Would you expect a sweetener

artbaron

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Except that is seems it wasn't a balance problem because they wouldn't have replaced the tyres for that. It will have been a structural fault in the tyre - which can give exactly the same symptoms but won't show up on a balancing machine.

More likely is that after five visits they decided to swap the tyres as a last resort, which would require the wheels balanced, and the fault went away. And even in the rare event that it was the tyre, that should have been resolved on visit No. 1. It's not difficult. Make the change, test the car, and repeat if the problem is not fixed.

I had this problem with my first car. Not knowing anything about wheels back then I took the car to two tyre garages, a total of seven visits. The vibration got worse, if anything. I decided that I might was well have a look even though I'd never even changed a wheel. It took me 5 minutes to find the fault - incorrectly sized spacers. It makes you wonder how these people stay in business.

thebullsback

compensation Britain you must belong to the rich of the country who have used the compensation laws for generations and are now gutted because the secrets out and normal folk are now evoking there rights to the same laws that educated have used for years .
I agree tyres are very very delicate things ...however in the thirty four mile I drove the vehicle I did not kerb or damage them ..fact.
why do i think i need a sweeter.Why does the dealer charge me £70 per hour labour when the skilled man doing the labour gets £8.40 ?

CKhalvashi

motorguy wrote: »

Reminds me of when i'd bought an alfa 156 v6 from a main dealer (yes, i was the one!). It was in for some warranty work and the service manager said if i could hold off a week he would get me a courtesy car 'more in keeping with my expectations in life'. New Alfa 159? Alfa Brera? No - they gave me a Bright Green Fiat Punto 1.2!!!

It wasn't even that with mine, took a Jag estate down to have the airbags reset, I have a large estate car, as I have kids and cart crap about for work, and what did I get?

'62' plate XKR-S Cabrio.

I wouldn't usually mind, but OH ended up driving it more than I did!

Ultrasonic

thebullsback wrote: »

Why does the dealer charge me £70 per hour labour when the skilled man doing the labour gets £8.40 ?

Would you prefer to be billed separately for the building in which the car is repaired, the tools that are used, the national insurance the employer has to pay etc?

In your position I would be annoyed with the garage too, as it appears to have taken a lot of effort to resolve a fairly minor issue. Why you had to take it in five times I don't know, unless the garage were disputing the fault? But as others have said it's not clear how the fault arose, and for what it's worth I bet the 3 month warranty excludes tyres. So I'm not convinced that entitles you to additional compensation.

Joe_Horner

thebullsback wrote: »

Why does the dealer charge me £70 per hour labour when the skilled man doing the labour gets £8.40 ?

It's called overheads.

I'm self-employed as a watchmaker. If you work out the "headline" hourly rate for, say, overhauling an Omega mechanical at (a very reasonable) £75 it works out at about £35 - £40 an hour for my skilled time.

By the time you allow for "dead time" when I'm doing paperwork etc (so not earning), pay my workshop rent, consumables (eg: good synthetic watch oil is around £7000 per litre) , rates, electricity, phone bill and so on I'm actually making under £7 an hour*. That's the cost of doing business.


*eta: And that's before tax or NI btw

sunflower_2

motorguy wrote: »

They took the fault seriously, lent you a courtesy car for a week and put two brand new tyres on.

i thought it was a car? not a bike?

thebullsback

why should I pay for your dead time?everyone knows watches and rings are the jewellery trades pot of gold

thebullsback

ah the old "does not cover " the amount of times I have heard that one .Brilliant absolutely brilliant .

Richard53

thebullsback wrote: »

why should I pay for your dead time?

You've never run a business, then?

thebullsback

No fortunately not .Why ?