Renault massively overcharging for a car battery

Fella

My car wouldn't start without being jumped, after which it would run perfectly but then fail to start the next day.

I rang the dealers who are just round the corner (Renault). "That'll be £27.43" says they. "For the battery?" says I. "Oh no, that's just to check if it's the battery that's the problem. If you need a new battery that'll be a further £110.68".

Seemed on the steep side but I booked it in anyway. Their earliest slot was next week.

Thought about it & decided that was crazy money for a battery. Rang F1 Autocentres. "Bring it down, we can do it now: Free test of battery & alternator. If it is the battery it'll cost £34.99 + VAT for us to replace it."

I went down there & they were as good as their word, battery is now replaced & it cost me about £40 instead of about £140. Unlimited 2-year guarantee too.


I expect dealers to be expensive but £140 instead of £40? That's not expensive, that's a scandalous rip-off of a magnitude that should literally be illegal. And the fact they were booked until next week tells us that they have more business than they can handle. They must be laughing themselves sick, bleeding their customer base dry with that kind of overcharging. The irony is that the people who take their car to the dealers for repairs, invariably do it because they trust them....

withabix

That's just normal.

Nobody is forcing you to go to a Main Stealer, so don't!

Freddie_Snowbits

You have a choice, use the French Company or get your legs on and go to a local dealer.

Legs, in case you forgot where they are, are found under your bottome and extend to the floor. If you work each of them independantly, you should be able to walk

myrnahaz

These garages are all the same - My DD took her car to Chrysler and asked them for a quote to fix her seat runners - they had the car for a day and charged her £98. She paid up, got back in the car and noticed that the runners were still stuck - the engineer said the £98 was just for diagnosing that the runners needed replacing and that it would be another £300 to fix them. Unsurprisingly, she didn't go back.

tiff

I will only go to the main dealer if no-one else can sort the problem. I too found a local place who installed the battery for free and charged £40. My MIL who was with me couldnt believe it!

bap98189

Yes, official dealers charge more for parts and labour than most independent garages. But it is worth noticing that you are not comparing like for like. Not all batteries are the same, they vary quite dramatically in price and presumably quality.

Fella

bap98189 wrote: »

Yes, official dealers charge more for parts and labour than most independent garages. But it is worth noticing that you are not comparing like for like. Not all batteries are the same, they vary quite dramatically in price and presumably quality.

There is some truth in that but in this case the dealer wanted £30 just to test the battery (which F1 do for free). And IMO a battery with an unlimited 2-year warranty is more than ample for a 10-year-old car, I doubt the battery from Renault would have been much (if any) better & certainly not by anything like enough to justify a £110 versus £40 cost.

It's interesting that the Govt pays huge lip-service to tackling unfair charges by certain institutions but happily allows the motor industry to fleece their customers blind without lifting a finger.

NotQuiteNorbert

I don't drive and even I know not to go to a main dealer for any work on a car. I thought it was just one of those common sense things to be honest.

moonrakerz

Fella wrote: »

They are overcharging on a massive scale & clearly many people are going to them because they don't know any better.

The whole point of this board is to highlight rip-offs like this.

I can buy a car for £100,000 from Rolls Royce, for £50,000 from Mercedes or from Ford for £10,000 - does that mean Rolls Royce and Mercedes are ripping me off ?

Undoubtedly the battery from your Renault dealer will be of far higher quality that the the one from F1 Autocentres.

Whether it's worth an extra £70 is a totally different question. How long a warranty comes with each battery, what is the capacity of each battery, what is the max cranking current, standard or calcium, etc, etc....

I, like you, object to paying "over the odds" - but just because one item costs more than another item is hardly a good reason to call it a rip-off, let alone say it should be illegal !

hartcjhart

Fella wrote: »

I didn't, but that's entirely beside the point. They are overcharging on a massive scale & clearly many people are going to them because they don't know any better.


The whole point of this board is to highlight rip-offs like this. Not exactly sure what the point of your reply was, since it adds zero value.

Sorry but not massively overcharging and not a rip off,BUT about right when you think the other place does not have to employ mechanics,have showrooms,and other staff,

Expensive MAYBE but then their outlay is probably twice as high as the other place

hartcjhart

moonrakerz wrote: »

I can buy a car for £100,000 from Rolls Royce, for £50,000 from Mercedes or from Ford for £10,000 - does that mean Rolls Royce and Mercedes are ripping me off ?

Undoubtedly the battery from your Renault dealer will be of far higher quality that the the one from F1 Autocentres.

Whether it's worth an extra £70 is a totally different question. How long a warranty comes with each battery, what is the capacity of each battery, what is the max cranking current, standard or calcium, etc, etc....

I, like you, object to paying "over the odds" - but just because one item costs more than another item is hardly a good reason to call it a rip-off, let alone say it should be illegal !

well said,Renault would have fitted the exact battery for the car,not just a cheapy,lets hope the cheap one doesnt cause any dashboard probs:rotfl: