FridaT Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 The campaign needs your help and support. In short, if you want independent garages to survive sign up to the campaign. If the Brussel bureaucrats have their way we will all be dependent upon main dealer garages. For further information read through this website and how you can help and sign the online petition. This is very important to all of us. http://www.r2rc.co.uk/landing/index.htm FridaT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobber Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 would you bring your brand new Ferrari into the local garage on the corner to have work done? main dealers do charge a lot , but , at least you can be sure the work will be done properly, with decent parts and only the required work will be done. there are a lot of decent mechanics out there im sure , but , there are also a lot of cowboys as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 would you bring your brand new Ferrari into the local garage on the corner to have work done? There are sure as hell a lot of specialist independents who know their stuff and are a much better bet once cars are a few years old and the boys at main dealers only know the new models - be that Fiat, Ferrari or Landrover. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobber Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 couldnt agree more , so why are they trying to bring in this new legislation then? im sure they arnt doing it simply to make life difficult for indie garages. can independent garages not become part of the main dealer network? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Camberley Auto Factors are also warning people about this on their website. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazelle Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 so why are they trying to bring in this new legislation then? Influence from the manufacturers, who have more clout than the independents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ciderman Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 , at least you can be sure the work will be done properly, with decent parts and only the required work will be done. You have to be joking , The main dealers dont even know how to diagnose the problems on their own marques , I had a vehicle in a main dealer for 4 weeks trying to diagnose a fault , I found out through a friend they had to call an independant specialist in to rectify the problem , The only time I ever use main dealers is for warranty work , They are far too expensive some charging ITRO £80 PH labour . I took the wifes car for its first service to keep the warranty up , I had my pants pulled down for the sum of £220 for an oil change , I asked if it had to be done by a dealer to keep the warranty , He replied that many people are dissolusioned thinking that they have to get the car serviced by the garage or franchise they bought the car from , And not even genuine parts are needed , as long as they meet the manufacturers specs . And lets face it You buy a filter for your car from say Camberly motor factors , Its made by Mann or Fram etc ,It will cost you upto 60% less than the same filter bought at the dealer . So you buy your parts from an independant supplier , Why not use the independant garages in the same way . I know many Independant garage owners and they are creaming the work at the moment and are always fully booked , They recon in this current climate of financial difficulty people are holding back from the main dealers and using their independants for servicing , Many people are not buying new cars every year any more and are inclined to keep their vehicles longer which in turn is more maintenance for the garage . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 The only time I ever use main dealers is for warranty work , They are far too expensive some charging ITRO £80 PH labour . I get the impression that £80 is a rather conservative estimate, IIRC it can be over £100. Landrover charge more per hour to service more expensive models - i.e., a Floda costs more than a Defender, and a Range Rover more than a Disco. Charging according to the customer's ability to pay it seems. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannyjenks Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 would you bring your brand new Ferrari into the local garage on the corner to have work done?main dealers do charge a lot , but , at least you can be sure the work will be done properly, with decent parts and only the required work will be done. there are a lot of decent mechanics out there im sure , but , there are also a lot of cowboys as well. A shiny showroom and a chap in a shirt and tie taking your keys off you in a carpeted reception area is no guarantee that the work will be done properly neither is the vast amount of money it takes to maintain this kind of establishment. Mechanics, whether at main stealer or independent garages, are human and as such there are good ones and bad ones. I have dealer experience and most of the guys I worked with were able to balance the pressure from above to complete jobs in unrealistic repair times with doing the job right. On the other hand some just used to cut corners i.e. not using torque wrenches, not cleaning brake assembleys when changing pads, not making the necessary measurements when rebuilding gearboxes etc etc. This, although officially frowned on by the management, was encouraged by the 'time saved' bonus scheme (6.5quid per hour) because if you completed a service that should take 2hrs in say 1.5hrs then you'll be paid 3.25quid therefore theoretically you could complete 5 services a day instead of 4 thus earning the company another 260quid. I have run my own garage and worked in both environments and the difference between main dealer and independent seems to be the training on brand new models (which lets face it no-one takes a brand new car to an independent before the warranty is up anyway unless they never intend selling the car) and the difference between what you pay for the work you have done and the amount that the technician actually gets for doing it! Oh and hello there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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