What a refreshing change!

[Seedy]

Had my car serviced last night (bit overdue whoops! 12700 miles bue to a blast into wales for a stag do) Anyway - took the plunge of using my local friendly grease pit garage Used by my family for years - for a first service! With other cars i have had from new always stuck to main dealer service for warranty issues, But not this time - so glad i did - what a relief to take your car to a garage & for them to do what you ask - i.e. not what a main dealer does (as well as use your car so the yts boy can do the lunchtime butty run!)

For £98 inc vat my car was serviced - filled with a fully synthetic oil - filters changed all the usual stuff, plus they removed & cleaned the rear brake calipers, checked the timings & fuel mix ect... AND looked at the engine mounts, i explained the knocking experienced by many 172 owners under hard acceleration & they sorted it for me, just like i asked! Not what you get from a main Reno dealer - they just talk bollix & tell you nothing is wrong!

So now i have a big grin & my car feels fresh & revitalised - ready for me to continue thrash the arse off it like its meant to be!....My faith continues in the good old friendly local garage service that main dealers just aint got!

 

[black kro]

ditto - a good local garage is far better

I had a 19 Turbo D that needed a cambelt!

Reno Main Dealer - £490 "call it £500 the receptionist said!"

Local French specialist - £255! (and a stamped book)

main dealers are sh*te - as long as youve got a stamped book and receipt to show what theyve done, should still keep warranty

its a con telling ppl they MUST use a Main Dealer!

 

[Ben H]

There are soon to be new EU regulations saying that you can buy and service your new car anywhere and keep the warranty intact.

 

[Tom]

they are already in place. and have been for a while.

The only "catch" is the garage has to be vat registered and use OE parts to retain warranty.

 

[black kro]

more info Tom?

Id rather NOT take the car to Reno!

 

[Seedy]

Black Kro - see below from a previous thread i posted the following on!



My local friendly backstreet garage are doing my 12k service for £98 all in! Including new spark plugs - (aparently reno say the std from new ones last 36k!! so they dont get changed by reno & cost about £12 each) My car is mine from brand new! I serviced my old Pug Rallye from new at a main dealer for the first 3 years all in the interests of keeping warranty valid ect... Then after 3 years used my local backstreet gage... What a load of w*nk main dealer servicing is!! My local garage told me the previous service (ie last main dealer one) - was done incorrectly & to a poor std & all the money i had paid!!. So thats why i am skipping the dealer full stop. Now before anyone says! "what about invalidating your warranty?" Its no longer the case since block exemption came into force in the last couple of years! This means as long as the garage you use user the recomended replacement parts used by the manufacturer - plugs ,oil ,filters ect... Then whatever garage you use (as long as this applys & the are British std registered) it will NOT invalidate your warranty - you could even do it yourself if you know what your doing & use the recomended parts! (this was bought in purely to STOP main dealers monopolising servicing under warranty & charging so differently around the country hence the widely different prices quoted on this thread) Hence f*ck off Reno stockport wanting £170 - & some scally thrashing my car around the block for the lunchtime butty run! I will get it done by a proper mechanic... The guy i use is very good as he builds rallycross cars & engines to compete at quite a high level....

Anyway thats my 2 peneth about servicing!!