Are garages CRAP?

boristhespie · Post by **boristhespie** » 19 Jan 2010, 10:27

I always went to dealer who charge top dollar until very recently when I realised they know snuff all.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 19 Jan 2010, 11:39

Same as on here Jim. We used to be bush agents

Peter

Bren · Post by **Bren** » 22 Jan 2010, 20:44

Does anybody not think that the "easy credit" culture of the last 12 years (labour government) has some bearing on this discussion?

I actually think that it does, simply because people just stick everything on plastic. I actually think things have got much more expensive because retailers and conglomerates think "well it will be on tick so we'll charge them what we like" this is how main dealers can get away with charging £80+ an hour! If you did'nt have your flexible friend in your wallet you simply could'nt afford it. And if your paying monthly, will you notice?

I can't understand how car insurance for new drivers is so expensive - the insurance companies blame it on the number of young drivers having accidents! Yet it is funny that of the RTC's I have attended I'd say 90% of them involved mistakes by older / elderly drivers. It is an excuse to fleece the young "slap it on your card - you wo'nt feel it ".

In 1992 I paid £600 TPFT for a 1984 Cavalier SRi (when vauxhalls were good). Now you will pay four figures to insure a small car. I think it is simply the public have become lazy and business more and more greedy.

Hopefully, the cycle may be coming to an end.

Sl4yer · Post by **Sl4yer** » 22 Jan 2010, 21:18

A girl at work has a Pug 307. It's about 3 years old, on one of those 'inexpensive' plans where you pay £1xx a month to get new metal on your drive, then pay £6xxx after 3 years to keep it, or hand it back. Recently, the windscreen washer motor packed in, which isn't great on a car with about 6,000 miles on it. Anyway, they fixed it for free, and tried to flog her a 'winter service' for £120. Since Toyota charged £20 for the same on her MR2, she declined, and was told it would be added on to the annual service due in a couple of months' time! She said words to the effect of "I don't think so", and they confirmed that it wouldn't invalidate the warranty if she didn't have it.

Well, of course it wouldn't, because it's an addition to the service schedule! But I suppose that if I could charge £120 to check the oil and coolant, and fill up the washer bottle, I'd do it all day long...

Anyhow, she's due to pick up a new 207 on another 3-year plan. It's a 1.4 8v Verve, and the same engine wasn't exactly rapid in a 1.4 ZX (which is quarter of a tonne lighter...)

There we go. Poor credit schemes and rip-off garages in one post!

James

Toby_HDi · Post by **Toby_HDi** » 22 Jan 2010, 21:19

Bren wrote:Does anybody not think that the "easy credit" culture of the last 12 years (labour government) has some bearing on this discussion?

Very much so!

Bren wrote:In 1992 I paid £600 TPFT for a 1984 Cavalier SRi (when vauxhalls were good). Now you will pay four figures to insure a small car. I think it is simply the public have become lazy and business more and more greedy.

In 2005 I paid £1300 TPFT for a 1988 Nissan Micra!

Post by **myglaren** » 22 Jan 2010, 23:19

My youngest is paying £700 for her 1996 Saab 900 2.3 cabriolet. £200 More than last year and she is now 25 and hasn't had any claims.

She did scuff a BMW's bumper. Cost her £670 for the dealer to tidy it up so she wouldn't have to claim on the insurance. The owner would only go to the dealer. An indie body shop would have done it for around £100.

Sl4yer · Post by **Sl4yer** » 22 Jan 2010, 23:35

myglaren wrote:She did scuff a BMW's bumper. Cost her £670 for the dealer to tidy it up so she wouldn't have to claim on the insurance. The owner would only go to the dealer. An indie body shop would have done it for around £100.

Unfortunately Steve, she's risking future cover by not declaring the accident! I'm sure many of us are or have been in the same boat though... I know I have been.

We're paying for the 'compo culture' that sadly exists nowadays. How many of us know someone who got a few grand for a grossly exaggerated whiplash injury? I'd bet quite a few. And we're all paying for it.

I'm sure we're still paying for car crime from a decade ago too. Modern cars (even most on this forum) are unstealable without the keys, but premiums haven't reflected the fall in car theft, in my experience at least.

James

boristhespie · Post by **boristhespie** » 25 Jan 2010, 07:33

I have been on parents then wifes insurance for years. Never had my own. Then at Christmand got the new car and went to get a policy. I was quotes from 500 - 2000 quid from most. I eventually found one, from Aviva for 260. Not a grewat policy but better than the rest.

One word of warning though. The Aviva Indian call centre. The guy asked me if I wanted legal cover. I said no. I had had a quote previouslt so I knew the cost of the policy. However the guy was insistant and got extremely aggressive and angry. I said I did not want this extra.

