I have just had the ABS and the 4WS lights come up on our 2nd car (you can tell it's xmas, cars start to cost money :o( )
Rang the local independent who did not really want to touch it as his diagnostic equpitment will not read this car. So rang up the dealer, they have quoted £35 per diagnostic (2x 35 = £70) and the car will need to be with them all day!!! Rang up another dealer 3 miles further away in the other direction and they have quoted £25 for full diagnostic and a while you wait service either tomorrow or Wed's. Now ok, I know where it will be going, but, both are the same main dealer, just happen to be 25 miles apart!! Not sure how it can be justified for one to charge £70 and one to charge £25 for the same work!!!
(name of car and dealers intentially withheld as per forum rules)
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IIRC up until a few years ago the only supermarket that charged the same in every store for every product, regardless of location, was Morrisons. The other main players adapted prices to suit the local market. I've no idea if this is still the case, but why should car dealers be any different? You did the correct thing in ringing round!!
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They just charge what they think they can get away with. It does annoy me when they give the 'need car all day' line. Typically the whole task (from picking up job sheet to noting down codes) takes no more than 15 minutes. They want your car there the whole day so that they can do the job when there is a quiet spot and it suits them. Not very user friendly IMHO. When my mother had her previous (and very unreliable) Polo the local VW dealer held on to the car for THREE DAYS before reading the code. And that was only after I called them on her behalf and told them to get their backsides into gear.
When I was last in the US I noticed a sort of 'Halfords equivalent' ('Autozone' IIRC) offering free drive-in code reading. Good idea!
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If you have a laptop (or a desktop and a long lead!) you can buy the software to read the codes yourself.
VW Group, for instance, at:
www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/
tinyurl.com/4hc5f
hostingprod.com/@aa1car.com/codes.htm
www.autotap.com/diagnostic_guide.html (general)
A VW VIN decoder can be found at:
www.analogx.com/contents/vinview.htm
if it is of interest.
There are UK websites - these are the basic ones I've bookmarked in the past.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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IIRC up until a few years ago the only supermarket that charged the same in every store for every product, regardless of location, was Morrisons. The other main players adapted prices to suit the local market. I've no idea if this is still the case, but why should car dealers be any different? You did the correct thing in ringing round!!
>>
Exactly, my own experience : Audi A4 diesel first service £320 in West Berkshire, £259 in SE Wales M4 corridor.
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nothing to do with overheads then?if my business was 10 miles to the south the rates are nearly double what i pay here,i have a saying at work,"someone has to pay and it isnt me"you cant beat a free market.
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If you were to price by loaction I would expect the 2nd (cheaper) dealer to be more expensive as it is in a far more sought after location then the first, but just goes to show what a difference a couple of calls can make!!
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It's nothing to do with overheads, it's to do with free market pricing - or in other words what they think they can get away with screwing you for.
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It's nothing to do with overheads, it's to do with free market pricing - or in other words what they think they can get away with screwing you for.
Local Vx Dealer in Taunton tried it on, £160 for the first year service on Zafira, same service in Street 15 miles away costts £99 and a you get a FREE courtesy car: Guess where it's going next year!
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