Car Servicing

soutram

Hi all

I have a quick question, does a garage have to be VAT registered to be able to service a vehicle that is still in warranty? My local garage is not VAT registered & they tell me they can service my car with out affecting the warranty.

I cant find the rules & regs anywhere online, all I can find is the following:

Now motorists can use any garage of their choice to service their cars without invalidating the manufacturer’s warranty, subject to:

The service is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer’s servicing schedules and is recorded as such
Any parts used are of ‘appropriate quality’ and are recorded as such

The Office of Fair Trading confirms that the new BER prohibits vehicle assemblers’ warranties from including conditions requiring that:

All normal maintenance be provided within the vehicle makers’ network
All parts used must be the vehicle assembler’s ‘original spare parts


I cant find anything about a garage being VAT registered?

Any ideas

Thanks
Sarah

arcon5

I can't see how whether the garage are VAT registered or not affects anything!

mikey72

I have seen it in some manufacturers blurb.
Whether it's fair, or enforcable is a different matter. No doubt it's there to try to ensure you use a large(ish) garage, and not a mobile mechanic.

Main thing is to use approved parts, the best way is to actually get the parts from the main dealer, and have them fitted. Keep all the receipts.

Hintza

You pays your money and takes your chance and there will be zero goodwill after 36 months.

red_eye

Hintza wrote: »

You pays your money and takes your chance and there will be zero goodwill after 36 months.

if you add all the cash you would of dropped at the dealers and put all the money you saved using independent garage you will have more then the dealers 3year goodwill.

main dealer will rip you off for parts, factors can supply the same branded part for much much less

Notmyrealname

red_eye wrote: »

main dealer will rip you off for parts, factors can supply the same branded part for much much less

No they can't. They can sell you equivalents even made by the same manufacturer but they won't sell you parts with Ford stamped on in a box with Ford logos on for example.

Also you fail to factor in how much less you'll get for a fairly new car without a full main dealer service history. I kicked the seller of mine in the nuts because it wasn't.

And also the independent won't do software updates or recalls.

colino

Off the top of my head I can't recall why under block exemption repair garages have to be VAT registered to comply with service schedules (someone will come along later and google a response) but it must be a pretty small concern to be below the VAT threshhold. Are they upright, tax paying citizens?

red_eye

Notmyrealname wrote: »

No they can't. They can sell you equivalents even made by the same manufacturer but they won't sell you parts with Ford stamped on in a box with Ford logos on for example.

Also you fail to factor in how much less you'll get for a fairly new car without a full main dealer service history. I kicked the seller of mine in the nuts because it wasn't.

And also the independent won't do software updates or recalls.

depends on how much you pay, the expensive ones made by the company ford contracted to make the parts will not be equivalents they will be exactly the same part with out the ford logo. the cheaper ones will be pattern parts

If only you knew what goes on inside the dealer workshop...finish a job well with in book time and the time saved from all jobs gets added and turned into bonuses on payday.
I'm happy with a big bunch of garage invoices even parts invoices.

recalls are dealt with by the dealer at no cost to the owner regardless of where you have the car serviced

soutram

Well ive been looking around now for a couple of days and half the sites I look at say the garage needs to be VAT registered & Half say they dont!

Just with I could find a document that just simply stated the rules!

The garage not being VAT registered does not bother me at all, The guy is a ex main dear master tech who got fed up of the garage ripping people off so decided to go it alone, he small independant specialist who has the same software the main dealer does.

It would never even cross my mind that they are not upright, tax paying citizens just because they are not VAT registered.

LandyAndy

red_eye wrote: »

recalls are dealt with by the dealer at no cost to the owner regardless of where you have the car serviced

Mebbe. But warranty work Advised by the manufacturer to be carried out at the next service won't happen,

Ducking main dealer services within the warranty period is playing with fire IMO,

Notmyrealname

red_eye wrote: »

If only you knew what goes on inside the dealer workshop...finish a job well with in book time and the time saved from all jobs gets added and turned into bonuses on payday.
I'm happy with a big bunch of garage invoices even parts invoices.

recalls are dealt with by the dealer at no cost to the owner regardless of where you have the car serviced

I'm a former mechanic with main dealer experience at Land Rover and Nissan.

And we were on bonus as well. Its surprising how quickly you can service a car. What narked me though was losing a month's bonus once when I got a car that came in for a clutch. Turned out the input shaft had somehow seized into the end of the crankshaft when the spigot bearing let go. Had to cut the gearbox off the car, replace the bellhousing and input shaft - 4hr book time, 2 days to do the job.

recalls are dealt with by the dealer at no cost to the owner regardless of where you have the car serviced

Indeed they are but unless you're lucky enough to get the letter from the manufacturer or know where to look online then unless it ends up in a dealers, it'll never get done.

During warranty get it done at a main dealer. Outside of that, check out independents but still keep an eye on the main dealers. Ford havin been giving 12 months/12,500 miles free pan european breakdown cover with a service for well over a couple of years now and at my dealers, the servicing is on par with independent garages.