Why o why

[Cowabunga]

Ex mechanic i know said they never changed oil in service bay, just filter​

So where do they change the oil? They certainly do change the oil on all my vehicles, because I check. The Ford dealer didn't change the filter on my Ranger last time, probably because he didn't have one, but he did tell me and I got a filter fitted locally.

 

[Cowabunga]

I was talking to an independent garage that specialises in vehicle electronics (about the Ford DPF 'issue'). He mentioned an Audi that couldn't be fixed by the main dealer (non starter), and the cars owner called him in.
Audi had by this point involved its 'master technicians' who had changed the ECU and the entire fuel system: £5800, and it still wouldn't start.
The non Audi specialist found the fault - a micro fuse. Audi are refusing to back down on the bill, as they say that their 'master technicians' checked every fuse...

Sounds like my Audi technician who diagnosed two burnt out motors in the seat which were not available as parts but which my local mechanic sorted with a bit of insulating tape. The Audi dealer wanted over £1000 plus fitting for a new seat.
They are either useless or crooks. Which one do you think? Maybe both?

 

[Cowabunga]

The general public reading this thread will be happy to hear how our subsidies are being used.

Do the general public not own cars then? Most do around here and even the unemployed seem to have a new car every three years.
Yet here am I driving around in a car that is in its 19th year and hopefully will see its 25th in almost daily use.

 

[Cowabunga]

Not available in Uk i'm afraid.

Petrol only and only available in North America.

 

[ollie989898]

I would be intrigued to see how you would change an oil filter, and then not have to replace the oil afterwards, given that a heap of oil will pour out when the filter is taken off?

 

[Cowabunga]

I would think that fewer than 30% of "first" services get properly completed - probably less - a modern new vehicle is unlikely to suffer from service schedule related problems at under 80,000 miles and dealers know this.

Few cars have a 'first service' these days. Many have a first scheduled oil change at 20,000 miles or two years and it doesn't consist of much more than an oil and filter change and general check over, not forgetting topping up the washer fluid.

 

[Gong Farmer]

Anyone had their vehicle filmed and had said film of service emailed to you.i had this when I had my first service on my car.why is this done and what is the point.
Nick...

I did, with Nissan dealer but only the initial inspection when up on ramp, before they started the service. Never saw the point to be honest, just a gimmick.

 

[farmideas]

There all crooks main dealers they just try it on! Our VW golf was only 4 years old went in for service .Ring up saying lots of faults ,it was going to cost£2500 to sort out .Jobs and

Not all. I have my 57 Vectra serviced by the main Vauxhall dealer in Carmarthen (Cawdor) and their service and rates are very competitive. MOT is around £38. For repairs they always call and quote and this is fixed price. Front shock £135 which includes fitting and vat. Not that there have been many parts needed - done 198,000 miles.

 

[pgk]

Many years ago we used to present service customers their bag of replaced parts to look at, seemed to die a death fairly quickly.

 

[Cowabunga]

I would be intrigued to see how you would change an oil filter, and then not have to replace the oil afterwards, given that a heap of oil will pour out when the filter is taken off?

Not on many cars these days that have the eco-friendly cartridge fitted up top. You take the cap off and the oil disappears into the sump through the unplugged hole in the bottom of the housing. Wait a minute for the element to drip and lift out nice and clean.

 

[PSQ]

They are either useless or crooks. Which one do you think? Maybe both?

Bare with me on this one...

Vorsprung Durch Technik - "lead by technology". AUDI are a highly efficient organisation, to suggest that they are useless or in any way negligent would just be wrong.
'An Institutional culture of corporate theft' on the other hand, that would be harder to disprove.

Not that AUDI are alone in this, as all UK automotive organisations are wise to the fact that they can get away with fleecing their customers because:
A- consumer protection legislation in the UK would protect the party with the biggest legal resources, and, the customers always stump up and rarely complain because:
B- most punters aren't paying for it anyway, their company is, or more to the point, their clients (indirectly) are, i.e. you, me and every other dumb sh!t in the UK.
C- Those that can afford a top 5 brand from private taxed income are probably knowingly overcharging their clients, so are happy to overpay a ridiculous bill just so the wife / mistress can drive a fashionable brand.

Honda charge (iirc) 'FRT rates' for work done on cars. Thats to say, when the service manager enters 'brake pads' into the corporate Honda computer system, it automatically bills for an hours worth of labour. And this is the bit that gets me: if the mechanic does the job in less time, say 20 minutes (the FRT times are always 'generous') he / she is paid a bonus over the basic wage, but the customer is still charged for one hour. This is apparently legal in the UK. It also came from an ex Honda mechanic who I know well.
I doubt this frankly crooked billing method is unique to Honda, but in this day and age of already inflated hourly rates, it's a f**king disgrace.

And dont start me on routinely adding 'waste disposal' charges, new wipers at every service at £30 a go, and a fiver to top up your already full screen wash bottle

 

[PSQ]

Duck, you have a good insight into the industry, can you shine any more light on this practice of 'FRT' billing ???

