How long to keep my temper?...
Discussion
Guys,
Last week my Chim started misfiring, refusing to rev above 3500rpm and generally misbehaving so on Monday afternoon it was towed in to a well known TVR garage to be looked at.
When i phoned up before the car got towed in it was a case of "yeah fine get it in and we'll look at it" and not a hint that they were busy or that there would be any delay. Having confirmed that the car arrived with them on Tue they still hadn't even started looking at it till late on Thu and it is now late Mon afternoon and i have heard nothing more on if they have identified the issue, what they have been doing all this time, or when they would expect to have it sorted. I phoned earlier today and they said they had been looking at it and had been swapping parts with another similar car to see if they could find the problem, but no more info on how much time they had actually been giving it or how things were going.
Thing is, and i don't know if it is just me being impatient but i want my car looked at, fixed and returned in an awful lot less than a week and would have thought that expert mechanics could have identified the issue when it seems quite a minor one quickly. What do you think i should be doing, is this just the way TVR dealers work and i have to rely on it taking as long as it takes or do i start looking at getting the car uplifted from them and taken to somewhere that will sort it a little more speedliy?
This is the first time i have needed any work done on it so not really sure what i should be expecting, but am rapidly becoming distinctly unhappy at being without my toy..
Cheers
Al
Last week my Chim started misfiring, refusing to rev above 3500rpm and generally misbehaving so on Monday afternoon it was towed in to a well known TVR garage to be looked at.
When i phoned up before the car got towed in it was a case of "yeah fine get it in and we'll look at it" and not a hint that they were busy or that there would be any delay. Having confirmed that the car arrived with them on Tue they still hadn't even started looking at it till late on Thu and it is now late Mon afternoon and i have heard nothing more on if they have identified the issue, what they have been doing all this time, or when they would expect to have it sorted. I phoned earlier today and they said they had been looking at it and had been swapping parts with another similar car to see if they could find the problem, but no more info on how much time they had actually been giving it or how things were going.
Thing is, and i don't know if it is just me being impatient but i want my car looked at, fixed and returned in an awful lot less than a week and would have thought that expert mechanics could have identified the issue when it seems quite a minor one quickly. What do you think i should be doing, is this just the way TVR dealers work and i have to rely on it taking as long as it takes or do i start looking at getting the car uplifted from them and taken to somewhere that will sort it a little more speedliy?
This is the first time i have needed any work done on it so not really sure what i should be expecting, but am rapidly becoming distinctly unhappy at being without my toy..
Cheers
Al
My conclusion after owning sixteen cars over seventeen years is when its due for a service/repair you might as well tow it to the chimps enclosure at London Zoo rather than give it to a main dealer. Chances are they will fix it quicker and better and not manage to chip it, dent it, break it or as happened with my MR2 lose it!! (i mean its only 12 foot long and weighs the best part of a ton, its hardly likely to get lost behind the sofa!, but lose it they did)
>> Edited by puffsorted on Monday 20th June 17:52
>> Edited by puffsorted on Monday 20th June 17:52
Seems to be a common policy - they refuse nothing and dont give you a chance to go elsewhere, probably assuming its your 'toy' and dont need it back urgently for every day use - then look at it when they get a chance!
I agree, VERY annoying - then probably charge an arm and a leg for the privelige...
I agree, VERY annoying - then probably charge an arm and a leg for the privelige...
Hiya,
I had the same problem recently with a very reputable TVR garage. My car was in for bodywork i.e a 6" X 4" cracked area on the o/s/f. The quoted labour time for the repair and paint was 9hrs so was expecting the car to be completed in one week or two weeks at worst. To cut a long story short it did not even get touched for a week and a half, took four weeks to complete and was then sprayed the wrong colour. I took the car back in the wrong colour after 4 weeks for a weekend then gave it back to them for a further 2 weeks while I was on holiday. In total they had the car 6 weeks!!!!! To make things worse I had only owned the car for 2 weeks before it went into the bodyshop. There were mitigating circumstances at the time which did not help the situation and to be fair they have done a fantastic job on my car but when all was said and done it was horrible to loose my new toy for so long and could well have been avoided with a little more customer care in my opinion.
My advise would be to just keep phoning them every day, they will soon start to get annoyed by it and want to get your car done and gone. Shouting and screaming will get you nowhere fast infact it may well delay the job further and increase the bill! If they give you a date that the car will be finished they are entering into a verbal contract which you can use in your favour if there are anymore delays.
