Service rip-off

[CraigM]

Had my Clio (2 year old 1.4 with 36k) in for its 36,000 mile service at Renault Edinburgh this morning - the bill came to £615.66!!!!!

£351 of that was for new brake shoes, wheel bearings and brake cylinders to be fitted as the mechanic knackered them when removing the brake drums.

On top of that it also need new engine mounts, exhaust mounts and rear shocks ASAP - about £200 for the parts plus fitting - and none of it is covered by the warranty.

As if all of that wasnt bad enough when I picked the car up and drove home every time I braked the pedal went straight to the floor. I managed to get home (not very far from the garage) and as the service dept is shut till Monday and I need the car now I called the RAC out to have a look at it. The guy took it for a test drive and said that it was not in a fit state to drive and that the problem was probably due to air in the brake system, but they arent allowed to bleed brake systems. So I decide to bleed them myself, when I removed the dust cap from the bleed nipple on the right rear cylinder I notice that it is dry, as is the bleed nipple itself - unusual as the garage should have bled it after fitting amd if they had it would have signs of brake fluid on it like the other 3 bleed nipples. I then bled it and a whole load of air came out before I started to get brake fluid through. I then try the brakes again and they are perfect.

I then checked the oil and it was about 1 cm over the MAX mark on the dipstick. I was going to change the oil after the service anyway (prefer Mobil 1 to renault stuff) so I drain it out and removed over 5.5 litres of oil plus what was left in the filter - and the Haynes manual says it takes a total of 4.75 litres (4.25 excluding oil filter) - they cant even do an oil change right.

Why did I ever buy a Renault?????????????????

 

[mikesclio]

you wana complain mate. my 1.6 is the same age as yours and the only problem ive ever had is the front brakes screwed up, and renault fixed that free under warrenty. i rag the f**k outa mine alot of the time and still no probs (touch wood)!!

 

[GR7]

"Why did I ever buy a Renault?????????????????"

The car isnt the problem, what you did was to take it to the wrong place!! When BenH was up here last summer he took his car there one day and it cost him a small fortune!!

The best and more realisticly priced dealer to take your Clio to was Abercromby Renault out at Seafield Road, on the east side. A short while ago Arnold Clark bought it and now the Renault Franchise has been taken over by Reg Vardy which is just across the other side of the road.

I dont know what Reg Vardy is like but Im sure it cant be any worse. If you dont mind a trip over the bridge, then the garage at Dunfermline is probably the best place to go and they give a discount to ClioSport members too.

Renault Dunfermline
Unit 3,
Halbeath Industrial Estate
Dunfermline
KY11 7EG

Tel: 01383 556100
Fax: 01383 556101

I would definitely complain at the earliest opportunity. That is a ridiculously huge amount to be charged. Why dont you ask to see their pricing menu, to see just what you should have been charged for you service. It is best to give a garage a ring to ask what they charge for a service and tell them that you are ringing other garages too and very often you will get a cheaper price that way. Why dont you get a price from Renault Dunfermline and than challenge Ren. Ed. about their cost and what they have done, I am sure that they will knock some money off. Tell them that you will complain to our Jeremy or Renault UK!!

 

[Neil82]

GR if you ever take your car into the Dunfermline garage make sure you walk round the car with them and check for scratches etc .... long story but the grass isnt always greener on the other side of the Forth....

 

[Flying Scotsman]

I have certainly not had ANY complaints about Glenvarigills in Dunfermline. They have tried their very best to sort out the "Friday" car I bought from them March last. They are a professional organisation. Neil, I reckon the problem Paul had with his car is a fairly rare situation. My car is going in tommorrow because they told me that they damaging some thing on my car the last time it was in ..... cant say fairer than that! I previously dealt with Arnold Clark ...... well ..... I cant say these words here .....this is a family show!

 

[simonjones10]

Quote: Originally posted by CraigM on 23 August 2003


Had my Clio (2 year old 1.4 with 36k) in for its 36,000 mile service at Renault Edinburgh this morning - the bill came to £615.66!!!!!

£351 of that was for new brake shoes, wheel bearings and brake cylinders to be fitted as the mechanic knackered them when removing the brake drums.

Cheeky f**kers cant charge you for that its their fault!

On top of that it also need new engine mounts, exhaust mounts and rear shocks ASAP - about £200 for the parts plus fitting - and none of it is covered by the warranty.

As if all of that wasnt bad enough when I picked the car up and drove home every time I braked the pedal went straight to the floor. I managed to get home (not very far from the garage) and as the service dept is shut till Monday and I need the car now I called the RAC out to have a look at it. The guy took it for a test drive and said that it was not in a fit state to drive and that the problem was probably due to air in the brake system, but they arent allowed to bleed brake systems. So I decide to bleed them myself, when I removed the dust cap from the bleed nipple on the right rear cylinder I notice that it is dry, as is the bleed nipple itself - unusual as the garage should have bled it after fitting amd if they had it would have signs of brake fluid on it like the other 3 bleed nipples. I then bled it and a whole load of air came out before I started to get brake fluid through. I then try the brakes again and they are perfect.

