Any good or bad experience of servicing with Inchcape?

[monkeyhanger]

As an example you take two cars into a dealer and both are the same age, model etc. Car one looks a total s4itter with paint swirls, chips and generally untidy bodywork. Car two had been looked after with spotless paint and it's clean. Which car will get the higher trade in price? That's the reason why some of us like our cars detailed and clean no matter how long they are kept. I haven't decided what I'm doing with mine yet come end of pcp but if I keep it I know the paintwork is nice 

Unless it's a neglected wreck, p/x is pretty much dictated by age at the local dealership (up to 3 years old). Mick once showed me a battered and chipped Viper Green Scirocco with a slightly dented wheel that he'd had for a p/x 2 days before my first Scirocco was chopped in, and they would be selling for the same price on the used forecourt (same age, same spec - 140TDI GT). I know which one I would rather buy at the used forecourt for the same price, but the dealership one won't sell the slightly crappy one any cheaper until it starts hanging around.

For big in-your-face stuff like significant dings, keyings and wheels scuffed to hell then sure, but the difference between a tidy car and a pristine car at p/x is zero (in my experience) because the sticker price difference will be zero. Could easily make all the difference in a private sale though for how quickly it sells or the difference between buying yours or the next car at the same price when yours is in better condition.

I don't sweat minor lacquer swirls over time, because they really can't be avoided long term without a lot of money being spent on frequent detailing and machine polishing, but I do refuse to allow the dealership to wash the car with less care than I would give it.

Mick didn't even look at my GTD when applying a p/x price to it, maybe he had faith that it would be as tidy as the last 2 cars he's taken in for p/x, or maybe it didn't really matter either way for what they could sell it for.

I keep my car looking as tidy as I can myself - giving it the G-Techniq treatment etc, but it would pain me to pay someone £200 every 6 months to make my car 5% shinier than I could keep it.

[Jackie Treehorn]

As an example you take two cars into a dealer and both are the same age, model etc. Car one looks a total s4itter with paint swirls, chips and generally untidy bodywork. Car two had been looked after with spotless paint and it's clean. Which car will get the higher trade in price? That's the reason why some of us like our cars detailed and clean no matter how long they are kept. I haven't decided what I'm doing with mine yet come end of pcp but if I keep it I know the paintwork is nice 

That's obvious though, but not talking about big chips or untidy bodywork or a total s4itter.  Talking about keeping a car for only 2-3 years and worrying about a dealer washing it or a dealer driving it for 5 miles while its in for a service. That isn't going to effect the trade in price. Dealers worry about tread depth, stone chips/cracks in windscreen, the big price things that they need to correct before it goes back on the forecourt.

@ Booth That is a very strange analogy about pets, it did make me laugh.

The state of the car wash at a dealer, when you get a service 3 times in 3 years, is not really going to cause concern at trade in and I just think perhaps we worry about these things too much. Its like a mobile phone, a discarded consumable on finance deals these days.

Personally I spent 6 hours cleaning my car at the weekend, Foam, Wash, Clay, Korrosol, Tardis, Detox, SRP and 2 coats of C2v3. I was shattered   

[Booth11]

 

@ Booth That is a very strange analogy about pets, it did make me laugh.

It was meant to be an extreme analogy to get the point across    And, no I don't think my car is a living and breathing thing, lol.

Personally I spent 6 hours cleaning my car at the weekend, Foam, Wash, Clay, Korrosol, Tardis, Detox, SRP and 2 coats of C2v3. I was shattered   

You don't practice what you preach then 

[am1w]

Bit patronising? 

I assume you have read my user name and thought...

Is your name Am1w?

 Jackie Treehorn: see sig, nothing to do with women

Just could not resist.

[Jackie Treehorn]

@ Booth That is a very strange analogy about pets, it did make me laugh.

It was meant to be an extreme analogy to get the point across    And, no I don't think my car is a living and breathing thing, lol.

Personally I spent 6 hours cleaning my car at the weekend, Foam, Wash, Clay, Korrosol, Tardis, Detox, SRP and 2 coats of C2v3. I was shattered   

You don't practice what you preach then 

I don't think you get my point, it not about cleaning or not, it's about why worry who cleans it if you trade it every 2-3 years.

@am1w 

[Booth11]

I don't think you get my point, it not about cleaning or not, it's about why worry who cleans it if you trade it every 2-3 years.

I get your point, I just don't agree with it   

[Mark V GTD]

my dealer has already been told I don't want it washing, just the stickers removing.

You are missing out on the fun bit - thats like getting someone to unwrap your birthday presents for you.....

Additionally, for some of us it is a pride thing and a desire to keep our cars in good order and state of repair, regardless of the length of ownership, as futile as that may sound to others.  It's what we might do with any of our possessions.  It doesn't matter to me if I have a car 6 months or 10 years, I'll still look after it in the same manner.

Agree 100% - Jackie is of course entitled to his own opinion on this matter.

[Booth11]

my dealer has already been told I don't want it washing, just the stickers removing.

You are missing out on the fun bit - thats like getting someone to unwrap your birthday presents for you.....

I'm not fussed about removing the stickers myself.  Tbh I'm also not into all that unveiling the car business, you know with the "I'm ready to go home" cover etc.  I can understand people enjoying ia bit of ceremony, but without wishing to sound arrogant, I've had enough new cars that it's no longer a novelty.
 
I prefer a low key 'back of the car park' handover affair.  My car will get plenty of TLC at home....detailing that is, nothing weird and perverted you understand   

[matchboy]

No experience of Inchcape servicing, however two experiences of Inchcape Romford:

1. Years ago we went to buy a mk 4 GTI from them, walked out with a mk 4 V5 - great salesman, great service.  Proper old school.

2. Went back there end of last year to find an R as couldn't wait 6+ months.  Found one, he took a grand deposit off me, tagged the car.  Sent over my financial docs etc etc.  While waiting a week or so for the finance to be agreed they then went and sold the car.  Even though technically this is impossible as its been tagged as they took money off me.  Fuming didn't even sum it up.  So I wouldn't go near Inchcape Romford again if you paid me.

Also, rumour has it that the Inchcape group were the ones involved in the dodgy R leasing deals whereby their fleet salesman were allowing R's to be leased at ridiculously low prices with no deposit in order to inflate their sales.  This is of course all speculation and I have no proof of this.  That's just what I heard.....

[Jackie Treehorn]

my dealer has already been told I don't want it washing, just the stickers removing.

You are missing out on the fun bit - thats like getting someone to unwrap your birthday presents for you.....

Tbh I'm also not into all that unveiling the car business, you know with the "I'm ready to go home" cover etc.  I can understand people enjoying ia bit of ceremony, but without wishing to sound arrogant, I've had enough new cars that it's no longer a novelty.
 
I prefer a low key 'back of the car park' handover affair.  My car will get plenty of TLC at home....detailing that is, nothing weird and perverted you understand   

Me and the wife were the same, I told the dealer specifically not to make the hand over a big thing as I would likely walk. Handover of the unwashed or cleaned car in the car park was fine for us.