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12,000 mile service... OH NOOOOO!

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12,000 mile service... OH NOOOOO!

Nuova500

Nuova500

Czech It Out!
Parked in the garage
Joined
Jan 24, 2004
Messages
6,778
Points
1,175
Location
New Milton, United Kingdo
I never expected great things for my Pandas 12000 mile service but Olympian in New Milton surpassed themselves for service!
Car booked in, picked up early afternoon, no problems I am told, relieved of £150, so far pretty normal. Then I find,
They havent replaced the pollen filter, they say its a 2 yearly job, Fiat say every 12000 miles. I ask where it is located, they wait for it... dont know!!!
Didnt stamp service book.
Didnt reset service indicator on dash.
Took it back, 25 mins later they say service indicator reset. Guess what its not! Am told to come back on Thursday as the main computer used to reset the indicator saying service not completed!!!!
So I am relieved of 100 quid labour!!!! The book says a 1 hour service on the Panda!
Guess what, customer service not interested! Great!
 
took car in this morning, they managed to finally reset service indicator. They found the pollen filter and dont have one in stock even though its a service item! Will have one this afternoon.... twots!
Better look for another dealer!
 
trouble is, nearest is only 1 mile away, next about 18 miles away, then around 25 miles... all Olympian! Next nearest is about 30 miles but its other side of Southampton, and I know nowt about them. Still, they will be used next time! The dealer I used to use has been bought by Olympian!
 
Update, they fitted the pollen filter this afternoon, but failed to tell me they trapped two electrical wires when reassembling the housing and that they had broken it too! New filter housing ordered and apparently I can have my 24000 mile service for free... great more aggro!
 
sounds like my experence with forthway Rover when I had the 200 series.
gits managed to break something every time.
Fit a new clutch, they forgot to tighten the retainer bolt properly so it rattled away, forman claimed it was fresh loose oil until I forced the car back in to be checked over.
they managed to break the dipstick after fitting a new water pump as well, then 8 months after that the cambelt they put on gave way.

and that is why I now own the Brava, There really is somethings in life worth then arnold clark, and its scary as Fiat awarded forthway with an offical service contract as well
 
Had a letter from them today, 24000 mile service will be totally free. Apparently they are getting a new Fiat computer this week which they say will improve things, funny I didnt know computers serviced cars!!! Oh yes, the letter was on Renault headed paper ):
 
I thought long and hard, then decided even a free service will be still messed up by these clowns! So, I replied to their Renault headed letter and told them no bribery will get my custom again, then sent a written complaint to Fiat. I realise its cost me a lot of cash cos a free 24000 service is a lot but principals eh?
It means a 60+ miles round trip to my next nearest non Olympian dealer, hope they are good!
 
What is it that the Fiat dealer does on a 12,000 mile service that you couldn't do yourself for a fraction of the price and in around the same time that you spend running around after them?
I have just swapped my M reg Uno 1.0 IE Start for a new Panda Multijet. It had done 90,000 miles and the only time it went anywhere near the dealer (to have the odemeter cable changed under warranty) I had to redo the job myself a short time later! M.O.T.s and any major servicing (clutch change,etc) were done by a reputable independent local garage or specialist, and all regular servicing was carried out by myself.
How long would it have taken you to order a pollen filter and fit it yourself, and how much money and hassle would you have saved? Not to mention knowing the job had actually been done! You only spot the major items that they miss. Just think how many minor inspections and adjustments they overlook every service that they charge you big money for! It is only because people put up with this terrible service and keep on going back, because they feel they have no choice, that these cowboys can carry on making money. Don't be afraid to use independents. How much is a main dealer stamp in your service book really worth at the end of the day?
On that note, I now have to find out how to change the oil filter on my new Multijet! I have the filter and the oil, and I have found where it is on the engine. I just have to find out how to change it now. Anybody done this job? Unfortunately it is of the cartridge type rather than the usual screw on type, otherwise it would have been a job done by now! Since I am going to use fully synthetic 5W 40 oil and the car has only done just over 3,000 miles, this will actually be an improvement on the service that you would get from a main dealer, and at a fraction of the cost (and I KNOW that it will have been done)!
 
This message applies to ALL car owners that continually complain about bad service from main dealers, and we all know that there are still plenty of those about!
I am a new member and am just getting used to the site, so may not post comments where you think they should be. Hence me asking for help with my filter change in completely the wrong place!:bang:
 
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