Did the RAC bloke give you a printout of his findings etc, if so thats compo time coz you could have been involved in a serious accident as a result of their shoddy workman ship!

I then checked the oil and it was about 1 cm over the MAX mark on the dipstick. I was going to change the oil after the service anyway (prefer Mobil 1 to renault stuff) so I drain it out and removed over 5.5 litres of oil plus what was left in the filter - and the Haynes manual says it takes a total of 4.75 litres (4.25 excluding oil filter) - they cant even do an oil change right.

Why did I ever buy a Renault?????????????????

 

[CraigM]

Quote: Originally posted by GirlRacer on 23 August 2003


"Why did I ever buy a Renault?????????????????"

The car isnt the problem, what you did was to take it to the wrong place!! When BenH was up here last summer he took his car there one day and it cost him a small fortune!!

I really do like the car, but it always seem to have something wrong with it from the alarm packing up, coolant leaks, jumping out of gear, coil failure, poor engine running and the list goes on............. Of course Ren Ed certainly dont help the situation.

The best and more realisticly priced dealer to take your Clio to was Abercromby Renault out at Seafield Road, on the east side. A short while ago Arnold Clark bought it and now the Renault Franchise has been taken over by Reg Vardy which is just across the other side of the road.

I dont know what Reg Vardy is like but Im sure it cant be any worse. If you dont mind a trip over the bridge, then the garage at Dunfermline is probably the best place to go and they give a discount to ClioSport members too.

I would have taken it to Dunfermline, but it needed serviced ASAP and Ren Edinburgh were able to fit it in soonest. I also thought as they had been taken over by Reg Vardy things might have improved - my mistake!




I would definitely complain at the earliest opportunity. That is a ridiculously huge amount to be charged. Why dont you ask to see their pricing menu, to see just what you should have been charged for you service. It is best to give a garage a ring to ask what they charge for a service and tell them that you are ringing other garages too and very often you will get a cheaper price that way. Why dont you get a price from Renault Dunfermline and than challenge Ren. Ed. about their cost and what they have done, I am sure that they will knock some money off. Tell them that you will complain to our Jeremy or Renault UK!!


[/QUOTE]
Thats a good idea GR - I will call a few other dealers tomorrow to compare prices and then I will get on at Ren Ed and Ren customer service dept and take it from there.

 

[CraigM]

Quote: Originally posted by simonjones10 on 25 August 2003

Cheeky f**kers cant charge you for that its their fault!

Did the RAC bloke give you a printout of his findings etc, if so thats compo time coz you could have been involved in a serious accident as a result of their shoddy workman ship!

Thankfully my Dad told me to ask for all the parts removed and its fairly clear from the damage that they didnt release the shoes properly and then beat the crap out of the drum to remove it. The shoes were also only about a third worn, so they did have plenty of life left in them when it went in.

I have a written report from the RAC stating that in their opinion the car was not in a fit state to drive due to very poor braking performance - cant wait to see what they will say to that!

 

[simonjones10]

Quote: Originally posted by CraigM on 25 August 2003

Quote: Originally posted by simonjones10 on 25 August 2003

Cheeky f**kers cant charge you for that its their fault!

Did the RAC bloke give you a printout of his findings etc, if so thats compo time coz you could have been involved in a serious accident as a result of their shoddy workman ship!

Thankfully my Dad told me to ask for all the parts removed and its fairly clear from the damage that they didnt release the shoes properly and then beat the crap out of the drum to remove it. The shoes were also only about a third worn, so they did have plenty of life left in them when it went in.

I have a written report from the RAC stating that in their opinion the car was not in a fit state to drive due to very poor braking performance - cant wait to see what they will say to that!

Good luck with it fella, dont let them fob you off either!

I had a problem with the boot seat on my Saxo, the dealership told me they couldnt change it on the warranty coz it was a perishable and tried to charge me £100+ to replace it.

So I told him Id call him back in ten mins and called my brother (Hes a design engineer and he just so happens to be working on the weather seals for the Aston Martin AM V8 at the mo), he tells me it should be ok for about ten+ years.

I call the dealer back and I get a sh*tty response back along the lines of Oh yeah what did he have to say then in a chopsey tone of voice. I told him what my bro did and what he said about the seal and I get a ok SIR Ill just check with Citroen to see what I can do in a voice like hed been brought up with a silver spoon in his mouth!

What Im trying to say is dont letem off theyre like fapping vampires trying to suck everyones money!!

 

[GR7]

Craig

Just keep at them and DO NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER as DEALERS TRY IT ON ALL THE TIME. You never get this type of hassle with a reputable local garage who value your custom and treat you well as they like to build up a good relationship with their customers.