Derek Slack Motors - Middlesbrough

[DGW]

Derek Slack Motors Ltd

Prospect Place

A66 Cargo Fleet

Middlesbrough

TS3 8AR

01642 256100

Email: [email protected]

Web: derekslackmotors.skoda.co.uk

New Car Sales

Authorised Repairer

Approved Used Car Sales

[DGW]

Originally posted by mumphie - Tue Apr 20, 2004

Superb service.

Excellent salesmen.

They've been in business for about 30 years, and have just recently moved to a brand new, custom built salesroom with masses of space - an indication of how well their business is doing - I assume that most of it is repeat business.

Derek Slack himself took me out for a test drive. Didn't announce the fact that he was the owner - just got in the car, handed me the keys, then introduced himself as "...by the way, I'm Derek Slack..." a couple of miles down the road.

If you're within 50 miles of Middlesbrough and have a Skoda dealership near you, forget it, and come here instead!

[DGW]

Originally posted by Jimmy - Fri Sep 17, 2004

I have been racking the miles up recently so the 20k mile service (at 15.5k miles) came around rather quickly.

Even though I bought the car elsewhere I've heard good things about Slacks so one quick call later and they managed to squeeze me in this Friday which was good because I didn't call them until Tuesday morning.

The standard 20k mile service was carried out and longlife oil used as I've now switched to variable servicing. An added bonus is that as part of the service the front and rear brakes are also stripped, inspected and cleaned for piece of mind. The car was retuned to me gleaming like a gleamy thing and a vacuum had been whizzed around the inside (not that it needed it you understand).

All for the princely sum of £175 which I didn't think was too bad considering........ will I use them again? Definately. Do I recommend them to others? Of course.

Oh and btw the workshop Manager (Graham I think) knew all about Briskoda and a certain Mr Panrix aswell.......Nutter was the term he used iirc

[DGW]

Originally posted by MonkeyHanger - Thu Sep 30, 2004

My car (2003 Octavia RS) was purchased from Slack's and has been serviced there ever since.

To date, the following visits have been necessary..

Purchase.

After being totally ignored by the staff of Sedgefield Motor Co, i paid Slack's a visit, where i was greeted by their very friendly staff, particularly Mark who sorted out my order.

Shortly after purchase, the brake light switch jammed, leaving the lights permanently on. Took the car back, it was booked in & fixed in less than 30 minutes

1st service came at 10,000 miles and a broken front arch liner was replaced at the same time. I was advised of the Pro's & Cons of variable & fixed servicing, and the car was subsequently left on variable. No pressure to bring it in every 10 K

Service price, including arch liner was £220, which i thought was very reasonable.

Next visit was to have both front indicator lenses replaced, as both had begun to crack internally due to condensation / heat. This was done under warranty with zero fuss.

Next visit was due to me losing the adaptor key for my locking wheel nuts. These were replaced with a new set, and i was not charged for labour, just the parts.

Final visit, so far, was to have the good old Clutch master Cylinder replaced, as it had fallen victim to the cold weather "drooping" problem some of us have suffered. The work was completed in just over an hour, during which i enjoyed free coffee and a selection of magazines in an extremely pleasant new showroom

All in all, Derek Slack Motors are the best main dealer i have ever dealt with. I will continue to use them, and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone in the area looking to either buy, or have work carried out on their Skoda.

From sales, thru Servicing and to the Parts Dept, they all know their stuff.

[DGW]

Originally posted by gilly - Thu Sep 30, 2004

Rang around the North East for a 20K / 2 year service, and Derek Slacks were the cheapest by a fair bit. Booked the car in a fair way in advance, due to my holiday, but they fitted me in without issue.

I mentioned the indicator going nuts every now and again, and they fixed this under warrenty, without question, straight way.

I asked about the Fabia vrs (Sorry Jimmy), and was promptly given the keys and the salesman took me out and told me to 'have a go'...... spent the whole test drive discussing modifiying my Octy, and the finer points of the car, and what the garage thought about mods (incidentally they seem very friendly about them). They even tried to get me onto the Jabba Group buy for a remap!

Paid my bill which was cheaper than quoted, which included a brake service, which the other local dealers never mentioned...

all in all - first class!

[DGW]

Originally posted by The The - Mon Mar 28, 2005

bought my Fabia vRS from Slacks after I had been invited for a test drive while doing a deal for my mother on a 1.2 16v, I sold my Clio 172 private and paid cash, the attitude I found was very good and no pressure, also they offered my mother £900 more for her P/x Clio than Reg Vardys who just insulted us with a comical trade in price despite buying the car from them, infact everything about Slacks is a breath of fresh air after the chronic after sales service received by Vardys Middlesbrough.

My mother has since sold another fabia for them after her friend tried hers so we are waiting for a loyalty cheque.

[peteRS]

Thumbs up from me for Derek Slack as well ,got my Octy from there,great salesmen and service.

[cache42]

been in twice and put deposit down on the vRS today. i have to say they have been great so far and let us have time to think about it with no pressure. also had a decent length test drive whereas when i went for one with citroen (c4 HDI) and the Seat leon+ibiza i only managed to go about 4miles which was pathetic.

[rally mechanic]

WOW ! ,

finally found a new car dealer where its a pleasure to visit!

We have been to Chapmans of Pickering :( , Philip Wilks Of Darlington ,Sedgefield Motor Company :confused: and finally Derek Slack Motors .

Our target was a brand new Fabia VRS and DSM sealed the deal for all reasons!

Professional throughout (thank you Andrew Duncan), courteous, friendly, and above all, NO PRESSURE!

Each and every question was answered expertly and we were never made to feel as though it was an inconvinience (some of the other dealers listed should take note................)

We were offered coffee numerous times, given a cracking test drive, and encouraged to "play", legally.........of course!!

A part exchange deal was struck without us being made to feel as though they were doing us a favour (rather than their job.... again, others take note!)

In fact the performance of DSM today, in my humble opinion, was nothing short of perfection. Faultless!!

Congratulations Derek Slack Motors! Car sales as it should be!

If you are in the market for a Skoda, dont waste your time going elsewhere, its the nicest way to part with your cash!

R M

Edited 13 November, 2008 by DGW
Formatting change.

[ExAudiSi]

No, you're not!

If you didn't buy a car from them they're not interested!!

I took my mother's car to them to look at a squeek on the front suspension. First time, too busy to look at it without a long wait, need to book it in. Booked it in to wait with the car while they had a look. Took the car in but it had been raining so no squeek. Said that I would need to bring it back again, so I pointed out that there was only 1 month or warranty left, so I was told that they would fit it in but I may have to wait for a lift to become available to check it over.

So, the third time, my Mother took it in, mechanic checked the car couldnt find a fault said there was some corrosion on the brake discs and that must be causing the noise, not warranty, charged £11 for the privelige!

She took the car to Philip Wilks in Darlington today, mechanic took car, within a few minutes decided that the front arms were squeeking and needed to be replaced. Car booked in for next Thursday under warranty, no problem.

Must say I'm very disappointed with Derek Slack Motors. I've know both Derek and Tony Slack for about 15 years and they know that I know what I'm on with with cars, so this treatment is shamefull.

[cra]

There always seems to be a long (2-3 weeks) lead time forbooking my car in for a service. I didn't buy my car from them. I imagine they give customers who bought from them preferential treatment but I can't help wondering how they expect to convert me to a retail customer with such long waits.

Wait time for a courtesy car is far too long. Last time I was there (week day) there were 3 demonstrators sat around. I do wonder how many people would justify an upgrade if they just have an opportunity to drive a new vehicle in a relaxed environment.

I don't like the fact that there is never any petrol in the courtesy cars when you do get one. I'd be happy to pay a fixed amount per mile.

I like them more than I dislike them, but I do think there are several areas where they could improve their customer care.

[Armegatron]

Graham (one of the staff @ Derek Slacks)has been very helpful and enthusiastic about my dads Octy, saying it was a lovely car and a very good price. That car was bought from Shildon Motors but Slacks have been fine with that.

[ExAudiSi]

Mike,

I can only speak from the experience with my Mother's Fabia. Tried 3 times to get them to find the noise from the front suspension, in the end they said it was the brakes, not covered by warranty and charged for her for looking for it. Took the car to Philip Wilks, diagnosed the wishbone bushes and had them sorted under warranty without charge.

Having said that, both my Fabia and SWMBOs have been in and I've not had any problems. Although, trying to get someone to have a quick look at a concern might give the same results as above.

For reference I have known Derek and Tony Slack for quite some time, but they don't do anything to encourage me to use their dealership.

Simon

[ExAudiSi]

Further update on the above, SWMBOs car has been in to have the doors sealed.

Happy with the service, car ready before lunch time, even got a call to say that it was ready.

Derek has assured me that he will look into the issue of the work on my Mother's car, so no complaints.

[VRSPhil]

I can't fault Slack's at all. I didn't get my car from them (although I wish I had). Their service department has been excellent as have parts. They were unable to 100% diagnose a problem with my steering but they were honest about being unsure rather than just replacing parts left right and centre. As it happens, they said they thought it was the rack at fault and I have since found that they were correct.

[Armegatron]

This being my second car, and the first with service history I fancy keeping it up.

The car was last serviced at 39500 miles on the 26/6/2006 , and had cam belts changed at 41335 (5/10/2006). So I think its due one this month;)

Anywho, popped down today and was told the annual service price is £150 ish for my car - and forgot to ask if it includes a loan car:rolleyes: Any ideas if it does?:confused:

Also, do you think its worth getting a Y reg car serviced?:confused:

['Little' John]

Absolutely useless. A total waste of space! To be fair, they were busy (although rather understaffed). It was nearly half an hour before a salesman came to help me. After answering a couple of questions he then spotted someone else he would rather deal with an asked if I would mind excusing him for a couple of minutes. Not wanting to be rude (and rather naturally assuming that two minutes are only made up of 120 seconds) I said 'no problem'. A further twenty minutes later he was still busy and started making frantic signs at another salesman who had become free.

Having specced up a Octavia Vrs to my desired level and had a poke round my part exchange he came back with a deal which basically gave me a discount of £500. Despite repeated prompting he made no attempt to negotiate. When I pointed out that I could get the same car via an internet broker for the price he quoted without a part-exchange I just got a lecture on the dangers of buying off the internet and still no attempt to negotiate. The price he gave me was the first, last and only price.

The moral of this story is that if you want a decent deal on your new Skoda, don't go to DSM! I don't have a problem with paying a slight premium to buy from your local dealer, but £2000 is a bit too much!

In a similar vein, does anyone know anything about MSB Skoda which is supposed to be opening soon on McMullen road in Darlington?

[Armegatron]

Sorry to hear about that mate. Care to PM me the chaps name?

I have my car booked in this week for a service and I expect the same high standards I usually receive from them, but it seems a shame you never received the same level of service. As per the negotiating side, they were very helpful with me and I was trading in an N reg Polo

I havnt heard anything about a new Skoda dealer as of yet, any ideas when it will be open?

Mike

[VRSPhil]

The new one is not far off completion. I walked past yesterday

[Armegatron]

Car was serviced today, new pads on the rear, and something on the front too because they no longer "click" when I brake Usual top up of screen wash and oil change but overall spot on as usual. And they even cleaned the mats!

The only un nerving thing was that, when I stopped I noticed a cap off a bottle in the gutter between the wiper blades:confused: Looks & smells like a cap off an oil bottle so at least it proves that the oil was changed

[Me-109]

Mine was in there on Wednesday too!

1.8T Octy, 20K service, cambelt, water pump, aux belt - also needed new front pads, rear springs (I overloaded the boot recently ) and a wheel bearing--------£942 :eek:

I think I need to get some more company miles in to rake back some of the cost from the petrol claims. But that increases the mileage, requiring more servicing.....

However, it was done in a day, I had a loan car as requested when I booked it in (Roomster) and the staff were very pleasant whilst they bent me over .

And whilst I was doing that the salesman went to make sure the wife was ok - he recognised her having sold us a Fabia three months ago.

[ExAudiSi]

When I priced up a service for SWMBO's Fabia TDI, Slacks were slightly cheaper than Philip Wilks. It is worth noting that Slacks also do the service the proper, old fashioned way, i.e they strip, clean and lubricate the brakes, whereas Wilks only inspect the pads without removing anything as this is all that Skoda require them to do. So Slacks do more work and a better job for your money!

Derek still hasn't come back to me on the issue with my Mother's car though (see previous posts).

[cache42]

i have been having problems with serious vibrations from my vRS from wheels when driving along the A19 over the past 4 months. i have taken it in 4 times to get it checked out when getting a few other niggles fixed and asked for it to be checked out and the wheel balance doing.....each time they said they could not find the problem and said someone took it out and they thought nothing was wrong with it....all said as if i was just imagining it or just being overly fussy.

anyway, today i took it in again to get a couple or replacement parts and i asked that they re-do the wheel balancing again to which i was told that it would cost me £15....i dont mind paying if it fixes the problem so agreed.....it then dawned on me that they had never charged me for this before so i asked why not....it turns out that they have never done the wheel balancing on the front wheels on any of the 4 previous times i had taken it in. I was furious. i am not one for complaining or showing my annoyance so i didnt say anything to them at the time. they clearly ignored me everytime i asked them to do something.

so overall i am seriously annoyed with the service i have received from DS over the past 4 months. :thumbdwn: i may look to go to the sedgefield place to get work done in future. they said i needed new front discs and pads but i just dont believe them anymore so said i would get it done elsewhere.

:thumbdwn: :thumbdwn:

poor form DS.....not that they care.

[Yella Fella]

Excellent service... my dad bought his octavia from them, recommended them to me.

Took my car in for part ex last friday, sorted out a good deal, they gave the fabia a service and sorted it out ready for me to drive off on the saturday. Had liased with Mark and dealt with Philip on the day. Definately recommend

[K1ngy]

Just put a deposit down on a 2001 Fabia TDi today, very hepful people.

Although I think their profit margins may be a little higher than most, didn't offer a great amount for p/x but not exactly ripping me off either.

However I did manage to get them to do cambelt etc changed (61k on clock) for free whilst they do full service, got 1 years warranty, MOT and Tax. So not too bad really.

I'll let you know how I get on in the future regading servicing etc...