Independent workshops over Dealerships

[lebofa]

Hi Guys, just a quick one, Recently I have noticed that the independent workshops charges more than the dealers when it comes to services or minor work like changing break pads. I have always been under the impression that they charge less. Am I the only one who has noticed this or people choose to take their cars there because of other reasons? With the prices the dealerships are charging now, I don't see the need to service anywhere but at the dealership:fencelook:

 

[Yuben]

Depends which independent workshops you referring to and comparing to which dealerships and if those dealerships are offering specials or is it their normal rates:thumbs:

 

[AshG108]

I have experienced this lately when i was pricing for a service at an RMI service centre for the Merc, just out of curiosity.

The Merc dealership came in R2000 cheaper than recommended and normal "google-found" places that specialize in Merc.

Also found that a lot of these guys buy their parts from the likes of Goldwagen and just pop a premium on top of it and their labour as well and bang you with no vaseline.

I went to the dealer, saved money, got proper treatment and picked up and dropped off. If these guys behave like this, then no wonder their businesses would not survive.

 

[lebofa]

Depends which independent workshops you referring to and comparing to which dealerships and if those dealerships are offering specials or is it their normal rates:thumbs:

I don't want to name and shame but two of those independednt workshops are advertisers here on the forum and they have clean and nice workshops. As for the dealerships, I got quotations from cedar isle and Northcliff because they are closer to my house. The independent workshop quoted me R865 to remove and clean my front break pads to stop the sqeel, while the delership quoted R425. Supply and fit diesel filter, dealer quoted R664 and the workshop quoted R500 just for labour :dunnoanymore:
I wanted to support but looking at this, they will never see me again

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I have experienced this lately when i was pricing for a service at an RMI service centre for the Merc, just out of curiosity.

The Merc dealership came in R2000 cheaper than recommended and normal "google-found" places that specialize in Merc.

Also found that a lot of these guys buy their parts from the likes of Goldwagen and just pop a premium on top of it and their labour as well and bang you with no vaseline.

I went to the dealer, saved money, got proper treatment and picked up and dropped off. If these guys behave like this, then no wonder their businesses would not survive.

I was seriously shocked bro, just their labour, no parts involved. very expensive
And these guys buy service parts from incomex in centurion but charge more than OEM:dunnoanymore:

 

[MR_Y]

You can see that BMW dealers in different locations charge different rates.
So, Sandton will be more expensive than (say) East London.

https://www.bmw.co.za/en/topics/off...vQWZ0ZXJzYWxlcy9PbmxpbmVTZXJ2aWNlRXN0aW1hdGUv

Plug in the last 8 digits of your VIN, select a dealer and see your service and parts costs.

 

[lebofa]

You can see that BMW dealers in different locations charge different rates.
So, Sandton will be more expensive than (say) East London.

https://www.bmw.co.za/en/topics/off...vQWZ0ZXJzYWxlcy9PbmxpbmVTZXJ2aWNlRXN0aW1hdGUv

Plug in the last 8 digits of your VIN, select a dealer and see your service and parts costs.

But here I'm comparing dealerships in JHB and workshops in JHB that advertise as alternative to the dealership. One such workshop is in PTA and another in Sandton, the dealerships are also around JHB, one in Fourways another one in Northcliff/cresta area. But you can not compare prices between different provinces, they will differ and that is acceptable

 

[AdiS]

I have found that this is sometimes the case with basic things like an oil service. I think its because larger dealers have economies of scale and can offer really cheap labour components on these jobs as they have a high volume of cars flowing through their shop. Conversely, Indy's are usually small operations and so they might charge slightly higher labour on basic items so that it can be commercially viable.

I usually pay the slightly higher price at my preferred Indy because I have an existing relationship with them and I know they will have a much higher attention to detail than a dealer who is looking to rush through 50 cars in one day.

EDIT: I guess my conclusion is that if you are very price conscious, always check with the dealer as you might be pleasantly surprised. But the standard of work at dealers often leaves something to be desired, and I prefer to build a relationship with a good independent who will do things right, and that is worth the occasional premium to me.

 

[Tinuva]

I have found that this is sometimes the case with basic things like an oil service. I think its because larger dealers have economies of scale and can offer really cheap labour components on these jobs as they have a high volume of cars flowing through their shop. Conversely, Indy's are usually small operations and so they might charge slightly higher labour on basic items so that it can be commercially viable.

I usually pay the slightly higher price at my preferred Indy because I have an existing relationship with them and I know they will have a much higher attention to detail than a dealer who is looking to rush through 50 cars in one day.

EDIT: I guess my conclusion is that if you are very price conscious, always check with the dealer as you might be pleasantly surprised. But the standard of work at dealers often leaves something to be desired, and I prefer to build a relationship with a good independent who will do things right, and that is worth the occasional premium to me.

Definitely this.

I also send my cars to indy shop. We have a good relationship, and the attention to detail they give each and every visit is what have me going back. In fact, when I take my cars there for a specific job, I know it will be done correct the first time around. I dont have to go back to get a job done twice or fix something they screwed up. Many of these type of stories around about dealers, which is why I don't use dealers. I do however use their parts departments to get the parts I need.

