Wanted: Independent Mechanic thats Vat registered close to London

[adventuredon]

Hi all, need to get my 30 k service done on my gs. Would love to do it myself but extended warranty stipulates I need to use a VAT registered independent. I would use Steppers, but he isn't VAT registered (well he wasn't at the COUTC - if thats changed let me know).

MotoScot can do it, but he is way North from S London and not open on weekends, so getting the bike there is a challenge. Anyone else close to the A3 in London?

 

[GORILA]

Mark HOLDEN in Bromley is very good, he specialises in BMW's and covers warranty work!

 

[woodsie]

Mark Holden in Bromley

I wouldn't recommend anyone else

www.mhmotorcycles.co.uk/

0208 464 4400

Mark is not open at weekends either but service second to none

 

[woodsie]

Mark HOLDEN in Bromley is very good, he specialises in BMW's and covers warranty work!

Just beat me to it.

Good night

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Why don't you just shop around the Motorrad dealers? Negotiate one of them down to a rate you are comfortable with then go buy your own oil from Halfords

 

[The Grey One]

Why don't you just shop around the Motorrad dealers? Negotiate one of them down to a rate you are comfortable with then go buy your own oil from Halfords

so negotiate a price and then deny them their profit on the oil? Nice.

If they are prepared to come down on their labour rate how will they account for this do you think? By cutting corners is the most likely outcome. I ran an independent garage for many years, my standard answer to the question " can't you do it a bit cheaper" was " Yes sir, which particular bolts do you want us to leave undone."

Having a vehicle serviced is not like buying a packet of Kellogs cornflakes. It's not the same wherever you buy it. When you find someone who cares about their work, and there have been glowing recommendations given, then pay the man his price. If, on the other hand, you try to get the lowest possible price you will inevitably get the lowest standard of work. What work is done might be OK but it will be a "tick the boxes" exercise with anything not specifically mentioned on the service list ignored. If all you want is a stamp in the service book that's fine. But if you prefer to have a skilled man run an experienced eye over the bike, checking that all is well and maybe spotting an easy fix of something that could cause problems in the future, then we are back to the man who cares and that will be the independent in most cases.

John

 

[Steptoe]

Hi all, need to get my 30 k service done on my gs. Would love to do it myself but extended warranty stipulates I need to use a VAT registered independent. I would use Steppers, but he isn't VAT registered (well he wasn't at the COUTC - if thats changed let me know).

You'll find that the VAT only stipulation isn't enforcable.
It's as long as the person is competent, and being an independant specialising on only BMW's for more than 25 years is proof enough and keeps the warranty companies happy.

Customers have never had any problems with warranty work that's ever needed doing.

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

so negotiate a price and then deny them their profit on the oil? Nice.

Only denying the parts dept the exorbitant profit they make on the oil sale. The service dept won't mind as parts & service are run as seperate profit centres so the loss of the sale of the oil has no effect on the service dept whatsoever

You'd know that if you'd ever worked at a main dealer

 

[The Grey One]

Only denying the parts dept the exorbitant profit they make on the oil sale. The service dept won't mind as parts & service are run as seperate profit centres so the loss of the sale of the oil has no effect on the service dept whatsoever

You'd know that if you'd ever worked at a main dealer

No, I never worked at a main dealers -employed plenty who had though-biggest problem was to get them out of the corner cutting habits they had picked up there-but I can work out that this would still be an underhand tactic -it matters not which department looses out. Ethics need to apply to both the business and the customers.

John

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Are you saying that by supplying your own oil that is being underhand?

 

[The Grey One]

Are you saying that by supplying your own oil that is being underhand?

Of course not, but agreeing a price and then trying to move the goal posts by supplying your own oil (or indeed parts) would be.

John

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

I've always found that most dealers are up for a haggle regardless of wether it's for a service, parts or even a new bike

I think it's a little unkind to suggest that to obtain a quality service at a competive price you must go independent

 

[The Grey One]

I've always found that most dealers are up for a haggle regardless of wether it's for a service, parts or even a new bike

I think it's a little unkind to suggest that to obtain a quality service at a competive price you must go independent

Oh dear, having a little trouble with the English language I think! I wrote " in most cases" not "must" and I stand by that. I am sure there are many dealerships where good work is carried out, just as there might be some independents who are not so good, But the fact is that no independent has a never ending stream of owners of new vehicles who think they must use him, unlike a dealership. Dealer have high overheads which must be reflected in their charges. An independent needs to have satisfied customers to remain in business and, as most will have lower overheads than a dealer, they will offer lower rates. If you want good work at lower prices then you are more likely to find that at an independent. That is not being unkind to anyone it's just basic economics.

