Car main dealer prices vs. Independents - Worth reporting?

[screenman]

I've posted this before, but I think it bears repeating...

My sister's boyfriend used to work for a Ford main dealer in the middle of London. One of their favourite jobs was a 'spit service' - that's the one where you turn the engine on to confirm that everything seems to be fine, then raise the bonnet, spit on the engine, close the bonnet and do the paperwork. He and his colleagues were routinely paid for 100+ hours a week, though everyone knew they turned up at 10 and went down the pub early. No-one cared. Everyone was making money. (I should add that this was thirty years ago, that dealership has long since closed down, and I'm sure that sort of thing no longer happens. For sure. Un-hunh.)

Not happened in the 3 main agents I have visited today, but a friends mates cousins sister once told me.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Not happened in the 3 main agents I have visited today, but a friends mates cousins sister once told me.

Why would you have you car serviced 3 times in one day?

 

[raleighnut]

I've posted this before, but I think it bears repeating...

My sister's boyfriend used to work for a Ford main dealer in the middle of London. One of their favourite jobs was a 'spit service' - that's the one where you turn the engine on to confirm that everything seems to be fine, then raise the bonnet, spit on the engine, close the bonnet and do the paperwork. He and his colleagues were routinely paid for 100+ hours a week, though everyone knew they turned up at 10 and went down the pub early. No-one cared. Everyone was making money. (I should add that this was thirty years ago, that dealership has long since closed down, and I'm sure that sort of thing no longer happens. For sure. Un-hunh.)

No, the place I worked at did everything properly, they valued their reputation, when the guy who owned the place decided to retire and closed the garage (Status Garages on Nelson St Leicester) the service manager set up on his own as an independent SAAB specialist, still going today and although Malcolm has himself retired his 2 sons now continue to run the garage and they still have an excellent reputation.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...miles/&usg=AFQjCNHY3ZslxV7hnW0nPRtqzeU71XFDpw

 

[swee'pea99]

Not happened in the 3 main agents I have visited today, but a friends mates cousins sister once told me.

I'm sure it didn't and I'm sure it mostly doesn't, but I'm equally sure that there are still quite a lot of main dealers that trade on their supposed upstandingness and shamelessly gouge the unwary, as witness the OP.

Oh, and I'd take anything told to me by my friends mates cousins sister with a pinch of salt, but this wasn't told me by my friends mates cousins sister. It was told me by my sister's boyfriend.

 

[screenman]

Why would you have you car serviced 3 times in one day?

I have not had my car serviced. They have been giving me money for something I enjoy doing.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

There's a garage close to me who regularly fails cars on corroded brake pipes.

Finding an honest garage is a job in itself.

There are MOT testing stations that only do test so have no incentive to falsify results. Always an option.

http://www.ukmot.com/Council-MOT-Test-Centers/UK

 

[Crackle]

There are MOT testing stations that only do test so have no incentive to falsify results. Always an option.

http://www.ukmot.com/Council-MOT-Test-Centers/UK

I've found somewhere I trust now but good idea.

 

[mustang1]

You run a BMW, you pay BMW prices, same with Mercedes and AUDIS. They are all snob cars but no better than other cars.

Yes they are better than other cars. BMWs handle better than most, Audis have higher quality interiors than most, and Mercs have three pointed stars.

 

[gavroche]

Yes they are better than other cars. BMWs handle better than most, Audis have higher quality interiors than most, and Mercs have three pointed stars.

And don't forget the rust usually round wheel arches.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

[QUOTE 4922475, member: 45"]I don't know how it stands now, but local authorities used to do MOT tests. They have their own test centres for their fleet and often do public testing.[/QUOTE]

Yes, that's a list of council (local authority) testing stations.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I have not had my car serviced. They have been giving me money for something I enjoy doing.

So the relevance to having your car serviced at a main stealer is?

 

[screenman]

So the relevance to having your car serviced at a main stealer is?

Read back further.

 

[mustang1]

But with Audis you can fit some components from Skoda, Seat, VW.

And Bentley.

 

[mustang1]

At last! A response that isn't basically 'you bought a poncy car - what did you expect?'

First off, as you say, '5 year old car with brake pipe corrosion. OMG.' My Golf is over 20 years old and I've never had so much as a peep about the brake pipes. If a 'premium' car has a problem after five years, shame on BMW.
Second, it didn't. The independent garage confirmed it. Subjective schmubjective, this just reeks of those holiday car-hire firms that hit people with massive, spurious 'damage' penalties.
Third, how in God's name can BMW justify charging '£380-£520 each, plus VAT' for a brake pipe? It's a pipe, fercrisakes, not a hi-tech piece of electronics. That would make it a hundred times more than 'the cost of a new brake pipe - £5'. How come? Is it a, like, really really good pipe?
Fourth, even if it cost that much, how can it be over a grand to supply & fit it? It's a pipe! Which means you have to undo the nut at each end, remove it, put in the replacement and do up the nut at each end. 10 minutes? 20 with topping up the brake fluid and making sure everything's good. How can that cost hundreds of pounds?

It's clearly an outrageous ripoff. I don't know who you can complain to, but to suggest there's anything defensible about it because a Mini is a poncy car is just wrong.

I think the same about bike tubes. There's only so much R&D thay can go into tubes. Ugh.

 

[simon.r]

@ProfpointyHowever good luck with expecting tradesmen to have morals when quoting you a price. They are running a business and will quote the highest they think they can get whilst also getting repeat business.

And there's the rub. Presumably enough people are paying the price at the main dealer that they are making a (probably handsome) profit.

I do think there's an argument for some sort of price regulation. Don't ask me for a fully formed plan, but I wouldn't think it would be too complicated to come up with something that ensured fair pricing and/or the main dealer to tell the customer that they may be able to get the work done cheaper elsewhere.

I'm big and ugly enough to look after myself in this sort of situation, but I strongly suspect there's a sizeable minority of customers who aren't and just pay the price quoted by the main dealer.