Now before I launch into full rant mode - I have always been impressed by the willingness of my local dealer to pick my car up from work, service it and return it nice and clean etc.

However, unless I am completely wrong I have just had a near miss with a V-reg silver Impreza Turbo 4dr which decided to gun it past a slower car passing over clearly marked road hatchings for a filter road turning in the opposite direction where I was waiting to turn.

The chap driving was wearing a blue 555 Subaru jacket - which all of the local dealership chaps wear. I cannot believe that for a start he would drive in such a dangerous and irresponsible fashion and secondly that he would do this in someone else's pride and joy.

For the record it was the turning into Jealotts Hill on the Bracknell to Maidenhead road - a notoriously bad road with all too numerous fatalities….

If I have got it wrong and he was nothing to do with a dealership - then apologises but he was doing a lest 80 mph and accelerating hard when I had to avoid him.

If all dealership courtesy drivers gun-it like this chap I will have second thoughts about taking them up on their kind offer !

Anyone else had any similar experiences ?

Tim

 

If it is the same guy who took me for a test ride a couple of mmonths ago from that garage, he is certifiable. During the test ride he got up to 120 on a short stretch of narrow country lane with a few houses on it. The corners were also being taken at very high speed - if anything had been coming the other way we would be dead. He told me later he races cars in his spare time. Still a to$$er doing those speeds.

Jerome.

 

I doubt it was a 'dealer driver'. When I get my car picked up, they are so rediculously careful.

Even when I told the guy to 'give it some' to see what he thought of the downpipe, he wouldn't as it wasn't worth his job to let anything happen (mechanically or accident wise).

Last time they picked it up, a friend spotted my car on the motorway at 50mph being driven with so much courtesy and lack of speed that he knew it wasn't me driving and rang me to make sure it hadn't been stolen!!

More likely it was a 'wanna be richard burns' kitted out in his 'going for a drive' subaru gear

 

Tim,

Yes I have had some problems..

I had used the dealer collection and delivery service regularly.

On two seperate occasions the car was returned with damage which wasn't there when it was collected. In the first instance, a large scuff right though the paint on the rear bumper side skirt was found, and on the second, the front nearside wheel heavily kerbed around three quarters of the circumference.

In both cases, the dealer claimed that the damage was already in existence prior to collection. Of course I knew that it wasn't having hand washed it the day before collection both times to allow a close examination.

To be fair, the dealer did rectify these problems satisfactorily (with some not-so-gentle persuassion), but it does raise a question mark over how carefully delivery drivers will treat your car when it is in their posession.

Needless to say, I now collect and deliver the car myself, and am happy to do so.

Cheers,

Alex

 

Do they not inspect the car with you and note any existing scrapes and damage before it's taken away ? My dealer does this and we both sign the sheet, (which has a drawing of a car on it to note the actual position of any damage).

Then, when the car is retunred, the same sheet is produced so that any damage incurred in the meantime cannot be denied.

This is for both service pick ups and taking the car to the dealer yourself.

blubs

 

when my car was collected by B&C, I had the same concerns, but a middle aged well spoken lady came to pick up my car! her job was basically delivering and collecting B&C's cars.

I did wait to see if she floored it out of the BMW car park, but she could've walked away faster.

car came back without even a thumb print on it.

 

Blubs,

No they don't.

After our disagreements, they say that they have modified their procedures and record all damage at the time of collection. It isn't much use though as they don't ask you to countersign the note. Even they had produced a form showing that the damage had already existed I still would have disputed it (and rightly so!).

Another dealer has also brought some dubious servicing practises to my attention, which has required some expensive repairs, albeit under warranty. I don't think I'll be going there again anyway.

Cheers,

Alex

 

AlexM - care to name & shame the dealer in question?

 

Are we allowed to name and shame on the BBS? I thought that was libel or something.

 

Hi,

As I said, the dealer did remedy these problems FOC (with some prompting), so I don't have any issues with them.

Having said that, I think that these incidents have spoilt our relationship, and the level of service (and my confidence in them) has deteriorated to the point where I'm better off going elsewhere....

It wouldn't be fair to presume that you would have the same problems - I WAS happy with their service prior to these incidents.

On the other hand, I have absolutely no hesitation in saying that I've found Cheam Subaru to be great so it isn't them

Cheers,

Alex

 

Alex,

So is it another dealer close to Cheam Motors?? Would the dealer in question also sell Lotus and Saab cars??