Impact of COVID-19 on motor industry?

johndaman66

Montage of Feck wrote: »

Not responding to email, Facebook etc. is the easiest way to avoid spoofers.

It begs the question why provide an email address so if that's the case or at least why make it available to the general public if not going to use it for its intended purpose. I appreciate you will get a considerable number of spoofers and messers using email but in this day and age a lot of genuine business is done via email too or at least it is the precursor to doing business. Plenty of spoofers use the phone too so I suppose if you look at that the same way then the best way to avoid spoofers is to avoid answering the phone - you will avoid them but again you will avoid plenty of genuine customers too.

Cyrus

johndaman66 wrote: »

It begs the question why provide an email address so if that's the case or at least why make it available to the general public if not going to use it for its intended purpose. I appreciate you will get a considerable number of spoofers and messers using email but in this day and age a lot of genuine business is done via email too or at least it is the precursor to doing business. Plenty of spoofers use the phone too so I suppose if you look at that the same way then the best way to avoid spoofers is to avoid answering the phone - you will avoid them but again you will avoid plenty of genuine customers too.

At the moment most phone numbers are no good email is all they have yet they ignore it , baffling

johndaman66

Cyrus wrote: »

At the moment most phone numbers are no good email is all they have yet they ignore it , baffling

My own experience (I am generalising and in general I don't like generalising!) is that Irish people have absolute horrendous email etiquette whether in business or otherwise. People in business the UK have much much better email etiquette - unusual for them not to reply to an email within a day and generally much sooner. I can't say I have experience which I recall of a UK based business person not replying to an email. Don't want to make it into a nation against nation thing but to hark back to my original point why actually provide an email address if not going to use it for its intended purpose - you might bypass spoofers but its one sure way of loosing business too.

jmreire

Augeo wrote: »

I find their asking prices are deliriously high and they often include a srappage discount.
There's a 171 Octavia 1.6 diesel with 120k kms asking €16.5k for instance..... https://www.hertzcarsales.ie/used-cars/11132160-skoda-octavia-85-per-week-with-zero-deposit/

Mad money...for sure. Did a search on carsireland, using the same criteria as the Hertz car you used,,,,,most expensive one listed, same spec's was €14'000....and way less mileage. No way, Jose !!! LOL :cool::cool: I'd say that most ex-hire fleet cars are sold off in bulk, down the line. I was speaking to a car salesman that I know, and asked him about trade-ins etc. and he told me that the dealership that he worked for, are not interested in anything over 3 year's old and having more than 100'000 Kls. Their preferred trade-in will be only 2 years old ( and possibly still having some warranty left ) and 70'000 Klms on the clock. So a lot of these ex-hires will be sold on to " Trade Sale's " etc,

Leonard Hofstadter

Seems like sales can re-commence from Monday as well as service / parts if garages adhere to social distancing guidelines.

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/car-dealerships-who-meet-covid-19-guidelines-expected-to-reopen-for-sales-on-monday-39200568.html

Sexual Chocolate

Yeah a lot of places are opening back up properly on the 18th it seems. Few have being opened all along.

whippet

Sexual Chocolate wrote: »

Yeah a lot of places are opening back up properly on the 18th it seems. Few have being opened all along.

I've anecdotally heard of at least one dealer who have been delivering cars over the last few weeks.

Hopefully next week I will be able to collect my new motor - no where to drive but at least I can look at it on the driveway !

jmreire

On the thread of will Covid-19 affect car sales, in the US at the moment, Hertz have narrowly avoided bankruptcy ( for the moment), but may have to sell off a sizeable portion of their fleet, and they have missed a payment to their lenders in April. Avis have posted a loss of €146 million for the 1st quarter this year. I'm pretty sure that this will have a knock on effect world wide. And all largely due to Covid-19.

Rows Grower

jmreire wrote: »

On the thread of will Covid-19 affect car sales, in the US at the moment, Hertz have narrowly avoided bankruptcy ( for the moment), but may have to sell off a sizeable portion of their fleet, and they have missed a payment to their lenders in April. Avis have posted a loss of €146 million for the 1st quarter this year. I'm pretty sure that this will have a knock on effect world wide. And all largely due to Covid-19.

This is just the start of it, all is changed, changed utterly...

Probably be doing well to see 80k private cars sold/annum for a next few years. That's 30% off 2019 ............. just a guess.

Rows Grower

Augeo wrote: »

Probably be doing well to see 80k private cars sold/annum for a next few years. That's 30% off 2019 ............. just a guess.

Funnily enough I got an email alert from a UK site an hour ago and a used Ranger I had been looking at some time ago has had a price drop of roughly 30%.

Usually price drops in the UK are mickey mouse figures just so the ad gets a bump, but in the last couple of days stuff that's been sitting on the forecourts is getting dropped a couple of grand.

I can only see this snowballing.

SummerK

Rows Grower wrote: »

Funnily enough I got an email alert from a UK site an hour ago and a used Ranger I had been looking at some time ago has had a price drop of roughly 30%.

Usually price drops in the UK are mickey mouse figures just so the ad gets a bump, but in the last couple of days stuff that's been sitting on the forecourts is getting dropped a couple of grand.

I can only see this snowballing.

30% is a significant drop. Don't see any price drops on Irish cars.
HonestJohn predicted a price increase due to drop in new car manufacturing. Don't know where we will end up- Up or down in terms of pricing

CianRyan

My jobs showroom is due to open in line with phase 3 on July 29th, simi have petitioned that show rooms should be allowed to open on the 8th of june for phase 2 how ever this is yet to be seen.

