Garage Maintained?

[tinweevil]

Part of the problem with modern services is the space or lack of it. Distributor caps for example used to be changed regularly. Some of the big mercs still use them but it's such a huge dismantling job to change them that they are run till they fail now.

I ran a 3 series beemer years ago. It had FSH so I maintained that (not easy on a student budget). The BMW dealership near where I lived were excellent (Cronk Redhill) and sympathetic to my budget constraints. Apart from doing the services they got all the engine work (very little in the 80k miles I did) and were happy to supply parts only elsewhere on the car. At each service I'd get a list of things that were starting to wear, needed doing soon or if urgent they'd call me on the day. Each time I got it back it was like they'd put extra layers of soundproofing everywhere, the brakes would be wonderful and the handbrake would operate on the first click. Obviously it came back clean, they never allowed a dirty car into their workshop. I assumed it was the BMW way.
Then I got a couple of services done at the dealership yards from where I worked after uni (Vines Crawley). W##kers. Con merchants. On both occasions I got the old 'I'm afraid X is very worn and it's going to cost a large sum to sort out'. Both times they got told to ram it because I knew X was fine. Both times I asked for a report on any wearing parts and got none. Both times the car felt exactly the same as when I'd dropped it off. They didn't even clean it. Worst of all I always felt like they were looking down their noses at me. I had the lowest of the low E30 range and Vines always made me feel I was wasting their time bring in that old crap. Cronks were probably nurturing me as a good prospect future customer but I never felt pressured.
Unfortunately most of Vines customers wouldn't have had a clue and were obviously suckered in because not long later Vines took over Cronks and have since moved both branches to larger purpose built premesis. Another industry in which s##t floats.

I also used to use a local mechanic. Very well respected and liked and you had to book 4 weeks in advance because he was so much better than all the others in the area and so always very busy. He overhauled the prop on my sprint, the centre joint failed after 1500 miles. He did something up top on the engine, can't remember what but I do remember going back to ask for all the missing bolts please (rocker cover and distributor adjustment iirc). That from the best mechanic in the area? After he retired I tried the bloke who took over his premesis. He tried to kill me by not putting back something in the suspension on the golf when he did a wheel bearing. Tried one other goon who was just plain clueless.

I now work on the basis that for everything to do with cars apart from top coat paint if you want a job done properly then FFS DON'T employ a professional. With apologies to George and Adam.

Tinweevil