My current BMW 335 has a maintenance contract for the next few years so I think I know what my potential outlay will be. However, my Cayman S (2013 model) is due its MOT next month and I want several things checked beforehand including a problem with A/C, making sure the brakes are up to scratch and the front tyres are legal (I have had warnings on that subject the last two years, but they were still legal about six months ago), the rears have been replaced. It is between Porsche services (every two years) so am taking it to a private garage who dealt with my previous BMW.
The older BMW was subject to the numerous electrical recalls that plagued models from about 2008. As part of the âserviceâ they gave it a health checkup producing a list of items that would have cost thousands of pounds to fix. As it was nearing its MOT, I put it into my privately run garage, which I was using by then for servicing, and asked them to match the BMW list with MOT requirements. He recommended I replace the front tyres and it duly passed. I replaced that BMW with another new one as it had not really caused me any problems over 9 years, but am not sure I would use main dealerships after âfreeâ maintenance periods.
Anyway, I will be happy to give a verdict after the 20th when my non dealer garage gets to âplayâ with the Porsche for the first time. By the way, a main dealer minor service for the Porsche costs ÂŁ700 minimum and a big service before problems is over ÂŁ1,000. However, they do send you nice films of what they are looking at.
This paint code was a special order and cost a LOT of money as an option. I was not impressed. The delivery driver knew he had done it as the towing eye was left on the front of the car and when he dropped the keys through the letterbox I think he left something on it he should not have âŚ
When I raised this with the dealer in question they denied it and said I must have done it. I sold the car and want nothing to do with that marque anymore (this was the last straw in a very long line of problems with various dealers of the same marque). I was about to order another car and I cancelled my test drive and said I would not be buying that car to which the dealer basically said oh well somebody else will buy one. I am a big car fan and had some nice cars along the way, I had a load of pictures, books etc on this marque and I sold it all and cancelled my subscription to the owners club. The sort of cars I have had, they HAVE to go to a main dealer or you will never sell them, but the service you get, even âhigh endâ marques is terrible in my experience. I have a little Abarth station car and the dealer for that treats me better than many of these brands. I am not sure if it is a case of they think if you own a car like this you are made of money and so donât care, jealousy or whatever but it has stopped me having a sportscar for 2 years now and not sure if I really want to go back now âŚ
(Bit late to spot this, butâŚ) I shouldnât stereotype, but when it comes to the UK AR network, itâs difficult not to. Maybe there are some gems. Iâve never heard of one - yet.
A couple of their latest models have me seriously interested. But if the dealer is crap, so is the car, unfortunately. To risky.
I have my car serviced by a main dealer located 75 miles from where I live now .
He is a personal friend and I have bought my last 3 cars from him .
On the one occasion it was needed he was very accommodating with a warranty claim.
Incidentally my daughter has a one year old BMW which was returned to her after the first main dealer service with fingertight front wheel nuts !
Ah yes, âtaking your car into the dealer to be brokenâ. Its a familiar tale for me and one shared by a couple of my colleagues who have also had cars returned from a service with damage.
Very sad especially as one main dealer bodged a long scrape with touch up paint stick and then denied it. Seriously?
I donât use dealers anymore, I now do all of my own service and maintenance work just as a did when I first bought a car. I work on the basis that if that bunch of muppets can do it, it canât be very hard.
Independant, Our Nissan is over 15 years old, I change the oil and filter and do any other basic stuff then the garage down the road do the rest, they are excellent, fair pricing and honest.
Main dealers can over charge as they have a captive audiance and a cartel
A friend bought a brand new Astra GTE in the 80s. On its return from its first service he noticed oil spots underneath, investigation showed the sump plug was less than finger tight. I had a Corsa a few years ago that had some major work done at the dealer under warranty. When it came back there was a clunk on overrun which was traced to the engine subframe mounting bolts being loose. For good measure theyâd routed the speedo cable badly which caused it to break after a few weeks; with no feed to the speedo the engine management assumed that the car was sitting on a drive being revved for long periods so went into spanner mode until stopped & restarted. The dealer denied anything was wrong with their work and told me it needed a new head unit (speedo + electronics), when I looked myself I found the broken cable, replaced it and routed it the other side of the gear linkage (no right-angle bend now) and all was well.
