rough price, main dealer vs independent
- Thread starter Brigadier
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They omit to tell you that in a few years you would have paid enough to actually own the vehicle, but of course you don’t unless you stump up for a final payment or arrange a new PCP.
John
That's true , John, but I believe that if you don't have the intelligence to do some rough calculations beforehand ( obviously not completely accurate, but outline pricing should be available ), you won't react/be able to judge the financial implications of the PCP. There are so many young men who want that Audi S5 ( or whatever ) and when they are told they can have it, they stop listening and don't hear the £ 550/month for x months plus money down, so wouldn't hear any warning anyway..
Once, a good few years ago, I was enquiring/buying something of middling cost on the phone: the salesman asked if I would also like Payment Protection Insurance ( first time I had heard of that ) and when I asked what it was and how much, he told me and my instant outraged reaction ( I do have a short fuse ) was " What ! That's damn near 30%* ! "
The finance industry is smart/unethical enough to know that buyers are weakest/ least perceptive when they are in that bubble of fevered excitement just before finalising the purchase of something long desired and lusted-after.
* per year of cost of the purchase, with major limitations on how/when you could claim
Absolutely bang on.....some young people I know are running vehicles much more expensive than their salaries can hope to match - and they don't consider themselves in debt until they have maxed out on the credit card(s).
Truly frightening situations!
John
Truly frightening situations!
John
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Would you feel the same/calculate the same , Keith, if you were obliged to pay out £10K/year for software updates as I have read can be the case with dealers for major manufacturers
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Absolutely bang on.....some young people I know are running vehicles much more expensive than their salaries can hope to match - and they don't consider themselves in debt until they have maxed out on the credit card(s).
Truly frightening situations!
John
Particularly financially dangerous in the unprecedented situation we currently find ourselves in. I fear there may be a blood-bath of jobs - mainly in low-paying retail and basic manufacturing/service jobs - before Christmas. This may be alleviated if the furlough scheme is prolonged. Germany has extended its Kurzarbeit ( short-time working ) scheme until December 2021.
We are main dealers, cheeky bastards charge £800 for access to their ECP so we can order bits to fix their bikes.
We get charged for PADS subscription, as well as our Texa multi brand diagnostic kit.
At the end of the day if you haven't got the tool you can't do.the job.
Should I charge customers for my own tools as well? (Over £20,000 worth).
E
EddieM
I was very casually looking at swapping my old Jag for a newer F-type. Naively though car loans would be dirt cheap at the moment, but no, borrow £35k for 5 years is over £800 a month! And there's a final payment! I don't think so.
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Yes, I have always thought that loans are very expensive and should always buy with cash if possible, even if you have to save cash- never investigated tax-advantages of leasing as I have never been a business . The money you quote there though is astonishing. I can only believe that there is a stratum of people accustomed to paying that kind of (hidden) interest, and simply carry on doing so.
Was that specific car-finance or bank-loan ? I might believe that the latter might be a bit cheaper, but am prepared to be surprised.
Was that specific car-finance or bank-loan ? I might believe that the latter might be a bit cheaper, but am prepared to be surprised.
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Well Keith, there is always the question of whether you charge what you need ( costs + profit ) or what you can get ( open-ended, both up and down) which are both tied-into your business-model.
We charge a fair price, the job cost depends on how long it took to finish.
We are also never lacking for work, as our current customers always come back and recommend us to friends/ family etc.
Some of our best customers have come from other shops who've basically ripped the arse out of jobs, charged too much in and in some cases haven't even done the job correctly/ at all!.
I suppose Main Dealers will always have new service work coming in due to PCP deals etc as the customers hands are tied, and most wouldn't know if a jobs been done well or not (easy money).
Computer Diagnostics isn't a magic bullet either, it can give you a good idea where to start but you can't blindly fire parts at a job without proving the part itself is defective and the code isn't a by-product of another fault.
So which is it to be, Brig?
I can't see the prices being inclusive of discs, and delipping is basically removing the rust crust from the outside of the disc perimeter......5 mins per side with a hammer.
All discs have a minimum working thickness stamped on (which can never be seen after a couple of weeks) but it's rare that garages will reach for the vernier.
At least, being a Toyota, there's a good chance that all of the bolts will come undone as intended (Citroen please note
John
It is sort of moot now John, as I was trying to get the ducks lined up before the event - Toyota 'phoning mid-morning and saying "while it's on the the ramp, shall we replace the worn rear pads?" - but 1. Toyota said it was the fronts, so the prices were not comparable anyway 2. Toyota said they'd be fine for a bit longer, and 3. the independent got back with a price after I'd got the car back (so I had no idea whether the non-materialising Toyota call price was reasonable, or not.......
Thanks all, for replying
£75 extra? What car was that on?
That's shocking!.
Should've driven away there and then.
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