Vauxhall Gearbox/Cylinder/Clutch failure. Not using main dealer, can I complain?

System

JonE11 wrote: »

So why is that cost significantly less for other manufacturers? For example £500 for Kia. Vauxhall and the franchise set their hourly rates and also set the labour time (which they are definitely over exaggerating).

Its significant;y less for other manufacturers because the vehicle design makes it an easier job to do.

Example:
My MK4 Mondeo. Its pretty much a full day's job involving dropping the subframe. Even at an independent you've not much change out of £800.

My MK1 Astra I had years ago. You could change the clutch on that and any other FWD Vauxhall of the time without removing the gearbox in about 20 minutes. It had a nut you undid on the end of the gearbox and the end of the main shaft had a threaded hole in it. There was a metal plate on the underside of the bellhousing. You removed the metal plate, used a special tool you screwed into the end of the mainshaft to allow you to pull it out so far and put some clips that were part of the clutch tool kit on the pressure plate. Pull out mainshaft, rotate flywheel and undo pressure plate bolts, clutch drops into your hand. Reverse to fit.