VW brakes - genuine reason for price difference !?

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Wed 14 Mar 2001 15:31
VW brakes - genuine reason for price difference !? - Sanjeev Thearia
VW MKIV 1.6 needs new discs and pads, front and rear.
VW dealership quoted £520 (didn't even bother checking whether this included labour, but assumed it did!)
Well known tyres / brakes / exhaust outfit quoted £223 (includes £30 for labour) all in.
Obviously VW dealership would be using VW-approved parts and the labour will be more expensive, but is there something else I should know about? Will the discs and pads last half the time if not fitted by VW, for instance?
Seriously, though, is anyone aware of a genuine reason for the price difference other than the ones I've already mentioned ?
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Wed 14 Mar 2001 16:37
Re: VW brakes - genuine reason for price differenc - Roger Jones
Try Euro Car Parts (www.eurocarparts.com) for genuine VW spare parts. Find an independent VW specialist to fit them. It is rare to get a sensible price from a main dealer for such work and I am convinced that their work is no better than, and often inferior to, that of a dedicated independent specialist. If you are anywhere near St Albsns, I couldn't recommend Mike Chapman (01727 844179) more highly. If you go to the likes of him, you may not need to source the parts separately anyway.
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Wed 14 Mar 2001 17:18
Re: VW brakes - genuine reason for price differenc - Robin Hall
On a similar subject I got a quote for the replacement of front discs & pads on my wife's 2.0l Astra - from various Vauxhall dealers the quote was around £250 , from Halfords £130. I've not had work done by Halfords before but the lease company who operate my company car restrict service & repairs to either franchise dealers or Halfords so I assume they must be reliable. Has anyone had any experience of Halfords servicing?
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Wed 14 Mar 2001 18:59
Re: VW brakes - genuine reason for price differenc - Ian Aspinall
I've had my car serviced by Halfords a few times, and they've been fine. The bill's always what they say it will be, and they provide detailed advice on any extra work that needs doing, but with no pressure whatsoever to give them the go-ahead.

My only gripe is that they are poor at phoning you to let you know when the car's ready for collection. I usually drop it off first thing in the morning, but end up having to ring them late afternoon, only to find it's been ready for a while. I've been to 2 different branches, and both have been like this.
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