Car (or bike) Chat!

[Gaz]

well there is more to the battery than the battery. i dont know the replacement cost but at a guess about 2500 quid. on upside servicing hybrids should be cheaper, or so im told. in 10 years, the way we are going, that is all youll be able to buy anyway

I'm totally unconvinced

I can envisage the main sealers having a monopoly on servicing (whatever that may entail) as the independents won't have access to the equipment ot technical knowledge for quite some time.

My son works in an accident repair centre and the safety requirements for working on EVs are incredible, they have to have a minimum of 3 people present, the guy working on the vehicle has to stand on an isolation mat, there has to be two special insulated poles available to grag him away the area should he get electrocuted etc.

I can see the main stealers rubbing their greedy little hands together at the prospect of a monopoly and a captive audience that is effectively imposed by law

[dave2010]

I'm quite happy to keep burning petrol. I might even look around for another diesel.

Vandal!

[Gaz]

I'm quite happy to keep burning petrol. I might even look around for another diesel.

That deluded brat Thunburg will hunt you down and bore you to death

[Marco]

That deluded brat Thunburg will hunt you down and bore you to death

Who he?

Marco.

[Firebottle]

Greta Thunberg. Where have you been hiding?

[Gaz]

[Pigmy Pony]

Tell her to stick to what she knows best (cleaning and cooking), and let the man of the house decide which car to get!



Del's gone off the notion a little of getting a new Fiat Panda, and has her heart set on one of these (as a kind of 'homage' to her Moggie Traveller, which she loved): https://www.mini.co.uk/en_GB/home/ra...i-clubman.html

The twin doors at the back will allow her/us to get large items in, such as flat packs when we go to Ikea, etc... Plus it's a fairly stylish thing. We're going to look at some tomorrow

Marco [no electric car will ever darken our door].

Anita gets quite angry about the Minis, so I wind her up saying "Ah, look at that cute little car!" "That is NOT a Mini! Look at the size of it, they shouldn't be allowed to call it a Mini!" Her worst nightmare: having to ride in a Mini, with Bjork playing on the car stereo. She used to have an old-type Mini, and would happily have another one.

She's not really fussed about the diesel/petrol/electric/hybrid options, she just likes the look of the C-HR. Grant's post about their battery life is heartening though - their life has nothing to do with any moving parts, it's just that batteries will lose their ability to accept and hold a charge will reduce over time. But ten years is better than I expected.

Ultimately I'll let it be her decision, though I think we'll probably settle on a new shape Civic (1.5 Sport Plus), one of the few cars we both agree on

[Gaz]

According to Toyota GB website the battery is guaranteed for 5 years/100,000 miles but can be extended on an annual basis with the service for up to 15 years.

[walpurgis]

Anita gets quite angry about the Minis, so I wind her up saying "Ah, look at that cute little car!" "That is NOT a Mini! Look at the size of it, they shouldn't be allowed to call it a Mini!" Her worst nightmare: having to ride in a Mini, with Bjork playing on the car stereo. She used to have an old-type Mini, and would happily have another one.

She is of course quite right. BMW have a cheek slapping the 'Mini' name they stole from us on their overpriced, overcomplex monstrosity which has no similarities to a real Mini.

[InThe Sticks]

Just rambling here (and all in my opinion and experience) but I’m going to try and at least explain why main dealers charge what they do for the service they provide.

Is it always good value..

No, not all, not even close in some cases i.e routine servicing, but even then we get cars in that have been to an independent with the incorrect oil in and see what that does to the MPG of a hybrid, also engine warning lights because they haven’t reset the cars computer and/or told it that it’s had new parts and the most common one is when changing rear brake pads or trying to bleed the brakes on a hybrid.
Both if not done correctly will end up with a non functioning brake system or at worse (and it happens, 2 knackered calipers as the pistons automatically wind themselves out of the calipers because the mechanic doesn’t know how to disable the auto handbrake.
Get a complex fault with your car and see what happens with an independent. I’ve seen countless cars come into the workshop with a million new parts fitted and the cure not found. The chances being if that the customer came to us first we’d have known what the fault is as we see them often as we only work on one brand of car. That’s not to say we get it right 100% of the time, but if we get it wrong we don’t charge.
Please don’t think i’m knocking independent garages, because i’m not. They can offer superb value for money on older tech cars, but the way things are going and in the next 10-15 years they just won’t (and don’t now) have the equipment or the correct training to work on the average car.
I’ve worked for main dealers for well over 20 years and every training course i’ve done (and theres been many many many of them) costs a small fortune, and not only for the course but for hotel accommodation etc as most last a few days.
As has been previously mentioned theres the EV cars and safety risks (i’m Toyota/Lexus hybrid trained) but if i’m completely honest one would have to be a monumental moron to get a shock off any hybrid as every single single component is pretty much idiot proof bar actually cutting through the power cables. Try and tamper with the battery or inverter and the car will shut down it’s power as to do that would mean removing safety plugs. But again, the training is expensive.
Without proper manufacturer factory training one can’t even lift a spanner because it’s required to work on their cars.

Also, the buying public in general expect a clean flashy showroom, expensive coffee/biscuits, quiet workstations, free Wifi and smartly dressed well trained people to talk to when buying a new/used car or getting their car serviced. This all has to be paid for and it’s no secret who eventually pays for it, but that’s no different to any other retail environment.
Also figure in the staff costs, as in getting the right people. There is a serious lack of young talent in the industry these days as very few kids want into the motor trade as a tech. It all seems too much hard work for the little princesses and low and behold they might get their hands dirty. That said, we have a guy who’s just turned 20 who’s earning in excess of £30K without breaking a sweat.

Some people save all their lives to have a “brand” new car and want the best and most memorable experience when doing so, try achieving that in a grotty little portacabin with a salesman who can’t string a coherent sentence together.

Whether one dislikes main dealers and feel they rip off people will never change, and in my opinion they are utterly over the top expensive for some of the basic stuff, but as i said, when stuff gets complicated the only people who know the car better is the people that made the thing in the first place.
Buckle up, like it or not It’s only going to get worse folks.