A.L.S. Autos - Ely. No longer a Skoda dealer.

[DGW]

A.L.S. Autos

Downham Garage

Little Downham

Ely

Cambridgeshire

CB6 2ST

01353 699302

Services: Authorised Repairer

[DGW]

Originally posted by chrisr - Tue Jan 6, 2004

Bought my Octavia VRS from them in September 03. service has been excellent. Small problem on car at delivery rectified immediately. Got a good discount on the car as well. Give them a call and ask for Stuart.

Chris

[DGW]

Originally posted by - Tom_vRS - Tue Dec 14, 2004

I test drove the Fabia vRS.

The dealer knew that it was an intended company car purchase, and that they wouldn't have the opportunity to supply the car, (although they would have the opportunity to service it). They allowed me a good long test drive (35mins) along a varied route and was very knowledgeable about the car. Encouraged me to drive the car as I normally would

Overall, very friendly, quick to reply to my online test drive request, and very helpful. Totally recommended.

[DGW]

Originally posted by sreid - Wed Jun 29, 2005

Bought my Octy vRS in May 2002 from here, found Stuart very helpful. Car has beens serviced there and they are always professional. Plan to go there for the new vRS.

[DGW]

Originally posted by johnrr - Sat Aug 20, 2005

Took my octavia TDI for its annual inspection service plus 20,000 mile extra work + MOT + needed spare remote programmed to run engine + driver's electric mirror sticking. Also air-con packed up a week before; told them there was oil leak at base of condenser near pipe connection. ALS offered use of courtesy car at 15p/mile. (Good opportunity to try Fabia!)

Collected car: spare remote still not working,(technician had to punch in key code again) sump overfilled, mirror not touched (although not charged for) only one bleed nipple had been touched on brakes. Charged £60+VAT for re-gas+dye said to bring car back in 500 miles to see where air con leak was. Total charged: £320. Also told me driver's door switch faulty. Next morning lifted bonnet to find dye pouring from condenser and running off bumper - pretty obvious leak from place I'd already pointed out!

Phoned ALS, asked them to book car in to have door switch replaced, mentioned overfilled sump - told they would remove some oil, look at mirror, check air con. When I took car back and queried brake bleeding, receptionist got technician to explain method. He reckoned fluid could be efficiently replaced just bleeding through one caliper. Quoted £571 + VAT to fit new condenser, not including re-gas! Charged £9 + VAT to 'pack mirror with silicone' Mirror still not working. Went back asked to see manager- told all to service manager - he couldn't offer any real explanation and went off to get proprietor, (A. Summersgill)went through items with him. He defended brake bleeding method quoting equipment manfs. advice rather than Skoda. However manuf. (Sealey) concurs with Skoda UK and says brakes should be bled through all four nipples! ALS gave me refund on mirror charge. Fixed myself in about 30 min with WD40.

Got mobile air-con specialist to replace condenser and drier - £258 all in with me helping dismantle. Interestingly, he uses compressed nitrogen to test for leaks- a lot cheaper and less wasteful then just re-gassing.

PS. this guy does air con work for main dealers when they're stuck; he charges them £20 per hour labour, you know what they then charge you!!

[stevejwest]

I bought my original Octy 110 TDI Estate from them and was really happy with service price etc. There was a niggle that was sorted IMMEDIATELY - good service!

Got my new 130 PD Octy and was happy, my brother got his VRS from them and was really happy.

My brother got a good deal on his VRs and is ecstatic

I have also had friends by cars from ALS and the reports from them have been good.

And then ..................

My dad bought a 2nd hand octy and it never ran right (it only had 6 months mot too) at MOT it failed on emissions and needed (after much ado about it) a new cat (£600+ bill:( ). So as it was recent he traded it in for another car but this one does not run right either and the engine warning is constantly lit. They tried to fix it and have so far after 8 weeks and 6 attempts failed.

I took my Rapid in for MOT which it failed on brake lines, emissions and a gaiter ( no surprises there, I would have been annoyed if they hadnt been picked up the brakes as I use the car hard and need BRAKES :eek: ). I left it with them to repair and they damaged the bodywork, failed to replace the union washers (ok so you dont have to but I would have preferred new ones- its my BRAKES) and a leak developed after a short time in the hose to metal line joints (Not good).

They said they would provide paint for the repair and some extra to do some other bits as they are not having to do the bodywork repair but when I had the paint collected there was only 100 mls - not enough for the repair let alone any extra!