Anyway he then said (eventually) okay sir and gave me the amount for the policy without. The figure he gave me however included the legal policy I refused.

When I pointed this out he was adament that it was without, again got angry when I pointed out that this was not what I was quoted. But no this was not with legal cover.

The guy was clearly trying to add this on sneekily and fraudulently. But as I said I luckily had previous quote in front of me.

Anyway such was his abusive attitude that I put the phone down on him.

Of course having no option given the other quotes I picked up the phone to Aviva again and got alovely girl who gave me the cover without the legal cover which tied in with the amount I knew I should have been charged by the guy.

I then asked to speak to the boss, who I told about the attempt to get me to pay for somethingt I had refused. They have the call recorded so they were going to listen to them

I always keep pleasant and my head on the phone to these places and did so here but this guy was desperate and then tried to con me. Not good for the largest insurance compnay in the world.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 25 Jan 2010, 10:18

Yes, I have had this legal cover wrangle with an english agent, but eventually he gave in. The cover on my two XMs has been down to below £100-200 the last year ago, until my wife wrote one off in July, first accident of her making in over 40 years, I have only had one small claim in that time - until yesterday, I was on my way to look at another XM and I collided with another car at a road junction, entirely my fault, one insurance has protected no claims, for what its worth, the other doesn't, so I think my days of cheap insurance are over.

Peter

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 25 Jan 2010, 11:22

Urgh call center staff can be awful.
Danielle and I got Sky with HD and one of the movie packs to get the box free.
At the time we thought "we've got plenty of sci-fi, action and horor DVDs, so lets not get that package" so went for the other one (comedy and family etc).
We soon realised the reason why we've got so many sci-fi/action/horror DVDs is because we prefer those films to comedy and chickflicks (although I am partial to them).
So, phoned up Sky, was told we couldn't change for 12 months even though it wouldn't cost any different.
Told them what I thought of that and hung up.
Phoned back later, spoke to someone else and was told "Yes sir, we can do that, the change could be active in 30 minutes, it usually is, but can take up to 24 hours"
Very pleasant, and 30 minutes later we had the movie package we wanted.

Recently blew tea everywhere looking at the extautionate amount the AA wanted to renew house insurance, so switched to Swinton.
Got a survey phone call to ask why I left.
Told them it was because Swinton were half the price, was asked how much more expensive the AA were, replied 100% more expensive. This seriously confused the poorly educated girl on the phone.
Later she asked something with the options agree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree.
I replied "indifferent"
This totally baffled her and she had to admit she didn't know what it meant.
Oh the state of edukayshun in dis nayshun.

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 25 Jan 2010, 22:57

Xac wrote:Later she asked something with the options agree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree.
I replied "indifferent"
This totally baffled her and she had to admit she didn't know what it meant.
Oh the state of edukayshun in dis nayshun.

Did you ask her to repeat the options over and over just like "The Office"?

cachaciero · Post by **cachaciero** » 26 Jan 2010, 15:54

Nice to see that the forum is becoming just like the Yahoo XM Group with it's wonderful winding OT threads. Unfortunately this one with it's many truths mostly negative has got me on a bad day..... Reaches for the Prozac and hides away from the world in the stair cupboard

cachaciero

deian · Post by **deian** » 26 Jan 2010, 18:01

Ohh touchy subject for all this one, unless your a lottery winner it's expensive owning a new car.

I reckon it's better to stay economical and keep the older cars on the roads, ones that have proved themselves, with plenty of aftermarket patterns, the design faults ironed out, one that is out of warranty, and had their major parts changed etc, like a car thats at over 10yrs and done over 100k miles is what i go for. Above all cars that are still fixable without a degree in automotive electronics and computers etc etc.

And the bottom line is, garages are there to make money, however way they can.

XantiaDaveEire · Post by **XantiaDaveEire** » 26 Jan 2010, 22:14

getting back on topic

..i just had four spheres changed for €130 at a garage that i usually go to ,bit annoyed at the fact that it takes 10 mins a sphere and iv been done for 2 hours labour and a bottle of LHM

On the insurance side of things,my insurance has been going up yearly with no claims bonuse and no accidents or claims,this is where it ends

..i had a good look around and instead of giving them tossers €2400 for a car which if im lucky is worth half that

and iv found a policy for €1400 which at my age is a hell of a saving

and i wouldnt please them anyway..all 3rd party by the way

boristhespie · Post by **boristhespie** » 31 Jan 2010, 14:00

JUST FOUND THIS THREAD RE THE GOOD GARAGE SCHEME> APPARENTLY A FORTE CAMPAIGN TO SELL..

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/fo ... e-not.html

Sorry for caps it was on. I wasn't shouting.

did find this though

http://www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_resour ... 4wodlUdHNQ

French Car Forum

Are garages CRAP?

GOOG GARAGE SCHEME