Main dealer or not

[Harnser]

2010 navara Teckna pickup . Last week I noticed a clonking when easing the clutch out and changing gear. All the symptoms of a worn universal joint on the prop shaft . Took it to my local garage and they confirmed that the UJ on the rear prop shaft was shot where it goes into the diff. They quoted me £230 to supply and fit a new joint . I thought I would get another quote and drove to the local nissan dealer ship and they quoted me £180 . So I let them do the job . I got fabulous service from them and a cup of coffee .

The moral to the story is try your main agent before. Committing your self to your local garage .

Harnser.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Harnser

[Mentalmac]

I guess sometimes the main dealer will have a job like that done quicker than a local garage that doesn't know the model as well as they do.

I found that labour rates were a joke at a lot of main dealers. (£90 for first hour and £70 per hour thereafter)

In fairness though, I also use two local garages as one specialises in French cars so I take my Citroen there and then another local garage is better for other stuff, he even admitted he isn't so fast on Citroens as he seldom works on one.

[four-wheel-drive]

That makes a nice change I always go to small locall garages but then my truck is quite old the problem is at times if a problem needs to be computer diagnosed and the generic diagnostics do not do the job the M/D is the only ones who can find what the problem part is.

[robbiep]

Even for servicing, main agents can be surprisingly reasonable. BMW, for example. I had an oil+filter, air filter, pollen filter and brake fluid change on a 2009 318d last year for £250

[Del T]

Yep the wife takes her BMW to the main dealer for servicing. They normally have some deals on and she gets a decent courtesy car to drive.

Also looks good in her service book.

 

They did her a clutch change on her old car for a very good price.

[keg]

Wife's Landcruiser is main dealer serviced at 6 years old and 126k miles. Was worth it as they did injectors and washers and sump strainer FOC ( 2.5k Bill if not) 2 years out of warranty.

 

They will also install any updated software needed.

 

My old Defender goes to the local expert indie who is brilliant.

[kent]

Main agent is cheaper only if they are stitching up the smaller guys on part prices. A smart garage gets very good at sourcing and buying parts away from main dealers.

[yod dropper]

Main dealer for work on my Ford (unless I can do it myself). I have a decent degree of trust in them as well.

[birdsallpl]

I had a quote from the main dealer for a set of discs and pads. Because I was fed up with them on previous poor service I went for an alternative quote from the local garage. The car was still under manufacturers warranty and I was insistent with the garage that they had to be to original manufacturers specification, they assured me they were. To cut a long painful story short they wasn't and another break issue that would have been covered wasn't and it cost me almost £500 quid. The only redress I had was to sue the garage but this is a real pain. Moral don't risk it if the car is under manufacturers warranty.

[andypaint]

If cars is under warranty. An independent garage must be vat reg and use genuine manufacturer parts to keep warranty happy.

[welsh1]

Sadly Nissan dealers will screw you for parts,nothing Nissan supplies is cheap,the uj joint they fitted was probably £80 for the one,that is what they quoted me ,so I bought 2 x uj with grease nipples off eBay for £42.50

and they fitted them for £60.

 

As an example,clock spring (in your steering wheel) £390 Nissan, same part off eBay £180

 

And if your dual mass flywheel fails you had better be sitting down when Nissan quote you,I decided to replace it with a single mass clutch conversion,Nissan wanted £1500 ,my local garage supplied and fitted for £900.