General new alternator - Grande Punto - was I ripped off?

[lozloz4]

Hello

My Grande Punto 1.9 Multijet recently had a new alternator fitted at Motorvogue Northampton in total I paid £463.

it feels a bit steep!

break down was:

Vehicle Investigation £79

replace alternator: £143

Labour £190

have i been had?

also can anyone recommend where i can get my fiat serviced and mot'd in Northampton area?

Thanks


Lawrence

VAT: £69

 

[TONY55S]

Hello

My Grande Punto 1.9 Multijet recently had a new alternator fitted at Motorvogue Northampton in total I paid £463.

it feels a bit steep!

break down was:

Vehicle Investigation £79

replace alternator: £143

Labour £190

have i been had?

also can anyone recommend where i can get my fiat serviced and mot'd in Northampton area?

Thanks


Lawrence

VAT: £69

yeah,that sounds mad,simple to diagnose problem,should have been free,you can get reconditioned alternator for around 100 pounds,and around 50 to fit,you were really ripped off,find a back street mechanic,and alwys get a quote for job b4 you let them do it
tony

 

[lozloz4]

yeah i thought as much so I emailed Motorvogue and they stated:

I am sorry to hear you feel that we have overcharged you for a visit to us in May 2010.

I have checked the job card that was raised for your visit and I can see that the technician involved in testing and finally repairing your vehicle, had spent a total of 3.6 hours on diagnosing and then replacing the faulty alternator.

The diagnosis time is to check the vehicle over completely before we fit any parts.
We had to carry out a battery test, wiring and ignition check, and also test with our examiner computer which will give us any
Fault codes that we require to correct the problem.
The labour time to fit the genuine alternator is 1.80 hours.

We always like to fit genuine parts to our vehicles, because in the past if we fit non genuine we encounter further problems at a later stage.
Fitting genuine parts by ourselves will also carry a complete one year warranty both on parts and labour.

 

[rallycinq]

Does not compute.

1.8 hours to fit the alternator at £190.

1.8 hours to do the investigation £79.

Its not your fault he took more than standard time to do the job.

You can bet your bottom dollar you would not have got a discount if he had done it in less time.

OK, his 'sold to attended' figures for the day would be shot, but thats his problem. not yours.

Cheers

D

 

[lozloz4]

I was under the impression it would be a case of them plugging in the diagnostic computer, and surely if the car was struggling to start the alternator would have been one of the first things to check!:bang:

they have offered me 25% off my next service and an MOT for £25.

Think I will pass.

not sure if there's anything I can do apart from take my business elsewhere, and tell everyone I know to avoid motorvogue.

I heard Blakes motors in Northampton are really good, I think i will try them.

Thanks for the Information guys.:slayer:

 

[T14086]

seems bad but its not that bad, recon alternator is decent price, fitting is a tricky job and 1.8 hrs is about right. Diagnosis? well there are smart charging systems and getting to the back of the alternator to attach leads is time consuming so I assume hour is standard charge?

Confused over the 1.8 diag time? what is the hourly rate there?

 

[lozloz4]

not really sure what the hourly rate is, but they charged 190.28 on my receipt.

well they have lost my trust and i don't think i will go back.

 

[sludgeguts]

They charged you £190 for 3.6 hours' work.
6/10 of an hour is 36 minutes?
So the job took 216 minutes, works out at 52.85 per hour.
T, that surely can't be a recon alternator at £143 - and the company did say in their email about fitting genuine parts

 

[T14086]

yeah they seem to of contradicted themselves? unless they ment genuine refurbished (i.e. refurbished original genuine part)

 

[N3ERN]

Hi can you tell me where i could get one for a grande punto 1.2 reconditioned?

 

[JimbbobW1977]

That was more than I paid at the main dealer, and fiat gave me half the cost back. I kicked up a fuss after it failed not to far out of warranty, and the design fault the gp has with dumping water onto it.

 

[georgios1976]

Hello

My Grande Punto 1.9 Multijet recently had a new alternator fitted at Motorvogue Northampton in total I paid £463.

it feels a bit steep!

break down was:

Vehicle Investigation £79

replace alternator: £143

Labour £190

have i been had?

also can anyone recommend where i can get my fiat serviced and mot'd in Northampton area?

Thanks


Lawrence

VAT: £69

My alternator failed on the M4 at 81k miles; The AA diagnosed the fault, towed me to LC Motors in Cwmbran, cost me £334 to replace, but I only paid £103, the rest was paid by Warranty Direct. So yes, £463 sounds way too much. My car is a 1.9 JTD Multijet Sporting.