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[Pmacca2000]

I was a loyal customer to my local VX dealer from the age of about 21 when I bought my first new car, I couldn't understand how the dealers were slated when mine couldn't do enough to help.
There was always banter and when I started taking my dads omega in it was normally followed by mechanics saying how nice she was etc.

Unfortunately I had a seatbelt problem with my Vectra 1.8 SRi and I called them a week before it was due in to say it would need a rear seatbelt for the MOT, I was thinking they'd get the belt or ask to see it but no, the day before it's due in I get a call from the new service manager saying he needs the car now!
I was less impressed when I was given a 100,000 mile Astra estate that had suffered quite a lot of abuse and I kind of lost my sense of humour when I got a call the following day saying the car needed a seatbelt and they needed the Astra back.
After that the manager rang every day asking "can we keep it another day?"and after a week I finally got the car back.
I don't want to seem cynical but when I complained the manager said parts are no longer over night unless your prepared to pay a premium, weeks before the old manager was able to get parts over night and if he couldn't he'd try to help. 
What are they doing ?
I went to a dealer up near me and waited over 15 minutes for a parts gue to come to the counter and they weren't  busy.
Earlier this month I was relived of £114 and quarter of a tank of fuel (the light was on) by a nother dealer who took four days to tell me Vauxhall no longer service parts for the Omega.
I was unimpressed before I had to que watching a receptionist playing with her hair rather than letting the service guy know 4 people were waiting.

[Marks DTM Calib]

I have a few dealers nearby, the closest being Evans Halshaw who appear to be the single most incompetent bunch of idiots I have ever encountered and confirm this every time I am forced to go in there.

Slightly further afield is Pentagon who are marginally better.

The dealer in Melton Mowbray (Aston) were always good for parts but, in the last five years they seem to be staffed by petulant children who are only capable of selling you Irmscher dust caps............and are certainly totally inept when it comes to operating EPC!

[Pmacca2000]

I'm not naming names but the dealer in chelmsford,Essex, was dire for customer service, I still can't see how a car goes to a dealer with a lock fault and comes back with no fuel?, the one in tiptree was really good and it was nice to go there until a management change and the ones around MK are def and uninterested in helping despite the fact they are payed to serve the customer and ironically there lack of interest must rub off on profit margins and ultimately there wages ?
I only wanted polish, it took over 30 minutes, god knows how they'd cope with complicated issues like giving someone change z!

[2boxerdogs]

My local dealer Taylors of Spalding supplied my 2.6 CDX new to it's first owner, he traded it in for a New Insignia in 2010 when I bought it from them. To be honest I couldn't fault them they looked after the car excellently in the 5 years I owned it & never ever had a problem with it the only things I had to replace were tyres hbv & exhaust system. Never ever had a problem with parts , even got headlight protectors & genuine Omega mats with no problems. They were quite surprised when I took the Merc in for the MOT & told them I had sold the mig. Always found the staff very helpful & knowledgeable.

[neil74]

I went to my closest dealer (evans halshaw) asking for parts and told we'll order them and let me know when they arrive. it goes without saying i'm still waiting for the call...

[TheBoy]

in the last five years they seem to be staffed by petulant children who are only capable of selling you Irmscher dust caps............and are certainly totally inept when it comes to operating EPC!

Is that around the time the last parts person retired

[TheBoy]

My "local" dealer (20 miles away) is always helpful if I get through to the usual parts bloke. Nothing is too much trouble, although a lot of stuff for Omegas do need ordering in now.  But usually banging on my front door with the parts within 2 or 3 days of my phone call .

Now, the place I used to use nearer to were I worked - Evans Halshaw in Milton Keynes - were the rudest, most unhelpful, fraudulent, arrogant bunch of retards I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with.  I was glad when I heard they had lost the dealership in MK.

Every visit ended up in arguments, because they were purposely obstructive, due to sheer laziness.  Even going in to buy service items often resulted in "Nah, you'll have to drive to Bedford mate". They wouldn't even arrange to get stuff from Bedford to MK, as that meant effort on their part.

[TD]

My local dealer was Skurrays.....

Waste of space....My 2.2 went there 8 times for them not to change the cam sensor!
On the last time the service manager even told me a blatant lie that they had changed it! and refused to further look at the problem unless the lpg system was completely removed.....yeah right like that was going to happen!
After that I went to see TB who correctly diagnosed the cam sensor.....sensor changed by my local back street garage and working again as it should!

