Hello
My Stilo has developed loud front suspension noises - a metalic creaking. Especially at low speeds and uneven surfaces. My car is now in it's 3rd year dealer warranty. The local dealer wants £69 + Vat just to determine if it may be a warranty issue. Is this reasonable or would I be better going to an independant?
Interestingly, I also have a paintwork problem (It's turning white on the wing and it's a blue car!) this will be inspected free of charge.

Hi, because it is unknown if the fault may be warranty or not, its not unreasonable for a dealer to charge for diagnosis, after all why should the dealer spend time diagnosing a fault if you arent going to have the work done by them? What you will find is if the fault is warranty 99.9% of dealers would waive the charge. The charge you quote does seem a bit steep though so I would ask again (pointing out a full MOT only costs £42.10). The fault maybe top suspension mounting bearings siezing, and these are easy to spot.

Well had the car at the dealer, having front suspension replaced under warranty, yipee! Not quite sure what they are going to do but they are "ordering" the parts in. Also going to collect car from my work and bring it back. Well chuffed.

I just think that its fundementally wrong for a garage to charge (or anyone) to find out whats wrong, and then charge again to fix the problem! Afterall they are charging for their problem solving skills, but what if they take ages to solve something stupildly easy? Or they decide it one problem and it turns out to be another, your paying for their incompetance.

I think one charge, one fix is reasonable. They look at it, and give you a cost for repair, and that cost then included any problem solving they needed to do. If it then turns out to be a warranty repair you don't have to fork out for them to check first.

NumanR said:

after all why should the dealer spend time diagnosing a fault if you arent going to have the work done by them?

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free estimate like the man who comes to fix my white goods, good plumbers and other trade people give them so why not main dealers?

Because they know you have no choice...

Exactly, over a barrel!

So you wave the trading standards book at them....

No the reason is too many people take the mick by coming in and asking for diagnosis then decide to take the car away and fix it themselves. Why should a dealer use his technicians skill to diagnose a fault and get absolutely nothing in return? The dealer makes money by selling time, if the car takes time to diagnose then the dealer can charge for it. I dont know any dealers that would charge for diagnosis and then not incorporate that diagnosis into a final repair cost or into a warranty repair if applicable. On some faults I specify a maximum price for diagnosis, (normally electrical jobs), therefore if it takes 10 minutes the customer gets charged 10 minutes, if it takes 5 hours the charge is only the maximum charge I agreed. Benefit for the customer is that they have a known maximum price for what can be an open cheque book job.

I could maybe understand the charging if someone they didn't know walked in off the street with their car, but I would be really miffed if I was charged anything for a diagnose at my local dealership.

As for charging - most accountancy firms I have been in give a free interview for an hour; this is worth anything up to £75 or so and beyond, plus VAT.

Why would you be miffed Stuart? Is it that you expect the dealer to look after you because of brand loyalty? This is exactly why the relationship between dealer and customer is important. It is not a one way street. The dealer will bend over backwards to help most customers, but some people expect too much. If you appreciate what I have done for you, I will look after you. If you cant be bothered to say thankyou then you may not get the same response. The best way to get the best out of any dealer is to be pleasant and say thankyou, that doesnt mean not complaining, but if I have gone the extra mile to help then surely a thankyou is not going to hurt. It will also mean next time you need my help I will help as best I can, or if the cost of a repair is not alot you may get it free or you may get an extra discount on service work, or we may try even harder to get you a loan car at very short notice.

All dealers are not equal and neither are the customers.

The other thing Stuart is does that accountancy firm give a free interview, this week, and then if I need help again in a weeks time do they do another free interview? And in a months time do they do another one?

NumanR said:

The other thing Stuart is does that accountancy firm give a free interview, this week, and then if I need help again in a weeks time do they do another free interview? And in a months time do they do another one?

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No, but I thought we were talking about a person being charged for a diagnostic, not that same person coming in week after week, like in the example given....

Why would I be miffed?! Well, I am hoping they would never charge me, or not to the extent of £69+VAT for a few reasons:-

1. I intend to put the 3rd year Stilo service and MOT through them;

2. They have had all the warranty work on the Stilo/Ulysse;

3. They have had the 1st year Ulysse service, and will no doubt get the 2nd and 3rd year;

4. I purchased a Ulysse from them, costing over £20k;

5. I intend to source an Alfa GTA through them next year, possibly, and the sales managaer already knows this

I have no major qualms with my dealership, Motorvogue, but they are the reasons why I would justifiably be miffed if I was charged for a diagnostic.

