Main Dealers Or Independants?

[flitwick]

Just booked my hdi1.4 16v in for a service .My main dealer in bedford shut down in 2005 so i was forced to look around phoned a number of main dealers and was shocked at the price difference between them .

One garage said 2nd service £250 which sems steep considering they only change yhe oil and a couple of filtters .Rung inderpendant approved so not to cause probs with the warranty and was quoted £132 which is much more like it .

There seems to be a number of these type of aproved dealers springing up which can only be good news for us citroen dealers

[wozza]

The dealers always try and charge you more cause they basically can.

[Guest CE05LDB]

With the Dealer though you can have a courtesy car for the day can't you.

[flitwick]

I forgot to add yes i do get a free car for the day so all round pleased and cheep :D

[Guest CE05LDB]

I thought you could. But with my dealer they have 12 courtesy cars and not 1 Automatic or Sensodrive

[karmthims]

You may think that the independents are cheaper than the main dealers but normally the independents don't have the diagnostic equipment that a main dealer has. The problem to me lies in the fact that at least you know when the car goes into a Citroen garage they are not only using the diagnostic equipment to check for faults and deleting any there they also carry out any recalls outstanding or any safety alerts that may need doing while the car is in.

 

A independant won't do this so the reliabilty of the car may be compromised by using non approved Citroen specialists. Personally I would pay that bit more to have it serviced by the main dealer or at least ask to see if the price is negotiable.

[pork_pie]

However the independent might actually get your citroen sorted unlike the rookies at the main dealerships :rolleyes:

[pork_pie]

The serious answer would be, use the main dealer for the duration of the warranty.

[kfk]

However the independent might actually get your citroen sorted unlike the rookies at the main dealerships :)

As i've said in other posts, there area a lot of good independents out there.....and many that shouldnt be let loose on a car.

 

As Karmthims points out, a main dealer does do things that your local independent wont be able to do. :blink:

 

Can your independent dealer check the faults in your ABS/ESP, Power steering ECU, Gearbox ECU, Lane wandering alert ECU, Steering control ECU, Airconditioning ECU, BSI, multifuction display, tyre underinflation detection, Radio, Airbags, Parking Assistance, central door locking............or do they only have equipment to read and erase engine management fault codes? :rolleyes:

 

During my day i have a fair number of garages call for 'technical information'. I have got to the stage with most of them that i refuse to assist.....Nobody helps me do my job, and on the occasions that i have got a problem and need to speak to Citroen i will be charged £20 for the call......why should i assist them for free?. :D

 

Would you take a cylinder head off without torque wrench settings to put it back on, would you expect them to know how an alternator belt goes back on after they have removed it, would you question their knowledge if you knew they rung us up and asked us 'what parts are replaced on a 2nd year service'? :huh:

 

Customers are trusting them......and guess what.....when it all goes wrong the customer comes in and we have to sort it out :huh:

 

I would suggest that there are owners out there that find a dealer doesnt meet their standards of service. When this is linked to the charge for this service they question why they take it there. If the service was good faults were fixed first time and they were treated properly they wouldnt use independents.......people will pay gladly for good service and workmanship they can trust.............Some of our customers have been using us for over 30 years, but then we have staff with 33 years service aswell.

[citroeneddie]

IMHO I would always use a Citroen Dealer, providing -

 

a) You have built up a good relationship

:lol: Smaller family ones know more about customer service than bigger multi operators

c) Negotiate a discount as a good customer

d) Work warrantied

e) Courtesy car available.

f) Plus Kfk points

[Igloo_Vindaloo]

What do main dealers charge per hour these days?

Is it even more than the £40 my independent Citroen specialist charge?

 

And they offer free collection and delivery and maybe even a courtesy car. Though you can hire these for ~£25/day anyway, so that can be a bit of a false economy.

[wozza]

If its a new car for the first few services id go with the dealer but on an older car do it yourself least then you know for a fact whats been put into the car so you might not get a stamp in a book big deal most people who look at cars arent that fussed generally i know im not when im buying a 2nd hand fairly old car.

 

Plus when you buy from enthuisiasts you can bet they only put the best things into the car. And did it a bit more often than what the manual recommended.

[daddyuk]

Emily my C3 HDI exclusive has just passed her third birthday. Throughtout its warranty life it was religiously serviced by main dealers. Concerned about the quote for a 30000 service(£280) from them I took my car to an independant citroen specialist on the outskirts of Wolverhampton who once used to service my 2CV6. The quote for this service £100 which included fully synthetic oil.

I was able to watch the technician servicing the car and i was astonished at the state of the air and pollen filters. They had clearly never been changed despite being charged for them both on two previous services.

The car runs better than ever now, and yes they do have the diagnostic equipment. I shall be using them as long as I own a Citroen. I am unsure as to whether it is politic to name the independant, perhaps a moderator will advise.

[Guest CE05LDB]

The Trouble with most Citroen Dealers you can't see them doing you car from the waiting area. I have been in the workshop once as a mechanic had to take my CD Draw out as my brother got his badge stuck in the dashboard. One guy came charging up saying your not suppose to be around here and the Mechanic said I told him to. This guy soon shut up.

[citroeneddie]

Thats worrying about the filters ont being changed and being charged for them.

