Reasons why you don’t go to a main dealer for a service
Discussion
DSLiverpool said:
Red 4 said:
DSLiverpool said:
Quoted £849 to do a track and balance on the Bentayga, asked Audi and it’s £149 - both in house same machine.
... Or get it done properly at The Wheel Alignment and Ball Joint Centre in Bootle for about £70It's a bit rough and ready but I've seen all sorts on the ramps in there (Ferrari, Porsche, lots of modified stuff, priceless classics .... And rough arse, rotten Transit vans
).No free coffee, no fancy tiles on the floor but blokes who know how to set a car up with the latest Hunter machine.
I'll take the (cheaper) proper job every time.
Edited by Red 4 on Saturday 29th February 13:14
lyonspride said:
Given that most road cars don't have rear toe adjustment, and rarely have rear camber adjustment, you can do your own alignments with little more than a reel of fishing line......... There's really nothing to it, I think the only reason these laser machines exist is because it's what people have grown to expect, and if it's got a laser it must be super accurate and super high tech, I bet they have blue LEDs on them to emphasise how high tech they are.........
How accurate do you think your measurements are with a reel of fishing line ?I'm happy to pay £60 - £70 for a 4 wheel alignment by somebody who knows what they are doing.
My car is fully adjustable front and rear and last time it needed a small tweek on the subframe to get it spot on.
It took 2 guys about 45 minutes from up on the ramp, suspension checked, first check, results, adjustments made, further results, more adjustments, etc etc.
I'm happy with that. The car was very different after the alignment.
What is daft is people paying hundreds for a similar service - from people in shiny showrooms and garages. I include some "Wheel Alignment Specialists" in that.
I saw the pricelist of a Porsche specialist recently. It was silly.
Red 4 said:
lyonspride said:
Given that most road cars don't have rear toe adjustment, and rarely have rear camber adjustment, you can do your own alignments with little more than a reel of fishing line......... There's really nothing to it, I think the only reason these laser machines exist is because it's what people have grown to expect, and if it's got a laser it must be super accurate and super high tech, I bet they have blue LEDs on them to emphasise how high tech they are.........
How accurate do you think your measurements are with a reel of fishing line ?I'm happy to pay £60 - £70 for a 4 wheel alignment by somebody who knows what they are doing.
My car is fully adjustable front and rear and last time it needed a small tweek on the subframe to get it spot on.
It took 2 guys about 45 minutes from up on the ramp, suspension checked, first check, results, adjustments made, further results, more adjustments, etc etc.
I'm happy with that. The car was very different after the alignment.
What is daft is people paying hundreds for a similar service - from people in shiny showrooms and garages. I include some "Wheel Alignment Specialists" in that.
I saw the pricelist of a Porsche specialist recently. It was silly.
My point was pretty what you're saying, it's not rocket science, £70 is adequate, several hundred is not.
Just a couple of things,
1) the guy with the Renault whose vehicle had full service history but an original air filter, a common complaint but often unfounded. Just because it has full service history dont mean nothing. Maybe the owner only wanted the cheapest oil and filter change and stamp in the book every year. Another one I've heard of is "it's an original filter it had a date stamp of 2010 and it's a 2010 car" maybe the dealer bought bulk load of filters for stock in 2010 and they are still using them? I could get a filter from euros and fit it tomorrow with a date stamp of 2017. When it gets changed next year whoever changes it will think it's a 4 year old filter and that garage last year never bothered to replace it.
2) the guy with a pink dot on the filter, maybe all the filters in their parts department have pink dots?
3) the guy who has done 20k miles in a landrover and thinks they are being ripped off cos it needs tyres and brakes. Tbh, I've had range rovers and discoverys for years, none of them have done 20k on a set of brakes/tyres.
4) safety check is a upsell con blah blah blah. Did you know the dealer gets financially rewarded from the manufacturer dependent on how many videos/safety checks are carried out. Ultimately the dealer couldn't care less if you accept the safety check and book in for the identified work or not. As long as they have done their quota of checks to get the bonus from the manufacturer.
1) the guy with the Renault whose vehicle had full service history but an original air filter, a common complaint but often unfounded. Just because it has full service history dont mean nothing. Maybe the owner only wanted the cheapest oil and filter change and stamp in the book every year. Another one I've heard of is "it's an original filter it had a date stamp of 2010 and it's a 2010 car" maybe the dealer bought bulk load of filters for stock in 2010 and they are still using them? I could get a filter from euros and fit it tomorrow with a date stamp of 2017. When it gets changed next year whoever changes it will think it's a 4 year old filter and that garage last year never bothered to replace it.
