Army Rumour Service

Register a free account today to join our community
Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site, connect with other members through your own private inbox and will receive smaller adverts!

Used Car Dealers, Is There A Lower Form of Life?

I know you are defending the position of main dealers. I have worked for a few.
But i give you an example, My mum has a ten year old Honda jazz, She will take whatever the service advisor tells her as gospel.
They had sent her a letter offering an interim service plus MOT for £130.00, So i said take it, they will change the oil and filters and you get the ticket.
I walked in to pay the bill and they wanted an extra £130.00 to change the front windscreen wipers, as it was an advisory.
I was to f*cked off to argue as life is too short.
 
It's not 'exactly the same work' though, for a start, the dealer will be using OEM quality parts, and may be changing other displaced parts as per Manufacturers spec. such as bolts, nuts etc. and possibly wheel alignment. Also, the parts warranty will cover the replacement of the wheel bearing should it fail during the warranty period at any Ford dealer. You won't get that from Europarts or your local garage if you're three hundred miles away. Granted, it is a big saving and if you don't travel far it makes sense, but it's not a like-for-like comparison, in the same way as Kwik-Fit brakes are in no way comparable to OEM parts, yes, they will make the car slow to a halt but they have no longevity and will chew your brake discs to shreds (I suspect by intent).

The part in question was not a Ford part. The dealership offered me two options i.e. a standard compatible wheel bearing and a premium one, but neither were manufactured by Ford exclusively for Ford.
 
The part in question was not a Ford part. The dealership offered me two options i.e. a standard compatible wheel bearing and a premium one, but neither were manufactured by Ford exclusively for Ford.
Ford don't manufacture components, they build the vehicles - very few car manufacturers own component manufacturing plants, Volvo, LandRover, PSA and Renault come immediately to mind as some that do.
 
I know you are defending the position of main dealers. I have worked for a few.
But i give you an example, My mum has a ten year old Honda jazz, She will take whatever the service advisor tells her as gospel.
They had sent her a letter offering an interim service plus MOT for £130.00, So i said take it, they will change the oil and filters and you get the ticket.
I walked in to pay the bill and they wanted an extra £130.00 to change the front windscreen wipers, as it was an advisory.
I was to f*cked off to argue as life is too short.
I'm not - the situation you mention is clearly the dealers gouging.
The previous comments were related to parts manufacturers, supplier QA and car manufacturer standards.
Dealers are, and always have been an expensive option. What they can't / shouldn't do is work outside of the repair policies and procedures set out by the vehicle manufacturers as part of the franchise agreement. For example, most Ford parts departments are now operated by 'Ford Parts Plus' - an operation wholly owned and managed by Ford Europe, removing the option for Dealers to use aftermarket parts in on-premise repairs for Ford branded vehicles.
 
For peoples attention, you quite often find people selling genuine manufacturers parts on ebay actually from a dealership. For my sins I have a Renault and I can get pretty much anything from there or from a online parts directory from an an actual dealership. The parts and service items , genuine oil etc are usually much cheaper than eurocarparts.
I have previously bought genuine Ford , Saab and Vauxhall parts and service items from there as well.
 
Top