first AM 7 years ago (a 5 year old 4.7 V8V) from a dealership on the A40. I'm quite sure I wasn't the customer spending the most that month but £50K is still £50K and it should be a good experience. It was shocking. Fortunately, at the time, the East Midlands dealership, which was a few miles from me, was part of the same group and they sorted all the s
t the sellers left me with without me even having to talk to the London lot which was probably best for all involved! The highlight was having oil pissing out of the gearbox oil cooler and covering the back of the car right from collection. Of course they denied this was there during their "inspection" but I looked back at some photos I took at my first test drive and, sure enough, drips of oil on the ground under the back of the car.
I bought my current Vantage S from the then Derby dealership and they, and their Nottingham successors, looked after it satisfactorily for the remaining 18 months of the manufacturers warranty.
It then went to BR to be turned into the real sports car I wanted and nobody else has touched it since. It has run virtually faultlessly for the subsequent 3.5 years, the service I get is exemplary and I've saved about £5K by not having a warranty.
At the end of the day, there is enough choice of main dealers and Indies in the UK for you to vote with your feet. Different people choose different options for various reasons but mine will never go anywhere else but BR now.
I bought my first AM 7 years ago (a 5 year old 4.7 V8V) from a dealership on the A40. I'm quite sure I wasn't the customer spending the most that month but £50K is still £50K and it should be a good experience. It was shocking. Fortunately, at the time, the East Midlands dealership, which was a few miles from me, was part of the same group and they sorted all the s
t the sellers left me with without me even having to talk to the London lot which was probably best for all involved! The highlight was having oil pissing out of the gearbox oil cooler and covering the back of the car right from collection. Of course they denied this was there during their "inspection" but I looked back at some photos I took at my first test drive and, sure enough, drips of oil on the ground under the back of the car.I bought my current Vantage S from the then Derby dealership and they, and their Nottingham successors, looked after it satisfactorily for the remaining 18 months of the manufacturers warranty.
It then went to BR to be turned into the real sports car I wanted and nobody else has touched it since. It has run virtually faultlessly for the subsequent 3.5 years, the service I get is exemplary and I've saved about £5K by not having a warranty.
At the end of the day, there is enough choice of main dealers and Indies in the UK for you to vote with your feet. Different people choose different options for various reasons but mine will never go anywhere else but BR now.
From the purchase of my V8V, I have experience of three different main dealers. All dealings have been very good, but as the car has been almost faultless, perhaps they were not fully 'put to the test'.
Like Pete above, I eventually changed to BR, initially simply to have a different set people checking over my car.
Most impressed by their technical knowledge and attention to detail, so have continued to be a BR customer.
It is disappointing when standards dip, but at least there are quite a few alternatives available for AMs.
My most annoying 'never using you again' moment did not involve AM, but a tyre fitting firm who claim to be quick.
They told me I needed new brake discs and pads. Perhaps they should have first checked my surname, because it is not Gullible.
I asked the mechanic to show me the brake pad wear. When under the car, he pointed to the pads, but looked quite embarrased when I told him, " Those are new pads which I fitted myself - two months ago".
Not really funny, because they probably catch out quite a few customers using that scam.
I’ve had a number of terrible experiences with MDs. Damage to interior, exterior and car being returned in a genuinely filthy condition (having been delivered to them spotless) The OP has my full sympathy. I’m struggling to find a service department that I’m fully satisfied with. And being an ex mechanic myself, I’m more than sympathetic to the problems that servicing can bring and I don’t consider myself an overly fussy customer, but the appalling standards that I have on occasions experienced, have been amazing. Like the OP, I would expect much, much better from a main dealer.
When I was shopping to purchase a Vantage here in the US. Most AM dealers weren’t very customer oriented. It was strange, Ford and other dealers were much friendlier for lack of a better description. It was a let down. I believe A Palmer tried to rectify that. But there is not much that can be done since the stores are privately owned. Unfortunately I believe this may be one reason for declining sales, at least over here.
Service was very friendly I had no complaints there. Other than ridiculous expensive.
Service was very friendly I had no complaints there. Other than ridiculous expensive.
CAPP0 said:
Shinjuku79 said:
Is this Capp0 from fccuk?
When I registered here, someone had already taken "Cappo", about 20 years ago, although never actually posted under that name, so I had to be creative with mine, hence the capitals.
Who were you back then?
MrCooper. Didn't like the handle much so used something else here.
You could do a lot worse than take it to Roger imho. He won't do jobs he's not comfortable with, but he can be a safe and familar pair of hands for you on the jobs that aren't real specialist knowledge items.
Had mine about 5 years now and he's always been great with it.
Check out aston1936 website for some good model info.
Steve
Shinjuku79 said:
CAPP0 said:
Shinjuku79 said:
Is this Capp0 from fccuk?
When I registered here, someone had already taken "Cappo", about 20 years ago, although never actually posted under that name, so I had to be creative with mine, hence the capitals.
Who were you back then?
MrCooper. Didn't like the handle much so used something else here.
You could do a lot worse than take it to Roger imho. He won't do jobs he's not comfortable with, but he can be a safe and familar pair of hands for you on the jobs that aren't real specialist knowledge items.
Had mine about 5 years now and he's always been great with it.
Check out aston1936 website for some good model info.
Steve
I haven't spoken to Roger for a while now but I do still have two Coupes, mine (the one which CarlT restored) & MrsC's, and I think both are due cambelts soon (not that they are doing any miles to speak of) so I'll have a chat with him. He was always a great resource for those cars, I think finding a good trustworthy reliable indy is worth it's weight in gold.
I use Aston Engineering. Wouldn’t go anywhere else. Tried a main dealer for my first service and wasn’t impressed at all .
Tried an AM approved body shop for a small wing repair. They had two goes at replacing the wing and made a real hash of it.
Eventually took it to a body shop run by ex Aston people in Chipping Norton and they were superb.
It shouldn’t matter whether you’ve bought a new DB11 or a 10 year old Vantage, the service provided should be what you have a right to expect.
Tried an AM approved body shop for a small wing repair. They had two goes at replacing the wing and made a real hash of it.
Eventually took it to a body shop run by ex Aston people in Chipping Norton and they were superb.
It shouldn’t matter whether you’ve bought a new DB11 or a 10 year old Vantage, the service provided should be what you have a right to expect.
CAPP0 said:
Shinjuku79 said:
CAPP0 said:
Shinjuku79 said:
Is this Capp0 from fccuk?
When I registered here, someone had already taken "Cappo", about 20 years ago, although never actually posted under that name, so I had to be creative with mine, hence the capitals.
Who were you back then?
MrCooper. Didn't like the handle much so used something else here.
You could do a lot worse than take it to Roger imho. He won't do jobs he's not comfortable with, but he can be a safe and familar pair of hands for you on the jobs that aren't real specialist knowledge items.
Had mine about 5 years now and he's always been great with it.
Check out aston1936 website for some good model info.
Steve
I haven't spoken to Roger for a while now but I do still have two Coupes, mine (the one which CarlT restored) & MrsC's, and I think both are due cambelts soon (not that they are doing any miles to speak of) so I'll have a chat with him. He was always a great resource for those cars, I think finding a good trustworthy reliable indy is worth it's weight in gold.
You remember Rog's assistant Paul? He went down the Porsche specialist route, but also does some Astons and has relevant software as i understand it. So he can offer some backup. Not sure it has been needed though.
And then for the genuine specialist stuff for the V8 Vantage / DB9 era I've come to realise that there is only one Rog equivalent - Bamford Rose. Most of the others (at least near us) appear to me to specialise in other eras of cars, and flex into our era.
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