2) the guy with a pink dot on the filter, maybe all the filters in their parts department have pink dots?
3) the guy who has done 20k miles in a landrover and thinks they are being ripped off cos it needs tyres and brakes. Tbh, I've had range rovers and discoverys for years, none of them have done 20k on a set of brakes/tyres.
4) safety check is a upsell con blah blah blah. Did you know the dealer gets financially rewarded from the manufacturer dependent on how many videos/safety checks are carried out. Ultimately the dealer couldn't care less if you accept the safety check and book in for the identified work or not. As long as they have done their quota of checks to get the bonus from the manufacturer.
hi court said:
Just a couple of things,
1) the guy with the Renault whose vehicle had full service history but an original air filter, a common complaint but often unfounded. Just because it has full service history dont mean nothing. Maybe the owner only wanted the cheapest oil and filter change and stamp in the book every year. Another one I've heard of is "it's an original filter it had a date stamp of 2010 and it's a 2010 car" maybe the dealer bought bulk load of filters for stock in 2010 and they are still using them? I could get a filter from euros and fit it tomorrow with a date stamp of 2017. When it gets changed next year whoever changes it will think it's a 4 year old filter and that garage last year never bothered to replace it.
2) the guy with a pink dot on the filter, maybe all the filters in their parts department have pink dots?
3) the guy who has done 20k miles in a landrover and thinks they are being ripped off cos it needs tyres and brakes. Tbh, I've had range rovers and discoverys for years, none of them have done 20k on a set of brakes/tyres.
4) safety check is a upsell con blah blah blah. Did you know the dealer gets financially rewarded from the manufacturer dependent on how many videos/safety checks are carried out. Ultimately the dealer couldn't care less if you accept the safety check and book in for the identified work or not. As long as they have done their quota of checks to get the bonus from the manufacturer.
I’m interested in point 4, where did you get the information?1) the guy with the Renault whose vehicle had full service history but an original air filter, a common complaint but often unfounded. Just because it has full service history dont mean nothing. Maybe the owner only wanted the cheapest oil and filter change and stamp in the book every year. Another one I've heard of is "it's an original filter it had a date stamp of 2010 and it's a 2010 car" maybe the dealer bought bulk load of filters for stock in 2010 and they are still using them? I could get a filter from euros and fit it tomorrow with a date stamp of 2017. When it gets changed next year whoever changes it will think it's a 4 year old filter and that garage last year never bothered to replace it.
2) the guy with a pink dot on the filter, maybe all the filters in their parts department have pink dots?
3) the guy who has done 20k miles in a landrover and thinks they are being ripped off cos it needs tyres and brakes. Tbh, I've had range rovers and discoverys for years, none of them have done 20k on a set of brakes/tyres.
4) safety check is a upsell con blah blah blah. Did you know the dealer gets financially rewarded from the manufacturer dependent on how many videos/safety checks are carried out. Ultimately the dealer couldn't care less if you accept the safety check and book in for the identified work or not. As long as they have done their quota of checks to get the bonus from the manufacturer.
shake n bake said:
hi court said:
Just a couple of things,
1) the guy with the Renault whose vehicle had full service history but an original air filter, a common complaint but often unfounded. Just because it has full service history dont mean nothing. Maybe the owner only wanted the cheapest oil and filter change and stamp in the book every year. Another one I've heard of is "it's an original filter it had a date stamp of 2010 and it's a 2010 car" maybe the dealer bought bulk load of filters for stock in 2010 and they are still using them? I could get a filter from euros and fit it tomorrow with a date stamp of 2017. When it gets changed next year whoever changes it will think it's a 4 year old filter and that garage last year never bothered to replace it.
2) the guy with a pink dot on the filter, maybe all the filters in their parts department have pink dots?
3) the guy who has done 20k miles in a landrover and thinks they are being ripped off cos it needs tyres and brakes. Tbh, I've had range rovers and discoverys for years, none of them have done 20k on a set of brakes/tyres.
4) safety check is a upsell con blah blah blah. Did you know the dealer gets financially rewarded from the manufacturer dependent on how many videos/safety checks are carried out. Ultimately the dealer couldn't care less if you accept the safety check and book in for the identified work or not. As long as they have done their quota of checks to get the bonus from the manufacturer.
I’m interested in point 4, where did you get the information?1) the guy with the Renault whose vehicle had full service history but an original air filter, a common complaint but often unfounded. Just because it has full service history dont mean nothing. Maybe the owner only wanted the cheapest oil and filter change and stamp in the book every year. Another one I've heard of is "it's an original filter it had a date stamp of 2010 and it's a 2010 car" maybe the dealer bought bulk load of filters for stock in 2010 and they are still using them? I could get a filter from euros and fit it tomorrow with a date stamp of 2017. When it gets changed next year whoever changes it will think it's a 4 year old filter and that garage last year never bothered to replace it.
2) the guy with a pink dot on the filter, maybe all the filters in their parts department have pink dots?
3) the guy who has done 20k miles in a landrover and thinks they are being ripped off cos it needs tyres and brakes. Tbh, I've had range rovers and discoverys for years, none of them have done 20k on a set of brakes/tyres.
4) safety check is a upsell con blah blah blah. Did you know the dealer gets financially rewarded from the manufacturer dependent on how many videos/safety checks are carried out. Ultimately the dealer couldn't care less if you accept the safety check and book in for the identified work or not. As long as they have done their quota of checks to get the bonus from the manufacturer.
Deep Thought said:
Limpet said:
Took the Mini in for a major service at the main dealer recently. Added another £60 “inspection service” to the job card when I got there, as it was apparently due.
Car went in with the rear screen washer not working properly.
Car came out with the rear screen washer still not working properly.
No mention of anything in the technicians report,
However, they did go to great lengths to point out the rear pads were down to 4.5mm and there was a slight lip on the discs....
Laughable.
Did you tell them to look at / resolve the rear screen washer not working properly?Car went in with the rear screen washer not working properly.
Car came out with the rear screen washer still not working properly.
No mention of anything in the technicians report,
However, they did go to great lengths to point out the rear pads were down to 4.5mm and there was a slight lip on the discs....
Laughable.
The point is, I was charged an additional £60 for a "vehicle inspection", which according to MINI: "covers a wide variety of elements to help ensure your MINI remains safe, roadworthy and continues to look and perform at its optimum", on top of the £380 I was already paying for an oil, fuel and air filter change, and this was missed.
It strongly suggests these "checks" are simply not done thoroughly, if at all.
Limpet said:
Deep Thought said:
Limpet said:
Took the Mini in for a major service at the main dealer recently. Added another £60 “inspection service” to the job card when I got there, as it was apparently due.
Car went in with the rear screen washer not working properly.
Car came out with the rear screen washer still not working properly.
No mention of anything in the technicians report,
However, they did go to great lengths to point out the rear pads were down to 4.5mm and there was a slight lip on the discs....
Laughable.
Did you tell them to look at / resolve the rear screen washer not working properly?Car went in with the rear screen washer not working properly.
Car came out with the rear screen washer still not working properly.
No mention of anything in the technicians report,
However, they did go to great lengths to point out the rear pads were down to 4.5mm and there was a slight lip on the discs....
Laughable.
The point is, I was charged an additional £60 for a "vehicle inspection", which according to MINI: "covers a wide variety of elements to help ensure your MINI remains safe, roadworthy and continues to look and perform at its optimum", on top of the £380 I was already paying for an oil, fuel and air filter change, and this was missed.
It strongly suggests these "checks" are simply not done thoroughly, if at all.
t. Those techs barely have the time to do the basic service, but of course when anything goes wrong, you'll find that the quality manual places blame squarely on the technicians.Limpet said:
The point is, I was charged an additional £60 for a "vehicle inspection", which according to MINI: "covers a wide variety of elements to help ensure your MINI remains safe, roadworthy and continues to look and perform at its optimum", on top of the £380 I was already paying for an oil, fuel and air filter change, and this was missed.
OK, I know you're going to get stung by the connection to BMW, but £440 for a major service on a MINI - jeepers.hi court said:
Just a couple of things,
1) the guy with the Renault whose vehicle had full service history but an original air filter, a common complaint but often unfounded. Just because it has full service history dont mean nothing. Maybe the owner only wanted the cheapest oil and filter change and stamp in the book every year. Another one I've heard of is "it's an original filter it had a date stamp of 2010 and it's a 2010 car" maybe the dealer bought bulk load of filters for stock in 2010 and they are still using them? I could get a filter from euros and fit it tomorrow with a date stamp of 2017. When it gets changed next year whoever changes it will think it's a 4 year old filter and that garage last year never bothered to replace it.
2) the guy with a pink dot on the filter, maybe all the filters in their parts department have pink dots?
3) the guy who has done 20k miles in a landrover and thinks they are being ripped off cos it needs tyres and brakes. Tbh, I've had range rovers and discoverys for years, none of them have done 20k on a set of brakes/tyres.
