The big questions

How and where can I get added value for my MONEY?

To this I could, and normally would, just say “Come to us”, but I won’t because I respect the fact that it is your money you are spending and, as always, it is up to you and what you consider to be “value for money”. I have given you a starting point with these questions, and I would suggest that you ask the same questions of at least three garages before you make a choice of which one you use next.

Did you know – that after you’ve bought a new car, it does not have to go back to the main dealer for servicing in order to maintain the warranty cover. European legislation, EU1400/2002, was brought in to combat anti-competitive behaviour by car manufactures and Main Dealers and it is YOUR choice where you spend your money when it comes to servicing your car.

What is the difference between a Main Dealer, a Fast Fit and a Small, Locally-Owned Garage?

The Main Dealer
The Main Dealer is backed by the manufacture and supplies the new vehicle. They have the expertise and parts needed to keep you on the road. They train their staff specifically to work on one make and/or one area of the manufacture’s vehicle.

The Fast Fit
The Fast Fit offers a service based on speed of turn around and convenience, using items that are generic to all makes. This means it can buy in bulk which helps them reduce the price and sell a service to the customer at a lower price.

The Small, Locally-Owned Garage
In most cases customer service is the driving force, allowing us to know our customers and their driving habits, which means we can advise them about their vehicle and costs to suit their needs. Our team are trained to very high standards and can work and advise on all makes and models of vehicles, giving you a more comprehensive approach to everyday servicing/repairs and more in-depth investigations of any problems

All three types of garages have their place in the market and each will give you a long list of reasons as to why they offer better service and value for money than the other. But this may still not help you find the right one to suit your needs.

So, what can you do to find the right one to trust with your car? Start by asking questions before you book your vehicle in for any kind of work – at the end of the day it’s your money you’re spending but choosing the wrong garage could prove costly in the long run. You may never know they got it wrong, but you will certainly be the person who pays. But please also remember, sometimes a broken car is not the garage’s or even your fault: sometimes it is just coincidence.

So what questions should you ask?

Q) Who gains from enticing offers such as “Discounted MOT when booked with an annual service”?

A) The garage saves because they don’t do a full service - they leave out the checks they have done during the MOT and you save the discounted amount, or so it would seem. It’s like going into a supermarket and being offered “two for the price of one”: if you do not need the second one because it takes you a year to use the first one, it has no real value to you. There is only real value in someone having their car’s MOT and service done at the same time if they do less than 10,000 miles a year. But you still lose out as you won’t get the two safety inspections you would have if the MOT and service were done at different times of the year.

Let’s take a look at the sort of questions you can ask and the kind of answer you should expect.

Q) Who should I ask to speak to for the answers I want?

A) In the first instance try asking the person that answers the phone or the person you meet at the desk, as they are generally very knowledgeable and should know how to get you the information you are asking for. There are different people you should try to talk to in different circumstances. For example, the person on the phone or at the desk in a Main Dealer may not have put together the estimate/quote on your car so they will not have first hand knowledge of its contents. However, the estimate/quote should include the name of the person that produced it, so you can ask to speak to them. In a Small, Locally-Owned Garage and Fast Fit it is generally the person answering the phone or at the desk that has put the estimate/quote together so they will have the answers.

Q) But I want to ask questions before I have an estimate?

A) The answer is the same as above. In a Small, Locally-Owned or Fast Fit, the person you are first in contact with is, in most cases, the person that can answer your questions. But in a Main Dealer you may need to ask for someone with technical knowledge to answer some of your questions.

Question to ask and why (Remember, price should not always be the deciding factor, as it is sometimes better to pay for knowledge) -

Q) How do I know they are telling me the right answer?

A) They should be able to give you written evidence of their answer and or it can be checked on the internet.

Service

Q) My car needs a service, what is your hourly rate and the cost of the whole job?

A) There is some information I need to find out before I can quote, like, what service is due, the make and model, the mileage, registration, and has it been following the manufacture’s service schedules?

If you are talking to a Main Dealer, they will just follow the next service that fits the mileage you have done.

A Fast Fit generally only offers the choice of two levels of service.

A Small, Locally-Owned Garage can offer a selection of services. They will take the information you have supplied and will offer the best service to fit you and your vehicle’s needs.

The hourly rate given is something you can compare between the three types of garages.

Q) What is included in the service?

A) All three types of garages should be able to give you a full written breakdown of what is included and a written estimate of costs. There is no reason why they would not be able to cost it specifically to your vehicle. But be aware that some of the prices may change slightly due to model changes and if your car is on the change over.