I agree wiyh stu; the dealer ows his costemers certain trust and that would mean trusting the cusomr to have the repair done at that dealer once the diagnostic has been done. I do understand that if someone goes in constantly to have diagnostics done thaen the dealer will have to charge for his time but hardly anybody does this, if we get toldt that there's something wrong with the car we have it fixed wherever we've had it diagnosed.

IMO if something is under warranty (dealer or manufacturer) i should be incurring no cost for diagnostics/repair when there is soemthing obviously faulty, to this date my realtionship with my dealer (arnold clark) is not good. But i did get a call today saying my replacement stereo has arrived....(the faulty one has been fine since it got refitted)..i'll get it fitted anyway. I honestly don't see me using my dealer for servicing, the stories i have heard are enough.

Actually I think it is probably against the consumer regulations for the garage to charge you. As the car is under warranty and the warranty is fairly comprehensive, then they can only charge for diagnosis if the work does not fall within the terms of the warranty.

I don't know any company who would charge a customer for a diagnosis of any fault while a warranty is in place and even outside of warranty I have never been charged to have something inspected to get a quote for repair.

As for NumanR's comment about people getting free diagnosis and then fixing it yourself, I would be pretty annoyed if a car with a 3 year warranty needed something major fixed which wasn't covered by the warranty and as a dealer I would be very concerned that a customer had a fault on a young car like this, let alone charge them to see what it was.

If my dealership did this, then I would steer well clear of them.

Ref "As for NumanR's comment about people getting free diagnosis and then fixing it yourself, I would be pretty annoyed if a car with a 3 year warranty needed something major fixed which wasn't covered by the warranty and as a dealer I would be very concerned that a customer had a fault on a young car like this, let alone charge them to see what it was.

If my dealership did this, then I would steer well clear of them."

I totally agree, I was just showing that on third year warranty (which would be the only time any diagnosis would possibly charged for) not all items are covered and so its not unreasonable to make a charge to diagnose a fault IF that fault is not covered under warranty.

Regarding Stu, if you were my customer you would get looked after very well, owing to a relationship you have built up with the dealer.

Finally, regarding repeated diagnosis, I am sorry I should have made this clear that I was talking about out of warranty cars, (I should have stuck to the thread subject-sorry). You would be surprised how many people come in ask us to diagnose a fault, then drive down to the motor factors down the road and buy the part from them.

I was at my dealers today getting my stereo replaced under warranty. And there was a guy in the service dept with this exact problem. He was in his 3rd year dealer warranty. I believe for an airbag warning light, which had gone out again then this morning all the lights came on and went out again. The girl explained it like this:

We can put it on the examiner, if it finds something which is covered by the warranty, then you won't be charged for examiner or repair. If it doesn't find anything then its 65quid for putting it on the examiner. But be aware if the warning light has gone out that the examiner may not find anything. We can describe what happened to our technician an see what he thinks first.

This was Arnold Clark in Allison Street, Glasgow. Lets hope i dont need the examiner in the 3rd Yr 65 QUID!!!! You gotta be kidding me!!!

Hope This Helps

@ NumanR - thank you, you know realise why I would be miffed, lol...

As for not being covered under 3rd year warranty, surely whatever Examiner finds should be covered?! If it picks up fact 'rear trim has popped out', then fair enough, but surely it is down to the electrical stuff. Just shows you what a farce the 3rd year is - why o why can't it be compliant with 1st and 2nd year, albeit with mileage restrictions.

Sorry Stuart the third year warranty does not cover everything, and wiring is a specific exclusion. If a customer came to me in third year with an airbag wiring fault, (normally the seat connections) and they have been loyal to us then I would do it for free. I agree it would be much easier for dealers as well as customers for the third year warranty to be as good as the manufacturers. Most dealers try very hard to help customers when warranty does not cover customers concerns.

Yeah, kind of gathered now that wiring is not covered.

As you say, I am a loyal customer, and my car's airbag problem is being sorted for free - so far, pressure sensors under passenger keep being replaced, although I keep stressing it is possibly the loom, or more. Have not had to pay anything yet

My point above was fact I disagree with certain items being excluded from 3rd year warranty.