OK, we've discussed brand loyalty -- how about dealer loyalty. I'm the support manager for a company highly regarded in certain fields, and I've always believed that if a piece of kit never has any problems it doesn't mean that the customer will buy that brand again. However, a bad aftersales experience will definitely put him/her off while a good experience in fixing a problem will tend to make him/her stick with the brand. I always try to make sure my customers are delighted with our support, but how about cars?
I suspect this may be a candidate for the shortest thread in the history of the Backroom, but what experiences have you had that made you want to stay with a particular dealer/garage?
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I have dealt with my motorcycle dealer for purchases and repairs for probably nigh on 20 years.
I have bought new and (mainly) second hand and have always been pleased with my purchase and the advice received.
As far as servicing is concerned I have complete confidence in them (after all my life is in their hands), and have never had any reason to believe that unnecessary work has been done.
If I have an emergency repair required they have invariably fitted me in and fixed it on the spot if possible.
What more can I say!
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I own a Vauxhall Vectra. It is without doubt one of the crappest heaps of junks I have ever had the misfortune to part with money for.
My mother owns a Citroen Xsara Coupe. Not quite as bad as my Vectra but not the most reliable of motors and quite poor build quality (which she accepts).
Difference?
My mother buys a new Citroen every few years. She thinks they're "okay" and she is certainly not a brand loyal person. But what sells it for her is our local dealer is absolutely fantastic. Calls are always returned as promised, if there is a fault with the car the dealer bends over backwards to rectify the problem, all regular customers get niceties such as the occasional phone call to see how the car is and a crate of wine when they buy a new car, service dept and mechanic know exactly what they're doing with the car - when it goes in the fault is sorted out first time, every time, and if it really does stump them they'll happily supply a car of at least equal spec whilst they sort yours out. All this makes a massive difference.
Contrast that with the local Vauxhall dealer. They never, and I mean never call back when they have promised that they will. Once they've sold the car and got your money as far as they are concerned the relationship is over. It is hell getting them to resolve any issues with the car and any problems will have to be looked at at least twice - there is a big turnover of mechanics and none seem "keyed up" at all. The first repair always consists of spraying WD40 on it and hoping the customer b**gers off not to return. During services, promised courtesy cars are suddenly not available. Work is shoddy and billed for/promised work turns out not to have been done. The staff are also extremely rude and unhelpful. This is not some bad luck on my part, two other friends of mine bought Vectras from the same dealership and suffered similar (in one case much worse) experiences. I have complained to Vauxhall about them and pointed out the damage they must be doing locally to Vauxhall's reputation. My relationship with the said dealership is completely over. They have turned a "lemon" experience and a resolvable situation into something much worse and irredeemable.
I shall never be buying either a Vauxhall or from that particular dealer ever, whatever they sell in the future, ever again.
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I had a similar problem with a vauxhall repair place. I had a starting problem on my cav diesel and the AA man suggested I take the car to the dealer and tell them to look at some wires leading up to the “stop solenoid”. I did as told but they ignored this advice, tried anything but this and “couldn’t find a fault”. Took it back with same starting problem not rectified; I wasn’t being critical of them, just asking if they could look at the wiring issue; they started blaming me for “not servicing it properly” to which I saw red and showed them the service record which was complete except that it had been done at an independent non-specialist garage. They said “Ah, but you’ve not used GM parts have you?” I said that it was the GM parts which kept breaking. Anyhow, the next time the SAME fault occurred, I got the AA out, told the man what had been going on. He did a quick repair job on the said wire and the fault has not reoccurred in 3 years.
I know my knowledge of mechanics in cars is, at best, superficial. However, I always listen to what the experts suggest so that I can do the best thing for the car (& my bank balance). I get really annoyed with experts who ride roughshod over people like me and think they can fob me off with any old thing.
Compare and contrast – AA – listened, gave practical advice and v. understanding & helpful. Main dealer – didn’t listen, blamed me when they couldn’t find the fault, no help whatsoever.
I reckon, if you can find a trustworthy garage, hang on to them!
Splodgeface
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For many years I bought Citroens through a local dealer - initially they were Cit dealers, then they became independent Cit Specialists. I always had excellent service, courtesy cars, emergency help etc. When I moved away from Citroens, I couldn't find a Jeep dealer locally who gave the same service, so I asked them to source it for me. I got the same value and service, and although they won't/can't service the Jeep they did offer to take it in and get it done for me. However, I prefer to take it direct to the people they sourced it through and I find I get equally good service - the ethos must rub off, or nice dealers find other nice dealers to work with! In fact the sales manager told me that when he tried to source the Jeep through the dealer that I took a dislike to he found them offhand and unhelpful too, so he went elsewhere.
I still use them for SWMBO's Citroen though. If anyone wants a good Citroen garage in E Surrey (or a good Jeep dealer in Sussex) let me know!
Terry
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We had a total of eight Peugeots from Heath Park Motors in Romford over the years, and they were brilliant. Fully aware that we needed the cars for business any faults were rectified immediatly, including once having a mechanic waiting on the forecourt with a replacement door mirror after a panic phone call when one got side swiped an hour before a pupil's driving test. Servicing was done without ever having the need for a return visit to rectify work not done and the cars were always returned after a full valet. Any problem faults were diagnosed quickly by a very efficient technical staff.