Good Luck
Keith
I had the same problem recently with a very reputable TVR garage. My car was in for bodywork i.e a 6" X 4" cracked area on the o/s/f. The quoted labour time for the repair and paint was 9hrs so was expecting the car to be completed in one week or two weeks at worst. To cut a long story short it did not even get touched for a week and a half, took four weeks to complete and was then sprayed the wrong colour. I took the car back in the wrong colour after 4 weeks for a weekend then gave it back to them for a further 2 weeks while I was on holiday. In total they had the car 6 weeks!!!!! To make things worse I had only owned the car for 2 weeks before it went into the bodyshop. There were mitigating circumstances at the time which did not help the situation and to be fair they have done a fantastic job on my car but when all was said and done it was horrible to loose my new toy for so long and could well have been avoided with a little more customer care in my opinion.
My advise would be to just keep phoning them every day, they will soon start to get annoyed by it and want to get your car done and gone. Shouting and screaming will get you nowhere fast infact it may well delay the job further and increase the bill! If they give you a date that the car will be finished they are entering into a verbal contract which you can use in your favour if there are anymore delays.
Good Luck
Keith
Hi Al
Sorry to hear about your troubles!
It would be perfectly reasonable to ask how long the car may take, when it is booked in (or even now). I certainly would.
Just to offer a view from the other side of the fence though, you may have suffered from bad timing. Last week was pre Le Mans, and every decent specialist worth his salt was stuffed with cars due to go out at the weekend (I was at Austec the week before and they were working 16 hour days to get the cars out).
Personally my diary is full for over three weeks ahead, but I would have told any potential clients that at the time. Exceptions can often be made in emergencies if asked nicely...
Give them a call, and ask. I'm sure they'll help if at all possible, but at least you'll know where you stand. The biggest problems always apeear where your expectations don't meet reality.
Good Luck - and please keep us posted.
Sorry to hear about your troubles!
It would be perfectly reasonable to ask how long the car may take, when it is booked in (or even now). I certainly would.
Just to offer a view from the other side of the fence though, you may have suffered from bad timing. Last week was pre Le Mans, and every decent specialist worth his salt was stuffed with cars due to go out at the weekend (I was at Austec the week before and they were working 16 hour days to get the cars out).
Personally my diary is full for over three weeks ahead, but I would have told any potential clients that at the time. Exceptions can often be made in emergencies if asked nicely...
Give them a call, and ask. I'm sure they'll help if at all possible, but at least you'll know where you stand. The biggest problems always apeear where your expectations don't meet reality.
Good Luck - and please keep us posted.
fads said:
"Welcome to the world of TVR"
That's not fair.
I have had nothing but good service from everyone that I have dealt with since getting my TVR. Like any other industry there are good and bad out there, but I would say there are probably more enthusiasts within the TVR businesses and in general the service is better than the norm. Especially when you bear in mind that the cars themselves are not exactly the easiest to work on and maintain.
ariddell said:
Guys,
Thing is, and i don't know if it is just me being impatient but i want my car looked at, fixed and returned in an awful lot less than a week and would have thought that expert mechanics could have identified the issue when it seems quite a minor one quickly.
Al
Do you think the mechanics have been sat around waiting for your car to break
That only happens in motorsport. Al,
Trust me. That dealership does not muck you around in my experience. They have been nothing but honest and straight with me.
On the other hand, if you want progress reports (or prices) you have to hassle them. As a general rule they are pretty busy, especially at this time of year.
I'm popping up there on Saturday to get a niggle sorted. If you want to give me some distinguishing features of your car (via mail) I'll tell you what I can see. I could also mention to the chaps that you are interested in a progress report, but that might be counter productive.
PS: I know you from the e-mail group
Trust me. That dealership does not muck you around in my experience. They have been nothing but honest and straight with me.
On the other hand, if you want progress reports (or prices) you have to hassle them. As a general rule they are pretty busy, especially at this time of year.
I'm popping up there on Saturday to get a niggle sorted. If you want to give me some distinguishing features of your car (via mail) I'll tell you what I can see. I could also mention to the chaps that you are interested in a progress report, but that might be counter productive.
PS: I know you from the e-mail group
Good to know, i actually got the car back earlier today after they tracked down the problem to the air intake and it seems to be driving really well.
I think it did all come down to perception and had i been told that they were quite busy and would look at it when they could before i got it towed in it would have made the world of difference. I ended up paying for the repair as it was not the sort of thing that was covered under my warranty but the price was reasonable considering i think they spent a fair while longer investigating the cause than they charged me for. Their price for delivering the car back was also very reasonable and done within a couple of hours so very happy there.
Just hanging for the end of the day so i can get back out and drive it again after a week of withdrawal!
Cheers
Al
I think it did all come down to perception and had i been told that they were quite busy and would look at it when they could before i got it towed in it would have made the world of difference. I ended up paying for the repair as it was not the sort of thing that was covered under my warranty but the price was reasonable considering i think they spent a fair while longer investigating the cause than they charged me for. Their price for delivering the car back was also very reasonable and done within a couple of hours so very happy there.
Just hanging for the end of the day so i can get back out and drive it again after a week of withdrawal!
Cheers
Al
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