[stevejwest]

Ok another posting from me about ALS........

Since I posted before, Stuart from the garage has rung me as I did complain about my Rapid by letter.

They are getting the extra paint to me as promised.

They did try to explain the union washers not being replaced as unlike sump bungs apparently these dont get replaced every time. (although I do a lot of car repairs there are gaps in my knowledge so this could be true - make your own mind up)

The leaking brake line joint wasnt leaking when it left them. True I would have been very surprised if it had but it was still leaking shortly after it was repaired.

And the damage on the rear offside 1/4.... No member of staff has owned up to the damage so it could have been caused on the road outside the garage, but the car was in their care so it is their fault. Hopefully it was not damaged on the road outside their garage as there was no tax on it at the time so shouldnt have been on the road. (Thats why I left it there, it had Tax when I delivered it.)

Ok this is factual about the garage and credit where it is due - I have taken my Rapid to ALS previously before its MOT and they treated me like I had gone in to buy a brand new Superb! The service was everything I expected from this dealer, in one word FANTASTIC. So when I had these problems you can imagine how let down I feel!)

[Tom_vRS]

I went to ALS to test drive the mighty Fabia vRS, and explained that my new car would be a company car, and they wouldn't have the opportunity to supply it...

But they were very helpful and gave me plenty of time to test drive it.

Unfortunately, ALS didn't have an account with my lease company, however, the ball is now rolling to get one set up! Big thumbs up!

When all is said and done, if I could have purchased the car myself, it would have been through ALS, as there is nothing as good as being an "ALS" customer!

[superbskud]

Bought my Skoda Superb 130 Elegance back in March 05 from Als Autos, what a fantastic car and a fabulous dealer to go to.

We were given a great deal on the car and they could not do more to help us.

It was a week or so before the new car was ready for collection and they even offered me a car to use until my one was ready. What more can i say.

[Tom_vRS]

Bit of a :bump: for my ammended review! Cheers Stuart!

[wja96]

After trying to get my local dealer to fit my cup-holder for me (it really is a 1 minute job for someone who knows what they are doing), I called ALS and spoke to Stuart. He explained that although they had no technicians in on a Saturday, he had the tools necessary to remove the radio and I was welcome to come in and he would do it for me. Well, I went in this morning and 5 minutes later I was away, smiling. Skoda always had a reputation for excellent after-sales service and ALS is the sort of local, friendly, garage that got them that reputation. It's about 25 miles out of my way to take my car to ALS, but it's not going anywhere else for it's next service. They are head and shoulders above the 'big' dealerships in my area.

Thanks.

[JMK2]

Needed to book my VRS in for a 20K service. Wings couldn't fit it in so rang ALS who were nothing short of miracle workers - They got the car booked in within 2 days.

They also arranged for a loan car for a week. Not because mine had to be off the road but because I had a funeral to arrange and was due up in Newcastle on the day the car was booked in. Better still I was Loaned a brand new top of the range Octavia Turbo Diesel which I liked so much and was so impressed by the service I actually bought the car.

I had used ALS before but the standard of customer service on this occasion was nothing short of fantastic.

Have had the new Octy in for a service since and the service was just as good if not better. So not a one off.

When I move to the North West in a few months time the car will be coming back here. 200+ miles I know but compared with the Chester Skoda agent (see my review) these guys are fantastic.

[wja96]

OK - I kept my promise to have the car serviced here and I had a bit of a mixed experience. I have my car leased from Skoda with the fixed cost service package. Skoda supply the absolute bare minimum of documentation with this package and they don't appear to have trained the dealers how to handle it. ALS had not had a customer with this particular service package before and Sarah on reception (wo)manfully got to grips with Skoda Customer Services to get an authorisation number. To say that Skoda were hopeless is the understatement of the century. Top marks to the ALS staff for remaining cheery and helpful but no marks at all to Skoda for selling a service package but forgetting to tell the dealers about it.

Oh, and they did a neat job of servicing my car and it was even washed and detailed correctly - even the wheels, which I think are a beggar of a job.

Still 10/10 from me.

[Nick P]

I forgot to post at the time but I had my first variable service done here when I was living down in Cambridge. Much, much cheaper than Vindis in Cambridge quoted and a much better experience dealing with them. Also, I got a nice 2.0 Tdi Octavia rather than a Fabia for a courtesy car. They even replaced the broken plastic peg on my drivers foot mat. Wish I knew of a dealership up where I'm living now (Sheffield / Leeds).

