Warranty Question

[Busterboo]

... Have you ever met the guy / guys who work on your car ?

Only once.

But, in fairness to Sytner, other techs send me videos of my car with voice-overs.

[Busterboo]

I notice you’re ignoring my post and having a pop at someone else Buster probably because you’re wrong as usual but aren’t big enough to admit it.....

John, you've pursued me relentlessly since I criticised you for telling a Jewish joke a long time ago. Stop now.

[MACK]

I've never understood that with plenty of good indies and specialists out there who you can actually talk to in person why you would possibly want to go anywhere else and spend much much more. Everytime I go to a main dealer I literally come away saying to the missus "you know more about cars than any one we spoke to in there!" Why they think folks would prefer to talk to the monkeys and not the organ grinders and pay more for the privilege is beyond me. I understand from a business point of view it makes sense, not having the actual techs time wasted talking to customers but its not what you want as a customer. Especially when the issue is a bit complicated.

I think another aspect that comes into play is some folks have a prejudice against the so called back street garages etc. There's a false sense of security/quality going to the a big posh place

[JamiesZ4]

You guys have me somewhat nervous based on your comments/previous experiences.

I have my car booked in with Stephen James for several investigations under extended warranty mid May and apart from the £100 excess their has been no mention of labour costs part of the investigations. I have requested a courtesy car and been advised it will cost £20 per day.

Issues being looked at are noisy tapping on cold start (lifters?), roof lowering/raising not working, rear whine on differential and gear selector moving back to D when in sports mode and using gear change i.e. M1, M2 etc. alongside flappy paddles not working either.

I am guessing I am either going to have a fantastic result or major let down...

I usually go to a really great indy near me - D&T Wise - but the above will run into thousands if not repaired under warranty hence my trip to the main dealers.

[Busterboo]

Recent 5-year experience with a major Porsche dealer and two Porsche independents showed me that they have, in fact, a symbiotic relationship. The dealer sub-contracts work to the independents, including engine-out jobs (common in 911s) and engine rebuilds (sadly, not uncommon).

In return, the independents benefit from significant regular income, fast delivery of parts and technical support.

For my part, I did what many punters do, of course, and used the dealer for keep-the-service-record-up-to-date work and the independents for the rest.

[MACK]

Recent 5-year experience with a major Porsche dealer and two Porsche independents showed me that they have, in fact, a symbiotic relationship. The dealer sub-contracts work to the independents, including engine-out jobs (common in 911s) and engine rebuilds (sadly, not uncommon).

In return, the independents benefit from significant regular income, fast delivery of parts and technical support.

For my part, I did what many punters do, of course, and used the dealer for keep-the-service-record-up-to-date work and the independents for the rest.

Standard practice these days. I can name a good few auto electricians who spend half their lives at the back of one main dealer or another. Its beyond the scope of most main dealer techs to fine a broken wire or corroded connection these days. If the computer says no its straight on the phone to a specialist. You might as well have have gone direct to them and saved yourself a fortune.

As for Porsche main dealers, dont get me started on the ones around here. Especially Bolton. Id rather see some stamps from one of the good Porsche specialists in the North West than any of the main dealers. So did the two guys who bought my last two Boxsters off me too!

[EssexZed]

On several occasions when visiting my local main dealer I’ve been concerned that problems I’d like investigated and fixed might not be conveyed to the workshop technicians by the front desk service receptionists adequately so I’ve asked to see the senior technician to talk through the issue(s). This has never been refused and the techs I’ve seen have impressed me with the questions they’ve asked, the knowledge they’ve displayed and their willingness to listen and come up with possible answers and solutions. I’ve certainly never felt patronised and I’ve been very satisfied with the work carried out - maybe I’ve been lucky and I have no experience with using a BMW independent so apart from cost I’ve nothing to compare with.

[john-e89]

I notice you’re ignoring my post and having a pop at someone else Buster probably because you’re wrong as usual but aren’t big enough to admit it.....

John, you've pursued me relentlessly since I criticised you for telling a Jewish joke a long time ago. Stop now.

Just ignore me Buster, the anti D happy pills are not working very well. Time for yet another change.

[Busterboo]

I notice you’re ignoring my post and having a pop at someone else Buster probably because you’re wrong as usual but aren’t big enough to admit it.....

John, you've pursued me relentlessly since I criticised you for telling a Jewish joke a long time ago. Stop now.

Just ignore me Buster, the anti D happy pills are not working very well. Time for yet another change.

In which case, John, write what you like. And good luck with the pills.

[R60BBA]

Who the hell pays these prices for labour?
Maybe if people stopped paying these amounts the dealers would be forced to lower their rates.

Doesn’t make a difference to me as I wouldn’t want a main dealer anywhere near my motor.

Why not?

The answers have already been covered, however for clarification purposes I wouldn’t want a main dealer near my car because of 2 reasons: quality of workmanship and price.

I know technicians at main dealers who have confirmed that they are not rewarded for quality, only for getting this done quickly. In other words, the majority of staff cut corners in order to get things done as quickly as possible to secure a better bonus.

A solid independent doesn’t get more money for doing that, but does through reputation, and so will (in most occasions) take their time to get the jobs done right. Not too mention, most are enthusiasts and so are more likely to go the ‘extra mile’ to sort your car.

But, not all staff within main dealers cut corners and not all independents do jobs properly. You just have to find the right person and stick with them.

I’ve also had bad experiences with main dealer but I’ll leave that for another thread.

[Meady]

Seems i caused quite a conversation, If anyone was wondering the car has been totally perfect and not made any weird noises from cold start or anything, so as it only did it twice i imagine i was a bit of my imagination/ especially cold day?!

Car seems fine

[JamiesZ4]

My baby goes in tomorrow for investigations under extended warranty, fingers crossed on a positive outcome

[JamiesZ4]

Good news! Warranty has paid out on nearly £7K worth of work and all for £100 excess, could not be happier!

[ronk]

Good news! Warranty has paid out on nearly £7K worth of work and all for £100 excess, could not be happier!

It begs the question, what have they done for £7k ?

[Busterboo]

An awful lot more than for £100