Following the advice repeatedly provided hereabouts, today
I dutifully took my 2001 Saab 9.3.TiD for a non-service scheduled oil and filter change to a quick-fit type outlet. (Saab service requirements are every 12,000 miles but this was circa 6K since last service).
Whilst being dubious about the make/quality/origin of the oil which they provided, enquiries revealed all in order with Castrol Magnatec (is that how it's spelt?) being their intentions. This suited me and the car handbook fine !
Anticipating a delay whilst they ordered and obtained the correct filter, I advised the manager that I had my own (pukka Saab) oil filter for them to fit. His reaction was one of astonishment and an outright refusal to change the oil using my own filter....muttering something about not being insured.
Negotiations with him (me willing to sign a disclaimer) failed to change his decision.
Has any backroomer experienced this and can anyone suggest a possible reason for his (seemingly unreasonable) stance ?
Regards,
AI
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Coincidentally had my Alfa in for a quick Oil & Filter change at a "fairly speedy fit" chain today. Punter turned up with a Smart and had obtained pads from local Merc dealer who wanted to charge the earth to fit them.
The manager firmly but politely refused to fit them and also referred to their policy of not fitting parts they haven't sourced themselves. He explained that they can vouch for their product as they are centrally sourced but are unable to vouch for thirdparty items (there are a lot of correctly marked fakes out there).
In the event of there being a problem with their own sourced item, they can claim against the manufacturer of the item if the customer claims against them. Not possible with owner-sourced parts.
Not unreasonable given the marins they work to on this kind of work when compared with your Saab main dealer.
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When we had customers providing their own oils/parts, we'd simply note this on their invoice.
Not too much of a problem for an independent, but can well imagine the potential implications from a larger operation. Was it your filter that leaked, did the sealing washer get replaced, was it the correct part number & a milion & one other things the no win-no fee legal bods would come up with, if things went wrong!!!
VB
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Did this once myself years ago with my GT twin cam corolla (ah them were the days) when I produced my own Toyota filter the guy behind the counter said would you bring your own food into a restaurant and ask the chef to cook it for you.
Point taken.....
Leon
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....no but I expect to be able to take my own favourite wine into a restaurant and pay a minimal ?corkage? for the privilege.
I don?t see what the problem is with having a standard disclaimer that the customer signs waiving all rights to pursue legal action directly connected with the parts they themselves are supplying.
If anything I think a garage would welcome it ? if they were slightly ?dodgy? then it could almost be a green flag to them to perform sloppy work.
Incidentally, there?s a fairly old local chap around where I live who runs a garage operation from the back of his own very large double garage, on the back of his house. Always very busy ? never advertises (doesn?t have to) ? as trade comes by word of mouth. Really friendly and helpful bloke. Got my wreck of a Nova through its MOT for £40 after main dealer deemed it ?not worth the effort mate?. Lasted another 4 years with minimum maintenance.
Anyway, he?ll fit customer?s parts, or source from a scrappy for you as long as you sign a disclaimer. He explains at length that he much rather fit genuine new parts, that he gets from a reputable autofactor, but if the customer is on a tight budget, then he?ll do as asked. Top man!
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The disclaimer doesn't really work.
The problem is that the garage cannot avoid liability for negligence whatever is signed, not signed or agreed.
In the event of a failure, even one related to the part, they would have difficulty proving that the entire incident was related to the part and not their actions. And even if they proved it succesfuly, it would still have cost them money, time and customer relationships to do so.
Far easier not to go there and refuse to do it.
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I agree on most points, but if they sucessfully defended themselves, then costs can be recovered for the loosing party. That requires then to actually have money, of course!
As for customer relationships - it could actually work in their favour. Tehy are so confident that their standard of work is so good that they're prepared to defend it in court. Now that would be a rare garage!
But overall, I do agree the system would be a minefield and generally not worth the hassle.
Just know that it seem to works for my local guy - never had any trouble. I guess that just works because: (1) He does good work or (2) He's just been lucky.
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Once again, thank you all for your comments, opinions and also experiences.
Annoyingly I can see and appreciate all points of view but my motive in providing my own (Saab) oil filter, was to ensure that the correct part was used rather than a second rate copy.
Regards,
AI
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As I recall from my days in the trade, some 12/13 years ago, a parts supplier/fitter had to be able to track the origin of every single item fitted as a replacement or service item to a car.
I believe this was a either legal requirement or maybe just to protect the dealer in the event of a legal claim that part "X" had failed and caused a crash or other calamity.
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"Rude, crude and socially unacceptable"
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On numerous occasions I have had oil changed at Halfords (now T/A AA) by appointment while I waited. On *every* occasion I have taken my own oil filter with me (so as to ensure that correct VW filter was used). At no time has any objection been raised. They have a waiting area where customers can see the work in progress and the job has always been done by a most courteous mechanic who is himself a VW owner/enthusiast. I have, of course, had their standard charge reduced by the value of the filter and been given a 10% discount as an AA member.
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