Reasons why you don’t go to a main dealer for a service
Discussion
I could probably write a small book about all the sh*t things that have happened to some of my cars, and in some cases, myself, when taken back to the main dealer for service.
Possibly the common thread that ran though most of these unfortunate, or unpleasant incidents, was the smug, we know it all, patronizing attitude of the dealerships in question.
I suspect that as the majority of car owners in the UK don't give a sh*t about what is done (or not done) to their cars during a service, as long as the book gets stamped, the dealers completely get away with their poor attitude for most of the time.
Possibly the common thread that ran though most of these unfortunate, or unpleasant incidents, was the smug, we know it all, patronizing attitude of the dealerships in question.
I suspect that as the majority of car owners in the UK don't give a sh*t about what is done (or not done) to their cars during a service, as long as the book gets stamped, the dealers completely get away with their poor attitude for most of the time.
M4cruiser said:
Red 4 said:
In warranty period - main dealer.
Out of warranty period - National Tyres for a £50 oil and filter change and do the other filters myself.
A receipt for an oil change is still a receipt for an oil change - it doesn't matter who has done it !
^^ This is the right way.Out of warranty period - National Tyres for a £50 oil and filter change and do the other filters myself.
A receipt for an oil change is still a receipt for an oil change - it doesn't matter who has done it !
Think about the main dealer's motivation. When your car gets to a certain age they want to sell you a new one. So they will make the service expensive.
A certain Japanese manufacturer's cars has cheap servicing up to about 4, 5 or 6 years (depending on mileage) then a "BIG" service with timing belt. They will tell you this at the service just before the big one. Big hint to walk round to the front and look at the new ones.
More than once I have bought one of their used cars at that point, i.e. it's just been traded in and the garage does the big service as part of the sale. I'm not really knocking them for it, it's just the way cars are, they need maintenance, and the brand I know about is good.
I really don't understand why anyone would want to be greased up by a main dealer.
Your car is unlikely to be worth any more come resale time because it has main dealer stamps in the book outside of the warranty period - ie once it gets to 4/5 years old.
If your car is something a bit more special then you'll need to suck it up ( and keep an eye on what they do) or go to a specialist because that will make the car more desirable.
Deep Thought said:
Next to no profit in selling new cars. I'd a main dealer tell me the main reason they sold new cars was to get more of their brand cars out in the area needing serviced, warranty work, parts, repairs, etc.
Yep - said this before on here; neighbour does accounts for a local main-stream dealer. They make nothing on new sales, tiny bit on used, bit more on parts and loads on servicing.She said it's a common business model that service covers all of the dealership's fixed costs. It's a disaster if a mechanic is off sick or a ramp tied up by a car waiting for parts.
I can't stand the bulls
t of main dealers. Sure you generally have to put up with them for the warranty period and they are not always that bad on fixed price servicing.
It's bad enough having to endure the sales and sales manager-matey-matey/GAP/paint protection/tyre insurance spiel; but having to go through the "free health check", aircon decontamination bull, oil flush, blah de fking blah... The constant upsell drives me away.
This is my current local mechanic:
"You might need new pads/discs in 3-6 months"
3 months later:
"No. They'll be fine for another 3 months/6000 miles"
3 months later:
"You've got a service in a couple of months. They'll be fine until then."
t of main dealers. Sure you generally have to put up with them for the warranty period and they are not always that bad on fixed price servicing.It's bad enough having to endure the sales and sales manager-matey-matey/GAP/paint protection/tyre insurance spiel; but having to go through the "free health check", aircon decontamination bull, oil flush, blah de f
king blah... The constant upsell drives me away.This is my current local mechanic:
"You might need new pads/discs in 3-6 months"
3 months later:
"No. They'll be fine for another 3 months/6000 miles"
3 months later:
"You've got a service in a couple of months. They'll be fine until then."
My reason is simply cost.
It's far cheaper to go to a specialist than a main dealer and you get the same job done for less money. Only exception was when I bought a new car during warranty period. I know you can go to other companies during warranty but if there are any issues with the car I didn't want the aggro.
Recently went to Porsche for a recall though and I have to say that their main dealer experience really is a very pleasurable experience. But... Cost.
That said, I'd rather go to a main dealer than a Halfords/kwikfit/etc type chain. Always feels that they are searching for work and sadly I just don't trust them. Specialists for me, then main dealers.
It's far cheaper to go to a specialist than a main dealer and you get the same job done for less money. Only exception was when I bought a new car during warranty period. I know you can go to other companies during warranty but if there are any issues with the car I didn't want the aggro.
