maybery
New member
I thought I would drop a post to see if anybody had a similar experience with servicing at Grays. Generally, this dealer has a better reputation than most Fiat dealers. My experience was as follows;
i. My Stilo (1.8 2-dr dynamic) was booked in for a 48k mile service on 24th July 2006. The appointment was courteously made with Fiat and the car duly serviced. Grays called me at work to say that the work was finished and I accordingly picked up the car on Monday evening. So far, so good.
ii. The bill was £269, which I thought was a bit steep, but typically what I paid when servicing a Rover 620SLi at a franchised dealer. I am using a franchised dealer, so you would expect to pay more as you are paying for higher quality Fiat servicing..
iii. I always check work after a service and was disappointed to note that the oil level was only half full. Having paid £28 for two litres when the owners' manual states a sump capacity of 4.2 litres with a new filter, is it any wonder the oil level was low. I duly topped it up but I wasn't impressed.
iv. A few days later I noted that the bumper surround local to the front nearside wheel was dented and the internal wheel liner not fixed in properly. The mechanic had changed the air filter by yanking back on the bumper surround. What annoyed me that he/she hadn't bothered to fit the wheel liner properly and dented the bumper. I've straightened it out (or at least as much as I can) and it's now barely noticeable, but it's indicative of a sloppy mentality.
v. I also noticed a bit of trim loose inside the car which forms part of the lower gearlever surround - the bit of trim adjacent to your left foot which you rest against in lieu of a proper foot rest. I'm convinced it wasn't loose before the service but would wonder why a mechanic would undo it as part of a service. Again, I refitted it in about 45 seconds and it clipped into place with a bit of brute force.
vi. I mentioned a diesel like noise on start up (which the Forum seems to believe is a Variator problem). I was advised to monitor it after the service (fair enough I thought at the time). The noise is still there. I'll live with it for now as it's intermittent, but it's clear Fiat knows what it is but they just don't say anything....
vii. I mentioned uneven tyre wear to the man at the service reception who you pay. Nice bloke but seems to know very little. He reckons high wear is down to the car's power (133 bhp no less). This is reasonable if it was even, but its not - the offside wore much more quickly than the nearside and Stilo's have a notorious reputation for tyre wear due to incorrect steering/ suspension geometry. Why can't you speak to the mechanic who services your car and not just a glorified clerk?
I took the advice of a thread in the FF about pumping the tyres up as per the full load capacity. It worked and the car definitely tracked more linearly. THe Silo really is very sensitive to tyre pressure.
So, after all that above, I would rate Grays as follows;
i. Administration/ organisation/ courtesy etc = 8/10
ii. Servicing quality = 5/10 (I don't expect my car to come out with new cosmetic defects and a low oil level).
Maybery
As a foot note, I received a service reminder for JCS Kegworth who I bought the Fiat from (crystal green previously owned by S Addison). They were good and I would have preferred to have the car serviced by them, but they just too far away. I like in Warwickshire and they're up in Loughborough. Stuart, if you read this thread, the air-con is still working perfectly...
The car's MOT was due yesterday - it's booked in with a local garage who service my wife's car. They're independant and good, and will be servicing the Fiat next as well.
i. My Stilo (1.8 2-dr dynamic) was booked in for a 48k mile service on 24th July 2006. The appointment was courteously made with Fiat and the car duly serviced. Grays called me at work to say that the work was finished and I accordingly picked up the car on Monday evening. So far, so good.
ii. The bill was £269, which I thought was a bit steep, but typically what I paid when servicing a Rover 620SLi at a franchised dealer. I am using a franchised dealer, so you would expect to pay more as you are paying for higher quality Fiat servicing..
iii. I always check work after a service and was disappointed to note that the oil level was only half full. Having paid £28 for two litres when the owners' manual states a sump capacity of 4.2 litres with a new filter, is it any wonder the oil level was low. I duly topped it up but I wasn't impressed.
iv. A few days later I noted that the bumper surround local to the front nearside wheel was dented and the internal wheel liner not fixed in properly. The mechanic had changed the air filter by yanking back on the bumper surround. What annoyed me that he/she hadn't bothered to fit the wheel liner properly and dented the bumper. I've straightened it out (or at least as much as I can) and it's now barely noticeable, but it's indicative of a sloppy mentality.
v. I also noticed a bit of trim loose inside the car which forms part of the lower gearlever surround - the bit of trim adjacent to your left foot which you rest against in lieu of a proper foot rest. I'm convinced it wasn't loose before the service but would wonder why a mechanic would undo it as part of a service. Again, I refitted it in about 45 seconds and it clipped into place with a bit of brute force.
vi. I mentioned a diesel like noise on start up (which the Forum seems to believe is a Variator problem). I was advised to monitor it after the service (fair enough I thought at the time). The noise is still there. I'll live with it for now as it's intermittent, but it's clear Fiat knows what it is but they just don't say anything....
vii. I mentioned uneven tyre wear to the man at the service reception who you pay. Nice bloke but seems to know very little. He reckons high wear is down to the car's power (133 bhp no less). This is reasonable if it was even, but its not - the offside wore much more quickly than the nearside and Stilo's have a notorious reputation for tyre wear due to incorrect steering/ suspension geometry. Why can't you speak to the mechanic who services your car and not just a glorified clerk?
I took the advice of a thread in the FF about pumping the tyres up as per the full load capacity. It worked and the car definitely tracked more linearly. THe Silo really is very sensitive to tyre pressure.
So, after all that above, I would rate Grays as follows;
i. Administration/ organisation/ courtesy etc = 8/10
ii. Servicing quality = 5/10 (I don't expect my car to come out with new cosmetic defects and a low oil level).
Maybery
As a foot note, I received a service reminder for JCS Kegworth who I bought the Fiat from (crystal green previously owned by S Addison). They were good and I would have preferred to have the car serviced by them, but they just too far away. I like in Warwickshire and they're up in Loughborough. Stuart, if you read this thread, the air-con is still working perfectly...
The car's MOT was due yesterday - it's booked in with a local garage who service my wife's car. They're independant and good, and will be servicing the Fiat next as well.
