Q for our Peugeot fans
Discussion
My 80 year old mother has a 4 year old 307, done 40k kms. She called me tonight pretty upset because the dealer she takes it to has just told her it needs quite a lot of money spent on it - including new radiator, brake pads and discs and battery when there's no obvious symptoms of problems with any of them. She's had it from new (bought partly on my recommendation 
) has done all services with this dealer.
I'm suspicious.
This is the same dealer that fitted 4 new Pirellis when it went in for the last service without being asked, and without even calling her before doing it. It wasn't to address a warrant fail issue. That's one way of making sure Tony's doesn't get to beat your price by 10% I suppose... There's been other incidents as well that I won't go into.
I don't know the truth of the situation because I'm not in Auckland and haven't spoken to the dealer, but I'd like to get a second opinion from a trustworthy independent for her, so any recommendations where to go? She's in Whangaparoa so preferably north of the bridge, but anything north of Bombay would be an option.
Cheers
) has done all services with this dealer.I'm suspicious.
This is the same dealer that fitted 4 new Pirellis when it went in for the last service without being asked, and without even calling her before doing it. It wasn't to address a warrant fail issue. That's one way of making sure Tony's doesn't get to beat your price by 10% I suppose... There's been other incidents as well that I won't go into.
I don't know the truth of the situation because I'm not in Auckland and haven't spoken to the dealer, but I'd like to get a second opinion from a trustworthy independent for her, so any recommendations where to go? She's in Whangaparoa so preferably north of the bridge, but anything north of Bombay would be an option.
Cheers
Yeah that really doesn't sound right, she's obviously a regular customer and for these things to go unnoticed at previous service visits calls their reputation and quality of service into question. You really need to get her somewhere else, being in CHC I can't be of much help. My 2004 Alfa 156 is still on it's first set of pads and discs, she must be a real hoon to go through discs so quickly! Does she do a lot of track days?
It really makes me mad to hear stories like that, one reason I do as much on my cars as I can myself! Where are the people with morals these days?
It really makes me mad to hear stories like that, one reason I do as much on my cars as I can myself! Where are the people with morals these days?
Omerta said:
My 80 year old mother has a 4 year old 307, done 40k kms. She called me tonight pretty upset because the dealer she takes it to has just told her it needs quite a lot of money spent on it - including new radiator, brake pads and discs and battery when there's no obvious symptoms of problems with any of them. She's had it from new (bought partly on my recommendation ) has done all services with this dealer.
I'm suspicious.
You should be! 40k, driven by an 80 year old, and all that? Does she rally?) has done all services with this dealer.I'm suspicious.
Get a quote for them detailing the work needed, take it to an another independent garage (in chch so cant recommend any, vtnz?) then once you find out none of that needs doing wave the quote at someone in authority...
you could try www.fastfrogs.co.nz - someone on there could probably point you in the rght direction.
Fulvisti said:
It really makes me mad to hear stories like that, one reason I do as much on my cars as I can myself! Where are the people with morals these days?
Clearly none in Auckland.... I just had my Honda serviced and WOF at one of the dealers.... One of the WOF fails was that the windscreen washer on the drivers side had only one jet working instead of 2. fail, $72 for a replacement....hmmm the washers been like that for 7 years and WOF over that time at two honda dealers and VTNZ..... money grubbing b
ds IMNSHO. Always found Ingam and Northern Honda really good to deal with. (of course they aren't Pugeot dealers... or in auckland.. )
Edited by lestag on Friday 9th September 13:50
There's a couple of mentions of this guy on aussiefrogs - http://www.peugeotmechanic.co.nz
Anyone heard of him? I'll give him a bell next week
Anyone heard of him? I'll give him a bell next week
lestag said:
Clearly none in Auckland.... I just had my Honda serviced and WOF at one of the dealers....