 

[FidgetC15]

Not just main dealers though, out local non main dealer VAG specialist was looking after our Passat SWMBO liked them because we get free screen wash. Bills were horrendous finally capped with the usual. 'You need new brake pads' Why? I asked Passats have wear indicators on and no lights yet. Took it out and started using another VW specialist it was 2 years and 20 odd thousand miles before it finally needed pads, and they were a fraction of the original quoted price.

I had similar experience with a VAG specialist servicing my 11 year old car. Came back with a list as long as your arm after being serviced of what additional work was required including new brakes and pads all round, new full exhaust system, new tie rod end, four new tyres "as there is only 5mm left on them"and a gearbox repair quoted at £700 with the total for all work getting close to what the car was worth. I was told "I don't know how it got through its last MOT" and the advice was to buy a new car! Two years on and I got the gearbox repaired by a transmission specialist back home for £420 and all I have done is replace the front brake discs and pads and only replaced the tie rod ends last month before its MOT and any of the tyres lasted at least 9 months before any needed replaced . The exhaust was patched up and still passes its MOT so whats the point in replacing it in a car that age? I found out afterwards that the owner is a former Audi technician so maybe they have that main dealer mindset?

 

[nick...]

As a friend of mine said when he was accused of being extravagant for buying a new Q5 or some such thing,
"I have over 5 million tied up in assets and I work about 4 thousand hours a year for less than minimum wage, and you're going to grudge me a new car for the few days a year that I'm not working".

I just tell people to f off and mind their own business.really pisses me of when i hear that
Nick...

 

[Cowabunga]

Duck, you have a good insight into the industry, can you shine any more light on this practice of 'FRT' billing ???

Its both a simple way for dealers at automate billing while at the same time uplifting invoice values. You could say that they are gouging customers, but these dealers are forced by the manufacturers into very high costs of operation, so it is a difficult balance. The customer has to pay for it all somehow and the only way to avoid it is to shop around and ultimately go elsewhere if you don't like it. Which, I suspect, is what most people do.

 

[Tankman]

I used to have my Honda CRV's serviced and MoT'd at the Honda main dealer in Newton, Mid Wales and I always inspected the brake discs and pads before taking the car in so I knew exactly their condition.
I'm glad I did this because at the first service at this garage the service manager said my front pads needed replacing as they were nearly down to the metal! I then pulled out my note book and started quoting the actual pad thichnesses where upon the service manager quickly changed the subject! He never tried that one on me again!

 

[JWL]

I've only been involved with one brand new car, my ex bought a Peugeot before we were married and the night before it's first service I got the permanent marker out and wrote on the oil filter cartridge "Don't forget to change".
Next day she phoned me to say she had her car back and I didn't need to pick her up from work and I asked her to pop the bonnet and check the filter as you could see it easily and my writing was still there after its so called first service!
I left her to it to call back via the dealership on the way home, needless to say the car and her got treated like royalty afterwards

I spoke to an old friend the other day that had a new Discovery 4 that had just come back from a service and he had been told that they hadn't bothered with an oil and filter change as the oil analysis was fine. Says a lot for service intervals set out by the manufacturer!

 

[two-cylinder]

Its both a simple way for dealers at automate billing while at the same time uplifting invoice values. You could say that they are gouging customers, but these dealers are forced by the manufacturers into very high costs of operation, so it is a difficult balance. The customer has to pay for it all somehow and the only way to avoid it is to shop around and ultimately go elsewhere if you don't like it. Which, I suspect, is what most people do.

Manufacturers force their dealers into much unnecessary expense, between buying my present car and taking delivery I noticed the showroom had a facelift- I mentioned this to the salesman who said 'ought to look good - the circular mat under our feet (about 3mtrs in diameter) cost us £ 3,000!'

 

[asm]

We had our vauxhall van serviced at the main dealers on the first service we were told it needed front brake pads, we said we would do it, ordered pads from local parts suppliers removed wheels and found pads OK van did another 15k before we did the pads.
I spoke to the service manager about this and was told in the opion the pads were low,
Took my van into same dealership for warranty work, had phone call all done, went to collect van fudging great dent in rear door. Spoke to service adviser was told your driver must of done it when I said I doubt it was told by service adviser there's no way it was done by them when I raised my voice the service manager came out and asked how I was sure the dent was done by them I said its my van and I dropped it off in the morning damage free.
It took 6 weeks for them to repair the damage.
Had a call from vauxhall dealer asking Were we happy with their service, the boss soon put them right.
We now buy Renault vans and so far the dealership has been great they collect and deliver the vans, only do the service work as we do our own repairs and they seem OK with it.

 

[Courier]

We now buy Renault vans and so far the dealership has been great they collect and deliver the vans, only do the service work as we do our own repairs and they seem OK with it.

Same basic van as I am sure you know but much better specced. Still down to individual service managers though.
When we took delivery of a New Master in 2010 I ordered a set of pads and discs at the same time and neither were in the UK - Had to wait 2 weeks for the pads and over 3 months for the discs - no aftermarket parts yet available as it was a new model. Could have been awkward.
Sold it on privately with 280k miles running like a Swiss watch and got another 6 months ago at a 34% discount.
Reckon we had put over £50k's worth of fuel through it !