Taken for a ride!
Moderator: RichardW
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JohnD
- (Donor 2022)
- Posts: 2632
- Joined: 14 Mar 2001, 23:41
- Location: Epsom, Surrey
- My Cars: 2010 Citroen C5-X7 tourer
1998 Citroen Saxo 1.5D
2018 Citroen C4-B7
1998 Peugeot 306. 1.9D
2011 Citroen C1 - x 72
- Contact:
Taken for a ride!
My youngest daughter was keen to maintain the warranty on her year old Xsara HDI, so she put it in to the local Citroen agent for its first service. The bill breaks down like this:- labour £97, 4.6 ltrs of oil £35, Purflex filter £7.86, Pollen filter £27, sump washer 81p and screenwash £1.46 (This gets topped up every weekend). A total of £175. For next year's service, in addition to the above, it will also need fuel and air filters, brake fluid and coolant changes. My guess is that she'll be more than happy to let Dad do it for her!
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Dave Bamber
- Posts: 627
- Joined: 25 Feb 2001, 02:17
- Location: United Kingdom
- My Cars:
- x 2
This is a Worldwide scam that's on in the car industry. People wanted longer warranties so car makers obliged by giving these 100,000 klms or 5 year warranty "covers" but with the stipulation that the car has to be serviced "by the book."
The problem is that lots of times the repairers are just guessing at faults and half doing the jobs whilst charging brain surgeon hourly rates. I know out here I nearly freak out at times when I hear some of these young fellows discussing their cars and talking about the 4 figure services they've had done when at times I've just done the same job for a few bucks and an hour or so labour. If they don't allow themselves to be ripped off, the warranty is void, often for dodgy fault diagnosis so what value the long warranty?
My car had literally thousands spent on it prior to me buying it and most of what was done had to be redone by me after I bought the car for little or in some cases no cost. This was on my BX as well as my CX. A friend just recently bought a BX16V that had "professionsl" dealer service on it & sent me the invoice from the previous owner asking how genuine the A$850 job was that was done just prior to him buying it. After allowing for local inflated prices (anything up to 300% on UK prices) I found the job had been "floated up" by A$550 that was after I allowed for him charging approx double the normal labour rate for out here.
A family friend, a widow, bought a BX with 85K klms that had just had an 80K service that included a cambelt, from an enthusiast who KNEW the belt had been changed. Upon taking it to her local Cit man, she was told it needed a cambelt. When asked why, she was told that "You can't be too sure" even though she knew it had been done & properly. When she declined, he then suggested she get the front struts reconditioned buy unfortunately she saw me a few days later; they were perfect. On my advice she rang him to tell him to go find another milking cow!!
Little wonder people buy other brands in disguist.
Alan S
The problem is that lots of times the repairers are just guessing at faults and half doing the jobs whilst charging brain surgeon hourly rates. I know out here I nearly freak out at times when I hear some of these young fellows discussing their cars and talking about the 4 figure services they've had done when at times I've just done the same job for a few bucks and an hour or so labour. If they don't allow themselves to be ripped off, the warranty is void, often for dodgy fault diagnosis so what value the long warranty?
My car had literally thousands spent on it prior to me buying it and most of what was done had to be redone by me after I bought the car for little or in some cases no cost. This was on my BX as well as my CX. A friend just recently bought a BX16V that had "professionsl" dealer service on it & sent me the invoice from the previous owner asking how genuine the A$850 job was that was done just prior to him buying it. After allowing for local inflated prices (anything up to 300% on UK prices) I found the job had been "floated up" by A$550 that was after I allowed for him charging approx double the normal labour rate for out here.
A family friend, a widow, bought a BX with 85K klms that had just had an 80K service that included a cambelt, from an enthusiast who KNEW the belt had been changed. Upon taking it to her local Cit man, she was told it needed a cambelt. When asked why, she was told that "You can't be too sure" even though she knew it had been done & properly. When she declined, he then suggested she get the front struts reconditioned buy unfortunately she saw me a few days later; they were perfect. On my advice she rang him to tell him to go find another milking cow!!
Little wonder people buy other brands in disguist.
Alan S
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DoubleChevron
- Posts: 622
- Joined: 22 Sep 2003, 18:06
- Location: Australia
- My Cars:
- Contact:
Guys,
I've got an old CX2400 C-matic pallas that was given to me. This car has been owned by a Citroen enthusiest for the past 2years who spent a fortune on it, and never got it 'right'. Then I found in the glovebox receipts from the owner prior to him. I've read through them all, it appears in a 12month period the owner before him spent $5000 on this car !!!! The only thing I can really see that was done from all this is a couple of new mufflers (that are no doubt probably now stuffed after all the sitting around the car has done).
Here's me thinking "Rippa", that sort of $$$ spent on it, it'll have all new suspension bushes, ball joints, bearings, tie rod ends etc..... Nope they all still have wear (but are acceptable).
It's took me about 1/2 a days work to get this car running reliably. I'll probably have put another 4days labour into it's paint job (paint dissapears in the australian sun) and it'll be one of the better cars in Australia. For the stupid things I've found wrong with this car (to date, I haven't spent any time or $$$ on it yet) just look at my web page. Keep in mind, this is a PROFESIONALY SERVICED car !!
seeya,
Shane L.
I've got an old CX2400 C-matic pallas that was given to me. This car has been owned by a Citroen enthusiest for the past 2years who spent a fortune on it, and never got it 'right'. Then I found in the glovebox receipts from the owner prior to him. I've read through them all, it appears in a 12month period the owner before him spent $5000 on this car !!!! The only thing I can really see that was done from all this is a couple of new mufflers (that are no doubt probably now stuffed after all the sitting around the car has done).
Here's me thinking "Rippa", that sort of $$$ spent on it, it'll have all new suspension bushes, ball joints, bearings, tie rod ends etc..... Nope they all still have wear (but are acceptable).
It's took me about 1/2 a days work to get this car running reliably. I'll probably have put another 4days labour into it's paint job (paint dissapears in the australian sun) and it'll be one of the better cars in Australia. For the stupid things I've found wrong with this car (to date, I haven't spent any time or $$$ on it yet) just look at my web page. Keep in mind, this is a PROFESIONALY SERVICED car !!
seeya,
Shane L.