 

Please let us know who the independant is and the Citroen Dealer who didn't change the filters, as you can spill the beans on the Pic Forum. :D

[kfk]

Emily my C3 HDI exclusive has just passed her third birthday. Throughtout its warranty life it was religiously serviced by main dealers. Concerned about the quote for a 30000 service(£280) from them I took my car to an independant citroen specialist on the outskirts of Wolverhampton who once used to service my 2CV6. The quote for this service £100 which included fully synthetic oil.

I was able to watch the technician servicing the car and i was astonished at the state of the air and pollen filters. They had clearly never been changed despite being charged for them both on two previous services.

The car runs better than ever now, and yes they do have the diagnostic equipment. I shall be using them as long as I own a Citroen. I am unsure as to whether it is politic to name the independant, perhaps a moderator will advise.

My personal view on this is that whilst the owner reports that 'they clearly had never been changed' it should also be considered that with regard to pollen filters and air filters they are replaced annually or every 12,500 miles on this model. At a year old they do look dirty, they are blocked.........thats why they're replaced......I think it would be unwise to mention names on the basis that nothing is proven.

 

If the owner does have something to say about it they would do better to present the dealership concerned with the facts and ask them to respond.

 

As i see it the dealership has done nothing wrong. The owner on the other hand was obviously wary of the cost and decided to shop around for alternatives. After all its 3 years old, the warranties expired and who wouldnt?

 

Maybe because of the difference in price of service you feel dissatisfied with your dealer.......i can assure you that it isnt just diagnostic computers that are the difference.

 

The independent chosen has obviously instilled a degree of confidence and you have seen that your filters have been replaced. I wonder if this time next year you might have a different opinion when there repaced again and you realise the're dirty!!

[daddyuk]

The independant is Technically Autos Citroen and Peugot specialists, withy rd Bilston 01902 354774

 

My ex Citroen garage was Goodfellows, Walsall Rd Aldridge walsall. They are peugot dealers but authorised citroen repairers.

[daddyuk]

My personal view on this is that whilst the owner reports that 'they clearly had never been changed' it should also be considered that with regard to pollen filters and air filters they are replaced annually or every 12,500 miles on this model. At a year old they do look dirty, they are blocked.........thats why they're replaced......I think it would be unwise to mention names on the basis that nothing is proven.

 

The last main dealer service in February 2006 showed an odemeter reading of 20,000 miles. When serviced at the specialist it was 27,300. I actually saw both filters removed and they were truly filthy. It was obvious they hadnt been changed at the dealer service.

[kfk]

What i would say to you and others in this situation, if you are making a complaint thread, about a dealer, that they should be treated with an element of constructiveness.

[citroeneddie]

Not keen on Peugeot dealers becoming Authorised Citroen Repairers. Cant fault service on previous Peugeots, but think that Citroen Dealers are still more experienced ( especially smaller family run ones).

[raveydavey]

I can only speak from my own experiences, but I'll not be using the main dealer in Leeds or Halifax again. Both part of massive chains and boy can you tell.

 

I have in the past used a small family run dealer (Barkers at South Milford) who were absolutely spot on, but they were just a pain in the behind to get to being out in the sticks.

 

It's certainly not a matter of cost either - I don't mind paying appropriately for top notch service, but I'll not be charged through the teeth and treated like an idiot.

 

As the car is now out of warranty I guess the time has come to search out a decent independent specialist - if anyone can recommend one I'd be glad to hear it.

[AlanFC]

From my experience of Citroen dealers, I would never use them once the warranty has run out.

 

Typically, the workshop idsfull of YTS or whatever it is these days, trainees, with very little supervision.

 

At least if you take it to an independent, owner owned outfit, the guys seem to know exactly what they are on about.

[iannez]

From my experience of Citroen dealers, I would never use them once the warranty has run out.

 

Typically, the workshop idsfull of YTS or whatever it is these days, trainees, with very little supervision.

 

At least if you take it to an independent, owner owned outfit, the guys seem to know exactly what they are on about.

what a load of rubbish. we have 2 apprentices in our garage and they always work along side someone who is fully trained. go to a back street garage and get your oil and filter changed if you want but there is alot more goes into a main dealer service than that. the trouble is most ppl go to a main dealer and think they are robbed blind because of the extra parts on top of the service. the reason for this is the dealer carrys out a much more indepth check (ask for the check list) and the independent doesnt. ask a independant what multi-plexing is or if he can tell you which speed sensor is putting your abs light on and they will look at you as if your stupid. people who work on citroens day in and day out know the product much better and know what to look for and most of the time pick things up on service before it causes any real damage. like kfk said the amount of non franchise dealers that ring main dealers for info is ridiculous so basically you have ppl working on your cars that dont know what there doing. if you dont want to use a citroen dealer from day one you dont have to as long as the garage you use is vat registered and use citroen parts your warrenty won't be affected.

WHY DO PPL COME ON HERE AND POST WHAT THEY THINK AND NOT WHAT THEY KNOW. IGNORANCE IS BLISS.

[iannez]

and also if your worried about being robbed ask the dealer to hold any old parts they have changed so you can inspect them your self. go to a back street garage to save money. go to a main dealer to get the job done properly.

[Igloo_Vindaloo]

I prefer the happy medium - my local independent Citroen specialist*, where I got the car from.

 

*Oh yes Sir - we specialise in everything!

 

Tim