Q) Do you take all the wheels off?

A) If they don’t then you could have problems if you ever get a puncture and you’re unable to get the wheel off because it has corroded on to the hub. This is usually is usually the case when you have a manufacture’s schedule, or what is referred to as an “interim service”.

Q) What grade of oil will you be using?

A) The grade of oil is vehicle specific and the correct oil should be used, as it will cause problems for your vehicle if the wrong grade is added. The kinds of fault that can be experienced if the wrong oil is used include engine misfiring and, if this is not diagnosed correctly, you could be hit with a bill to remove the cylinder head and have vales replaced. On modern vehicle this could be as much as £1,500 - all because the wrong oil was installed.

Q) Will you be flushing out the old oil? How is this done and why?

A) This is a very important point as a service is, and should be, a preventative action and not a reactive one. This is why most good garages offer this as part of the service. It can add as much as £15 on the final bill but again could cost you thousands in the long term if it’s not done. Would you put fresh water into a bath after someone else had just used it, and then get in it yourself without having first washed the bath out? This is why we flush out the old oil - if we put new oil in without first flushing out the old, we have left all the old sludge in the sump, which will mix with the new oil as soon as you drive your car away. Again, it is a waste of your money if it is not done.

How do we flush out the oil? A specially-produced cleaning agent is put into the old oil and the engine is left to idle for around 20 minutes, during which time it will go around the engine’s oilways, cleaning all moving components. Again, there are different qualities of oil and generally the more expensive ones have the better viscosity rating, which gives greater protection for your engine.

Q) Do you install fuel system cleaners and what do they do?

A) Again, most good garages will offer this as part of the service. It helps to prolong the life of the components within the fuel system and can assist with uel saving by cleaning the tip of the injectors that deliver the fuel to the engine. If the tip is dirty, there will be a poor spray pattern and the fuel will not burn correctly or efficiently, at your cost, because it will require more fuel to make the engine run.

Q) Do you check the moisture content of the brake fluid or just change it?

A) Main Dealers will want to change brake fluid every two years, a good garage will have specialist equipment to test the moisture content and only then advise that it be changed, if necessary. Why does it need to change it anyway? Because the oils that the brake fluid is made from attract moisture, which means that it will boil at a lower heat and cause “brake fade”. For example, when you are coming off the motorway and breaking from 70mph down to 10mph to go into the roundabout, the brakes become very hot. This heat is then transferred into the fluid and the brakes fade, just at the very time you want them to work, but if there is too much moisture they will not work as effectively.

Among the things to remember is that servicing your car is a preventative measure - protection against small things that can quickly and easily be fixed before they become large, expensive problems. The garage you choose should be giving you the right advice on what may need to be done in the future, so that you can plan and budget for it. It costs more to have an unplanned repair than it does to repair it before it breaks. The same should be said about Timing Belts.

Timing belt

Q) What will it cost, what’s your hourly rate and what does this include?

A) Most garages only quote for the bare minimum, for example, just the cam/timing belt and the labour to fit it. But a good garage will quote for all the usual extra parts, such as the water pump, tensioner, anti-freeze and any additional bolts require for the repair. The water pump may need replacing as on some models it is driven off the belt and is under the cover, so the mechanic cannot see if it has been leaking until the cover has been removed. Anything driven off a cam/timing belt could become the cause of a belt failure, it is unusual for a belt to break without something else failing first.

Q) Why do I need to change the cam/timing belt?

A) It is one of those jobs that should be preventative rather than reactive. They break from age, bearing failure in water pumps, tensioner or idlers. If left until the belt fails, the cost will rise from around £275, subject to the make of the vehicle, for just the cam/timing belt, to as much as a new engine in some cases, which could cost as much as £3,500.

A good garage will give you a “worst case” quote. A garage with no work will give you a best case quote.

Ask yourself “why”

So, we’re back at the original question;-

“How and where can I get added value for my MONEY?”

Again, I should say “Just come to us” but it’s up to you where you spend your money and what value you’re after.

Just because you bought a car from a Main Dealer, doesn’t mean you have to take it back to them for your service – it’s your choice where you spend your money to have your car serviced and, what are classed as service repairs, carried out: for example, your annual service or replacing your brake pads replaced. There are some rules we must follow and we will have to fit the manufacture’s spec parts. Should we find anything that would be covered under their warranty, the Main Dealer would have to honour the cover. We can do it for you.

If you would like any further information on these subject, or have any other specific questions you would like me to answer, please do not hesitate to contact me...