Beware the Health Check.....

A number of customers have come to us recently saying that they have had a Health Check carried out on their car by the main dealer.  They have walked away with a quote and a list of items that ‘need’ doing in order to keep their car on the road.  Many times when we have been asked to quote for the work we have found some if not all the recommended actions are not required.  Most prevalent is the advice to have the cambelt done, several times we have checked the cars history and mileage to find that cambelt has in excess of 40k life left in it, which dependent on annual average miles may give the customer another 2 years of driving before the work becomes necessary.

Another common piece of advice is that the brake discs and pads need replacing – only yesterday we quoted for work after a health check had been carried out to find that the rear brakes were absolutely fine and did not need replacing at all.  The quote the customer had been given for over £300+VAT for discs alone was eye watering.  It is also worth noting that many manufacturers use Bosch parts and there is a considerable difference in price depending on the box the parts are delivered in, for example Porsche fit Bosch brakes, in a Porsche box those brake pads will cost a small fortune, in a Bosch box considerably less.

I know in these harsh times we all need to keep the work coming in but surely it is ever so slightly underhand to suggest that a major bit of maintenance is due when in fact it is not, dealers seem to me to be insistent in their will to lose customer faith and trust.  They are fast replacing the independent garages as the ‘rip off merchants and con men’ as more and more people become aware of the tricks of the trade.

We still hear of people being told that they must have a dealer service to maintain their warranty – not only is this not true – it is illegal for dealerships to be informing customers this way.  The law changed ten years ago regarding block exemption and yet it is still a common occurrence and therefore a common belief that you must use the dealer for the life of your warranty.

It is always wise to get a second opinion and have a look around, ring a few people to see what advice is out there, so many people learn the facts after they have paid a huge bill for unnecessary work we are always happy to have a look at any work which has been recommended through a Health Check and will advise whether the work is needed or not, if the questions are not asked then answers will never be gained