Dealers are a liability.
Itâs already been mentioned further upthread but it bears repeating; if your car doesnât visit the dealer network occasionally it misses out on the manufacturer notifications. Major notifications esp safety issues generate a letter to the keeperâs address, lesser ones of which there can be many are directed to the dealer network where they can be applied during routine servicing visits. Itâs worth an occasional visit just to check if itâs missing anything. My last car in March was 2 years old on purchase, a trip to the nearest Volvo dealer identified a software update that was due, and was done at a convenient point. Servicing is done by my local independent.
Here are my conclusions after using main dealers for years and then independents.
Main dealer: nothing done without hooking up to a diagnostics machine. ÂŁ100+. A fitter will replace parts as dictated by diagnostics. No attempt to figure out what a problem might be, and no attempt to repair anything. Just parts fitting.
Independent: checks vehicle and engages brain to figure out the problem. Makes attempts to repair vehicle and only fits parts when necessary.
I have found independents to be friendlier, more thorough, more successful at resolving problems, and without fail cheaper. Havenât been to a main dealer for more than a decade other than for warranty work.
In March I took my five year old Mini into the same dealers I have bought from and had cars serviced for over seventeen years . I have bought three new cars from them in that time.
The bills for servicing and estimates on a gently driven Mini with 44 ,000 miles on the clock were ÂŁ1500.
ÂŁ650 on an engine mount , as I was doing little mileage over Lockdown and did not want to spend time in a garage , I left it. Took it to an independent repairer and the manager and mechanic both looked it.
I was told there was no need for any repairs, the usage was consistent with a vehicle of that age and any work was just to bring it up to showroom/as new.
Sod buying British made cars, next time itâs a Hyundai with a four year lease and a five year guarantee
Interesting. I have had the luxury of lease cars being renewed every few months whilst working for Ford and also into retirement. Certainly for warranty work the dealer has to phone Ford and discuss the diagnosis and get approval before he can proceed with a repair. Gone are the days that a dealer could replace a batteryâŚoops still not working, then an alternatorâŚand so on, before Ford would eventually be given a huge bill. The amount of labour they can charge is also defined by Ford, i am sure other OEM,s are no different. Even now if i have a tyre needing replacing, Kwik Fit have to call Ford to agree the replacement tyre spec and price.
Sounds like some dealers are still playing their old games or incompetence outside of warranty with the customers money.
Thatâs the feeling I got with my Mini - this is the third major incident, including one car rejected (demonic possession - developed a will of itâs own and free revved up to 5,000 rpm with foot nowhere neat accelerator)
Had enough
Yes, I still get the recalls, one was because one page in the user manual was not in English, the other was because if you âdabbedâ the hazard warning light button rather than fully depress it the system could drain the battery!
Of course, safety recalls are important, I just donât understand why damaging my car almost every time it goes into the garage is deemed OK?
Hi Roog. I wasnât saying that it should be serviced at a main dealer to get the updates, it was a suggestion that itâs worth dropping in occasionally to check. Apologies for my lack of clarity there.
The hazard light issue sounds like exactly the sort of thing that it would be useful to be aware of but wouldnât warrant a mass mailing to every registered keeper, tbh.
Hi @Householdnaim I completely agree with you, modern cars can have hidden issues which if you are not in touch with the industry can go amiss.
I friend of mine who on arriving in the UK had to take a UK test, used his own car and when the examiner asked to see evidence that the safety recall on his Mazda had been carried he was completely surprised. The examiner refused to take the test in the car and it was cancelled at the car owners expense.
I just get a bit fed up with garages because so many just donât care enough. I take my cars to a local garage for their MOTs, it makes me cringe, although the issue with them is mostly oil marks on the headlining.
