Car Talk

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Main dealer service and 12m breakdown cover for £205?

[oldgregg]

Some brands get a good deal (if they have low call-out rates). I used to get breakdown cover free with a service on my Honda.

[PCL023]

2 hours ago, oldgregg said:

Some brands get a good deal (if they have low call-out rates). I used to get breakdown cover free with a service on my Honda.

We still get free AA cover with main dealer service on our Chinese MG’s, plus a 7 year transferable warranty. 🤔. So I guess Clarkson and May got it  partly right back in 2012 on TG? 

Cheers 

Paul 

 

 

[PCL023]

6 hours ago, BrundallNavy said:

Fix or Repair Daily. 

 

 Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious .... was another one we knew well. 

[BrundallNavy]

8 hours ago, PCL023 said:

 Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious .... was another one we knew well. 

I can relate to that one. Only car I’ve owned where the engine spent more time on the bench than in the car. 

[Spray]

Not forgetting----Fix It Again Toni 

[grendel]

the only real issue was the headlight that was pointed low (failed on alignment on the first MOT) had not properly been adjusted (the little mechanism that transfers the drive through a right angle was just clicking- easily remedied by popping the headlight out and using an allen key on the actual adjustor mechanism, and the footwell trim that had been inexplicably left off (not a deal breaker as I can and have put that back myself, once i figured where it went and in which order) still better that than keep the car longer i guess.

[BrundallNavy]

18 hours ago, OldBerkshireBoy said:

Main dealer service and 12m breakdown cover for £205?

Your right it was £208. 

[dom]

16 hours ago, BrundallNavy said:

Fix or Repair Daily.

Found On Roadside Dead

[floydraser]

Main dealer servicing is compulsary for the duration of a new car warranty usually, so with a 7 year warranty are you committing to 7 main dealer priced services?

For £128 above, how many hours labour would that be? But, then you get the bonus of FSH on the vehicle's record and how much is that worth? Hard to call but easy for those of us who find it easy to do our own services.

In 1996 I bought a six month old Peugeot from a main dealer and just after the warranty expired the rear bakes failed badly, locking the wheels! In 2013 the Volvo came new with 4 services for £400. A couple of months after the last service I had to replace all four discs and the pads!

The cynic in me thinks that manufacturers may be making it difficult for independants by tweaking the technology. As if they would...

[grendel]

4 minutes ago, floydraser said:

The cynic in me thinks that manufacturers may be making it difficult for independants by tweaking the technology. As if they would...

you mean like only a dealer can code new parts to the car, with a charge of £150 plus for the privilege.

[Troyboy]

11 hours ago, PCL023 said:

 Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious .... was another one we knew well. 

Not so much nowadays as they are powered by Toyota engines. The build quality still leaves a bit to be desired.

[annv]

Grendel Yes had this problem many times, Mercedes in particular. Supposedly unlawful BUT!. John

[annv]

Floydraser Again that is supposedly unlawful providing you you use genuine parts BUT I always tell my customers to go to main agent for warranty period just in case they get a warranty fault it saves all the has ell for them, then return when warranty is finished. unfortunately with these longer warranty periods they get in the habit of going to main agents for servicing  until they get a quota surely for brake pads  discs' as well as pads when all they really need is just pads they soon return. Unfortunately many dont hence the number of independents decreasing. John

[annv]

Halfords are NOT your local friendly helpful independent Garage, they are a country wide get rich crowd. John

[WherryNice]

5 hours ago, dom said:

Found On Roadside Dead

First On Race Day........

[grendel]

20 hours ago, annv said:

Grendel Yes had this problem many times, Mercedes in particular. Supposedly unlawful BUT!. John

unlawful on new cars, but when my 2008 car was built it wasnt yet unlawful, so is still subject to the whims of volvo service department.

[FairTmiddlin]

On 19/11/2023 at 00:55, PCL023 said:

 Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious .... was another one we knew well. 

Rust Or Very Expensive Repairs.

Just About Going After Repairs.

Mostly It's No Ignition.

Can you tell I worked in an Austin Rover dealership

 

[Maxwellian]

39 minutes ago, FairTmiddlin said:

Just About Going After Repairs.

With that spelling you didn’t work for Jaguar then….. 

[Matt]

On 18/11/2023 at 18:19, OldBerkshireBoy said:

Main dealer service and 12m breakdown cover for £205?

Our 7 year old Hyundai Tucson went into Upminster Hyundai today for a “core service” and MOT. £169 later we have a new MOT and 12 months pretty comprehensive breakdown cover - including home start, roadside assistance etc and if they can’t fix it 2 day replacement car.

[oldgregg]

15 hours ago, Matt said:

 12 months pretty comprehensive breakdown cover - including home start, roadside assistance etc and if they can’t fix it 2 day replacement car.

Hopefully that's not provided by the AA or RAC.... Both of those companies are imploding at the moment, mainly because they have masses of debt from their PE owners.

[OldBerkshireBoy]

7 minutes ago, oldgregg said:

Hopefully that's not provided by the AA or RAC.... Both of those companies are imploding at the moment, mainly because they have masses of debt from their PE owners.

Dont ask either to attend for a wheel change.

[Matt]

I believe it is the AA but the good news is a wheel change is within my capabilities 💪😂

[oldgregg]

I think they're a bit better but still problematic... Hopefully the car behaves.

I have recently had a horrendous experience with the RAC and a friend and a family member have both also had ridiculous experiences with them.

The joke used to be that you'd call the AA and then someone would turn up six hours later. If that happens with the current RAC setup then you're doing well. It took them a day to assign me a patrol (despite lots of chasing) and I ended up paying to get the car recovered privately.

I have seen articles about how badly in debt the AA and RAC both are now, having been through a succession of investment owners who have drastically added borrowing and reduced staff.

[twowrights]

Took Mrs two to a garden centre three weeks ago, for Christmas decorations (apologies) and I waited in the car (only three years old) whilst she shopped. When she returned the car wouldn't start and a key error code came up. I phoned the RAC and they attended within an hour, ringing me to tell me they were on their way. One of the cells in the battery had been a battery cell too long, they changed the battery for a new one, no complaints from me whatsoever.