Great Service - Motoring
Posted by: u5227470736789439 on 03 May 2006
Dear Friends,
On Friday I had a slight grinding sound from the back axle (on my old Volvo 240) when I approached a round about and was forced to brake sharply. I knew this could only be worn out brake pads from past experience.
Saturday morning saw me on the phone to my garage, where the owner is exactly my age, and where my brother, me, and him used to play amoung the wrecks even forty years ago!
My diagnosis was considered reasonable, and I was asked if I needed the car for the weekend, which I did not. They were ready to do it at that instant. We agreed that a good slot would be Wednesday morning, and so I motored over only to be met with a worried expression as the pads were missing from the shelf! One quick phone call and half an hour later the Unipart van was there with the pieces. All told, an hour of my time, and a bill for £47. I know it is a simple job, but I think that shows how important it is to have a good long term reltionship with a garage, a builder,... and even gramophone dealer, perhaps. Things work well in those circumstances.
Good old fashioned service is not completely a thing of the past.
Strangely, it says something about the robustness of Volvo's engineering that though I managed to get metal to metal on a small part of the one pad, the disc was completely unmarked. I commented on this, and was told, "Swedish steel!" the horror stories I hear off people on times, taking a car to be serviced and then ripped off to the tune of a couple of hundred pound replacing discs, when the pads had not even worn out, says that some garages are more money than they are worth. The shame of it is that people pay and then go back. Long live the independant garage.
All the best from Fredrik
On Friday I had a slight grinding sound from the back axle (on my old Volvo 240) when I approached a round about and was forced to brake sharply. I knew this could only be worn out brake pads from past experience.
Saturday morning saw me on the phone to my garage, where the owner is exactly my age, and where my brother, me, and him used to play amoung the wrecks even forty years ago!
My diagnosis was considered reasonable, and I was asked if I needed the car for the weekend, which I did not. They were ready to do it at that instant. We agreed that a good slot would be Wednesday morning, and so I motored over only to be met with a worried expression as the pads were missing from the shelf! One quick phone call and half an hour later the Unipart van was there with the pieces. All told, an hour of my time, and a bill for £47. I know it is a simple job, but I think that shows how important it is to have a good long term reltionship with a garage, a builder,... and even gramophone dealer, perhaps. Things work well in those circumstances.
Good old fashioned service is not completely a thing of the past.
Strangely, it says something about the robustness of Volvo's engineering that though I managed to get metal to metal on a small part of the one pad, the disc was completely unmarked. I commented on this, and was told, "Swedish steel!" the horror stories I hear off people on times, taking a car to be serviced and then ripped off to the tune of a couple of hundred pound replacing discs, when the pads had not even worn out, says that some garages are more money than they are worth. The shame of it is that people pay and then go back. Long live the independant garage.
All the best from Fredrik
My work vehicle can only be seviced at a main dealer, otherwise the warranty is void 
quote:Phew! I bet his pants were a different colour after!
I bet your's were a different shade too, Fredrik.
About garages and main dealers.
A friend of mines bmw diesel is 6 months out of warrenty, but he continued to use the main dealer for servicing.
About a week ago, three weeks after a major service, the engine plays up, he takes it to them and they say one bank of cylinders have been starved of oil, that'll be 8 grand please for an engine rebuild!!
How could that be? with bmw's world class engineering.
He smells a rat, so do I.
Built in germany, serviced in England!
My own vauxhall, just out of warranty, was serviced by a main dealer, came back with 2ltrs too much oil in it.
That could have been an expensive repair had i not checked it.
I would NEVER take an out of warranty car to a main dealer.
Regards
quote:Originally posted by jasons:
My work vehicle can only be seviced at a main dealer, otherwise the warranty is void
In the UK car manufacturers are no longer allowed to insist in their warranties that their cars are serviced by their appointed dealers. So get it serviced wherever you want.
Mark S
quote:Originally posted by cider glider:quote:Originally posted by jasons:
My work vehicle can only be seviced at a main dealer, otherwise the warranty is void
In the UK car manufacturers are no longer allowed to insist in their warranties that their cars are serviced by their appointed dealers. So get it serviced wherever you want.
Mark S
oooo didnt know that...
Cheers Mark!
By the way.. is Gold Diggers still running?