 

[graan13]

I suppose its a matter of choice and money being well spent. All I can say is that when my cars were in motorplan obviously the dealers did the work - have used most if not all the dealers around the northern suburbs and quite frankly could not say whether they did great work or not. Having ex family working at said dealers it was convenient as I used their company cars whilst mine was taken in. I can say that on a number of occasions it went back for something that was not done properly the first time. I started taking to indy after motorplan and have done so ever since - specifically one in Kyalami . The attention to workmanship and thorough checking blew me away - they are far more thorough than dealers in my view. They get their spare from BMW directly and only use OEM. Their labour rates are less than what BMW charge and when there has been an issue that is difficult they get it right. I had a problem with a Vanos unit on my e39 M5 that at the time BMW wanted to just replace at R15k....... saying it was a sealed unit and could not be repaired (not just one dealer) and these guys removed it, stripped it and found that the tiny rubber seals/o-rings had perished causing oil leaks into the unit. They got the seals from Roslynn and repaired it at about 80cents a seal - think there were 8 of them. So things like that give me great confidence in knowing that these chaps are mechanically in tune (they used to prepare all the works BMW race cars and still do the Winfield 745i and 325is cars that race) - not plug and play technicians. The main thing is to have a decent relationship with whom you choose to take your car to.

 

[SMRTARSX1]

I am a firm believer that all oil services should be kept at the dealer - I made the mistake of trusting a well known German Specialist Workshop to service and inspect the BMW at its last service.

It worked out a whopping R400 less expensive than BMW, they couldnt tell me anything about the car I didnt already know and...

Scuffed Plastic Oil Filter Housing
Broken Bonnet Catch
Sprayed White Grease Everywhere
Q20 all over the Engine Bay and Plastics
Hand Marks all over the Paintwork

I made a decision there and then, no more aftermarket workshops - BMW SMG Canal Walk and SMG Tygervalley have ALWAYS been more than helpful.

When I was trying to diagnose my broken driveshaft CV they took a car off the lift, put mine on and stripped it, confirmed the fault and then refused to charge me, twice! They know the cars on paper, they know them physically, they have the right tools, and its a nice experience.

 

[MiteshN]

I suppose its a matter of choice and money being well spent. All I can say is that when my cars were in motorplan obviously the dealers did the work - have used most if not all the dealers around the northern suburbs and quite frankly could not say whether they did great work or not. Having ex family working at said dealers it was convenient as I used their company cars whilst mine was taken in. I can say that on a number of occasions it went back for something that was not done properly the first time. I started taking to indy after motorplan and have done so ever since - specifically one in Kyalami . The attention to workmanship and thorough checking blew me away - they are far more thorough than dealers in my view. They get their spare from BMW directly and only use OEM. Their labour rates are less than what BMW charge and when there has been an issue that is difficult they get it right. I had a problem with a Vanos unit on my e39 M5 that at the time BMW wanted to just replace at R15k....... saying it was a sealed unit and could not be repaired (not just one dealer) and these guys removed it, stripped it and found that the tiny rubber seals/o-rings had perished causing oil leaks into the unit. They got the seals from Roslynn and repaired it at about 80cents a seal - think there were 8 of them. So things like that give me great confidence in knowing that these chaps are mechanically in tune (they used to prepare all the works BMW race cars and still do the Winfield 745i and 325is cars that race) - not plug and play technicians. The main thing is to have a decent relationship with whom you choose to take your car to.

That type of service (Individual attention) is the most important. It is good to hear that there are positive feedback for Indy workshops. I guess it is the case with most dealerships; they look more towards number of vehicles they can turn around, and are governed by brand rules of replacing items rather than servicing.

I would very much like to know the details of a reliable Indy in the Johannesburg areas.

 

[AshG108]

So I am a new Merc owner, yet to find a decent Indy and was quoted an arm and a leg for a simple oil service. apparently diagnostics make the service R2000 extra expensive...until I told the guy that I already diagnose the car myself with my own OBD reader etc, He needs to just do the work.

However, I am looking to build a relationship with an Indy hence scouting as well but till then, I will use the dealer due to warranty and stuff.

Hoping to get a good indy soon...miss having a shop around the corner who is a familiar face, good to chat to while the car is getting the right attention.

 

[TurboLlew]

Not unusual to see this. Dealers have specials, free checks, sometimes massively discounted oil changes etc Ultimately not out of the goodness of their hearts, but rather to get you in and upsell or cross sell you, or (in the case of dodgy ones) to tell you about some impending doom... either way you can take advantage of these to your benefit for the basics.

If you find a good dealer, stick to a dealer for basics. However, for specific cars like a V10 M5/6 I would stick to an indy that knows them eg: TuneTech even if it is more expensive than BMW as they have specific knowledge that you won't necessarily get at BMW and will keep them going for longer and more reliably whilst the 'party line' from BMW is still detrimental to the long term health of the car.

For some items, BMW might even refer you to someone to repair when you're out of plan (again depending on your relationship) as they outsource some of the work.

 

[lebofa]

I'm not talking about the small indies or small workshops where you can have close relationship with the mechanic. These independent workshops I'm talking about are big, as big as the dealers
I would keep with the dealers for oil change or preventative maintenance and save over R1k instead of trying to build a relationship. Yes, when it comes to big stuff like engine rebuild or complex trouble shooting, I would go to these workshops because of their reputation and peace of mind. As for the normal service, NOPE. I would have a service at the dealership, then buy a bottle of nice whisky after that, from the money saved. Come to think of it, I can get a full tank of diesel and a cheap whisky form the saving :fencelook: