Great service from an independent garage - AWS
Discussion
I know its normal PH form to slag off bad garages so I thought I would share a good experience I had today.
Background - Golf Mk4 V5 losing coolant but no obvious leaks. One VW specialist diagnosed it as an oil leak (err no its coolant) and my local mechanic found the leak but couldnt diagnose (apprently the V5 is a bit complicated!) it and suggested I go to a specialist.
I found AWS (Autowerkstatt, VW, Audi and Porsche specialists) via google and they booked me in for a £30 diagnostic check. Once they had the car they called to tell me it was going to take longer to pin it down due to it being a very minor leak and there were a number of possible culprits and I think they took 2 hours in the end. They then called to tell me it would be £145 to replace some hoses and parts at the back of the engine (having researched already this is what I expected anyway).
I was pleasantly surprised when picking it up today to find that they had stuck to their £30 fee for diagnosis even though it took a lot longer. Then I was even happier when the £145 was reduced to £134 as they had got the parts at a better price and passed the saving on to me. I was even happier when they told me that £134 included the labour (I had assumed this was just the parts price)
They also took time to discuss with me the issue, other potential problems with this type of engine and a general chat about the model of car I have.
Breath of fresh air to find a garage that:
Background - Golf Mk4 V5 losing coolant but no obvious leaks. One VW specialist diagnosed it as an oil leak (err no its coolant) and my local mechanic found the leak but couldnt diagnose (apprently the V5 is a bit complicated!) it and suggested I go to a specialist.
I found AWS (Autowerkstatt, VW, Audi and Porsche specialists) via google and they booked me in for a £30 diagnostic check. Once they had the car they called to tell me it was going to take longer to pin it down due to it being a very minor leak and there were a number of possible culprits and I think they took 2 hours in the end. They then called to tell me it would be £145 to replace some hoses and parts at the back of the engine (having researched already this is what I expected anyway).
I was pleasantly surprised when picking it up today to find that they had stuck to their £30 fee for diagnosis even though it took a lot longer. Then I was even happier when the £145 was reduced to £134 as they had got the parts at a better price and passed the saving on to me. I was even happier when they told me that £134 included the labour (I had assumed this was just the parts price)
They also took time to discuss with me the issue, other potential problems with this type of engine and a general chat about the model of car I have.
Breath of fresh air to find a garage that:
- Sticks to the quoted price
- Reduces the cost in line with the price they pay (would be easy to just charge me the original price)
- Spend time talking about the issue and discussing other items on the car without bring prompted
- Actually able to speak to the people who worked on the car and could tell me first hand what they had seen
On a similar note I'd like to mention the Range Rover Specialist garage in Portman Road in Reading.
Last week my keyfob started acting up, I managed to get the car started and headed to them. Parked up wandered in and asked if they had a new battery for the keyfob.
Guy from the back came through, took the key fob away and returned 5 minutes later with a new battery fitted... and then wouldn't take any money for it.
It's the first time I've ever set foot in the place!
However, with the Rangie being a P38 I doubt very much it'll be the last time, especially with this typre of custoomer service being displayed.
Last week my keyfob started acting up, I managed to get the car started and headed to them. Parked up wandered in and asked if they had a new battery for the keyfob.
Guy from the back came through, took the key fob away and returned 5 minutes later with a new battery fitted... and then wouldn't take any money for it.
It's the first time I've ever set foot in the place!
However, with the Rangie being a P38 I doubt very much it'll be the last time, especially with this typre of custoomer service being displayed.
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