Rant warning!Edited by lestag on Friday 9th September 13:50
I think that's the first mistake, going to the dealer! I probably shouldn't admit it but I was stung with nasty bill after taking my newly aquired Alfa 156 to Euromarque in CHC to have the cam belt changed. I knew it was too big a job for me from reading about it, needing special tools etc, and I have the engine out of the integrale at the moment, so want to concentrate on that. Quotes $1550+, and the water pump if required. I also asked for them to change the plugs as it's a bit of a pain on the V6. Got the call to say it was ready and asked how much, 2500 thanks very much. Not very impressed, 240 just for the plugs. Plus the water pump. I would've thought a coutesy call to let me know they were going to change it. Picked it up and it was still filthy, I'd only received it the day before off the truck from up north. The bill said valet service no charge. They hadn't recoded the radio either so had to wait until I got home to enter the code. I would've thought the main dealer could've done that at least on a New Zealand new car. So just quietly seethed away until I got a call from the customer relations lady a few days later and let her have the whole story. I did get an apology from the Maint manager, and offered a free coffee and car wash. To top things off they said the from ball joints were wearing and would pass the next warrant but probably not the one after, quote to fix $1600 thanks. Not likely, that's one I can do myself and source the parts plus extras for less than $400.
Had another call from them last week, "wee see your warrant is due soon, can we book you in for that and a service?" No thanks, due to the "service" I received last time I'm taking it elsewhere.
I've found lots of good parts places online that will post to NZ and always at a fraction of the cost here with better range. It's a shame but when you drive something other than the normal Jap imports it's what you have to do. You just learn to pre-empt parts requirements.
Rant over
Fulvisti said:
I've found lots of good parts places online that will post to NZ and always at a fraction of the cost here with better range. It's a shame but when you drive something other than the normal Jap imports it's what you have to do. You just learn to pre-empt parts requirements.
I had that issue with my 106 too. As I may have mentioned here previously it developed a misfire at low revs which turned out to be a crack in the coil. Armstrong Peugeot quoted me $2,200 to fix it so I imported one from plugtopcoils.co.uk for $339 landed instead then fitted it myself. I wonder how many people in the same situation would have begrudingly paid the full amount.Bull1t said:
I had that issue with my 106 too. As I may have mentioned here previously it developed a misfire at low revs which turned out to be a crack in the coil. Armstrong Peugeot quoted me $2,200 to fix it so I imported one from plugtopcoils.co.uk for $339 landed instead then fitted it myself. I wonder how many people in the same situation would have begrudingly paid the full amount.
Same outfit that has a Subaru franchise too? Theres a mechanic on the clubsub forum who used to work for Armstrong Subaru before going out on his own, he doesn't speak highly of them at all - I believe the comment made was they have 4 years experience... between the lot of them!And theyve got VAG, in Wellington anyway. I had my rant about them previously failing a warrant on my Golf with compressed suspension upright bushes - this is a car with 13000kms on it. When they called to tell me about it I said OK but put the old parts aside because I want to see them - but the next day when I picked it up apparently they'd gone out in the skip already...
Fulvisti said:
Rant warning!
I think that's the first mistake, going to the dealer! I probably shouldn't admit it but I was stung with nasty bill after taking my newly aquired Alfa 156 to Euromarque in CHC to have the cam belt changed. I knew it was too big a job for me from reading about it, needing special tools etc, and I have the engine out of the integrale at the moment, so want to concentrate on that. Quotes $1550+, and the water pump if required. I also asked for them to change the plugs as it's a bit of a pain on the V6. Got the call to say it was ready and asked how much, 2500 thanks very much. Not very impressed, 240 just for the plugs. Plus the water pump. I would've thought a coutesy call to let me know they were going to change it. Picked it up and it was still filthy, I'd only received it the day before off the truck from up north. The bill said valet service no charge. They hadn't recoded the radio either so had to wait until I got home to enter the code. I would've thought the main dealer could've done that at least on a New Zealand new car. So just quietly seethed away until I got a call from the customer relations lady a few days later and let her have the whole story. I did get an apology from the Maint manager, and offered a free coffee and car wash. To top things off they said the from ball joints were wearing and would pass the next warrant but probably not the one after, quote to fix $1600 thanks. Not likely, that's one I can do myself and source the parts plus extras for less than $400.
