Renault massively overcharging for a car battery

kai666

I went for a cheap battery rather than the expensive renault battery. It lasted about 6 months before it died, and I ended up going to renault thinking I had a fault. Cost a whole lot more getting them to investigate!

Should have just gone to renault in the first place, taken the hit, and saved money in the long run

Fella

Exactly what argument justifies Renault charging £30 just to see if the battery needs replacing when F1 do the same test for free?

I'm amused in equal measure by the responses here: Half of them are from people saying "everyone knows that Dealers rip you off" & half of them are from people saying "Dealers aren't a rip off".

Two things are very clear to me: One - dealer charges are patently extortionate & two - NOT everyone knows it.

hartcjhart

Fella wrote: »

Exactly what argument justifies Renault charging £30 just to see if the battery needs replacing when F1 do the same test for free?

I'm amused in equal measure by the responses here: Half of them are from people saying "everyone knows that Dealers rip you off" & half of them are from people saying "Dealers aren't a rip off".

Two things are very clear to me: One - dealer charges are patently extortionate & two - NOT everyone knows it.

because Renault do a diagnostic check not just a battery check to make sure there is no underlying fault

that is because people look at things differently,if I see someone walk into a lampost I laugh others would rush to help

Not extortionate as overheads are higher(as stated before) and a lot of people do not care

Fella

hartcjhart wrote: »

because Renault do a diagnostic check not just a battery check to make sure there is no underlying fault

that is because people look at things differently,if I see someone walk into a lampost I laugh others would rush to help

Not extortionate as overheads are higher(as stated before) and a lot of people do not care

F1 also do a diagnostic check, not just a battery check.

Personally I don't laugh when ppl walk into lampposts but each to his own.

Utterly extortionate IMO but I'm content to disagree with you on that score. I suspect most of the people that "do not care" would care quite a bit if they knew what they were paying compared to what they could pay. Overheads for changing a battery exactly the same at one place as another by the way.

tbw

Parts from main dealers/manufacturers are not always of better quality than the cheaper alternatives. A while ago I had a brand new Renault Clio - the front and back wiper blades fell apart after just 3 months (and during the summer when they had not had excessive use!). The dealer said they were not covered under the warranty as they were classed as disposables and wanted to charge me something like £50/£60 (and that was a few years ago when prices were a bit lower than today). A new set from Trago cost around £10 and lasted fine until I sold the car 4 years later - a lot longer than the original Renault wipers!

Fella

tbw wrote: »

Parts from main dealers/manufacturers are not always of better quality than the cheaper alternatives. A while ago I had a brand new Renault Clio - the front and back wiper blades fell apart after just 3 months (and during the summer when they had not had excessive use!). The dealer said they were not covered under the warranty as they were classed as disposables and wanted to charge me something like £50/£60 (and that was a few years ago when prices were a bit lower than today). A new set from Trago cost around £10 and lasted fine until I sold the car 4 years later - a lot longer than the original Renault wipers!

Exactly. Moreover anyone who thinks that all dealer mechanics are superb & all mechanics somewhere like F1 autos are muppets is wrong. You get sloppy & excellent guys at both places.

(Although for a job like changing a battery the quality of the mechanic is somewhat irrelevant, it's not exactly a complex job).

Volcano

Fella wrote: »

I suspect most of the people that "do not care" would care quite a bit if they knew what they were paying compared to what they could pay.

Unlikely. Most wouldn't want to admit that they've been overcharged and would doubtless convince themselves that the battery they bought was a super duper one.

hartcjhart

tbw wrote: »

Parts from main dealers/manufacturers are not always of better quality than the cheaper alternatives. A while ago I had a brand new Renault Clio - the front and back wiper blades fell apart after just 3 months (and during the summer when they had not had excessive use!). The dealer said they were not covered under the warranty as they were classed as disposables and wanted to charge me something like £50/£60 (and that was a few years ago when prices were a bit lower than today). A new set from Trago cost around £10 and lasted fine until I sold the car 4 years later - a lot longer than the original Renault wipers!

rubber perishes at different speeds depending on many factors so is not really relevant, as the car although new to you has/was probably sitting around for a long time in a storage yard,the price from renault I take is with fitting hence the price,did you fit the £10 ones?

hartcjhart

Fella wrote: »

F1 also do a diagnostic check, not just a battery check.

Personally I don't laugh when ppl walk into lampposts but each to his own.

Utterly extortionate IMO but I'm content to disagree with you on that score. I suspect most of the people that "do not care" would care quite a bit if they knew what they were paying compared to what they could pay. Overheads for changing a battery exactly the same at one place as another by the way.

sorry but I bet a pound to a penny that the Renault dealerships overheads are about 2/3 times higher

hartcjhart

thought I should just mention that I am no Renault lover as having a fight about the dash on my megane,nor do I advocate that people SHOULD use main dealers as they are expensive BUT to say they are a 'rip off' is out of order