Recently went to Porsche for a recall though and I have to say that their main dealer experience really is a very pleasurable experience. But... Cost.
That said, I'd rather go to a main dealer than a Halfords/kwikfit/etc type chain. Always feels that they are searching for work and sadly I just don't trust them. Specialists for me, then main dealers.
Edited by Cloudy147 on Sunday 9th February 14:04
stating it had been a recent change in BMW recommendation.Cloudy147 said:
That said, I'd rather go to a main dealer than a Halfords/kwikfit/etc type chain. Always feels that they are searching for work and sadly I just don't trust them. Specialists for me, then main dealers.
I haven't found that at all.My last 2 interactions with Kwikfit were;
Air con recharge - FREE. They couldn't make it colder but they did replace all the refrigerant.
( It was already fairly cold but I thought it was due a top up anyway.)
Puncture repair - FREE.
It might depend on the branch but my local one is OK.
I don't think I'd take a Porsche there for servicing though.
Likewise National Tyres - no up selling. Good staff in my local one.
Ok then, a few of my little nuggets! 
Took my partners BMW to the dealer it was obtained from, for service, and received a bill item of 32 quid listed as `special lubricant' for two doors the bonnet and boot lid. When I asked what the `special lubricant' was, they would not tell me hinting that I would not know what it was, even if they did. I told them that unless they told me the name of the product, I was not going to pay for it.
So they told me, it was a `special lubricant' known only in the trade (in hushed tones would you believe) as W......D......40.
Needless to say after I calmed down, they took the fee for the `special lubricant' off the bill.
Then there was the case of my car going in for a `first' inspection at 1000 miles, When I got it back, it had a dent in the top of the radiator the shape of a socket Wrench where the bonnet had been closed with the wrench still on top of the rad, and a corresponding dent in the underside of the bonnet. They tried to say that I had done it whilst `working' on my brand new 1000 miles only car. Fortunately the showroom was full of prospective buyers who were all interested in knowing why a very irate person was having a go at them about the appalling work their dealership did. They fitted a new radiator and bonnet to correct the issue.. Some car dealers can be absolute, and utter w*nkers of the first order.
Took my partners BMW to the dealer it was obtained from, for service, and received a bill item of 32 quid listed as `special lubricant' for two doors the bonnet and boot lid. When I asked what the `special lubricant' was, they would not tell me hinting that I would not know what it was, even if they did. I told them that unless they told me the name of the product, I was not going to pay for it.
So they told me, it was a `special lubricant' known only in the trade (in hushed tones would you believe) as W......D......40.
Needless to say after I calmed down, they took the fee for the `special lubricant' off the bill.
Then there was the case of my car going in for a `first' inspection at 1000 miles, When I got it back, it had a dent in the top of the radiator the shape of a socket Wrench where the bonnet had been closed with the wrench still on top of the rad, and a corresponding dent in the underside of the bonnet. They tried to say that I had done it whilst `working' on my brand new 1000 miles only car. Fortunately the showroom was full of prospective buyers who were all interested in knowing why a very irate person was having a go at them about the appalling work their dealership did. They fitted a new radiator and bonnet to correct the issue.. Some car dealers can be absolute, and utter w*nkers of the first order.
Edited by Pan Pan Pan on Sunday 9th February 14:23
Leaving aside the exorbitant labour rates and parts prices, I've read loads of “Secret Shopper” investigations over the years where main dealers always come out worst for work charged for but not done.
In addition, every car that I've owned has come with FMDSH yet on all of them I've found things that should have been changed regularly yet have clearly never been touched.
No wonder, really. A friend used to work for a main dealer and tells me that mechanics were “Incentivised” to get more done. For example, if a service was booked at 3 hours they'd be doing 5 or 6 a day.
Doesn't take a genius to work out that you can't do 18 hours work in 8 hours. They were clearly missing stuff but still charging for it.
And as for their seeming inability to fix simple faults, well don't get me started...
In addition, every car that I've owned has come with FMDSH yet on all of them I've found things that should have been changed regularly yet have clearly never been touched.
No wonder, really. A friend used to work for a main dealer and tells me that mechanics were “Incentivised” to get more done. For example, if a service was booked at 3 hours they'd be doing 5 or 6 a day.
Doesn't take a genius to work out that you can't do 18 hours work in 8 hours. They were clearly missing stuff but still charging for it.
And as for their seeming inability to fix simple faults, well don't get me started...
p4cks said:
Was having a conversation with some colleagues today and whilst we all drove a wide range of marques of varying ages and condition, what we all had in common is that we ’d never consider visiting a main dealer for a service or repair!
