My experience with dealers involves Ford, VW/Audi and Mercedes over a period of 25 years (some before that, but via my employer's control).
All them demonstrated incompetence: Ford in misdiagnosing what later I found to be a well known fault and insisting on replacing a major part instead of just the correct lubrication that it actually needed; Audi in repeatedly failing the sort out a cool-running problem that was finally zapped overnight by the application of their very own injector cleaner (as recommended to me by HJ); and Mercedes in frightening me to the depths of my wallet when they failed to replenish an autobox -- which began to malfunction seriously -- with the correct amount of ATF during a major service that cost me over £650 more than five years ago.
Apart from all that, one of the greatest benefits of working with the independent I use is that I can talk to the man himself about the job that needs doing. What's more, he's mobile, so it's more convenient too. And I have now seen enough of his work and problem-solving ability to know that it's as good as, if not better than, any main dealer can offer.
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My Merc indy, bless him i wouldn't change for the world he's been working on them for forty years, his son also works with him as well and 99% of faults they can diagnose straight away, most faults he already is aware of, others take a very short time.
He charges very reasonably does the job properly and is rushed off his feet, and no i'm not going to name him he's got enough good customers who appreciate him and his staff, me included.
Please carry on putting thousands of pounds into the coffers of the main dealer, i don't want my good indy too busy to look after me.
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If people are fool enough to swallow this Main dealers are best rubish then they don't deserve the wisdom of an independent. Granted there are some very good main dealers but some are just out to sell loans not even cars.
Where I live in a smaller town we have seen quite a few dealers close and move to the next town where mega garages are created.
When our local Fiat garage close two brothers who worked there decided to set up on their own granted their reception isn't spotless but they do a fantastic job. On my college course there were as many apprentices in independents as main dealers.
One VW garage I know has a daily target on servicing sales, part sales, air-con sales etc this all adds up to a £35K turnover target to meet per week. The guy who does my MOT has none of that rubbish to deal with.
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I worked in a Vauxhall garage, ahem, some! time ago.
So, a couple of years ago, when we bought a 6 month old Astra, you can guess what we did.
Yes, that's right!, ignoring the warranty nonsense, I've always serviced it at home, to make sure that it's done right, and not serviced by their latest apprentice filter spinner.
My experience of going to work in a workshop - bearing in mind at this point I was 18 and had no motor vehicle qualifications - was quite stark. We did some paperwork in the office, and, half an hour later, I was beginning to do a service a mkII Astra on my own and un-supervised. Of course, the customer was paying for "factory trained technician" time!
After a while, I did become "factory trained". I went on a one day course on Bosch Motronic at Ellesmere Port.
Of course mistakes can be made at both main dealers and at independent garages - it's much too simplistic to say one is perfect and the other rubbish. The thing to remember is that an independent has only his quality, fairness and the good reports of his customers to keep him in work. Typically, they aren't on a main road, they don't have fancy showrooms and receptions - people need to find them, and they rely on reputation.
If you have a fault with a complex vehicle specific system - like the post in technical about an Easytronic Corsa - then an independent is unlikely to be your best bet. However, if you have something more common, and the fault is more mundane then your probably better off at an independent.
My father ran an independent workshop, MOT station and haulage business. None of his mechanics were allowed to work unsupervised until he had spent enought time looking over their shoulder to be happy with what they did - even then, he was apt to ask them to step aside if there was anything a bit tricky going on.
Aprilia's post further up is IMO an accurate statement of how dealerships tend to work. If the mechanics are on bonus, they have absolutely no incentive to get involved finding a tricky fault - effectively, they loose pay by doing so. Dealer mechanics and their service managers like a nice steady stream of services, ideally with brake and suspension parts to be added to the list of jobs.
Bonus in dealerships can be taken to extremes. As an example, I've seen a head gasket fitted to a Nova 1.2by buzzing the head bolts out, jacking the head off via the exhaust front pipe, freeing the head gasket off the dowels, puling the old one out, sliding the new one in, dropping the jack, and buzzing the head bolts back in.
Bonus in independents is much rarer - more typically, the mechanics are paid a decent basic wage to begin with.
Number_Cruncher
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I agree with the 'pro-indie' stance. All things being equal, (i.e. that incompetents inhabit every sphere & level within any industry) indies rely more on quality of job rather than any nonsense of image or quality a franchised dealership is trying to portray. An experience recently to illustrate: the franchised Mercedes dealer with whom a service (I hope!) was carried out, indicated £600-700 worth of work was required to pass a forthcoming MOT. This, I've found out, via 3 independent sources, is a load of kibosh (sp?) & the car will pass ok as is. They've lost my custom for good, only the market requirement for a franchised dealer seevice stamp, for residual value purposes, will ever get me through their glass & stainless steel portals again.
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I service my own cars, well, oils filters etc. brakes are getting a bit gruelling now so I go to a local (good reputation) tyre brake place. There I stand by the car watching and chatting with the mech. When the wheel cylinders rubber is pulled back to check for leaks, i`m there.
I wonder off a bit at non crucial times, but although i`m 20 yards away on the forcourt, the car is still under my eye.
Have spent 2 hours at times just standing there `monitoring` under the guise of affable good natured interest. So never been done and the labour rates are good.
A main dealer tried to double up the labour charge for a cambelt job recently, trying to charge the full labour for a new waterpump even though it would be exposed during the cambelt job.
How about 3 hour labour charge for a waterpump just sitting there only needing unbolting?
I challenged them (receptionist) and they said "we have to drain the cooling system"
Took it elsewhere to a main dealer in another town and saved £150 on the total £200 cost of the new waterpump inc labour of the first (supplying) dealer.
I mentioned that here before (apologies) but here`s an update.
A few months later mentioned it to the service manager in passing when buying a part. Said he would bring it up with the receptionist, but it seemed a `lack lustre`response to me and I didn`t even get a letter of apology or a free bottle of screenwash ;) He did ask where we had the job done though.........
I mean... We only bought three new cars there in the last few years and had been letting them do repair jobs on a 5 year old car out of a sense of reciprocity regarding fair play and support.
So much for that, I might buy from a web source next time, `let` the dealer in question do any warranty work and a local independent do the in warranty services.
That said I might just do all the servicing myself and PINK FLUFFY DICE to them all. Because I`ve had independents try to rip me off too.
NB, Just abandoned the micky mouse part of the 3 year warranty on the van. Did it myself thus eliminating the apprentice who overfilled a 3 litre sump by 3/4 litre.
Oh, did I mention the extra oil and filter change I did 6 months after the main dealer 1st year service? Out popped the cheapest looking obscure name filter element.....
DIY for me in future.
regards
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