Extortionate car service/repair bill

JanetAS

My 9 year old car broke down last week in the supermarket (central locking wouldn't work), and I had to call the RAC to get me going. I was due to take it in for service and MOT to a small garage locally the next day, as I didn't want to return to the main dealer.

Come the next day and I had to call RAC yet again, whereupon I cancelled the local garage and ran the car to the dealer. They were sorry I'd had to take my custom elsewhere and said why didn't they do the service and MOT? And they would then do their diagnostic check.

Later that day I got a call to say I needed: one back wiper (which I thought), new discs and pads (which they'd said before but were passed by 2 mechanics), and 2 new tyres. Plus, a new switch for passenger door. (I'd inadvertently pulled off the rubber seal.) Bill quoted £610, but should have been over £800. I reluctantly gave the go ahead, after much cursing and pleading poverty. (I'm not receiving work at the moment, which is absolutely true!)

Received a call this week to say wrong switch had been received, and the correct one was more expensive. They said the barrel had gone, possibly the reason for the remote locking problem. Again, I had to give the go ahead. Much more cursing!

Got hold of them this afternoon just as they'd finished costing up, and the final tally is a few pence short of £700. :eek:

I feel like I've been legally mugged!!!:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

So, if I wanted to avoid such high bills in future, can I take my car to another well known dealer (different make) to see if they work out cheaper? I know these cars with computer coded bits etc. are more troublesome to repair, but MUST I return to my dealer to get problems resolved in future?

Sorry I'm having a rant. I've been trying to budget and this has set me back no end. Thanks.

mikey72

What's the breakdown of the bill?

red_eye

have they done the work? if not tell them you can get it done cheaper

and google good garage scheam, and imi accreditation for garages or find the links in one of my previous posts

JanetAS

I'll be collecting it tomorrow. It can wait, IMO!

Because I'd already given the go-ahead to do the service, MOT and diagnostic check, I had no option but to back down and let them get on with it. They claimed the tyres were flagging up red and amber, and the discs and pads definitely needed replacing. True, they'd warned of them before but last year at the independent garage their mechanic passed the discs.

A couple of years ago I was in the waiting area with one other motorist, and we were BOTH warned that our pollen filters needed replacing. I told them to forget it and got a local mechanic to do the job. He said there was nothing wrong with it. That is why I cannot trust them. I feel my bank account is in their hands every time I take the car in to them, and don't want to go there anymore.

*sighs* Motoring, eh??:(

Sgt_Pepper_2

So 12 months on the discs need replacing?

Wear and tear, ever heard of that?

JanetAS

Just to clarify why I had the work done: because the central locking wouldn't operate I couldn't lock the car, so felt it would be safer on their premises where they lock the gates.

s_b

JanetAS wrote: »

Just to clarify why I had the work done: because the central locking wouldn't operate I couldn't lock the car, so felt it would be safer on their premises where they lock the gates.

im sure if you spoke to the small garage they would have found somewhere safe to park your car for the night if it wouldnt fit in their building
at least the main dealer can afford to pay for all his windows to be washed for another week at least:D

captainawsome

Why didn't you just authorise the central locking work only and get the border line work done at a later date? And if it wasn't border line on the tyres/brakes etc then its a safety issue that would need addressing regardless, So they may have done you a favour spotting the dangerous items.

mikey72

JanetAS wrote: »

I'll be collecting it tomorrow. It can wait, IMO!

Because I'd already given the go-ahead to do the service, MOT and diagnostic check, I had no option but to back down and let them get on with it. They claimed the tyres were flagging up red and amber, and the discs and pads definitely needed replacing. True, they'd warned of them before but last year at the independent garage their mechanic passed the discs.

A couple of years ago I was in the waiting area with one other motorist, and we were BOTH warned that our pollen filters needed replacing. I told them to forget it and got a local mechanic to do the job. He said there was nothing wrong with it. That is why I cannot trust them. I feel my bank account is in their hands every time I take the car in to them, and don't want to go there anymore.

*sighs* Motoring, eh??:(

Pollen filters are a service item that's done on an time basis, as you can't see them until you take them out.
If you don't know they've been done, all you can do is suggest they're replaced.
I do my own, and to be honest, I always leave them too long, and they're filthy.

patman99

Whats the worst that can happen if you don't change the pollen filters?.

s_b

patman99 wrote: »

Whats the worst that can happen if you don't change the pollen filters?.

you start a thread saying
my heater motor packed in:D