Re: Why I won't use the dealer for servicing!
 

The terms of the finance is that it is serviced in accordance to the manufacturers specs, by an authorised facility. So anyone who can give me the stamp can do it, not just the dealer.

Re: Why I won't use the dealer for servicing!
 

I know two people who used to work for main dealers, one was a main Suzuki dealer. All that they used to do at these services was change the oil, not much more. He got ****ed off being an oil & filter monkey.

£101 for parts and labour? £8 for the filter & £8 for the oil? By not changing the plugs he's saved his boss £5 if you hadn't challenged him about it. It all adds up.

My other mate used to work for a main Ford dealer, it was exactly the same, plus they got a bonus for turning out as many services in a day. So just oil & filters for your Ford I'm afraid too.

A mate of mine used to mark all the stuff that needed to be checked with a blob of Tippex. If it wasn't disturbed, then he knew they hadn't checked it.

Better to use a trusted Independant garage to do your work. It won't mean quite as much in the service book as a main dealer stamp, but better than nowt?

Re: Why I won't use the dealer for servicing!
 

7.5k service for £101 is bloody cheap. Should be easily 2 hours labour and other bits. I paid £500 for 5 services on my SV and every single one has had a fault on it (Took 3 hours for my first 2 and my bike broke down on the way home because of the fuel tank sensor which they hadn't put back properly).

At the time i wished i'd known about the servicing yourself. Nevermind the bike has covered 750 miles since the last service which is 5 months ago now and i use it as my main transport.

My advice is as said be friendly with your local store and do simple servicing yourself. It'll help when you breakdown and learn to bypass something to get going.

Re: Why I won't use the dealer for servicing!
 

Bloody hell...id hate to know what oil is £8 for 2.7 litres!.:confused:

TBH the 7500m service does state replace plugs/balance throttle bodies etc.

Sounds like they havent actually done anything wrong and in fact were up front and honest with you. Id make the most of that and stick with them. Maybe next time stipulate what you want done from the schedule, ok they should just do this anyway, but they are only human and probaly get battered from people for the cost when they do it exactly as schedule!

Re: Why I won't use the dealer for servicing!
 

I know what you're saying, the biggest problem I have is that although £101 is relatively cheap for the 7.5k service, I was expecting and wouldn't have had any problem paying more if they'd done the job thoroughly. Also, they weren't really up front about, I asked one bloke if they'd changed the plugs and he said, errrr, doesn't need it for this service, then when I spoke to another bloke and said "Don't the plugs need changing on this service?" he said, oh yeah, pop in when you're passing and we'll sort it. I never mentioned the throttle bodies but will ring them and ask them to do it as per the schedule when I go in for the plugs. I don't pass there either, it's half an hour each way , plus whatever time it takes them to do the work and I'll have to go at the weekend...so it puts me out quite a bit when they should have just done it right in the 1st place.

Also there's the question around, if they just do oil and filter, what about all the other checks they should've done on prior services etc.

So no problem paying the going rate, but only if they do what's supposed to be done.

Re: Why I won't use the dealer for servicing!
 

Like I said, pay for the stamp, then go over everything yourself for piece of mind.

Re: Why I won't use the dealer for servicing!
 

We'll I no it's know comparrisson but My Zafira was serviced & MOT'd at my local independant garage for £130. So I see £101 for a bike service as a lot of money.

I pay about £16 I think for 5 litres of semi synthetic. On WEMOTO engine oil for the SV is listed at £4.83 per litre for Vision France engine oil. So about £11.00 for 2.7litres, sorry £3 out on my guess.

Rock Oil at £9.80 per litre is more expensive.

But remember that dealers buy their oil in bloomin great drums, not the piddlin little 5litre stuff we buy at. They're payin trade prices, we're payin RRP prices which includes a big mark up, so £8 for a dealers price of oil ain't far off I think

Payin main dealer prices is a mugs game, unless they do a proper job. My independant garage does bikes & cars. He looks after race bikes, mopeds, the lot. He's an Aprilla dealer as well.

I know who I'd rather give my work to

Re: Why I won't use the dealer for servicing!
 

But that's not the point. Here he's paid for something and isn't getting it. You don't go to a pub for a pint and pour it again to check it's poured correctly. Here he's saying he's paid for a service which he expects to be done to suzuki books (irrelevant of what might be right) as he's doing it to keep his warranty up otherwise no doubt the plugs might well last to 15k or the throttle bodies never need touching.

Dealers don't get the nick name of stealers for nothing.

Re: Why I won't use the dealer for servicing!
 

I think that dealers (in fact any garage) that carries out servicing should complete a tick list or itemise the tasks that have been completed.

I put my Transit in for its service not long ago and the guy behind the desk couldnt even tell me what tasks would be carried out for the money.

I genuinely beleive that in most cases the majority of things dont get checked. Would love to get one of these 'cowboy builder' type programmes out there checking what really happens.

Re: Why I won't use the dealer for servicing!
 

No, by his own admission, the price is cheap for the service. He's paid for what he's got. Cut out some of the work, and drop the price.

As already said in the thread, dropping the price of services by only doing what's actually required, not what's written in the book will see more happy customers - especially in a recession.

Charge a customer less, make them happy, they're more likely to give you money again.