John

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

I'm starting to smell a distinct wiff of bitterness here

Hopefully, the OP will be able to find an independent that geographically is not too far away and open at a time that is convenient to him?

Alternatively, he could just negotiate a price with at his nearest official BMW dealer and get on with his life

 

[adventuredon]

Thanks for all the replies and ideas. Steptoe I will make enquiries and get back to you if that is indeed the case. If not, I will look up mark Holden. Cheers all

 

[The Grey One]

I'm starting to smell a distinct wiff of bitterness here

Hopefully, the OP will be able to find an independent that geographically is not too far away and open at a time that is convenient to him?

Alternatively, he could just negotiate a price with at his nearest official BMW dealer and get on with his life

With 30 plus years of experience in the motor trade I will confess to being a little cynical. But bitter? why on earth? Part of the reason I made a good living out of being an independent Citroen specialists was the dealers. I have every reason to be grateful for the way in which they gave away so much potential work, sending large chunks of it my way in fact. Many Citroen dealers started, like bike dealers, being run by enthusiasts. As sales grew this changed and the big companies buying in brought a different ethos. Their attitude was typified by a Citroen trained mechanic who came to work for me telling of how he had been allowed just 10 mins to complete a short service. The customer was charged one hours labour, and of course corners where cut.

When, after a gap of several years, Citroen found a company to take on the franchise in our area (I turned them down by the way) we celebrated. I also called in to see them offering to have their sales brochures in my place. When they asked why I would do that I pointed out that the best dealers in the country retained 40% of new car servicing after the first year- I would be happy to help with the 60%.

There is room for both dealer and independent-you pay your money and make your choice.

John

 

[adventuredon]

You'll find that the VAT only stipulation isn't enforcable.
It's as long as the person is competent, and being an independant specialising on only BMW's for more than 25 years is proof enough and keeps the warranty companies happy.

Customers have never had any problems with warranty work that's ever needed doing.

Seems you were right kind Sir. After ringing around the houses today and after initially being told I had to have it serviced by a dealer...to which I informed said chap - "Dealers do not approve a warranty claim, you guys do and you cannot enforce a service is carried out at the dealer due to EU regs...." Eventually the chap rang back and also provided written proof .....
"Good afternoon,
This is to confirm what we spoke about a few moments ago.
With the extended warranty you are free to have the bike serviced where ever you wish, however you go outside the BMW Motorrad dealer network and a part is replaced then that part would not be covered by the warranty.

If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.
Many thanks
James

"
So with a basic service, whats not to be replaced if anything goes wrong...Or am I misreading this?
Steptoe, will be in touch shortly!

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

After ringing around the houses today and after initially being told I had to have it serviced by a dealer...to which I informed said chap - "Dealers do not approve a warranty claim, you guys do and you cannot enforce a service is carried out at the dealer due to EU regs...."

That's actually not true

Under EU regs or 'Block Exemption' as it is known, a manufacturer cannot force a customer to have their vehicle serviced within the main dealer network during the warranty period however the supplier of an extended warranty (such as the one you have purchased) can. It's just that in this case they choose not to

Did you clear up the VAT registered bit to your satisfaction?

 

[Pukmeister]

If Steptoe were to use genuine BMW parts invoiced to him (and thus you) from a Motorrad dealer, it would stand up under any scrutiny.

 

[The Grey One]

If Steptoe were to use genuine BMW parts invoiced to him (and thus you) from a Motorrad dealer, it would stand up under any scrutiny.

The " genuine parts" thing is a red herring. Provided parts made by a reputable company are used there should be no problem. If the warranty company are saying it's the parts at fault I think you will find that a reputable manufacturer would investigate the issue. Either they would accept blame and pay up or more likely they would contest the findings. The warranty company might be able to fob off their customer but they won't tangle with a parts manufacturer unless they are very sure of their ground. And remember that many so called genuine parts are in fact made by outside suppliers anyway.

John