Dealers...are they useless.

F

flybobbie

Elite
 Stourbridge
Not BMW, but Toyota.
Friends car has random brake warning light.

Took to Toyota dealer, said code they saw too random?
I said might be abs sensor fault.
Put my obd reader on friends car, a Toyota Avensis. Code P1750 comes up (related to abs sensors)..

We still think it's abs sensor so he took that info in to dealer to have another look.
Still they came back and said too random even with obd picture of that code??

So why don't they say ok we will replace sensors and see what happens.
Or are all dealers useless.

There seems a few Youtube P1750 fixes replacing abs sensors.
We will do fix ourselves.
 
In my experience of a local dealership the level of service and expertise is down to the technician who gets to work on your car. There are several I know personally who are absolutely first class knowledgeable master techs, the flip side is there are some useless lazy ones and also apprentices who are left to their own devices and without skilled supervision.
 
Sadly I think most of them are. We asked the Mazda dealer to fit a dash cam to our newly purchased CX60. The response was that they no longer fit them. The reason being that the electronics on the cars are very complicated and are easily upset. So what do you do? The dealer won’t fit it. As it’s a new car if I get the job done by an auto electrician and there is a problem the guarantee would be invalidated. In the end i have just plugged it into the cigarette lighter. So it works whilst the car is being driven but not when left standing. :headbang:
 
I don't think I've ever had a main dealer of any car brand that I've been happy with. They have all been useless and made so many mess ups.

Knowledge levels seem very low even for very common problems that should be obvious.

I don't know why so many people obsess about a car having a full main dealer service history. I'd rather see the car looked after by a good independent garage that has earned their reputation.
 
Like most other things in life these days.....making as much money as possible for the least amount of effort is the way forward.

So yes, car dealers are useless. Unfortunately they are not alone, though.

Could be worse, mind. Just finished an hour long phone call to EDF Energy, as they changed my gas meter back in October but have absolutely no record of doing so....making my new meter readings unfathomable to them! :headbang:
 
I had a knock sensor issue with my 2017 Jaguar XE. Randomly the engine would stutter and the fault light would come on. They claimed too random and nothing wrong. After 3 tries, I told them I want to return the car under the Lemon law. Finally they replaced the sensor and all was good. Jaguar dealers are worse. I take my Jag to the BMW dealer for most service. They have an ex Jag tech there.
 
Couldn’t agree more with the suggestion that main dealers are worse than useless.
I thought that was only here in Ireland. Glad to hear they’re useless in the uk too. Don’t feel so bad now!,
Most of the main dealers salespeople claim to be ex mechanics or ex auto engineers etc.
if they were any good at their original profession, they wouldn’t be flogging second hand cars with a with an air of importance that seems to go with main dealers. Keep sacred the small enthusiastic garages who will do their level best to get you sorted out and not shaft you!!
 
Oh we've had massive issues with Toyota dealerships! The mrs used to have a GT86 - bought from a dealer and we had to get it serviced from a Toyota approved dealer to keep the warranty. First service they dropped a bag of nails on the back end and damaged all the paintwork. Initially they tried to say it came like that to them and the Mrs must have reserved into a bush!! Luckily we had evidence to prove it didnt arrive like that before they then owned up and fixed it.

Naturally we then stopped using that specific dealership (Colchester) and went to another one way out of our way over in Chigwell, who to be fair, were good and we never had any issues. However after we moved over Hertfordshire way we then went to the Bishops Stortford dealer for the service with them. Firstly they made up some BS that it was too hot to work on the car (because it had been parked in the sun all day) so they needed it in for another day. Next day we rock up and it still isn't ready (despite ringing to say it will be ready at this time). 2 Hours later they then turn up with it - no apology, nothing! They still stuck to the fact that it was too hot to get to the spark plugs because of the box engine. Told them how ridiculous it was but of course we know nothing and they know it all!

2 miles down the road there is a massive bang and a rattle by the offside wheel....we pull over and look under the car to find a bloody wrench sticking out by the wheel!!! I pull it out turn around and play all hell with them - they even stated that we must have dropped it in the engine or had even gone home to get the wrench and lie that it was there!!! Best thing was the wrench was engraved with the dealership postcode on it! Needless to say we soon got rid of the car.

Never liked the 86 that much anyway....
 
As first reply up said, depends on the technician you get. There was a guy that started his own Nissan sport car garage who came from a dealership and he was top notch. You got to remember as well if you are bringing in a bang average car they aren't going to bring out the top guy to look at it, you are going to get a bang average technician, and like any company you get good and not so good employees.

I've had poor experiences and stories of companies that sell services for repairing laptops/phones to supplying custom designed vinyl, but that doesn't mean all laptop and repair services are rubbish.
 
As above there are good and bad, with any service, the hard thing is finding the good 🙂
 
Little more with lesson to be learnt.

So my friend brings car around saying the brake warn comes on and off.
Tells me he's been twice to the dealer that has done annual service for several years and mot's.
First time they "looked" couldn't find anything wrong, didn't charge the £99 diagnostic check?

So we start poking the abs wires and can't produce fault but driving we can make the brake warn light come on and off...
So i said, lift bonnet let me check brake fluid level............it was nearly empty!
I said they never checked that, unless you have a leak.
I then looked at the discs, completely warn down, must be 2mm a side was razor sharp lip..
I said that is where the fluid is, it's taken up the wear on discs, never been topped up.
Yet it passed mot at that dealer and a service, showed me the inspection report, last October, no advisories.

My friend was left fuming. He spent hours dropping car off, getting lift home and return, to be told 2nd occasion they didn't have time to check car.
A car with a brake system warning light on.
Total negligence.

So i suggested he take it to the back street garage he has his wife's car serviced for second opinion, to get brakes done and give report on condition.

So lesson, check the basics before going to dealer.
Not everyone is car mechanical's savvy though.
 
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