So I wondered if you would humour me and answer these for me:
Why don’t you visit your main dealer for servicing or repairs?
How does it make you feel when you HAVE to go to the main dealer for something?
What do they do that you DON’T like?
What do they do that you DO like?
1. One of my mates from school is a mechanic. I take all my cars to him (actually he arranges pick up / drop off)So I wondered if you would humour me and answer these for me:
Why don’t you visit your main dealer for servicing or repairs?
How does it make you feel when you HAVE to go to the main dealer for something?
What do they do that you DON’T like?
What do they do that you DO like?
2. Not too bad. The last time i went it was to change the battery in my keyfob. i think they charged a fiver.
3. Bit pricey on the Fixed Price Servicing. And everything else to be fair.
4. Their receptionists are HOT HOT HOT.
I’m sure the dealers would say that they are ridden pretty hard by the manufacturers to maintain their franchise targets, hence corners being cut, etc, etc.
The manufacturers can let the dealers take the flack and then be seen to be the good guys when they have to ‘step in’.
In reality neither party give much of a toss about the poor punters who appear to be just there to be milked.
If I was an optimist, I’d like to think that this situation could change with new entrants to the market.
Anyone got views on how Tesla treat customers for instance?
The manufacturers can let the dealers take the flack and then be seen to be the good guys when they have to ‘step in’.
In reality neither party give much of a toss about the poor punters who appear to be just there to be milked.
If I was an optimist, I’d like to think that this situation could change with new entrants to the market.
Anyone got views on how Tesla treat customers for instance?
Sheepshanks said:
Yep - said this before on here; neighbour does accounts for a local main-stream dealer. They make nothing on new sales, tiny bit on used, bit more on parts and loads on servicing.
I always thought that they made a sizeable amount of their profit from selling finance. When I go into a main dealer, I always force myself to remember that the salesperson is selling debt. The car is simply the hook by which the customer is reeled in to take on the debt.Throttle Body said:
I always thought that they made a sizeable amount of their profit from selling finance. When I go into a main dealer, I always force myself to remember that the salesperson is selling debt. The car is simply the hook by which the customer is reeled in to take on the debt.
This is true - I heard that Ford Credit makes more money than Ford Motor!I've had a mixed bag. A BMW dealer I used in Scotland was great, the one I used down south not so much. I was generally happy with my local Audi dealer until they said they wanted £2000 to replace the rear dampers on my A3. After that I switched to a mobile mechanic who was very good and much cheaper. Then he bodged a job and refused to fix it so he got the bullet.
I learned to do most work myself, because I know it's been done properly, but for stuff I can't do I'm lucky to have the choice of two really good, inexpensive independents nearby.
I still use the Audi dealer for some parts, but they don't get any work from me now.
My Kia has had a couple of recalls and the main dealer blew it straight away by telling me my pads were too worn at the first visit (they weren't) and then magically grew another couple of millimetres of thickness by the time of the second recall umpteen thousand miles later.
Also, somehow I was low on oil but when I checked it myself later I found it was bang on. It's a miracle that a litre of oil managed to find its way into my sump without any intervention from anyone.
In short, I don't really trust main dealers any longer. I'm sure some are very good but they're too few and far between for my liking so I can't see me returning to them in the future.
I learned to do most work myself, because I know it's been done properly, but for stuff I can't do I'm lucky to have the choice of two really good, inexpensive independents nearby.
I still use the Audi dealer for some parts, but they don't get any work from me now.
My Kia has had a couple of recalls and the main dealer blew it straight away by telling me my pads were too worn at the first visit (they weren't) and then magically grew another couple of millimetres of thickness by the time of the second recall umpteen thousand miles later.
Also, somehow I was low on oil but when I checked it myself later I found it was bang on. It's a miracle that a litre of oil managed to find its way into my sump without any intervention from anyone.
In short, I don't really trust main dealers any longer. I'm sure some are very good but they're too few and far between for my liking so I can't see me returning to them in the future.
Throttle Body said:
I always thought that they made a sizeable amount of their profit from selling finance. When I go into a main dealer, I always force myself to remember that the salesperson is selling debt. The car is simply the hook by which the customer is reeled in to take on the debt.
Likely that's true - for the car sales part of the dealership. But most dealers - the one I'm referring to a county town mass-market dealer - don't sell that many new cars.It's probably a bit different for a huge 'prestige' dealership, and, anyway, so much of the profit with selling new cars is based on bonuses paid to the dealer for various things that it's probably tricky to figure out. Of course those huge dealerships will also be having a lot of cars through the workshops doing £350 oil and filter changes - so the overall position may well still be the same, with the workshop contributing most of the dealership's profit.
