Get car serviced at main dealer or local garage?

motorguy

fred246 wrote: »

Cars do need servicing which is why if you know what you are doing it's far better to service them yourself. When you take it to any garage numerous surveys have shown that it's a lottery as to whether anything is actually done. People aren't bothered though because if you have a dealer stamp in the book you can pass the car on to someone else. Modern cars need oil changes but there is much less else to do. Lots of things like "check the wiring' appear on the schedule. Wires go all over the place and much is hidden so it's pretty pointless. They just tick the box and tell the customer that "all this has been done". If the OP is selling the car on the best advice is probably to get a main dealer stamp but it doesn't mean the main dealer will actually even look at the car.

It goes well beyond whether or not the O/P plans on reselling it.

Having it serviced by the main dealer when the car is under warranty leaves no doubt as to the validity of any warranty claim.

This could be worth £,£££'s - ££,£££'s on a modern car, particularly something as complex as a new Land Rover.

Scrapit

You want a motor to last 3 years don't service it. If you want it to last longer do service it. Simple enough.

motorguy

Scooby.Doo wrote: »

I didn't think the they could void a warranty by not using the dealer as long as you took it to a proper garage.

Fred was talking about doing it himself. That would void the warranty.

Using a VAT registered garage / mechanic with a formal stamp and using manufacturer approved parts would be fine. BUT even at that, if there was a grey area at any point, i wouldnt expect much in the way of a goodwill contribution from the manufacturer / dealer if i hadnt ever bothered going near them.

motorguy

Scrapit wrote: »

You want a motor to last 3 years don't service it. If you want it to last longer do service it. Simple enough.

Agreed, but its not even about that - imagine the effect on residuals of having no service stamps in the book for a maybe £50,000+ Land Rover come resale time after 3 years or your chances of getting warranty work done if your turbo went pop. :eek:

fred246

Turbo goes pop? None of my cars have ever needed any form of engine repair. Turbo going pop is usually a sign of lubrication problems. If you take your car to a garage they may stamp your book and not change the oil. They may not put any new oil in or more usually they will overfill the oil. They may not put the correct oil in. How will the customer ever prove what oil was used? Instead of draining the oil they may just suck a bit out and put a bit in. The internet is full of horror stories of disasters caused when people take their cars to a garage. I find it fascinating that people used to service their cars years ago. Now it is much easier to service your own car people have been convinced that it is too difficult.

Scrapit

fred246 wrote: »

Turbo goes pop? None of my cars have ever needed any form of engine repair.

Then you've had hardly any cars and done next to no mileage. Take it from experience motorists, things do go pop.

motorguy

fred246 wrote: »

Turbo goes pop? None of my cars have ever needed any form of engine repair. Turbo going pop is usually a sign of lubrication problems. If you take your car to a garage they may stamp your book and not change the oil. They may not put any new oil in or more usually they will overfill the oil. They may not put the correct oil in. How will the customer ever prove what oil was used? Instead of draining the oil they may just suck a bit out and put a bit in. The internet is full of horror stories of disasters caused when people take their cars to a garage. I find it fascinating that people used to service their cars years ago. Now it is much easier to service your own car people have been convinced that it is too difficult.

Turbos go pop, EGR valves clog up, DPFs clog up. All potential problems on modern cars. Gearbox problems, major engine problems are another. Not everyday problems, but certainly not unheard of. My father bought a new SEAT Ibiza and it had two new engines fitted under warranty. Look at all the problems Ford has had with their 1.0 engines or VW with their 1.4TFSI.

There are many expensive bills that a modern car can throw up and you are protected by that when you ensure the warranty is intact.

We get it - you'd a bad experience a lifetime ago in some garage. That is not how modern, professional dealerships operate and any dealer doing that sort of thing would be at high risk of losing their franchise with the manufacturer.

"People" didnt used to service their cars years ago. A small percentage only did then too. I cant think of any of my family members - even extended family members - who EVER serviced their own cars actually. I did for a few years when i was a student a lifetime ago on some old Mini, but most people neither have the time, inclination or tools to do so.

Servicing a car under manufacturers warranty is wholly a false economy and any saving could lost 100 times over in the event of one significant failure that you subsequently couldnt claim under warranty.

Yes, some old scrapper service it yourself if you've nothing else to do with your day but a new car? No. Ridiculous to say so.

Not only that but you are pedalling a myth by suggesting that all main dealers dont actually change the oil without ANY evidence to back it up.

ANOTHER thread totally derailed by irrelvant nonsense by one of the Freds.

fred246

Cars are made to incredible standards and then sold by a network of idiots. I have never bought a car with more than a 3 year warranty so for most of the life of the car it has no warranty. So I only miss 2 years of warranty. I have never had a problem. You can always buy dealer stamps on eBay. The advantage is that you know the servicing has been done properly for the whole life of the car. I have never had any engine problems on any car I have ever owned. I do a lot of research so I am unlikely to buy an engine without a good track record. There is nothing professional whatsoever about a car dealership. There is no requirement for mechanics to have any qualifications. They are not registered and have no professional body. If you could service a mini years ago you could service a modern car. They are much easier. I have saved myself a fortune over the years.

missile

fred246 wrote: »

…. I have saved myself a fortune over the years.

:rotfl: When I was a poor student I would make do with an old banger, do my own maintenance, buy second hand tyres and save up to fill the tank.
When I got a little older and wiser I realised that I keep my hands clean and earn more doing my day job.
Do you also grow your own food, keep a cow for milk and make your own cheese?

fred246

missile wrote: »

:rotfl: When I was a poor student I would make do with an old banger, do my own maintenance, buy second hand tyres and save up to fill the tank.
When I got a little older and wiser I realised that I keep my hands clean and earn more doing my day job.
Do you also grow your own food, keep a cow for milk and make your own cheese?

When I was a student I had an old banger too. Not good. I would never buy second hand tyres and I never saved to fill the tank. I used to earn a lot doing my job but I still prefer to have a really well looked after car. I used to wonder if I could pay more at a garage to have a job done properly but I didn't think that would work. Not really grown own food but we eat herbs out of the garden. I think the neighbours would object to us keeping a cow