Had another call from them last week, "wee see your warrant is due soon, can we book you in for that and a service?" No thanks, due to the "service" I received last time I'm taking it elsewhere.
I've found lots of good parts places online that will post to NZ and always at a fraction of the cost here with better range. It's a shame but when you drive something other than the normal Jap imports it's what you have to do. You just learn to pre-empt parts requirements.
Rant over
Alfa dealers are a total rip-off here. I got charged $50 for a new sump plug for my 156 a while ago - the previous owner's mechanic had used the wrong tool to undo it and stripped the drive, and I needed a new plug in a hurry. The price from Alternative Autos in the UK is about 6 pounds. A new front upper wishbone worked out at $160 including shipping from Alternative, vs $270 trade price from the dealer here. I think that's the first mistake, going to the dealer! I probably shouldn't admit it but I was stung with nasty bill after taking my newly aquired Alfa 156 to Euromarque in CHC to have the cam belt changed. I knew it was too big a job for me from reading about it, needing special tools etc, and I have the engine out of the integrale at the moment, so want to concentrate on that. Quotes $1550+, and the water pump if required. I also asked for them to change the plugs as it's a bit of a pain on the V6. Got the call to say it was ready and asked how much, 2500 thanks very much. Not very impressed, 240 just for the plugs. Plus the water pump. I would've thought a coutesy call to let me know they were going to change it. Picked it up and it was still filthy, I'd only received it the day before off the truck from up north. The bill said valet service no charge. They hadn't recoded the radio either so had to wait until I got home to enter the code. I would've thought the main dealer could've done that at least on a New Zealand new car. So just quietly seethed away until I got a call from the customer relations lady a few days later and let her have the whole story. I did get an apology from the Maint manager, and offered a free coffee and car wash. To top things off they said the from ball joints were wearing and would pass the next warrant but probably not the one after, quote to fix $1600 thanks. Not likely, that's one I can do myself and source the parts plus extras for less than $400.
Had another call from them last week, "wee see your warrant is due soon, can we book you in for that and a service?" No thanks, due to the "service" I received last time I'm taking it elsewhere.
I've found lots of good parts places online that will post to NZ and always at a fraction of the cost here with better range. It's a shame but when you drive something other than the normal Jap imports it's what you have to do. You just learn to pre-empt parts requirements.
Rant over
However, this is no longer an issue for me as my wife wrote off the 156 a couple of weeks ago
. I'm replacing it with a Honda Accord Euro, which should be a lot less hassle in terms of parts etc. btw Fulvisti - do you have a set of Ribe bits (i.e those things that look like torx bits but aren't) for working on your 156? I no longer need mine, so let me know if you would like them.
Hi Stu, yes thanks I've got a set but thanks for the offer. I'll look up alternative autos too, that's one I haven't tried before. Get most of my Lancia bits from Beilstien in Germany and they're fantastic.
I wish I could buy the Fiat/Alfa rights in NZ and overhaul the customer service, the guy that served me down here really couldn't have cared less.
Oh and German, Swedish, and French in the UK are really good too. Had a 205 GTI for a while, was quoted $180 and a three week wait for a distributor cap from the Pug dealer here, £24 from GS & F for a cap and rotor including postage for the proper Bosch one.
I wish I could buy the Fiat/Alfa rights in NZ and overhaul the customer service, the guy that served me down here really couldn't have cared less.
Oh and German, Swedish, and French in the UK are really good too. Had a 205 GTI for a while, was quoted $180 and a three week wait for a distributor cap from the Pug dealer here, £24 from GS & F for a cap and rotor including postage for the proper Bosch one.
Edited by Fulvisti on Sunday 11th September 08:38
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