My car will go to the local main dealer because it’s new and I have a service pack on it. The central booking line is ste but I have the contact details of an advisor who seems pretty good and sound alike he actually likes cars. He’s been good when it’s been in for warranty work and totally understands the please don’t wash request.
Their sales guys are a pain in the arse though. You’d be nuts though not to realise why they’re expensive; massive shiny new showroom, manned coffee / drinks bar with ‘complementary, cakes and pastries. The girls who welcome you and direct you to where you need to be etc. That stuff is all bks in my opinion but people seem to buy into it and think their BMW is exclusive because of it.
The MINI arm of the nearest BMW dealership can piss right off though. My other half’s previous MINI went there for a service. I was obviously deemed not worthy by the chavvy young lass on reception. Whisky I was waiting, she fawned over every other customer checking if they wanted drinks etc. I was pretty much blanked and asking about the Wi-fi was met with contempt. That side of dealers really pisses me off.
My other half’s car will go to a local Indy. He’s rough and ready but does a good job and is cheap as chips. He’s happy for me to supply parts and just pay labour. No free drinks etc but I’m happy taking the saving and popping to the local Morrison’s for breakfast instead.
te but I have the contact details of an advisor who seems pretty good and sound alike he actually likes cars. He’s been good when it’s been in for warranty work and totally understands the please don’t wash request. Their sales guys are a pain in the arse though. You’d be nuts though not to realise why they’re expensive; massive shiny new showroom, manned coffee / drinks bar with ‘complementary, cakes and pastries. The girls who welcome you and direct you to where you need to be etc. That stuff is all b
ks in my opinion but people seem to buy into it and think their BMW is exclusive because of it. The MINI arm of the nearest BMW dealership can piss right off though. My other half’s previous MINI went there for a service. I was obviously deemed not worthy by the chavvy young lass on reception. Whisky I was waiting, she fawned over every other customer checking if they wanted drinks etc. I was pretty much blanked and asking about the Wi-fi was met with contempt. That side of dealers really pisses me off.
My other half’s car will go to a local Indy. He’s rough and ready but does a good job and is cheap as chips. He’s happy for me to supply parts and just pay labour. No free drinks etc but I’m happy taking the saving and popping to the local Morrison’s for breakfast instead.
Main dealers can be more expensive than independent dealers shocker.
Not news - but have their place.
My main dealer experience is with Bmw Dick Lovett who's work I use for warranty. Not servicing but work under £250 I have to pay for as that's the excess.
Recently they had my car for a water leak and rear diff seal.
Originally it was around £160 for just the differential seal but they charged me only £120 for investigating the water leak and replacing the diff seal. I declined resolution steps as I had a different option to resolve.
Seemed excellent value for money to me.
The dealership has always been clean, tidy with coffee and cold drinks provided.
I do little bits myself.
Servicing I have my friends do at their garage to get VAT reciepts and invoices for warranty purposes.
Not news - but have their place.
My main dealer experience is with Bmw Dick Lovett who's work I use for warranty. Not servicing but work under £250 I have to pay for as that's the excess.
Recently they had my car for a water leak and rear diff seal.
Originally it was around £160 for just the differential seal but they charged me only £120 for investigating the water leak and replacing the diff seal. I declined resolution steps as I had a different option to resolve.
Seemed excellent value for money to me.
The dealership has always been clean, tidy with coffee and cold drinks provided.
I do little bits myself.
Servicing I have my friends do at their garage to get VAT reciepts and invoices for warranty purposes.
I took one of our cars to a main dealer in Sheffield for a service.
Turned up later in the day, paid for the work done and discovered the car parked in the same spot that it was in when i dropped it off. Although that could easily have been a coincidence, it roused my suspicions and a quick check under the bonnet confirmed that the car hadn't been touched.
Half hearted apology from the service desk who would rearrange a service for the following week. Couldn't be less bothered, begrudgingly refunded me and offered a mediocre discount on the next one.
Cheeky fkers wanted me to pay for the courtesy car again as well
Turned up later in the day, paid for the work done and discovered the car parked in the same spot that it was in when i dropped it off. Although that could easily have been a coincidence, it roused my suspicions and a quick check under the bonnet confirmed that the car hadn't been touched.
Half hearted apology from the service desk who would rearrange a service for the following week. Couldn't be less bothered, begrudgingly refunded me and offered a mediocre discount on the next one.
Cheeky f
kers wanted me to pay for the courtesy car again as wellGassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff