I often hear of tales of woe on this forum from members who have had a torrid time at main dealerships. I use an independent garage run by a one man band who, in my opinion is excellent.

I own a 56 plate Octavia 1.9 (105) diesel which for the past 18 months has been an excellent car and is maintained by a one man band independent garage.

Recently, I've started to lose coolant. Not much at all, in a typical month the level would drop from maximum to halfway between maximum and minimum.

So, cutting a long story short, the car was due a service this week and was booked into my mechanic for a service and to see to the coolant loss.

After pressure testing the car, he couldn't find a fault. However, like a dog with a bone, he asked me if he could keep hold of the car for an extra day and see if he could finally remedy the fault. After keeping it overnight and re pressurising the system, he found a leak from a pipe at the rear of the engine block which he said was a 'little difficult' to get to.

Leak fixed along with oil & filter change, fuel filter replaced, rear brake pads and brake fluid replaced and all for £145.

And he always provides me with top up oil for in between services.

Must say, I was expecting to pay a lot more. So, lets hear it for the independent garages and for their expertise at a fraction of the price of a main dealer.

All the very best to my fellow Briskodians for Christmas and the New Year and here's hoping you're not all working nights like me! :-(

FP.

Why not name him so other people can benefit?

One advantage a dealer might have is they are generally big enough to sue and you can sometimes go over their head and complain to SUK. With an independent the service might be great, until it's not, then there is very little to be done.

I'm glad you got a good deal but my experience with Independents isn't much different than that which I've had from Main Dealers - some are good, most are not.

I disagree with random naming of businesses unless there is an equal facility to post complaints. One can't do that either because it simply wouldn't be fair. Plus, any complaints about sponsors will generally go nowhere.

I'm being cynical, but then someone has to. :-)

At five years old my Octavia had its last main dealer service last week.

Someone else can now pay for their fancy showroom.

Had my oil cooler replaced yesterday by a local trusted independant, checked it out this morning and it all looks much better.

Another vote here for good, honest independants!

Oh no! Boo Hoo!!!

You just reminded me that the guy who has serviced my cars and most of the cars in the rest of the village retired last June. The bloke who bought him out is turning out to be a bit of a plonker by all accounts, so on the look out... Any recommendations south Leics/north Northhampton?

There is a bigger independent - ex VW franchise - in town but they charge VAG prices.

Now I have some of my tools back, maybe I'll see whats involved.

At five years old my Octavia had its last main dealer service last week.

Someone else can now pay for their fancy showroom.

Had my oil cooler replaced yesterday by a local trusted independant, checked it out this morning and it all looks much better.

Another vote here for good, honest independants!

Where did you take it?

I've got a couple of garages in York that I have used and they've been good.

Phil

I always use Cowley motors in Frodsham,top bloke and an excellent Mechanic and knows his stuff , been using him for over 10 years with all my cars

Why not name him so other people can benefit?

Here you go mate.

http://www.southport-mechanic.co.uk/

Yep independent all the way.

I use Powdrake Service Centre in Grangemouth

Mikey owns it they are busy allllllll the time, guy is a crazy VAG nut, he has an RS2, vw Caddy and Audi A3 with near 400hp.

Very particular and if you say you want VAG parts he does, sorted many a problem on the Octavia lol.

http://www.powdrake.co.uk/

Where did you take it?

I've got a couple of garages in York that I have used and they've been good.

Phil

I'm out near Strensall so use a local guy in Flaxton, set up for agricultural customers but he knows the Octavia/Golf platform well and knows what I'm talking about when I ask for VW 507.00 which is more than can be said for most.

I reckon I know more about the Octavia just from reading this forum than the guys at DM Keith do. I was once told that the xenon headlights on my Scout work differently than other Octavia's because it is four wheel drive and therefore they need to stand up to bumpier road surfaces. I never returned.

Where do you go? I read your tail of woe on your recent gearbox replacement at Roger Holmes. I never got that 'warm feeling' when I was there to have a turbo whistle diagnosed and they charged me £12 for an oil top-up.

Edited 21 December, 201213 yr by silver1011

I'm lucky with a decent independent just over a mile away from me - I've been taking vehicles there for years and the owner always looks after me. It's almost a shame that I'm getting rid of the second car as with inclusive servicing for the next 5 years on the Blackline, I'll not be going there again for some time.

Anyone know of a good independent in Kent, Canterbury area?

Anyone know of a good independent in Kent, Canterbury area?

Dunno about canterbury but Cowens motors in Dover are honest and reliable, and I've always been happy with his prices.

As I've posted on Briskoda before, anyone in the Preston area would go a long long way to beat Mark, of Mark Grundy motors, Crossley House Industrial Estate, Penwortham, Preston, PR1 9QP tel 01772 744403

I won't trust my cars to anyone else, he's honest, trustworthy and does a bloody good job without any worry of you being ripped off.

Sample prices -- fit solid flywheel and new clutch that I supplied -- £120. Change seized alternator pulley - £20. Brake fluid change £25. Change front suspension wishbones £70. Cambelt and water pump change, parts supplied by myself - £90. Tow in after breakdown, plus finding fuel pump fuse that had fallen out of fusebox - £30 including running me home, and collecting me when car was done.

Fabulous service from a really nice, genuine mechanic.

Put it this way -- when we move to Whitby, if any work such as cambelts etc need doing, I'll be going back to Preston to Mark's to get it done.

Mike

Blimey, very good prices and nice to hear postive comments.

Almost worth travelling up to get work done at those rates.

At those prices it could be worth my while having a few days up north having the bigger jobs done.

At those prices it could be worth my while having a few days up north having the bigger jobs done.

Years ago, i used to head off down to Falmouth for a few days when my Saab needed servicing. The money saved over my local Saab dealers paid for the short break and the work was always great.

Preston compared to Falmouth as a desirable destination? Sing me their praises.

Preston was the first place I had a car broken into (parked right outside the church, a church - must have more than one). 2nd (last) was Paris.

Just looked it up, 149 miles. Good excuse to enjoy the Lake District.

Before I started buying Skoda I used to use an independent on my old 2.0 HDi 406 I supplied timing belt, drive belt, water pump and pulleys, labour charge was £50. That was a good 4/5 years ago and soon my Octy will be due its first service and its £250 odd!

I'm out near Strensall so use a local guy in Flaxton, set up for agricultural customers but he knows the Octavia/Golf platform well and knows what I'm talking about when I ask for VW 507.00 which is more than can be said for most.

Where do you go? I read your tail of woe on your recent gearbox replacement at Roger Holmes. I never got that 'warm feeling' when I was there to have a turbo whistle diagnosed and they charged me £12 for an oil top-up.

Fair do's.

Taken it to Camerons before they've been pretty good and found the coolant leak straight away that a few other garages failed to find.

Roger Holmes were actually pretty good and the problems didn't actually relate to them but the place that they get to do their gearbox work over near Leeds. Roger Holmes were very understanding when I came back with the problems and were straight onto the gerabox place and had it sorted within a couple of days.

Phil

Yep independent all the way.

I use Powdrake Service Centre in Grangemouth

Mikey owns it they are busy allllllll the time, guy is a crazy VAG nut, he has an RS2, vw Caddy and Audi A3 with near 400hp.

Very particular and if you say you want VAG parts he does, sorted many a problem on the Octavia lol.

http://www.powdrake.co.uk/

Same place will be fitting my clutch, bilsteins and WALK.

Same place will be fitting my clutch, bilsteins and WALK.

 

Sorry for dragging up an old thread.Do you still recommend the Powdrake garage?My brother has a seat Leon,and my mother has an old MK3 Ford Escort and we are looking for a very good garage in the Grangemouth area to do servicing and MOT's on both cars.My Mother is very fussy about the Escort as she has had it for 32 years and several garages in the past have not been very careful with it.

Sorry for dragging up an old thread.Do you still recommend the Powdrake garage?My brother has a seat Leon,and my mother has an old MK3 Ford Escort and we are looking for a very good garage in the Grangemouth area to do servicing and MOT's on both cars.My Mother is very fussy about the Escort as she has had it for 32 years and several garages in the past have not been very careful with it.

I doubt you will get a reply....this member hasnt been on the forum for 18 months. 

Just had my last service of a prepaid package by the main dealer in Leeds. I've not a good thing to say about them. First service they told me the front discs were warped and the inner surface corroded and pitted. The oil temp not working on the maxi dot that I told them about prior to booking it whilst it was in warranty. They wanted £198 to replace a faulty sensor even though it was reported as faulty under warranty and only 2 days out of warranty at time of service because they couldn't get me in sooner. Maybe it's because I wear a suit to work they thought I'd be a generous sponsor to the new showroom they were building. However I do know my way around a car with a set of tools but lack time. The brake discs were fine and no sign of corrosion or warpage. The oil sensor I had switched back y a local lad with VCDS. The unnecessary work had it been done by the main dealer would have cost £450.

This time I was informed the front discs were badly corroded and pitted, seems to a theme here! I was also told the cambelt and water pump needed changing at 4 year old and 35,000 miles, which is actually a year too early, the work for this was quoted at near enough Skoda official prices. They also stated the DSG gearbox was due a service but this was 5,000 miles early or 6 months with my annual mileage. The price for this service was quoted at £200 or around 15% above Skoda official prices. Needless to say I rejected any other work been done by them. On collecting the car they had enclosed a quote for another service pack for the next 30,000 miles including mot tests, which came to £819 but didn't include cambelts or gearbox servicing. Compared to Skoda's prices yet again the costs were higher.

I'll be using an independent from now but doubt I'll be keeping the car, as Skoda ownership hasn't been a pleasant experience to date and also more costly than my wife's BMW whose dealers have been in a different league.

Edited 16 December, 20169 yr by CWARD

When we moved from Weymouth to Dover we needed a decent garage, after trawling around a few I came across A.F.Autos in Folkestone, I showed him the quote I had for work needed on my Corsa for its next MOT, after reading through it he said that he could better it. A couple of days later he had the car to do the " necessary " work (both cv joints, suspension, and more), he rang me to tell me that half of the quoted work was unnecessary and it sailed through the MOT, he could have done the work and been paid for this "unnecessary" work but he didn't, instant trust built up. Used him ever since and it was him who recommended we got the Octavia 1.9.

I had my timing chain replaced last week at an independent who was the former Skoda's dealership service man. He used an original timing chain set, including chain, the plastic driver, tensioner, cogwheels (or how they called), 4lt 5w-30 Shell Helix Ultra oil, oil filter and petrol filter for 350 euros. Dealer wanted the double.