Arnold Clark just serviced my daughter's Renault Clio, but when she paid
the bill she was handed a list of 'advisories' one of which was 'the
antifreeze mix is weak' and it will cost her £xx to top it up.

Pardon me if I seem thick, but is the antifreeze not a vital part of the
service anyway? Surely it should have been a couple of quid on the
'consumables' list, and not a minimum one hour's labour at main dealer
rates?

I'll do the job myself at 'dad's garage' rates, but I feel they tried to
rip her off, and she won't be going back there again.
--
Keith

Keith <roadrunner10 (AT) blueyonder (DOT) co.uk> wrote:

Hmm, not sure if topping it up would be a good idea. If the present
solution is weak, then it would be best to drain it all out and refill
with new stuff.If they use good quality anti-freeze and 'proper'
distilled water , then the consumable cost will be £15+, plus 15 to 30
mins for labour, though it could be done in 10 minutes if there are no
problems with the drain tap/bottom hose coming off/being refitted.I'd
say £25 was reasonable for someone to do it for you.
Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.
http://www.dvatc.co.uk - Off-road cycling in the North Midlands.

"Keith" <roadrunner10 (AT) blueyonder (DOT) co.uk> wrote

I wouldn't have said they tried to " rip " her off , they gave you and
advisory and a price whether you act upon it is up to you.

The Anti freeze check is part of the service, we check whether its up to
strength for the winter, but the coolant is also a rust inhibitor and
Renaults use a different mixture.

they might have wanted to flush drain and refill the system, hence the
labour rate.

to be honest if it had been me id have been more pissed off had they not
informed me that it needed doing.

"Keith" <roadrunner10 (AT) blueyonder (DOT) co.uk> wrote

If it's Arnold Clark, I would be suspect of anything they did. If you bought
the car there and it seems to be OK you were lucky.
They have a terrible reputation around my area.
http://www.arnoldsucks.com/

Stuart Gray <Me (AT) home (DOT) lappy.com> wrote:

<Snipped Text>

Yes, I was talking to a peer that works there while I was on a training
course, they have a 50% staff turn over in one month.

--
Andy Hewitt ** FAF#1, (Ex-OSOS#5) - FJ1200 ABS
Honda Civic: Windows free zone (Mac G5 Dual Processor)
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/...tts2/index.htm
(updated Aug 28 2005)

reg <reg (AT) somewhere (DOT) fsten.co.uk> wrote:

<Snipped Text>

Sounds like they acted properly to me, you're just being tight. Having
said that, and in reflection on recent threads, why do people moan about
garages in this newsgroup? Isn't it supposed to be about maintaining
your own car?

Being pedantic, this thread is off-topic. The fact that the garage may
be a bit expensive is irrelevant. You should maybe be asking advice on
how to do the job.

Absolutely.

Some cars, and European cars are notoriously bad, can take a lot of work
to bleed the system through too, and hour could actually be a realistic
time.

They should be indeed. In fact the french cars are pretty finicky with
coolant changes, and a proper flush is essential.

Yup. Although, If the car had been maintained properly by the owner, and
had the correct services carried out, it should have had coolant changes
as part of the routine work.

--
Andy Hewitt ** FAF#1, (Ex-OSOS#5) - FJ1200 ABS
Honda Civic: Windows free zone (Mac G5 Dual Processor)
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/...tts2/index.htm
(updated Aug 28 2005)

The message <1h3rxlw.q2o6zg1eou597N%hairy.biker (AT) gmail (DOT) com>
from hairy.biker (AT) gmail (DOT) com (Andy Hewitt) contains these words:

Wow, they get the nobility to work for 'em. That's posh!

--
Skipweasel.
In the beginning was the word.
And the word was Aardvark.

Guy King <guy.king (AT) zetnet (DOT) co.uk> wrote:

<groan>

--
Andy Hewitt ** FAF#1, (Ex-OSOS#5) - FJ1200 ABS
Honda Civic: Windows free zone (Mac G5 Dual Processor)
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/...tts2/index.htm
(updated Aug 28 2005)

I
Arnold Clark sold her the car three months ago, (with a "full pre-sale
service") then wrote and advised her to bring it in for a service
'because winter's coming'. I would have expected them to return it fully
prepared for winter. Would it have been 'tight' of me if I'd moaned that
the advisory had said "your oil's low, bring it back in and we'll top it
up for £35.00", how is antifreeze any different?

Anyway, I flushed (acting on advice received here) and refilled the
system yesterday without problems, and the total cost to her was, as
usual, nil.

cheers
--
Keith

The message <fIlvzjCM9VQDFwEV (AT) blueyonder (DOT) co.uk>
from Keith <roadrunner10 (AT) blueyonder (DOT) co.uk> contains these words:

See - that's the problem, right there. Dunno about your area, but in
some places they're notorious.

--
Skipweasel
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