Car servicing and main dealers approach

ShadowHearth · 23-08-2020 1:54pm

I have 75k km on my Seat and now its over 3 years old and so far, Dealer was very accurate with things needed done. A while ago I found a service schedule and what needs to be done to my car each service and so far all services were on the button. They did what needed to be done and 60km mark was my major service, that I knew about, and they did informed that its going to major one, when booking in.
The only thing they were putting on sheet outside of service things were recommendations stuff, that I always knew before booking it. It was wipers or tyres, but if I had new wipers installed or new tyres not long before service, then they won't even mention it. So clearly this dealer actually checked stuff and did not tried up sell me so far.

Edit:

I see some people have attitude of "All dealers are assholes". In my experience ( not very big, mind you ), its not really true. I really like my local Seat dealer. They actually very friendly and decent to deal with. Me buying my first new car with them was a very pleasant experience. In a way, I would love to buy my next car with them again and deal with them in the fiture, unfortunately they don't have the car I want or can afford.
I had horrible experience with Ford dealer when I wanted to price Fiesta ST earlier this year. To the point, where a salesman who worked there for 8 years learned from me that there are actually ST Fords, not just ST-line all show, no go models. All time I was there, the salesman clearly showed, that I am annoying him... in the end other fella took my details, took pictures of my car and said he needs to go through his channels to find out proper trade in price for my car, as its no common one. So then he would call me back and we can talk numbers. Still waiting on that phone call half a year later. As a bonus, no one in dealership could tell me if ST3 comes with lsd diff as standard, as irish configurator does not have that option anymore ( sport pack ).

creedp · 25-08-2020 1:38am

Rows Grower wrote: »

I'd like to think not all Main Dealers are rip off merchants, best of luck.

Would agree with this but unfortunately a few bad experiences give the rest a bad name. Family member recently brought a 9 year old Quasqui to a dealer to look at air conditioner unit. Dealer checked it out and told her there was a leak in the system and it needed a new compressor. She didnt want to spend that kind of money as will be moving it on soon but Dealer said he would give her a price for the job which never materialised. On recommendation she went to local air conditioner service place who said system was fine and topped it up or €80 and it's been perfect since. So even though she has used the same dealer for over 10 years he was prepared to screw her over for an non existent job. Result she won't be the going back there to buy a new car next year.

rob316 · 25-08-2020 11:06pm

Boss got his XC60 serviced recently in Volvo dealer. They told him he urgently needed new front tires, I looked at them they had plenty of thread left well over the legal limit.

khaldrogo · 25-08-2020 11:40pm

rob316 wrote: »

Boss got his XC60 serviced recently in Volvo dealer. They told him he urgently needed new front tires, I looked at them they had plenty of thread left well over the legal limit.

What wear the tread depths exactly. Did you use an analogue or digital tread depth gauge?

26-08-2020 11:18am

Once the stickers are worn off a main dealer will tell you that you need tires. If they just catch out one person a day it's the guts of €1000 for free.

bucketybuck · 27-08-2020 2:07pm

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

Once the stickers are worn off a main dealer will tell you that you need tires. If they just catch out one person a day it's the guts of €1000 for free.

How many main dealers supply tyres?

I'm decades in the industry and any dealer I ever worked for used outside suppliers for tyres, its more hassle than its worth to keep a stock on site and look after all the disposal etc etc. If we needed tyres we could arrange it for you and make just a handling charge on the sublet invoice, or just advise you to go and get it done yourself.

There may of course be dealers with an integrated tyre centre but as usual your bitter posts about main dealers don't really match reality.

nogoodnamesleft · 27-08-2020 6:54pm

I have a rather tained view of my local main dealer carrying out work (I do get parts quotes from a BMW dealer in the South of the UK for genuine parts and have bought from them as the give a discount to the enthuasist community).

Regards my tained view of my local dealer. My car was included for the EGR cooler recall that affected BMWs last year. Dropped the car in and requested that the car also have the brake fluid changed whilst it was in (I didnt fancy the thought of bleeding each corner as it were). I was of course charged for the privilage as well as the "standard scope" charge (charge for updating the computer etc etc) that the dealer charges. When I picked up the car in the glossy showroom I was presented with the health check of the car by the service assistant. It was similar to that I got a few months prior when the car was in for an MOT.

