Main Stealers and ATS

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Trewey

Trewey

Cockernee, Pasty munchin bastid.
Posts
20,088
Location
Kernow - Near England
As most of you know, my boy is an MOT tester at an independent station that just does tests (no repairs).
Today, a customer bought in a P reg Disco 300TDi with 140k on the clock.
It had been with the local main dealer for the last week for pre-MOT checks / repairs, but the customer wanted the MOT done independently.
The dealer had replaced the rear brake discs, calipers and pads and advised that one tyre was worn. The bill was £1400!!!!!
The customer then took it to ATS to have the tyres checked - they said that they were OK.
My boy had to fail it and the customer was not happy!
1. The floor under the drivers seat was completely rotten - fail.
2. The front number plate was broken - fail.
3. One rear tyre was completely bald - fail.
4. Sills, body mounts and boot floor heavily corroded but not holed - advise. None of those areas will last another year.
The number plate, welding and tyre will cost them about £400, so they'll have spent £1800 on a vehicle worth less than that and that will need scrapping within the next year.
My boy's garage does free re-tests - why don't people get their vehicles tested first to find out what needs doing, before spending a fortune?
 
from what ive read the problem here lies squarely with the main dealer. the car has been with them for 'pre-MOT checks/repairs' which have clearly NOT been carried out, and by the sounds of it the customer wasnt even advised of any current or potential problems. my very 1st reaction would be to drive back to the main dealer, hand them the keys, and remind them of what they were told to do.

unfortunately having seen this many times before i pretty much know what the main stealers reaction will be ....... "we can only carry out work that is requested and authorised by you the customer, if you didnt request a specific job to be done then we cannot carry it out just because we think it should be done"
 
I use the local Council HGV test place.

They'll fail stuff if you fart .. but are really, really thorough, as they should be. Main thing is, as Trewy says, they don't do any repairs and offer a free re-test within a certain time-frame, and you know that if it's passed it deserved to pass.
 
ratty said:
It's amazing how many dodgy garages are out there. MOT centres like your son works at are a far safer bet.
Click to expand...

For my part....I use an MOT station that also does repairs; but as I am 'in the trade' the tester realises that I have done a pre-MOT and fixed what I find. Anything additional is advised (within reason) on the understanding that it is fixed before the next years MOT test.

This is called a 'working relationship' and seems to me to be a sensible appraoch. As far as I am concerned I have not put a dangerous car on the roads.

Getting back to the original post....most of the cost of the repairs are due to the owner taking it to a main dealer. There are very few 10+ year old cars that I think I would take back to the main dealer. It would have to be pretty exotic.....certainly not a Tdi Discovery :)
 
andyb66 said:
This is called a 'working relationship' and seems to me to be a sensible appraoch. As far as I am concerned I have not put a dangerous car on the roads.
Click to expand...

Heheh, that's OK if you are 'in the trade' ... ;)

andyb66 said:
Getting back to the original post....most of the cost of the repairs are due to the owner taking it to a main dealer.
Click to expand...

I don't think the point was just the price, more that he'd asked for a pre-mot and they'd obviously not done a full pre-mot! The failure issues, especially the tyres, should have been picked up at the stealers, and if not at ATS!

andyb66 said:
There are very few 10+ year old cars that I think I would take back to the main dealer. It would have to be pretty exotic.....certainly not a Tdi Discovery :)
Click to expand...

Gotta agree with this .. unless you'd owned it from new, it was pristine and you had a full stealer service history you wanted to carry on ... but how many of them are there? ;)
 
Sadly there are far too many people who don't have clue about anything mechanical. I put this down to the now tragic schooling system in this country. Most schools cannot do any sort of mechanical/electrical engineering due to health and safety costs and issues. Thus successive governments have created a country of people who's only job prospects involves "fries" and helpdesks.

For those too afraid or unknowledgeable about vehicles there are very few places they can get correct and unbiased advice.
Martins money savings tips website has a great section about looking after vehicles and getting MOT's done sensibly without getting ripped off.

Word of mouth about local garages and dealers is one of the best ways.
 
Treworgey 90 said:
The dealer had replaced the rear brake discs, calipers and pads and advised that one tyre was worn. The bill was £1400!!!!!
The customer then took it to ATS to have the tyres checked - they said that they were OK.
My boy had to fail it and the customer was not happy!
1. The floor under the drivers seat was completely rotten - fail.
2. The front number plate was broken - fail.
3. One rear tyre was completely bald - fail.
4. Sills, body mounts and boot floor heavily corroded but not holed - advise. None of those areas will last another year.
Click to expand...

That is truly outrageous. Did they use gold plated discs and calipers? I guess the rest of it and the bill was just labour at over-inflated rates looking at it through very dark glasses from the tea room!

Wonder what trading standards would make of it? Perhaps the stealer needs to be named and shamed.
 
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