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AIBU?

to be pissed off at the way I was treated at Vauxhall, and to be dreading going back?

49 replies

littlemisssarcastic · 20/04/2013 22:58

Took my car to an independent garage with a good reputation for MOT last week.
Whilst at the garage, the mechanic noticed the car kept cutting out, something which I had not noticed before, although I have noticed it gets a bit jerky sometimes and had mentioned this on booking it in.

Anyhow, mechanic cleans out the throttle body Confused and changes the fuel filter amongst other non related things that needed doing.

However, this didn't resolve the issue of car cutting out, so mechanic tells me I need to have an ECU software update done. Confused
Phoned vauxhall and am told this update will cost me £28.63 inc VAT. I thought..that's very reasonable, so took person's name who told me that price, wrote it down, repeated it to her to confirm it was £28.63 including VAT and arranged to take car down that afternoon.

On arriving at Vauxhall for the update, I discovered that the lady I spoke to earlier has gone home sick, and then I am told that it is £70+ VAT for the update. Well, I wasn't happy about that at all!!
I told the service receptionist what I was told on the phone, and she said 'I don't believe my colleague would say it was that price when it isn't, I just don't believe you.' Shock

I eventually managed to get it done for the price I was originally told, but it didn't resolve the problem and now I have to take the car back on Monday to have a diagnostics test. I have managed to reduce the price of the diagnostics test to £60 inc VAT after complaining to the manager of that particular branch of Vauxhall at how I was virtually called a liar by the receptionist, and how after speaking to the receptionist, the master technician comes out and tells me that he will do it for the reduced price, but I need a full diagnostics test which will cost £90+VAT, as well as the ECU update, so I went in thinking I was going to spend £28.63 and was quickly being told I would need to spend £192 and there was still no guarantee of diagnosing the problem!!

So now they are telling me that the diagnostic test may not even diagnose the problem, and no one seems to have any idea why my car has begun to just cut out and I am left hoping it is a minor fault that can be rectified relatively cheaply and quickly.

So AIBU to be treated like that? sneered at? have some woman raise her eyebrows and disbelieve what I am saying?
AIBU to not want to go back next week for diagnostics, even though I will go because I need my car to be diagnosed and fixed?

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CloudsAndTrees · 20/04/2013 23:00

Take your car somewhere else.

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trinitybleu · 20/04/2013 23:02

It's not Leicester branch, is it?

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Fallenangle · 20/04/2013 23:03

Unless you live somewhere very isolated I suggest you Go to a different Vauxhall dealer. There are plenty about

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littlemisssarcastic · 20/04/2013 23:04

Not Leicester branch, no. It's in the SE.

Can't take my car elsewhere now, because I need the diagnostics test doing and they have offered me this for a substantially cheaper price than the standard price.

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MyCarHasBrokenDownAgain · 20/04/2013 23:05

Do what we did - Google it, short the wires in the EMS and make a note of the error code that appears on the dash display! Grin

Or if you don't have a mad OH like me, take it somewhere else as previously stated. Dealers are notoriously expensive!

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mum23girlys · 20/04/2013 23:06

Walk away, don't give them a penny and take your car to a qualified independent diagnostic specialist.

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littlemisssarcastic · 20/04/2013 23:06

If I go to a different Vauxhall dealer, they will charge me £108 for the diagnostic test. I can't afford to pay that, although I am quite certain that once that is done, I wont be getting it repaired there, that's if they even find the sodding fault!!!

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Osamamrs · 20/04/2013 23:08

Piss takers. Go elsewhere, seriously!!

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Earlybird · 20/04/2013 23:10

Do I understand correctly: you were quoted a price, and even though you now know it was the wrong price, you are insisting that they stand by the quote? And you won't go to another dealer because you know you'll have to pay the correct price?

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Wereonourway · 20/04/2013 23:11

All vauxhall will be doing is plugging in a computer to get a code for a fault. But it can sometimes point to more than one fault and if its electrical they can be a bugger to find.

Take it to an independent garage for same thing, most garages have a diagnostics machine. Once you know the fault you can shop around for prices to investigate further or fix

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HarrietSchulenberg · 20/04/2013 23:11

The diagnostics don't need to be done by a Vauxhall dealer, just by a garage that offers the service, i.e. has diagnostics kit. Yell.com or Thompson Local et al are your friends for finding one. My local garage does it for around a quarter of what the main dealership (Ford) would charge. Main dealers are always a rip off.

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thislittlewineofmine · 20/04/2013 23:12

The ne branch did the same to me. Quoted me one price then charged me more when I took the car in. It took them two days of diagnostics to find I needed a new starter motor and they tried to charge me an additional £550 for that on top of the diagnostics fee. I took my car elsewhere and got the job done for £140. Would never go back.