Those astute among you may notice that the brake pads have "grown back" from when it was in for its prior visit in July (from 4mm to 7mm). I did mention this to the service assistant and mentioned that the technican was probably only looking at the outside pad and not the inside one which wears faster but I was informed oh just to keep an eye on the dash for the brake warning defeating the whole purpose of the "health check" that they also sell as a product but is included "free" with services" along with a video under neath the car (which I find more often than not useless as it nearly always never shows anything useful) :rolleyes:

Anyways that was in November. In December I knew the brakes didnt have much left in them so ordered the bits from the other BMW dealer and did the brakes myself over the Xmas break (I origionally posted on the DIY section of motors). What I found:

Siezed inside pads on the guides on both sides of the car which were only making partial contact with the inside face of the disk. The bleed nipple cover wasnt put back on one side.

Pads were approx 2.2mm on the inside pad (it makes matters worse that the car was in for a brake fluid change IMO). I also noticed when I scanned the car with the copy of ISTA (BMW diagnostic) I have that there was fault codes present from when the car had the ERG cooler replaced that werent cleared by the technician working on the car (that they were paid to do as part of the standard scope). The engine bay was also filthy afterwards as I dont think he fully drained down the coolant system before the cooler was replaced. He also didnt bother updating the BMW system that the brake fluid was changed as I got an email earlier in the year reminding me to get it done.

I have also come across over torqued wheel nuts, sump plug and the airfilter housing wasnt secured properly when it was replaced (by a different dealer as the car had the extended service plan).

Personally I would rather take it to a decent independent. if you are handy on the tools no one will look after your car better than yourself.

Rows Grower · 27-08-2020 7:31pm

nogoodnamesleft wrote: »

I have a rather tained view of my local main dealer carrying out work (I do get parts quotes from a BMW dealer in the South of the UK for genuine parts and have bought from them as the give a discount to the enthuasist community).

Regards my tained view of my local dealer. My car was included for the EGR cooler recall that affected BMWs last year. Dropped the car in and requested that the car also have the brake fluid changed whilst it was in (I didnt fancy the thought of bleeding each corner as it were). I was of course charged for the privilage as well as the "standard scope" charge (charge for updating the computer etc etc) that the dealer charges. When I picked up the car in the glossy showroom I was presented with the health check of the car by the service assistant. It was similar to that I got a few months prior when the car was in for an MOT.

Those astute among you may notice that the brake pads have "grown back" from when it was in for its prior visit in July (from 4mm to 7mm). I did mention this to the service assistant and mentioned that the technican was probably only looking at the outside pad and not the inside one which wears faster but I was informed oh just to keep an eye on the dash for the brake warning defeating the whole purpose of the "health check" that they also sell as a product but is included "free" with services" along with a video under neath the car (which I find more often than not useless as it nearly always never shows anything useful) :rolleyes:

Anyways that was in November. In December I knew the brakes didnt have much left in them so ordered the bits from the other BMW dealer and did the brakes myself over the Xmas break (I origionally posted on the DIY section of motors). What I found:

Siezed inside pads on the guides on both sides of the car which were only making partial contact with the inside face of the disk. The bleed nipple cover wasnt put back on one side.

Pads were approx 2.2mm on the inside pad (it makes matters worse that the car was in for a brake fluid change IMO). I also noticed when I scanned the car with the copy of ISTA (BMW diagnostic) I have that there was fault codes present from when the car had the ERG cooler replaced that werent cleared by the technician working on the car (that they were paid to do as part of the standard scope). The engine bay was also filthy afterwards as I dont think he fully drained down the coolant system before the cooler was replaced. He also didnt bother updating the BMW system that the brake fluid was changed as I got an email earlier in the year reminding me to get it done.

I have also come across over torqued wheel nuts, sump plug and the airfilter housing wasnt secured properly when it was replaced (by a different dealer as the car had the extended service plan). The dealer

Personally I would rather take it to a decent independent. if you are handy on the tools no one will look after your car better than yourself.

I wonder will our resident excuse makers have anything to say about this post?

27-08-2020 7:37pm

bucketybuck wrote: »

How many main dealers supply tyres?

I'm decades in the industry and any dealer I ever worked for used outside suppliers for tyres, its more hassle than its worth to keep a stock on site and look after all the disposal etc etc. If we needed tyres we could arrange it for you and make just a handling charge on the sublet invoice, or just advise you to go and get it done yourself.

There may of course be dealers with an integrated tyre centre but as usual your bitter posts about main dealers don't really match reality.

