MOT's and Main Dealers

[Courier]

While I fully agree with all posts on this thread the problems and issues garages and dealers are facing now is the responsibilities of these repairs. That’s why as an example they always go for disks and pads and a rolling road brake test. How can they stand up in court after a fatal accident a week later (that had absolutely nothing to do with the brakes but so and so accident investigator says so) and argue that they only swapped the pads to save the customer £50 on disks.

Same with an exhaust repair, they repair an exhaust for Mrs Joe Bloggs for say £100 and another section fails 3 months later then they’re on to trading standards, small claim court, watchdog, Jeremy Kyle, Tripadvisor with poor reviews etc and garage has to refund them and fit brand new exhaust on a 14 yr old clapped out Fiesta!!!

Yes, some local garages will do if they know you well and know that you understand the repair. I used to work as a mechanic and we could be blamed 6 months later that the wiper didn’t work as we fitted a clutch last time we had it in…. Or since we replaced the hydraulic hose on the front end loader the track rod end failed and fell off….

Just before I last came back from NZ I took our runabout Toyota Corolla to the AA garage for a brake check. Both rear cylinders were showing signs of damp and the linings had become contaminated. The front pads were reported to be fine.
End result, rear wheel cylinders and shoes changed and brake drums put on a lathe and skimmed.
Been through two W(arrant) O(f) F(itness)’s since.

 

[chickens and wheat]

Ford dealer phoned about my pickups first ever service,
Do you want mot insurance sir?

No its only a year old

You be suprised even newer vehicles can fail mots.

Er its a year old

So do you want the insurance or not sir?

No i do not

In that case do you want to have an anti covid treatment applied to your steering wheel and gear stick?

Can pickups catch covid?

Its only £40 covid protection for life

Er no, just a service please

 

[feilding]

Ford dealer phoned about my pickups first ever service,
Do you want mot insurance sir?

No its only a year old

You be suprised even newer vehicles can fail mots.

Er its a year old

So do you want the insurance or not sir?

No i do not

In that case do you want to have an anti covid treatment applied to your steering wheel and gear stick?

Can pickups catch covid?

Its only £40 covid protection for life

Er no, just a service please

Sounds as your garage are con artists. I would never go through their door again, find a good independent workshop to service it.

 

[chickens and wheat]

Ford service this and next year,that will take me to end of warranty. Then a more local sensible guy can take care of it

 

[Lincoln75]

Kwikfit should be avoided at all costs , their selling methods are often criminal , ie telling customers they need new brake discs/pads etc when they dont , they generally target lone females who have no understanding of vehicle mechanics.

 

[Courier]

Ford service this and next year,that will take me to end of warranty. Then a more local sensible guy can take care of it

Buy the consumables from that Ford garage and keep the invoice then get your local VAT registered garage to do the service -

 

[Old Tup]

Sounds as your garage are con artists. I would never go through their door again, find a good independent workshop to service it.

Just booked in for service mot with main dealer….
Up till now said main dealer was family owned…pretty big…three dealerships…all Japanese.
Phoned Garage to make arrangements…in the past you got the service guy in the garage he sorted it out on the spot…
This time after the “this call is being recorded “ faff I got through to ….let’s just say “Donna” apologies to any Donna’s on here but that was what she said she was called.
ME
Want to book a service and an MOT….for this car….
DONNA
Hang on I will just get your records up…
Tick Tock
Tick Tock…
You want to book a service and an MOT
ME
Yes
DONNA
Which garage would you like to have this done at?
ME
The garage I rang..Named the garage
DONNA
OK When would you like to have it done
ME
Date
DONNA
I will check if it is available…….yes it is..
OK
As a special offer we can sanitise the inside of your car with a specialist sanitiser available to us…the usual price would be £100….but we can offer it to you for a special price of £39.99
ME
No thanks!
DONNA
Also we can offer to use an engine flushing product to clean out any old oil deposits in your engine after the oil is drained…..£39.99
ME
Is that not part of the service?
DONNA
No
ME
I will think about it.
DONNA
We can change engine coolant during the service for £39.99
ME
Is it part of the service schedule?
DONNA
No but it is a good idea to do it…
ME
I will think about it.
(By this time I’m thinking this is going to be re….sorted at the desk on the morning of the service)
Mental note made this is the last service that is happening here!
I won’t go in to the rigmarole of arranging the car to use while the service was going on…

 

[Netherfield]