4) safety check is a upsell con blah blah blah. Did you know the dealer gets financially rewarded from the manufacturer dependent on how many videos/safety checks are carried out. Ultimately the dealer couldn't care less if you accept the safety check and book in for the identified work or not. As long as they have done their quota of checks to get the bonus from the manufacturer.
3. Read my posts again about the LR , you clearly haven’t read and understood them , but you know better because you’ve had them for years.....1) the guy with the Renault whose vehicle had full service history but an original air filter, a common complaint but often unfounded. Just because it has full service history dont mean nothing. Maybe the owner only wanted the cheapest oil and filter change and stamp in the book every year. Another one I've heard of is "it's an original filter it had a date stamp of 2010 and it's a 2010 car" maybe the dealer bought bulk load of filters for stock in 2010 and they are still using them? I could get a filter from euros and fit it tomorrow with a date stamp of 2017. When it gets changed next year whoever changes it will think it's a 4 year old filter and that garage last year never bothered to replace it.
2) the guy with a pink dot on the filter, maybe all the filters in their parts department have pink dots?
3) the guy who has done 20k miles in a landrover and thinks they are being ripped off cos it needs tyres and brakes. Tbh, I've had range rovers and discoverys for years, none of them have done 20k on a set of brakes/tyres.
4) safety check is a upsell con blah blah blah. Did you know the dealer gets financially rewarded from the manufacturer dependent on how many videos/safety checks are carried out. Ultimately the dealer couldn't care less if you accept the safety check and book in for the identified work or not. As long as they have done their quota of checks to get the bonus from the manufacturer.
lyonspride said:
Pan Pan Pan said:
Mexman said:
I find it amusing that the same old posters who love to constantly dealer bash, as demonstrated on other threads, have found their way onto this one also.
Maybe some of the issues, are not the dealers, and perhaps, some should look closer to home?
I'm not saying that some of these stories are not justified, and that is true of every aspect of a service industry but I would guess a lot of them are jackanory.
Some people just like to complain, moan, throw toys out of the pram, and go through life whinging about every level of service they ever encounter, whether it be a holiday, a restaurant, a shop or whatever, and will never be happy.
Trip advisor?
It is also about people who have had sh*tty, dishonest, incompetent service from main dealers, Just because some put a suit and tie on,and have expensive showrooms, does not mean they are not still, sh*tty, dishonest, incompetent, individuals and or dealerships.Maybe some of the issues, are not the dealers, and perhaps, some should look closer to home?
I'm not saying that some of these stories are not justified, and that is true of every aspect of a service industry but I would guess a lot of them are jackanory.
Some people just like to complain, moan, throw toys out of the pram, and go through life whinging about every level of service they ever encounter, whether it be a holiday, a restaurant, a shop or whatever, and will never be happy.
Trip advisor?
I just had a look in the VW/Audi forum section.
There is a thread about leasing the new 2.0tdi A6 for a good price.
However, this caught my eye.....
There is a thread about leasing the new 2.0tdi A6 for a good price.
However, this caught my eye.....
dalenorth said:
Has anybody had a service on one of these yet? My local dealers who monopolise the midlands won’t budge from £580 for an oil change. Seems steep to me.
£580 for an oil service on a 2 litre diesel Audi?!! gizlaroc said:
I just had a look in the VW/Audi forum section.
There is a thread about leasing the new 2.0tdi A6 for a good price.
However, this caught my eye.....
My mate had that last year on an A5. Unreal. There is a thread about leasing the new 2.0tdi A6 for a good price.
However, this caught my eye.....
dalenorth said:
Has anybody had a service on one of these yet? My local dealers who monopolise the midlands won’t budge from £580 for an oil change. Seems steep to me.
£580 for an oil service on a 2 litre diesel Audi?!! For me I would use a main dealer to maintain service history and warranty work. I find that when a car just needs servicing the benefits of a courtesy car, convenience, etc outweigh the extra cost. When the car starts needing repairs whether real or dealer imagination then it is time to find a good independent.
Having been a long term Audi owner I have been on the receiving end of the outrageous quotes for repairs that are not required, etc. This sort of thing is unethical at best and signals time to find a good indie.
Having been a long term Audi owner I have been on the receiving end of the outrageous quotes for repairs that are not required, etc. This sort of thing is unethical at best and signals time to find a good indie.
Up until fairly recently, I tended to avoid using Kwik Fit outlets, but did have call to use the local one, because the one I went to could get the minor work my car needed done faster than anyone else in the area. I was surprised at how well the work was done, including the cost of the parts, which was much cheaper than the main dealer was quoting.
I also got the wheel alignment done when I was there, and they had some good kit for sorting this out.