I haven't come across one that doesn't do tyres. Who does it for them I don't know as I've never availed of the quotation.

rob316 · 27-08-2020 7:50pm

khaldrogo wrote: »

What wear the tread depths exactly. Did you use an analogue or digital tread depth gauge?

There's a wear marker on them there was still a good 3mm over the marker. I wouldn't mind if it said advisory but it was in big red urgent attention section. They quoted 220 each for perrelli.

All there doing is going to the local tyre place and marking them up I know they don't keep a stock of tyres on site.

I always had my VW cc serviced in the main dealer and thought they were transparent enough.

Toyotafanboi · 27-08-2020 9:49pm

bucketybuck wrote: »

How many main dealers supply tyres?

I'm decades in the industry and any dealer I ever worked for used outside suppliers for tyres, its more hassle than its worth to keep a stock on site and look after all the disposal etc etc. If we needed tyres we could arrange it for you and make just a handling charge on the sublet invoice, or just advise you to go and get it done yourself.

There may of course be dealers with an integrated tyre centre but as usual your bitter posts about main dealers don't really match reality.

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

I haven't come across one that doesn't do tyres. Who does it for them I don't know as I've never availed of the quotation.

Any main dealer I've worked for has done tyres in house. I cant inagine one not doing so. Stocking tyres is backed by the manufacturer and there are good purchasing discounts when buying in bulk which makes it easy to stay competitive relative to tyre centres etc. Tyres are lucrative compared to other types of business the workshop could be doing too, IMO.

Particularly when you only have one franchise, there is only 8 or 10 really popular sizes, keep a budget and premium option for each, most others are available for same day delivery, so if we are organised we can have anything we need in and sold same day.

nogoodnamesleft · 27-08-2020 9:58pm

Rows Grower wrote: »

I wonder will our resident excuse makers have anything to say about this post?

There is another element to the invoices. I had 2 punctures at different times (one on the front and one on the rear axle). Hence the 1st invoice shows the tyres that lasted the course so to speak as those were the tyres that needed to be replaced.

Since the car is rear wheel drive when I replaced the tyres I got Goodyear run flats and matched the new tyres across the rear axle and moved the one of the partially worn Continentials to match the other at the front (mine is the Luxury spec 5 series so the tyre profiles are the same between both axles, the M sport is staggered).

The thing is those tyres were put on 3-4 weeks (by a tyre centre) before it visited the main dealer in November. So had approx 700 miles on them yet the outer edges of the tyres were worn to 6mm according to the technican that was unable to measure the brake pads correctly :rolleyes:.

Its perhaps the "prestige" brands but I think that some of them take customers for a easy meal ticket and assume that they wont know any better. I would rather just pay my money and thats it but unfortunately I have seen time and time again that they cant even get the basics right.

Regards the dealers and tyres. I believe in the UK they keep standard run flats in stock due to the sheer number of lease cars here (referring to BMW). So when a car comes in for a MOT and needs tyres they can do it. They also charge £50 more for the same rubber and run flats in most tyre places have a 3 day lead time between ordering and when they arrive in the fitting centre.

bs2014 · 27-08-2020 10:24pm

Casati wrote: »

I’m not sure that Indy’s are in general that much cheaper anyway and I’ll use main dealers. Also advantage of potential goodwill for cars like the OP’s not that long out of warranty. Eg I got window motors replaced with 75% discount on a 5 year old Megane because I had a full service history even though the car only had 2 year warranty. Same happened with repair to gearbox on a Skoda a year outside of warranty

My 4 year old Leon with FMDS had the coolant contaminant problem and I literally had to create ructions and go on hunger strike to get any goodwill. How I was treated by the whole dealer and manufacture has made me avoid main dealers. Whilst I agree if you find a good honest main dealer, you are onto a winner. But main dealers are becoming very clinical and they are incentivised by manufacturers and shareholders to sell parts and labour. I find a great variability in dealers and you never know who you will be dealing with and very often you get sent around the house for a simple question. Your best bet really is trying to find a main dealer mechanic who does his own work at night. Easier said that done.

Toyotafanboi · 27-08-2020 11:18pm

bs2014 wrote: »

they are incentivised by manufacturers and shareholders to sell parts and labour.

