Thats why I avoid the main dealer wherever possible. The two men in a under the arches lockup look after our cars. Even they still manage to provide a replacement car, nothing special but it gets U from A to B and no dolly bird to proffer tea either just that if you want some tea its customary to make it for them and any other customer around as well their requirements are posted up on the wall..
And two bloody good mechanics too:)...
The problem with this is that many cars now have 6 years warranty, they effectively trap you into their service threadmill.
But...
Most warranty problems are likely to surface within the first year. I say: Do the simple things that you can do yourself: Oil, filters, plugs. A bonus is that you know that it has been done properly: The oil is right, the draining is right. Apply irregular service for the rest, using an independent if and when required. That way, and with this annual mileage, the Yaris will last for 100 years.
Shop around!
My mother in law lives in Chessington, SW London, I live in Worcestershire. I recently phoned 6 main dealers to get comparisons for a year 1 annual service on her Suzuki SX4:
Whilst the cheapest was away from the SE, so was the dearest! In my case she can save £75 by driving 20 miles from here to Cheltenham, instead of 17 miles to Worcester.
I was up near Croydon a few weeks ago having some warranty work done on a BMW. They needed to do some coding, but as I had put an aftermarket radio in in place of the original BMW one, they wanted to charge me 0.5 hours labour to remove it as the car could not be programmed without an original one, £72 + vat. And they wonder why people use specialists.
By the way, they still did a poor job, and lied about the work that they were supposed to do. This makes 7 out of 7 BMW dealers that have achieved a 1/10 score. The 1 is for the beverages...
David
Why do they need a radio in to recode the vehicle
If it's anything like a modern VW, the radio / ECU / dash are all linked together and you get some odd results etc. if you try to play with the system when bits are missing.
Most basic jobs are easy enough. Oil and filter changes are generally the "meat" of the regular service- check the owner's handbook. Buy decent oil and good filters- I find Halfords OK but there are good online suppliers for Japanese cars (eg Jap parts).
If you feel up to it, brake pads / shoes are not difficult if you've either got the instructions (look on the net or for a manual) and even discs are easy enough.
Coolant changes etc. are no problem.
Actual faults with the engine management system etc. are where the problems start or when you need special tools. Try and find a good independent garage you can use.
I maintain our cars myself once out of warranty, unless it is something requiring special tools etc. That is very rare (thankfully). A basic service for, perhaps £40 (I use synthetic oil) rather than £200+ on my wife's Picanto is a convincing case.
We've just got our first diesel (a motorhome) that will be on my "job list" when it is out of warranty.
Brian
My findings exactly. My experience of the local ones says they are incompetent and dishonest. And BMW UK couldn't care less about this.
Since you're S London, I can thoroughly recommend AMC in Garratt Lane Tooting (BMW, MB and Mini specialist). Honest and reasonably priced. But you have to pay for a coffee from their machine. ;-)
... and very, very expensive.
A freind of my daughters works as a mechanic at a bmw garage they are constantly pushed to up sell , pads are the favourite because trading standards cant do anything about the practice of advising you the pads are worn , they always will be , oils the next big earner, if you need
5 litres you will be charged for two containers because most oil is sold in either 4 r 4.5 litre quantities the fact they have drums of the stuff and only fill to just slightly over the minimum level is another thingTime pressure is the other issue a large portion of thier income is bonus based the more they do the more they upsell the bigger the bonus so they take shortcuts .
His advice never take a car to a bmw dealership
These are standard practices throughout dealerships. The local VW dealership operates a monthly bonus scheme, based on completing work in less than standard hours, that affects the whole team, so even the honest and conscientious mechanic is under pressure from his workmates to short cut.
A large part of a dealership's profit comes from servicing and repairs however. If they were run more honestly, new car prices would have to rise.
Chris
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
I always get a free coffee at my Ford dealer. At the last MOT they also replaced my cigar socket fuse for free.
One of the last times I used a main dealer for an oil service, I checked the level before even starting the car on collecting it. And it was well below the full mark.
Went straight back to complain, and was told by the service supervisor it was likely I didn't know how to check oil level correctly. As a computer dispensed just the correct amount of oil for each individual model. I asked him if the computer also poured it in. ;-)
So out we went to the car park - so he could show me how to check the level correctly. I even gave him some tissues from the car.
After huffing and puffing this wasn't possible, he grudgingly got it topped up. My comment was if it was impossible to put the wrong amount in, had the oil actually been changed? And the filter, since the very visible filter housing top was still dirty. He started to turn purple.
The idea of a person in his position treating customers like idiots says it all.
Of all my visits to a BMW main dealer for servicing, there was not one occasion where everything was just fine. As soon as the warranty ran out I went elsewhere.
Yes, there are modules all over the car that talk to each other. They 'control' different functions on the car, eg the electric windows have a control module, as do the interior lights, central locking, immobiliser, air-con or C/C, steering column sensors, the list is endless. They all need to be present, apparently.
It is meant to simplify the car's electrics, and cut down on the amount of wiring needed as all the data is available to all the modules via the can-bus.
In my view, it rather takes the p*ss out of the Euro Bloc Exemption legislation that is supposed to allow any car to be repaired at 'any' garage.
David
Thanks, but actually, I'm 48 miles from that dealer (on the South coast), it is just where the car came from. I have used the services of Mr. Robertson in Hove a lot. He is good, and does what he says he will do.
David
I only use them for warranty work. My cars have always come back damaged in some way.
David
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes
That probably explains why the oil level is always over the MAX after the Mondeo is serviced at the md.
Very suspicious of what went on at my services at BMW Mini. Oil, for example, changed and virtually black - same colour as before the service. Unless that's the way it works nowadays.
Rob
In message , Rob writes
They maybe suck it out and pump it back in again? I know a guy who used to drive a grid cleaning tanker, and he admitted that occasionally they would suck a grid clear and go to another and pump it back down.
Is there an honest BMW main dealer in the land;?...
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.