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notapizzaeater · 20/04/2013 23:12

I'd ring a couple of little garages and asked they can run he diagnostic test - the one near us def ran it on dh volvo.

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Raum · 20/04/2013 23:15

Main dealers aren't always a rip off but bad service at reception doesn't bode well. My local Toyota dealer won't be beaten on price for example but personally I would be happy to pay extra at them as they have never messed me about in five years, can't say the same for the Toyota garages I use to go to!

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littlemisssarcastic · 20/04/2013 23:31

I have already had it on the diagnostics machine at the little garage, and it is the mechanic at my local garage who has advised it goes on the Vauxhall diagnostics machine. My mechanic says their machine will pick up faults that his machine can't pick up because their machine is specifically for Vauxhalls.

Earlybird, I was quoted £28.63 over the phone. I specifically asked her to repeat the quote, and she did. I wrote it down, then when I arrived at the garage a few hours later, I am told it is almost 4 times the price, and that's what they are going to charge me. I couldn't get the software update done anywhere else. I was not happy to be misinformed of the price and then to be told that it was not believeable that I was quoted that price in the first place.
I don't want to go to another dealer because I don't want to pay more than I have to. Is there something wrong with trying to get the best price?

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maddening · 21/04/2013 00:06

My vauxhall kept cutting out - it was under warranty thank god - they did all the computer replacement etc turned out to be the coil pack ( had to be a genuine vauxhall coilpack) about £20 apparently.

My friend also heard about relays being the cause.

I have no idea what these things are or do but they apparently are cheap to fix and worth a go.

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CalamityJ · 21/04/2013 00:10

Local garages with the right equipment can do diagnostic checks. The kit is quite expensive so not all garages invest in them but you don't only have to have it diagnosed at a dealship. HTH

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CalamityJ · 21/04/2013 00:12

Ah spotted your post about your local garage advising dealership diagnostic check. Well YANBU to not want to go back to somewhere that gave you poor customer service but you know really you're going to have to suck it up and go. Or you could sell the car!

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HarrietSchulenberg · 21/04/2013 01:43

Google Vauxhall Diagnostics and you might find someone who can come to you to do it. This does not have to be done by a main dealer, just a garage or business that uses (and pays for) up to date diagnostics equipment. Main dealers will rip you off because they like drivers to think that they are the only people with the equipment and specialist knowledge to fix their cars properly. Which is not true: I have saved literally thousands of pounds over the years by not using them, and, yes, some of those savings have been on jobs that required diagnostics. Ford mostly (or Fraud as the dealership is known in this house), but Vauxhall too (some years ago admittedly).

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NorksAreMessy · 21/04/2013 08:01

My friend in the next village would do the diagnostics for you and I know he would not charge anything like that amount (not helpful)
Find a local garage with someone whose name is over the door and who really wants your business.
Main dealers pay for their lovely shiny showrooms by ripping off people who believe they are only allowed to go to named garages

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Nerfmother · 21/04/2013 08:13

God my blood ran cold when you said ecu. My car kept cutting out and I took it to an independent garage who replaced the coil pack and the ecu but I ended up having to go to vauxhall and getting a proper ecu fitted. Be prepared it cost an absolute fortune. We have an awful vauxhall locally (s east) prob the same one!

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JumpingJackSprat · 21/04/2013 08:22

I know of two bloody awful vauxhall dealers near me also south east i wonder if same ones or if vauxhall are just terrible!!! Get a second opinion.

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Sickofthesnow · 21/04/2013 09:12

Our Vauxhall had a similar story and the local dealer was more interested in fixing parts that were fine, and ultimately when we broke down it was the AA breakdown guy who checked the car, ran diagnostics and said "look don't go back to the garage, change your coil pack and spark plugs and it should be fine".
Funnily enough that's what we done - and it was fine.

After that OH bought a diagnostics kit thing from Halfords that you plug into your car and it gives you a fault code should your engine management light come on etc, and it's saved us an absolute FORTUNE> I think it's shocking how garages can get away with charging £40/£60 or more to plug in this little fault code reader, to then charge you more on top for the repair.

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Dawndonna · 21/04/2013 09:16

I won't have vauxhalls. Seat belt got stuck in the back seats. A problem for which, at the time the Zafira was notorious. It took me four weeks and a call to head office to get it done for free. I was told by the dealer that it was my fault, my dcs fault, my dhs fault, basically anybody bar theirs!

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Deadhamsterssmell · 21/04/2013 09:22

DH who's has his own garage says ''they are taking the piss!'' he tells me that Vauxhall will already have had the car on the diagnostic machine to sort out the ECU, if they were a decent garage the would have just run a full test.

He has an independent garage and he charges £45 for a the same test that Vauxhall do. Unfortunately we're not near the SE though.

Sorry not very helpful.

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