You say that like it's some kind of conspiracy. It's a bit like saying Tesco are incentivised to sell groceries. It's hardly a secret, just the basics of any business; sell things.

bucketybuck · 27-08-2020 11:49pm

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Any main dealer I've worked for has done tyres in house. I cant inagine one not doing so. Stocking tyres is backed by the manufacturer and there are good purchasing discounts when buying in bulk which makes it easy to stay competitive relative to tyre centres etc. Tyres are lucrative compared to other types of business the workshop could be doing too, IMO.

Particularly when you only have one franchise, there is only 8 or 10 really popular sizes, keep a budget and premium option for each, most others are available for same day delivery, so if we are organised we can have anything we need in and sold same day.

What do you mean backed by the manufacturer? I assume you mean the tyre manufacturer and not the vehicle manufacturer.

As for keeping a stock of tyres, yes it can be lucrative with the right setup, but that right setup requires an investment some dealers just can't justify. If you have the storage space and equipment then sure, but to really make the most of it you should have a fast fit centre as part of the premises and that is not always possible.

You don't need to have that type of setup, you could just have the lads in the main workshop fit them when needed, but you still need to buy the stock, buy the gear while around the corner Modern Tyres or Advanced Pitstop are still doing it cheaper than you.

If there are places doing it then fair enough, but I still wouldn't recommend it to any of the car dealers I worked for previously.

28-08-2020 5:56am

I don't mind them doing tyres, even though anyone would be mad to pay their prices, in was just making the point that they will always recommend tyres in their "health check". And wipers - absolute cert.

eastie17 · 28-08-2020 6:17am

Here’s another good one, 2017 Kia Sorento Service interval in the UK 30,000 km
2017 Kia Sorento Service interval Ireland 15,000 km.
Why?

nogoodnamesleft · 28-08-2020 7:13am

eastie17 wrote: »

Here’s another good one, 2017 Kia Sorento Service interval in the UK 30,000 km
2017 Kia Sorento Service interval Ireland 15,000 km.
Why?

I would rather a 15k km interval over the 30km interval! That's a long time for the same engine oil. A lot of the extended service intervals is to satisfy fleet managers so the car looks cheaper to maintain over the time they have the car.

Hellrazer · 28-08-2020 11:04am

bucketybuck wrote: »

What do you mean backed by the manufacturer? I assume you mean the tyre manufacturer and not the vehicle manufacturer.

As for keeping a stock of tyres, yes it can be lucrative with the right setup, but that right setup requires an investment some dealers just can't justify. If you have the storage space and equipment then sure, but to really make the most of it you should have a fast fit centre as part of the premises and that is not always possible.

You don't need to have that type of setup, you could just have the lads in the main workshop fit them when needed, but you still need to buy the stock, buy the gear while around the corner Modern Tyres or Advanced Pitstop are still doing it cheaper than you.

If there are places doing it then fair enough, but I still wouldn't recommend it to any of the car dealers I worked for previously.

Id be in a similar type of setup as TFB - We stock and fit our own tyres.

As for teh bit in bold above - a lot of the time(actually almost all the time) Im cheaper than the dedicated tyre companies.

rob316 · 28-08-2020 12:04pm

They are abusing the position of trust the car owner has in them. The vast majority of car owners have absolutely no idea about cars, couldn't change a wiper for ya and if the main dealer (the people who made your car) tells you that something needs to be done, it won't be questioned. They trust the brand.

An indie garage can't advise unneeded repairs as they don't have the trust of the customer immediately and these customers are seeking value.

bs2014 · 28-08-2020 12:27pm

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

You say that like it's some kind of conspiracy. It's a bit like saying Tesco are incentivised to sell groceries. It's hardly a secret, just the basics of any business; sell things.

In Tesco, you have a choice to buy something or not. If Tesco had a salesperson saying if you don't buy this product, you will die of starvation, people will opt into buying it. Likewise a parts or service person telling you you need new brake pads, no customer will want to compromise brakes or safety and will be guilt tripped into buying.

Put it this way, a tradesman in your house is 'incentivised' to rewire your whole house and your dentist could be incentivised to send you for braces etc

The point of the matter is you engage with that person/business as you 'trust' he/she will do the right thing and not rip you off unnecessarily. As most people are at a knowledge disadvantage in dealers, this trust traditionally was based on loyalty from past experiences/ local reputation.