We then changed to a local Citroen dealer after getting a better trade in offer - worst thing we ever did. A spanner left under the bonnet after one service, a rag after another. A car off the road for three days for a replacement clutch (under warranty) which failed to cure the stiff gear change. Greasing the linkage eventually cured it. Three seperate attempts to successfully replace a crankshaft oil seal which was dumping half the contents of the sump on my drive every night, a leaking camshaft oil seal replaced while putting back the original and contaminated belt. Took a lot of table thumping to get them to do that job properly at their own expense.
I am now at the mercy of a VW dealer who thinks the middle of next week is a good time to fit in an emergency repair and took four attempts to rectify a bonnet release that wouldn't. Meantime I covered 8000 miles without being able to check the fluid levels.
We all moan about main dealer labour rates, but if you find a good one they can save so much hassle they are really worth it.
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To me, this says one thing....buy a more reliable car, then you wouldn't have to suffer the poor service offered by the dealers!
Andy
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To me, this says one thing....buy a more reliable car, then you wouldn't have to suffer the poor service offered by the dealers!
I don't think that's the whole story. I had a brand new Xantia as a company car, and overall it was very reliable. One minor problem on delivery was a ticking speedo cable. I asked the dealer to fix it at the first service. It came back ticking louder than ever. I took it back. This time the ticking was gone, but the steering wheel was put back on at an angle.
Some time later I had a puncture in the rear offside tyre. Shortly after that I started smelling petrol. Took it to the dealer who said he replaced the vapour return valve (or some such) I was not convinced, but took the car anyway. On filling up with fuel, I wound up with a puddle of petrol on the forecourt. The tank was cracked, presumably by whatever I ran over that caused the puncture.
Shortly before returning the car at the end of the lease the ABS light came on. Took it to the dealer who diagnosed a failed sensor. Now a failed sensor can happen on any make. They probably all come from the same supplier anyway. Dealer didn't have one and returned the car to me saying that he had one on order. By chance I learned that failed ABS is considered to be an MOT failure and that I would only be permitted to drive the car to a garage to get it fixed. Twice this dealer gave me back a vehicle that was either dangerous or illegal. I always described that outfit as "a bunch of mindless jerks who'd be first against the wall when the revolution comes."
History reveals that they were the first against the wall when the revolution came -- they went out of business. :=)
Next car was a Laguna estate. Had four problems with it in the first year: failed air conditioning, clutch cable, and two minor electrical problems. All repaired with fast first-time fixes by the dealer.
Although the Xantia was more reliable than the Laguna, I know which was the better experience for me.
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A couple of the comments here reinforce what I already believe...find a good garage (in my case, an independant Citroen specialist in S. Yorks) & stick with them. I have owned a few Cits now (ZXs, Xantia) & have always had all my servicing & repairs done by these guys. The premises themselves are not the shiny glass & chrome of the flash main dealers, rather the oily overalled mechanic-type place. However they spend all their time working on Cits, they know them inside out & I can rely on them to tell me the truth & not a load of flannel. Consequently, the replacement car for when current Xantia (though not yet, only covered 175,000) will be another Citroen. The advice given already is current...find a good place & stick with them.
Anybody reading this & wanting to know a reliable Cit specialist in Rotherham, they're on HJ's Good Garages list.
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Good post. The arrogance of the local VW network put me into a Volvo.
The excellent service I've had from Volvo certainly helps to keep me in one.
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Being a long term Volvo owner however does not blind me to the fact that one main dealer I came across was best described as poor. The Parts Dept. was very good, the defect diagnosis was certainly interesting. A rough running engine on a 240 (40K)was diagnosed as a worn exhaust valve, my local garage replaced a plug lead in the end and to cap it all, you think I'd learn, I took it back for a creaking front end. Definitly the power steering rack, turned out to be a piece of grit trapped between the rack and the chassis. Lots of money wasted if I had relied on them.
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I had a 1996 Rover 820i, which was the biggest dog in Christendom, but despite that, dealer service from Eric Stead of Sheffield was good. It went in 5 times under used car warranty to have oil consumption sorted out: ended up having lots of expensive surgery. I got shot of it 5 months out of warranty after replacing the clutch meant that the gearbox bearings started to go. The boot leaked, the sunroof was perpetually noisy at speed, the list goes on. Having said all that, the garage were quite decent about it, and obviously embarrassed that there was so much to do. It was only their niceness and the fact they kept giving me bigger and better courtesy cars (the latest was the sterling coupe) that meant I kept going with it for so long...
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I think, whatever the make of car you have, you can always find people who have had a "never again" problem. My brother said that about a volvo dealership who, amongst other things, managed to get caught speeding on the M25 (a feat within itself) whilst collecting his car for a service. He tried the Volvo as a change from a Merc and no guesses as to what he now drives. I have a more modest budget and the issue of dealership trust is much higher on my list of priorities than issues such as image and quality of drive.
Splodgeface
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