Skurrays have disappeared now.....good! Branches are now called 'Now Vauxhall' I think ..... I hope Skurrays went bankrupt! 

[Nick W]

These are not new, or uncommon problems with any main dealer. Virtually all of them are simply not interested in old parts, and new car owners don't deal with the parts department.


In the six years I've owned my car, I've bought 4 things from the local dealer: spin-on oil filter converter(at £10 it wasn't worth making the two I needed), a crank sensor, top radiator hose(at £23 it wasn't worth trying to find a used one that wasn't turning to jelly) and 8 trim clips. Everyone of these parts had to be ordered, and the reason I used the local dealer rather than the 'closest' TC dealer was I passed them several times a week whilst working. I still see no reason to buy standard readily available service parts from a dealer.

[TheBoy]

My local dealer was Skurrays.....

Waste of space....My 2.2 went there 8 times for them not to change the cam sensor!
On the last time the service manager even told me a blatant lie that they had changed it! and refused to further look at the problem unless the lpg system was completely removed.....yeah right like that was going to happen!
After that I went to see TB who correctly diagnosed the cam sensor.....sensor changed by my local back street garage and working again as it should!

Skurrays have disappeared now.....good! Branches are now called 'Now Vauxhall' I think ..... I hope Skurrays went bankrupt! 

It was Skurrays I was praising above (now Eden, since the owner of the 3 Skurrays branches sold up due to demands of Vauxhall).  Just shows, depends on the mentality of the staff.  I'm lucky that the parts guy is good, and have dealt with each other for several years, as he was at Bridge in Banbury when they did TC.

[TheBoy]

In the six years I've owned my car, I've bought 4 things from the local dealer: spin-on oil filter converter(at £10 it wasn't worth making the two I needed), a crank sensor, top radiator hose(at £23 it wasn't worth trying to find a used one that wasn't turning to jelly) and 8 trim clips. Everyone of these parts had to be ordered, and the reason I used the local dealer rather than the 'closest' TC dealer was I passed them several times a week whilst working. I still see no reason to buy standard readily available service parts from a dealer.

Assuming cost is competitive, I buy whatever is best for the car. For instance, I won't entertain the idea of non GM brake pads or discs - been there, found it expensive and inconvenient. Also, due to the hassle and setup costs, I'll only use GM wishbone bushes, and GM steering idlers.

And most (but not all) service parts work out cheaper from dealer, and I save so much of my precious time as I don't have to waste time trapsing around shitholes like Banbury, Bicester and Milton Keynes - one phone call, and its at my door on the agreed date, without silly delivery charges.

Factors and Halfords have a place in life as well. As do the likes of online tyres, ETS and Eternal exhausts etc etc.

For me, its what is best/cost effective for the car, and if it means less wasted time and hassle to call the dealer, that adds to the cost effectiveness

[VXL V6]

The parts departments vary dramatically from dealer to dealer, some are excellent, some are average, some shouldn't be trading.

[Doctor Gollum]

Similarly the staff that work there

[Pmacca2000]

Sadly the new dealer in Mk is no better, from what a lot of you are saying this is a massive problem and dealers used to be told customer loyalty could earn them about £100,000 in profit over that customers driving life.
It's said that being difficult is far harder than being helpful and I can't help but think Vauxhall need to rehabilitate there dealer network or start removing franchises.
I have family in Essex and underwoods of tiptree used to know there customer base and let me have a look under my cars when they were on the ramp and would be really helpful in the way they spoke to you.
They used to be interested and if the service manager was replaced I'd like to use them again and book the omega in while I'm in that part of the world but I'm not prepared to tolerate poor customer care and while they are rotating staff every few years I really have no hope of building a positive relationship with them.

[YZ250]

It was Skurrays I was praising above (now Eden, since the owner of the 3 Skurrays branches sold up due to demands of Vauxhall).  Just shows, depends on the mentality of the staff.  I'm lucky that the parts guy is good, and have dealt with each other for several years, as he was at Bridge in Banbury when they did TC.

Is that Langford Lane?
Always found the parts guy really helpful there. If I phone up to enquire about a part and they have it in stock, I say I'll be in later to get it. He must trust me enough to know that I'll turn up as when I get there he has already put it under the counter ready for me. 

They are also listed as TC now on TC website. I popped in there last week to pick up some parts and asked if they were TC and, although he was a bit vague, he said they were on some bits. In fairness, he was always pretty fair with the price anyway.