Monaro Servicing
Discussion
I'm looking for some advice on the following.......a bit long winded but appreciate your viewing.
I put my Monaro into a local Vauxhall dealer to have it serviced as apparently they are experts with Monaro's and it was also due a couple of safety recalls.
I collected it in the afternoon and was handed the bill. I was also informed the person who was a specialist on the Monaro was actually off sick. Being the first service (7.5k miles) all it was due was an oil and filter change and a few checks. Surely any monkey could do this? The car would also have to be booked back in for the safety recalls.
I don't use the car that much as I normally commute by bus but when out in it a few days later I was accelerating away from a roundabout when there was a large short cracking sound and then metal scraping, at first I thought the exhaust had fallen off but there was none of the loudness to accompany it. I pulled over and gave it a quick check over before slowly driving the short distance home.
It was as I slowly drove home that I could hear a new noise that of a rattle from the top end when under load.
When I got home I crawled under it to find the metal engine cover which covers the oil filter was hanging loose. I touched the remaining front loose bolt and it fell out. The 2 back bolts were only held on with a couple of threads. I would hate to think what could have happened it had come off and flew under the car.
The rattle was the worst concern for me. I called the branch and they asked me to take it in. I thought it prudent to check the car over and found the oil level was low, not low enough to be below the minimum mark but maybe 3 or 4 millimetres above it, right at the bottom of the cross-hatched area on the dipstick.
To me this is far to low and should be filled to half way on the cross-hatched area.
The garage maintain the oil level is correct to them and they have not yet commented on the unsecured metal cover.
Any comments or advice appreciated.
I put my Monaro into a local Vauxhall dealer to have it serviced as apparently they are experts with Monaro's and it was also due a couple of safety recalls.
I collected it in the afternoon and was handed the bill. I was also informed the person who was a specialist on the Monaro was actually off sick. Being the first service (7.5k miles) all it was due was an oil and filter change and a few checks. Surely any monkey could do this? The car would also have to be booked back in for the safety recalls.
I don't use the car that much as I normally commute by bus but when out in it a few days later I was accelerating away from a roundabout when there was a large short cracking sound and then metal scraping, at first I thought the exhaust had fallen off but there was none of the loudness to accompany it. I pulled over and gave it a quick check over before slowly driving the short distance home.
It was as I slowly drove home that I could hear a new noise that of a rattle from the top end when under load.
When I got home I crawled under it to find the metal engine cover which covers the oil filter was hanging loose. I touched the remaining front loose bolt and it fell out. The 2 back bolts were only held on with a couple of threads. I would hate to think what could have happened it had come off and flew under the car.
The rattle was the worst concern for me. I called the branch and they asked me to take it in. I thought it prudent to check the car over and found the oil level was low, not low enough to be below the minimum mark but maybe 3 or 4 millimetres above it, right at the bottom of the cross-hatched area on the dipstick.
To me this is far to low and should be filled to half way on the cross-hatched area.
The garage maintain the oil level is correct to them and they have not yet commented on the unsecured metal cover.
Any comments or advice appreciated.
Oh dear. I assume it was serviced on age and not mileage - the service intervals are every 10k miles. If I were you I would ask Monkfish Performance or RapidGB to give it the once over. I'd also ask for my money back from the dealer. Be warned, these engines should be kept topped up with oil, i.e. at the Max level on the cross hatching.
I would never trust my car with a main dealer (except warranty) and neither would most of the people on this forum. There are of course exeptions but a lot of dealers don't know how these cars work.
I would never trust my car with a main dealer (except warranty) and neither would most of the people on this forum. There are of course exeptions but a lot of dealers don't know how these cars work.
wormus said:
I would never trust my car with a main dealer (except warranty) and neither would most of the people on this forum. There are of course exeptions but a lot of dealers don't know how these cars work.
I'm hearing the same thing from a lot of people now. My CV8 has had 3 Vauxhall services (due to age rather than mileage), but I'm strongly considering taking it somewhere else for the first service under my ownership. Looking at a map, I'm only 25 miles from Monkfish, which kinda makes my mind up.Coder said:
wormus said:
I would never trust my car with a main dealer (except warranty) and neither would most of the people on this forum. There are of course exeptions but a lot of dealers don't know how these cars work.
I'm hearing the same thing from a lot of people now. My CV8 has had 3 Vauxhall services (due to age rather than mileage), but I'm strongly considering taking it somewhere else for the first service under my ownership. Looking at a map, I'm only 25 miles from Monkfish, which kinda makes my mind up.Its also a no brainer when you compare monkfishes prices to those of Vauxhall.
I also agree Stig. After some very painful initial dealings with the dealer, I'm delighted to say that my last two warranty work visits went very well, and I'm very happy with the service I have received. If you had of asked me what I thought of them a month ago, then there would not be enough of these 
smiley things to cover all the language I'd be using.
That said, I'm still going to travel to Monkfish (over 2 hours away) for my first service as the new owner as I know that they know the car (from previous owner)and want it all checked over and have a chat with the guys up there about a couple of concerns*
* I also want to take out their supercharged monster
smiley things to cover all the language I'd be using. That said, I'm still going to travel to Monkfish (over 2 hours away) for my first service as the new owner as I know that they know the car (from previous owner)and want it all checked over and have a chat with the guys up there about a couple of concerns*
* I also want to take out their supercharged monster
Drove 350 mile round trip for my last service at Sherwoods in Darlington, they were slow to get the work done, it was booked in at 12:00, but didn't get taken until 15:30, but no issues with service provided. The mechanic even parked it at the front door away from careless drivers. They quoted me the wrong price too for a 20k service (quoted me the 10k) and held the price, £175.
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