Huge difference between Authorised Dealers and local mechanic

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Luckycharm

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I got a new alternator last week for my 05 Saab 1.9 tid - after finding out the old one was gone - I rang a friend (mechanic) to see if he could get me a new one- he got me one at cost price (very very nice of him) and got it put into the car which cost me an extra €150 for labour etc.
Anyway I decided to ring an Authorised dealer this morning to price the exact same job- they said a new alternator would be €415 more then what I Paid :eek: - overall the job would have cost me €500 more if I had gone through them!! Just shows I will never be going through authorised dealers to get a job done on the car.
 
Luckycharm - I noticed this with my local garage too - that they were much cheaper, so I asked why. Its because they use generic parts and not branded parts, so if you want your Saab only serviced and repaired with Saab parts then take it to a Saab garage, but if youre happy with generic parts then go to your local garage. But the old adage stands - you get what you pay for, its likely the generic parts are not such high quality.
 
truthseeker said:
Luckycharm - I noticed this with my local garage too - that they were much cheaper, so I asked why. Its because they use generic parts and not branded parts, so if you want your Saab only serviced and repaired with Saab parts then take it to a Saab garage, but if youre happy with generic parts then go to your local garage. But the old adage stands - you get what you pay for, its likely the generic parts are not such high quality.
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this statement is not true when it comes to altenators though. most car manufacturers use the same altenator ie lucas etc. a new or recon altenator can be bought from an auto electricians, and this unit would be the same as the one you would buy from saab. the catch is that saab will add a lot onto the price for the privelege of buying from them........
 
The price can differ from different car brands even if the part is the same in another brand. A lot of cars now have similar engines, expecially diesel but the part would have different price depending on car.
It is best to check at local independent parts dealer first before calling main dealer.
 
I went to a dealer looking to get a new timing belt and a service..quote 1,150. And 3 dealers quoted the same price.

I got a local mechanic to do it all for 450. I have been going to him ever since.
 
truthseeker said:
Luckycharm - I noticed this with my local garage too - that they were much cheaper, so I asked why. Its because they use generic parts and not branded parts, so if you want your Saab only serviced and repaired with Saab parts then take it to a Saab garage, but if youre happy with generic parts then go to your local garage. But the old adage stands - you get what you pay for, its likely the generic parts are not such high quality.
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Depends, You might find the dealer uses generic parts and the local guy might use branded parts or even better parts, as the branded ones are not always the best.

Always good to check to see what they are using and get them to put the detail on the bill. Too many people getting ripped off.
 
Remember Saab are GM, and OEM GM parts (AC Delco) alternators, are not expensive.

It's not the parts that's the issue - it's the labour and premises. Someone has to pay for all those potted plants/tiles/glass walls........:rolleyes:
 
Its usually a combination of labour and parts. Bit cheeky putting "premises" on the invoice. ;)
 
Not only that but your car at a dealership will be used to train some 16 year apprentice. I have no problem with that, but not at top prices. If you want the 'genuine' parts you can always buy them your self at the parts desk and bring them to your own mechanic. Dealerships are always a rip off, they make no apologies for it. Only thing to watch out for is voiding warranties on newer cars by not using them. Local guy will always do better quality work as he knows he has to keep you happy.
 
I had a bad experience with a well known Authorised Audi dealer -service quality was very poor. Most times I had to take the car back between services to have repairs done that should have been done in the service. Once I took the car to my local mechanic after it broke down (and my main dealer was too busy and could not help me!) and he fixed it at a fraction of the labour price.

He also told me that he had once hired a mechanic from the main dealer I had been with but had to let him go after a few weeks as he knew almost nothing about car engines!! He was used to just plugging the car into a computer and then following instructions on a screen

The main dealers spend a fortune on their showrooms and their coffee machines etc but employ sub standard mechanics
 
I would say independant mechanic has to stand on his reputation alone.

Main dealer is making money hand over fist from sales and people who haven't got the brains to shop around.

All this talk of FSH on uk programs is the best thing ever happened for the main dealers.

Independant every time.
 
There may also be an issue if you go to trade in your car...I was asked once whether I had a full service history. When I answered yes, I was asked whether it was from an authorised garage. When I answered no I was told I did not then have a FSH. I think with high value cars an authorised dealer is a better option as a) the value needs to be protected and b) the owner can probably afford it. Otherwise, I'd go for the best balance of quality and value.
 
John Rambo said:
There may also be an issue if you go to trade in your car...I was asked once whether I had a full service history. When I answered yes, I was asked whether it was from an authorised garage. When I answered no I was told I did not then have a FSH. I think with high value cars an authorised dealer is a better option as a) the value needs to be protected and b) the owner can probably afford it. Otherwise, I'd go for the best balance of quality and value.
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a service history is a service history, as long as the garage doing the servicing is a registered business, and stamps the book for you. the only time i would bring a car to an "authorised" garage is if its under warranty, otherwise i would not go next or near a main dealer. as a previous poster stated already, independant mechanics have to prove themselves and get their business by having a good name. dealer mechanics can be very dodgy, ie give them a problem that they never came accross before they wont have a clue. the best mechanics i know are independant mechanics.......
 
Aren't there issues with the local mechanic not having the software necessary to diagnose/fix more modern engines, given the level of computerisation now in car engines? I heard of one engineer who was downloading the relevant software from the manufacturer's US website - apparently, the pro-competition legislation there requires manufacturers to publish the software for free.
 
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