The details are put up on a screen in the waiting room, and show where the tracking is supposed to be, with an overlay of what the tracking on the car actually was. It was quite interesting watching them adjust the track arms on the car, and seeing each wheel move into alignment with the manufacturers specified setting.
I also got the wheel alignment done when I was there, and they had some good kit for sorting this out.
The details are put up on a screen in the waiting room, and show where the tracking is supposed to be, with an overlay of what the tracking on the car actually was. It was quite interesting watching them adjust the track arms on the car, and seeing each wheel move into alignment with the manufacturers specified setting.
Pan Pan Pan said:
Up until fairly recently, I tended to avoid using Kwik Fit outlets, but did have call to use the local one, because the one I went to could get the minor work my car needed done faster than anyone else in the area. I was surprised at how well the work was done, including the cost of the parts, which was much cheaper than the main dealer was quoting.
I also got the wheel alignment done when I was there, and they had some good kit for sorting this out.
The details are put up on a screen in the waiting room, and show where the tracking is supposed to be, with an overlay of what the tracking on the car actually was. It was quite interesting watching them adjust the track arms on the car, and seeing each wheel move into alignment with the manufacturers specified setting.
Interesting. I have wondered sometimes if kwikfit gets overlooked for its brand perception. I would assume that most of the prices are a rip off and they just capitalise on people who are too lazy to find a good Indy and want high street convenience. But maybe that’s not the case and maybe their size means they’re buying in better kit to work with for things like tracking...?I also got the wheel alignment done when I was there, and they had some good kit for sorting this out.
The details are put up on a screen in the waiting room, and show where the tracking is supposed to be, with an overlay of what the tracking on the car actually was. It was quite interesting watching them adjust the track arms on the car, and seeing each wheel move into alignment with the manufacturers specified setting.
Be interesting to know other people’s thoughts.
Alextodrive said:
Pan Pan Pan said:
Up until fairly recently, I tended to avoid using Kwik Fit outlets, but did have call to use the local one, because the one I went to could get the minor work my car needed done faster than anyone else in the area. I was surprised at how well the work was done, including the cost of the parts, which was much cheaper than the main dealer was quoting.
I also got the wheel alignment done when I was there, and they had some good kit for sorting this out.
The details are put up on a screen in the waiting room, and show where the tracking is supposed to be, with an overlay of what the tracking on the car actually was. It was quite interesting watching them adjust the track arms on the car, and seeing each wheel move into alignment with the manufacturers specified setting.
Interesting. I have wondered sometimes if kwikfit gets overlooked for its brand perception. I would assume that most of the prices are a rip off and they just capitalise on people who are too lazy to find a good Indy and want high street convenience. But maybe that’s not the case and maybe their size means they’re buying in better kit to work with for things like tracking...?I also got the wheel alignment done when I was there, and they had some good kit for sorting this out.
The details are put up on a screen in the waiting room, and show where the tracking is supposed to be, with an overlay of what the tracking on the car actually was. It was quite interesting watching them adjust the track arms on the car, and seeing each wheel move into alignment with the manufacturers specified setting.
Be interesting to know other people’s thoughts.
Alextodrive said:
Interesting. I have wondered sometimes if kwikfit gets overlooked for its brand perception. I would assume that most of the prices are a rip off and they just capitalise on people who are too lazy to find a good Indy and want high street convenience. But maybe that’s not the case and maybe their size means they’re buying in better kit to work with for things like tracking...?
Be interesting to know other people’s thoughts.
I've had a few alignments done at my local Kwik Fit and would happily continue but the prices are getting silly. When I first went, it was £40 all round on a Vectra, reduced to £30 because he couldn't do the rears properly ("It's a 19mm bolt but I've tried a 19mm socket and that was too big, tried and 18mm socket and that was too big too so I don't know what else I can try") but the alignment they did was spot on. Next time I went on my e87 BMW it was £60 all round. Like the Vectra though, alignment was spot on. Took my Range Rover, £99 all round. A bit of a sting but it's 4WD and air suspension so whatever, we'll go with it. That was very nearly perfect again, steering wheel was probably 2 degrees off. Then I went to the Kwik Fit near my work. £60 for just the fronts and the steering wheel is on a noticeable angle but goes arrow straight. I'd have taken it back but I'm having suspension work done soon due to failing bushes so I'll get that done afterwards. Back to my local KF to ask for my other half's Astra to just have the front done, £80 quoted! No thanks. She only drives about 6 miles per day so it can wait until I find somewhere else. National Tyres send me a thousand vouchers every so often which usually has wheel alignment stuff on, maybe I'll give them a go next time they're posted. Be interesting to know other people’s thoughts.
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