Father-in-law recently had his car serviced and MOT'd at the main dealer. He was told it needed a new fuel tank and was relieved of £600. For a Fiesta fuel tank. Is this excessive? Just seems a bit wrong that a service and MOT ends up costing an OAP the best part of a grand for a Fiesta he bought from them, albeit used, just over a year ago.
Strangely enough, the car he owned previously (Fiesta, bought from the same main dealer) is still being driven round his parish even though FIL was advised to get rid as it would cost more than the car was worth to get it through the MOT.
Is someone having a very expensive laugh at an OAPs' expense?
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Father-in-law recently had his car serviced and MOT'd at the main dealer. >>
Does that mean that you failed in your duty to advise F-i-L to go to an Independent for both those items?
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Does that mean that you failed in your duty to advise F-i-L to go to an Independent for both those items?
Not at all,jbif. I have advised him, but he uses the main dealer as it's local and he feels he needs a stamped-up service book from the supplying dealer, even though I have told him otherwise. It was bad enough when they pulled the "more than the car's worth" MOT stunt.
Parents in law live some distance away and when I heard of the dealer's latest stunt I was all for going down to see them but SWMBO wanted me to leave it. Probably just as well. Might have had a Michael Douglas "Falling Down" moment....
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Thieves of course.
Sad though that a majority of car owners is completely helpless in the face of that sort of thing. It is far too easy for grinning apes to rip them off.
Very few writers on the automobile try to put people on their guard against the many crooked and incompetent garages and mechanics. The general line tends to be, leave it to the experts.
The reason I looked at the br and now post here is that HJ's column in the Telegraph is a very honourable exception to that.
So if you object to my tone, take it up with Our Leader. My discourse isn't his fault but my presence here is.
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Why was the tank replaced?
Did you FIL see the evidence of the old failed tank?
What is the retail cost of a fuel tank for this car from a Ford dealer?
What other parts were renewed as a matter of course? clamps?, straps?, pipes?, fittings?, filler elbow?
What other parts need to be removed to get to the tank? exhaust? - most likely, back axle - possibly, but unusual? hand brake cables?
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Ask yourself, do trading standards need to know about this dealership to protect others from their rip off trading ways?
Is FiL a member of the AA or RAC?
Does he have fully comp car insurance?
Is legal cover there from any one of these?
I used the legal aid cover on my car insurance policy for representation against AMS of Grimsby over repair costs and other issues and won too.
Edited by Tron on 20/05/2009 at 17:08
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I took a fiesta mk4 in swap last year as the people who owned it were sick of shelling out on it
They were charged £250 for the tank swap (this was at a back street garage i recommend so he must have charged that for a reason)
i can buy a brand new tank for £50 plus the fitting but havent got a licence to remove it,
you therefore will find that part of the problem is that its not straight forward to swap tanks anymore unless you do it in your own back garden when the red shirts with their clipboards dont work.
This is partly the problem red tape
Obviously greed plays a part too but swapping tanks is a horrible job if corrosion has a hold and you cant stick the cutting torch in
i wonder if its the fact that the inheritance is being spent that really knarls ;-)
at the end of the day we all have bills to pay its just that bills bills are bigger than some non bills bills
Edited by bell boy on 20/05/2009 at 17:20
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Just had a quote from a local Ford dealer.
New tank, fitted, £302.00 including VAT. Just starting to feel a little bit angry. I don't like people, especially an 80 year old not in the best of health who works part time 'cos he likes to keep his little car on the road, being taken advantage of.
Not worried in the slightest about the inheritance, bell boy
I'm one of the back room millionaires :-)
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swapping tanks is a horrible job if corrosion has a hold and you cant stick the cutting torch in
One can well believe that bb, but quotes of 250 from your back street guy and 300 from a Ford dealer do sort of make the point here.
Is it now illegal to work on fuel systems without a Corgi qualification, or is it just a question of storage and disposal of old tanks? What a pain, elf'n'safety...
Edited by Lud on 20/05/2009 at 18:06
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captain,
Does seem too much, although you mentioned service and MoT as well.
Say £350 for the tank and £250 for the service and MoT and it doesn't sound so bad.
They've certainly done nothing to look after the elderly gent, although I'm not sure you have enough ammo to claim over-charging.
Cynically, they may have pitched it about right by charging him as much as they could, but not so much as to earn them a place on Rogue Traders.
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£350 for the tank and £250 for the service and MoT
If it's like that, then they aren't thieves, just main dealers. But I thought the OP said £600 for the tank and the thick end of a thousand for everything?
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Well spotted, Lud.
All I can add to this debate is to give thanks for plastic fuel tanks.
In fact, tanks a million for them!
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...Well spotted, Lud...
Seconded, and apologies for not reading the OP properly.
I've given main dealers a bit of support on here in the past, but this does look like a right rip-off, doesn't it?
Anyway, it's been a long day and I'm tired.
Time to drive home and hope I can avoid featuring in another thread on the way. :)
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To Lud. Not as much pain as a lingering death from burns. Too many flashes and bangs have occurred to people unaware of the potential of a flammable mixture and an ignition source.
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