[mld25]

A mixed report here - generally, they do the job well and are friendly. However:

• after the last service, the oil was about 20% above the MAX level.
  
• they charged £65 for having a quick look at a window winding mechanism and telling me it needed replacing.
  
• When I booked the car in to have the window mechanism replaced as part of a service, they didn't order in the part, but yet again had a look at it and told me it needed replacing! I suspect this was communication issues through the receptionist...

[Chris]

I've bought a few parts from ALS and have been very impressed with the service. Customer Service is top notch, and they are all really friendly!

[MARBLE66]

Bought new octavia 1.9TDI from ALS today june 7th fantastic friendly,helpful service would recomend to anyone thinking of buying a Skoda in Cambs.

[stevejwest]

Hmm - got my Capuccino Octy 2 from ALS and it wasnt right - if you dont deal with Stuart, dont deal!

I was told stuff by another sales guy that turned out to be untrue - what he said later didnt tally.

I think overall the service is good - If you deal the Stuart it is Exceptional, if you deal with some of the others it is not always so good.

Got so at the car I swapped it elsewhere for a vRS and so far thats :thumbdwn:

Ah well

[mk3golfcab]

almost had a deal on a car at ALS except the fabia vrs i was interested in got sold before i put a deposit on it, have since bought a fabia vrs and had to have a rear wiper motor changed, i went to ALS Autos as is my closest skoda garage and found the parts staff very very helpful and professional, in the fact that 3weeks trying to sort out my used car dealership warranty and still nothing was to much hassle, i had the work done yesterday (friday 20th Feb 2009) and am very pleased with the work that has been done, i also recieved a free wash! and at a very pleasing labour charge for a main dealer,

excellant service and great customer attitude makes me recommend this garage to anyone, i will be back!!

[magicpants]

Just bought an Octavia from ALS and they were a pleasure to deal with. They were there straight away when looking at the cars on the forecourt & not pushy, unlike other skoda dealers I've come across who coundn't be ar$ed.

I dealt with Jonathan, who was very knowledgeable, friendly and did me a good deal on the Octavia and part ex. Customer service was excellent and no problems in collecting the car.

Def' recommend ALS.

Dave

[Furby_Lass]

ALS have to be the best Skoda dealer I have dealt with. They are quick, efficient and a pleasure to deal with.

Would definitely recommend them to anyone.

[Stoofa]

Picked up my Octy vRS at the end of April from these guys.

Really nice dealership, very friendly - always ready to make you a cup of tea while you wait!

Dealt with Jonathan in sales, very friendly and kept me up to date with my order via phone and email.

Really enjoyed my purchasing experience and will be going back to them for servicing.

[Skoda John14]

Hello,

I have recently bought a car from ALS Autos and wanted to share my good experience of this Skoda dealer.

This was my first purchase of a Skoda and also the first diesel car that I have bought. To be honest I think that I must have been a bit of a nightmare customer because I did have a lot of questions for them.

For me, like most others I’m sure, a car is a huge investment and so I wanted to make sure that I was making the right decision with the car that I was buying. There was certainly a lot of going backwards & forwards as they answered my questions and offered advice.

I’d like to thank Stuart, Jonathan, Ian and the whole team at ALS Autos who certainly offered a friendly and professional service. The service does not feel like a distant highly pressured sales environment. They are all friendly and welcoming and were able to take me through everything that I wanted to know about the car and future ownership. The whole team were great but I’d particularly like to thank Jonathan who, unfortunately for him, bore the brunt of my long list of questions but had the patience to answer everything that I wanted to know.

Thanks to everyone at ALS Autos!

[Mikek3111]

Just bought my octy from ALS and was pleased with the service. Ian seemed fairly knowledgeable about the motor and after noticing a few defects at collection most were sorted promptly.

[Darrenm72]

Bought my 2010 Octavia vRS for here through Jonathan the salesman. He was very honest about the condition of the car and everything about it, as he knew I was travelling roughly 190 miles. They even picked me up from the train station. Was more than happy with the car in the flesh. I've even phoned him a couple of times since I've bought the car and he's always happy to answer any questions I have about the car or he'll find someone who can answer my question. Thanks ALS Auto     

Edited 25 April, 2014 by Darrenm72