It seems in recent years, customer loyalty and reputation don't matter and get offset by the fancy marketing and the 'image' portrayed by shiny showrooms. Alot of big garages mindsets are that its cheaper to loose 1 customer if they find out that we have ripped them off as our marketing efforts will offset this by a 'continued new customer pipefill'

I was one who 'trusted' main dealers and was somewhat brainwashed from my days working in motor distributors. Granted my family only ever dealt with one main dealer who never ripped you off, didn't give you the run about and no aggro. Yes I was sheltered thinking all garages were as straight as this one.

I was also brainwashed from my time working in the motor industry at manufacturer level. But my eyes have been opened now that I am the end customer. Also sarcastic remarks like yours about Tesco are the type of attitute that has drove me and many others into good quality independents which to be honest are probably not much cheaper.

bucketybuck · 28-08-2020 2:16pm

Hellrazer wrote: »

Id be in a similar type of setup as TFB - We stock and fit our own tyres.

As for teh bit in bold above - a lot of the time(actually almost all the time) Im cheaper than the dedicated tyre companies.

I'll stand corrected on the prevalence of it, with the small defence that I spent a lot of time in the heavy commercial end of things which has a few other factors at play.

bs2014 wrote: »

I was one who 'trusted' main dealers and was somewhat brainwashed from my days working in motor distributors. Granted my family only ever dealt with one main dealer who never ripped you off, didn't give you the run about and no aggro.

One thing I never understand about these types of threads is that people talk about main dealers as if they are any different to independent garages. Just say you don't like garages full stop, because a bad independent will jerk you around just as much as a bad main dealer will.

PsychoPete · 28-08-2020 3:10pm

bucketybuck wrote: »

I'll stand corrected on the prevalence of it, with the small defence that I spent a lot of time in the heavy commercial end of things which has a few other factors at play.

We used to keep a full stock of tyres for the models we were selling, if someone needed tyres while their car was in for work, they'd go ahead and tell us do the tyres while we are servicing it. If we didn't have anything in their budget or a certain tyre we'd get it off the local tyre place. Also keep a separate stock for the likes of lease plan

E30M3 · 28-08-2020 3:26pm

bucketybuck wrote: »

I'll stand corrected on the prevalence of it, with the small defence that I spent a lot of time in the heavy commercial end of things which has a few other factors at play.

One thing I never understand about these types of threads is that people talk about main dealers as if they are any different to independent garages. Just say you don't like garages full stop, because a bad independent will jerk you around just as much as a bad main dealer will.

We have kind of come full circle here, I started this thread to share my experience and asked peoples in their experience was this typical.

I didn't state it was typical or that all main dealers were acting in the same manner and I was hoping my experience was very much the exception and therefore I could expect a different main dealer to deal with me in a more professional manner.

I have this week gotton my Front discs and Pads done and my Brake Fluid changed in a reputable and well regarded independent who dealt with me professionally and charged me 23% less than the Main dealer quoted me for the same work. I have also decided to go to a different Main Dealer (40 Klms Away) for my next service to see what my experience is like there and still maintain a Main Dealer Service history. I also have now confirmed the scheduled work that should be done at each service and will go by that and of course listen to any other recommendations I get from the checks carried out.

xtradel · 30-08-2020 7:31am

I got a minor service done this week (Skoda main dealer) and was told my fuel filter needed to be changed. Thanks to this thread I questioned when it was last done and I was told they can't find any record. Fair enough I said but asked when should it have been done and was told at 90k.....when I mentioned I bought the car off them with 112k on the clock they suddenly found that it was changed during the last service!

McCrack · 30-08-2020 8:57am

What's your mileage at now?

xtradel · 30-08-2020 9:20am

McCrack wrote: »

What's your mileage at now?

172k

McCrack · 30-08-2020 9:28am

xtradel wrote: »

172k

It would seem then they were right to advise changing it but perhaps you were not querying that

xtradel · 30-08-2020 9:46am

McCrack wrote: »

It would seem then they were right to advise changing it but perhaps you were not querying that

Considering the car has a full service history with this main dealer both under my ownership and the previous owner they should have a record of what work was done and when.

Also just to add when I booked the car in I was quoted €159 for service and €50 if fuel filter is required. When my wife dropped off the car the price rose to €249. When I called them about this it reverted back to €209 (service & filter) with the end price €159 no filter required.

bs2014 · 30-08-2020 5:54pm

Another one I do find ironic but concerning is VW Golf Leon and Octavia claim you dont need change the timing belt until 7 years or 210km.....yet reality is all independents and VW enthusiasts insist changing at 100km.

Car servicing and main dealers approach

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