ELM327

Wonder if theres a pent up demand from cocooners to get their free coffee and have a chat about the new auris or juke that they have no intention of buying.

CianRyan

ELM327 wrote: »

Wonder if theres a pent up demand from cocooners to get their free coffee and have a chat about the new auris or juke that they have no intention of buying.

I don't envy that part of being in sales.
I am really looking forward to seeing the cars that have driven around with 500ml of oil in the sumo for 3 months and the brakes that are about to split discs in two.


My own tyres have been leaking from the bead so I am genuinely excited to be able to fix that. :pac:

PsychoPete

ELM327 wrote: »

Wonder if theres a pent up demand from cocooners to get their free coffee and have a chat about the new auris or juke that they have no intention of buying.

Also asking to get their tyre pressure and washer fluid checked just before they leave

jmreire

CianRyan wrote: »

I don't envy that part of being in sales.
I am really looking forward to seeing the cars that have driven around with 500ml of oil in the sumo for 3 months and the brakes that are about to split discs in two.


My own tyres have been leaking from the bead so I am genuinely excited to be able to fix that. :pac:

The only consolation is that there should be only very small mileage driven in any car booking in for a service ( assuming, that is, everyone was obeying the lockdown travel restriction's.........LOL

jmreire

PsychoPete wrote: »

Also asking to get their tyre pressure and washer fluid checked just before they leave

They used to be known as " The Wind, Water and Information merchants":cool:

swarlb

ELM327 wrote: »

Wonder if theres a pent up demand from cocooners to get their free coffee and have a chat about the new auris or juke that they have no intention of buying.

And everyone else, women pushing prams while their husbands peered through windows, with their fat bellies polishing the bodywork, while their other kids run wild...
Or couples, he, trying to look all serious and knowing, while the wife held the purse strings...

ednwireland

CianRyan wrote: »

My own tyres have been leaking from the bead so I am genuinely excited to be able to fix that. :pac:

tyre centres open where i am

had one car fixed this week (leaking shock replaced) at a main dealer

other car in for a service on monday (well overdue becuase it was cancelled originally)

bazz26

There is a Kia/Opel dealer out my way that has both a rural premises and city premises. The city premises is pretty much open plan and all their cars were moved out to the rural premises when all this kicked off. I saw a few transporters passing through my village this morning heading towards the city so I am assuming they are returning stock to the city premises in preparation for reopening.

ELM327

swarlb wrote: »

And everyone else, women pushing prams while their husbands peered through windows, with their fat bellies polishing the bodywork, while their other kids run wild...
Or couples, he, trying to look all serious and knowing, while the wife held the purse strings...

Hey. I make sure to keep mine away from the bodywork!
#dad_bod

Michael Tynan Cars

We are re-opening our garage on May 18th in accordance with the Government advised Covid 19 guidelines. With social distancing in place and comprehensive sanitising procedures implemented, It will be business as 'usual' from next Monday.

Done slightly differently but with the same high level of service and attention to detail, we will be delighted to welcome you to our showroom.

Do the fandango

ELM327 wrote: »

Wonder if theres a pent up demand from cocooners to get their free coffee ....

As far as I can see it the coffee docks will be gone. Too much risk of contamination and nobody available/willing to clean it as regular as required.

CianRyan

ednwireland wrote: »

tyre centres open where i am

had one car fixed this week (leaking shock replaced) at a main dealer

other car in for a service on monday (well overdue becuase it was cancelled originally)

Ah yeah but I'm not gonna pay for it when I can fix it for nothing. Haha
All I have to do is top up the pressure every two weeks or so, no biggie.

lucanite2020

Hi All-

Quick question- do we know for sure if car salesrooms will be open on Monday 18th May?

Have seen various mentions of them being open but anything concrete?

TIA
L2020

greasepalm

A few on facebook say they are.

Ozark2020

Wonder what sweeteners will be put in place to stimulate demand for 202 reg cars. Had plans (pre covid) to change my 4 year old car.
As things currently stand with global uncertainty, impending prolonged recession and a possible reduced income directly or indirectly through increased income taxation it’s not high on the list of my priorities now.
Can’t see the government reducing their cash cow of vrt rates even temporarily for the rest of the year.
Was seriously tempted to change in January ....... glad I held out now

Rows Grower

Ozark2020 wrote: »

Wonder what sweeteners will be put in place to stimulate demand for 202 reg cars. Had plans (pre covid) to change my 4 year old car.
As things currently stand with global uncertainty, impending prolonged recession and a possible reduced income directly or indirectly through increased income taxation it’s not high on the list of my priorities now.
Can’t see the government reducing their cash cow of vrt rates even temporarily for the rest of the year.
Was seriously tempted to change in January ....... glad I held out now

Profit margins will be dropped by manufacturers and dealerships I'd say.

jmreire

Ozark2020 wrote: »

Wonder what sweeteners will be put in place to stimulate demand for 202 reg cars. Had plans (pre covid) to change my 4 year old car.
As things currently stand with global uncertainty, impending prolonged recession and a possible reduced income directly or indirectly through increased income taxation it’s not high on the list of my priorities now.
Can’t see the government reducing their cash cow of vrt rates even temporarily for the rest of the year.
Was seriously tempted to change in January ....... glad I held out now

If I was thinking about changing, I'd be holding off now until 2021, and see how it will develop. At the moment, the country is running on the momentum of previous times, but all has changed. A drop of 93% in April car sales is not a good sign. Now maybe this was due at least in part to the lockdown, but it will be interesting to see how the 202 registrations go, and also how the 2nd hand market fares out.