Just booked in for service mot with main dealer….
Up till now said main dealer was family owned…pretty big…three dealerships…all Japanese.
Phoned Garage to make arrangements…in the past you got the service guy in the garage he sorted it out on the spot…
This time after the “this call is being recorded “ faff I got through to ….let’s just say “Donna” apologies to any Donna’s on here but that was what she said she was called.
ME
Want to book a service and an MOT….for this car….
DONNA
Hang on I will just get your records up…
Tick Tock
Tick Tock…
You want to book a service and an MOT
ME
Yes
DONNA
Which garage would you like to have this done at?
ME
The garage I rang..Named the garage
DONNA
OK When would you like to have it done
ME
Date
DONNA
I will check if it is available…….yes it is..
OK
As a special offer we can sanitise the inside of your car with a specialist sanitiser available to us…the usual price would be £100….but we can offer it to you for a special price of £39.99
ME
No thanks!
DONNA
Also we can offer to use an engine flushing product to clean out any old oil deposits in your engine after the oil is drained…..£39.99
ME
Is that not part of the service?
DONNA
No
ME
I will think about it.
DONNA
We can change engine coolant during the service for £39.99
ME
Is it part of the service schedule?
DONNA
No but it is a good idea to do it…
ME
I will think about it.
(By this time I’m thinking this is going to be re….sorted at the desk on the morning of the service)
Mental note made this is the last service that is happening here!
I won’t go in to the rigmarole of arranging the car to use while the service was going on…

Sounds like the Vertu/Bristol Street Motors set-up.
I get an e-mail we've booked your car in for it's first service on 6th mar 2021,which was a couple of weeks away, I ignored it,,.

A week later I get a phone call telling me the same.

when I asked who had booked this I get told it's all automatic now, so why as it picked that date I ask, well your car will be 12 months old then.

no it won't I tell him,

Oh so you don't want that date then,

Why don't you ring me when it's nearer the time.

When will that be.

Try asking the salesperson I bought the car from.

I don't have those details, I'm based in Newcastle, can you give me the reg number or VIN number.

Just forget it, i'll let you know if I want you to service my car.

 

[Lincoln75]

From the AA

Do I have to get my car serviced by a main dealer?
You are not obliged (since October 2003) to get the car serviced by a franchise dealer during the warranty period.

You must though get it serviced according to the manufacturer's recommended schedule and criteria using only manufacturer approved parts.

The legislation only applies to the part of the warranty offered by the manufacturer, i.e. insurance-backed extended warranties offered by dealers are not covered and may stipulate different conditions.

If you do get the car serviced outside the dealer network, you must make sure it's done to the maker's recommended schedule and criteria using approved parts. You must also keep records so you can demonstrate to the manufacturer that servicing was undertaken to their requirements.

You should still get warranty work undertaken by the franchised dealer as it is easier for them to deal directly with the manufacturer.

Read about repairs after the warranty expires before deciding to go outside the dealer network for servicing during the warranty.

 

[Widgetone]

Just had to replace an out of shape tyre with 6mm on it, boo
New Pirelli fitted (at a premium of £50 over a 'budget' alternative) at a national outfit.
Was offered tyre insurance at £14 as an upselling tactic, they ruefully said most declined as I did.
While the service was fine, cant help but get irritated at all these add ons….

 

[X344chap]

Kwikfit should be avoided at all costs , their selling methods are often criminal , ie telling customers they need new brake discs/pads etc when they dont , they generally target lone females who have no understanding of vehicle mechanics.

Was told after i replaced a front tyre when it got a nail in the side wall that i needed to replace the other front tyre at the same time as the tread depths would be different and that would affect the suspension geometry and could be dangerous.

 

[Paddington]

I've never taken up a warranty when buying a used car. Think the last one I bought did offer a 6 month warranty but not for 4wd vehicles, it was reduced to 3 months. Serviceable items were not covered, tyres, brakes, clutch, nor was transmission (it's 4wd they get abused). Electrical items, instrumentation, all glass similarly was not covered, nor was body corrosion, paintwork, locks, alarm system or heater controls....I think if the roof had fallen off when driving, I might just have had a case.

 

[Tankman]

When I moved to Wales a few years ago my Honda CRV needed a service and MoT so booked it into my nearest Honda main dealer who I had never used before. To make sure the car was OK I gave it a good going over, I even took the wheels off and checked the brake disc and pad thicknesses which were all well within Honda's tolerances.
On collecting the car the service manager said that the brake pads (can't remember if front or rear) were nearly down to the metal! On pointing out that they were perfectly OK a few days ago he very quickly changed the subject!

 

[Drillman]

Friend of mine took his van to main dealers for MOT. Went later to pick it up and was told brake discs had been replaced.

Now this chap is a mechanic and a bloody good one at that but hadn’t mentioned his trade to the dealer.

said really are you sure?

dealers says yep they was knackered!

Friend then says can you get me the old ones to inspect please.

Dealer man toddles off and comes back with scabby discs and puts them on desk to show.

freind says you sure there off my Van?

Oh yes sir etc etc….

(by now most of you will guess what’s coming next I’m sure)

Friend says well I’m a mechanic by trade and know they aren’t from my van, Dealer bod says oh yes I can assure you they are sir….

Freind then points out that not only did he do the discs and pads on his Van himself a week or so earlier but the ones on the desk were 4 studs and the van had 5 studs

he then turned and walked out without paying!