Derek Slack Motors - Middlesbrough

[Auric Goldfinger]

Try Watchdog 

[Rustynuts]

If they had any sense about them they'd collar the market on web domains containing derek slack. As it stands at the moment, www.derekslack.com is available, and it wouldn't take much to set up a small website detailing your issues with them...

[Redboy]

The tyres were factored into the selling price I assume, if you did not ask for replacements on purchase. Those discs look in terrible condition. Was it not driven often or was it low mileage?  How did you not feel/ hear their poor condition when test driving, the noise should have alerted you, although the corrosion would have been hidden on the reverse side. Despite whatever deal you initially did, I would have thought that the dealer would have made an attempt to rectify.  Finally when is the MoT due or did it come with a new MoT and why didn't you get a 3 month warranty or similar, it couldn't have covered severely worn/ineffective brake discs. 

[emotive69]

3 minutes ago, Redboy said:

The tyres were factored into the selling price I assume, if you did not ask for replacements on purchase. Those discs look in terrible condition. Was it not driven often or was it low mileage?  How did you not feel/ hear their poor condition when test driving, the noise should have alerted you, although the corrosion would have been hidden on the reverse side. Despite whatever deal you initially did, I would have thought that the dealer would have made an attempt to rectify.  Finally when is the MoT due or did it come with a new MoT and why didn't you get a 3 month warranty or similar, it couldn't have covered severely worn/ineffective brake discs. 

The test drive was fairly short and there was no obvious noise and it was only a week or two into driving it i got to see how bad it was , its a second car too so not driven every day hence it took a little time to realise.

[emotive69]

13 minutes ago, Rustynuts said:

If they had any sense about them they'd collar the market on web domains containing derek slack. As it stands at the moment, www.derekslack.com is available, and it wouldn't take much to set up a small website detailing your issues with them...

 

Thank you Rustynuts , that domain has just been purchased

[Guest FurryFriend]

What a truly dreadful experience. That brake disc is absolutely the worst I've ever seen in my life. 

Personally I wouldn't have bought it with such low tread depths on the tyres and would have insisted on replacements, but thanks for the heads up on this outfit. 

I would take the car to a fully qualified independent engineer,  approved by the Institute of Motor manufacturers and traders, pay them for a full detailed report on the overall condition of this vehicle, (which I suspect wouldn't be good)  and then take them to court. No messing about. 

 

[Jim H]

22 hours ago, Redboy said:

The tyres were factored into the selling price I assume, if you did not ask for replacements on purchase. Those discs look in terrible condition. Was it not driven often or was it low mileage?  How did you not feel/ hear their poor condition when test driving, the noise should have alerted you, although the corrosion would have been hidden on the reverse side. Despite whatever deal you initially did, I would have thought that the dealer would have made an attempt to rectify.  Finally when is the MoT due or did it come with a new MoT and why didn't you get a 3 month warranty or similar, it couldn't have covered severely worn/ineffective brake discs. 

 

The tyres could have been seen by the him before picking it up. However the pic looks like the inside of the discs which you cannot see without removing a wheel, (stone guards may prevent looking from underneath). If you can see the discs through the wheel, you will only see the outer surface which may be OK, you can't see the inner.  Also I believe, modern MOTs only measure brake performance and not the conditions of disk and pads, so may have passed.

 

On a different note, My mother and I have bought 2 Fabias from Slacks and had no problems with them. However this was over 10 years ago (Jul 05 & Sept 06) and once cars were out of warranty we went elsewhere.

Edited 20 May, 2017 by Jim H

[emotive69]

30 minutes ago, Jim H said:

 

The tyres could have been seen by the him before picking it up. However the pic looks like the inside of the discs which you cannot see without removing a wheel, (stone guards may prevent looking from underneath). If you can see the discs through the wheel, you will only see the outer surface which may be OK, you can't see the inner.  Also I believe, modern MOTs only measure brake performance and not the conditions of disk and pads, so may have passed.

 

On a different note, My mother and I have bought 2 Fabias from Slacks and had no problems with them. However this was over 10 years ago (Jul 05 & Sept 06) and once cars were out of warranty we went elsewhere.

The reason I paid good money to go to a dealer who sells approved used cars with a 27 point safety check , was not to check it myself!. MOT aside the car was not properly checked, I also had a car years ago from Slack and it was fine , things have changed and cant say the service was the same this time.

[Jon TDI]

Haven't actually bought a car from Derek Slacks, but had a couple of services done & warranty work carried out on my old Fabia vRS. I was happy with their customer service & I'm very picky with this sort of thing. This was around 10 years ago.

Only recently been into Derek Slacks to order parts & I can't grumble with their customer service - The guy gave me a courtesy call to update me on a part that was on back order & another to say that a part had been damaged during delivery from the factory so ordered another for me.

 

Very disappointed to read about your experience emotive69. Sounds like they have gone downhill nowadays.

Was debating whether to get my vRS serviced by Slacks or Vasstech. Looks like I'll be getting my vRS looked at by Vasstech!

 

Edited 20 May, 2017 by Jon TDI

[Redboy]

1 hour ago, Jim H said:

 

The tyres could have been seen by the him before picking it up. However the pic looks like the inside of the discs which you cannot see without removing a wheel, (stone guards may prevent looking from underneath). If you can see the discs through the wheel, you will only see the outer surface which may be OK, you can't see the inner.  Also I believe, modern MOTs only measure brake performance and not the conditions of disk and pads, so may have passed.

 

 

Yes I realised that and covered it by writing " the corrosion would have been hidden on the reverse side..." As for MoT condition from recent experience on my wifes car, the discs inner sides were corroded and braking performance was poor and crucially very noisy, which is why I can't understand why the OP didn't hear the grinding or scraping noise which must have been evident. 

[emotive69]

1 hour ago, Redboy said:

 

Yes I realised that and covered it by writing " the corrosion would have been hidden on the reverse side..." As for MoT condition from recent experience on my wifes car, the discs inner sides were corroded and braking performance was poor and crucially very noisy, which is why I can't understand why the OP didn't hear the grinding or scraping noise which must have been evident. 

 

I think i mentioned but new brake pads had been fitted very recently hence there was no scraping , but the fact the pads were flat and the disks pitted resulted in less surface area again , where as pads that wear with the discs trough and groove with them so still keep stopping power.. and it was only a couple of weeks into ownership and not that many journies either - i had noticed the brakes werent as good on slower runs but questioned myself as to wether it was because the car was a 170 and my last yeti was a 110 so thought it was just me and my driving style, that is until i had to use the brakes for real.

[usedabused]

Well for one i would be questioning your tyre guy if thoses discs were in such poor state..

 

And two how could you not feel or hear that something was seriously wrong??

 

I have had some cars in very poor condition maintenance wise ad only when a disc is as bad as that the caliper has been siezed too...

 

 

[usedabused]

170mile round trip for a service????

 

Do you guys expect to be treat like kings cos you have a new car???

 

 

[Ju1ian1001]

3 hours ago, Jim H said:

 

The tyres could have been seen by the him before picking it up. However the pic looks like the inside of the discs which you cannot see without removing a wheel, (stone guards may prevent looking from underneath). If you can see the discs through the wheel, you will only see the outer surface which may be OK, you can't see the inner.  Also I believe, modern MOTs only measure brake performance and not the conditions of disk and pads, so may have passed.

 

On a different note, My mother and I have bought 2 Fabias from Slacks and had no problems with them. However this was over 10 years ago (Jul 05 & Sept 06) and once cars were out of warranty we went elsewhere.

Not true, i am a tester with 15 years of MOT testing under my belt, the condition of pads and discs is checked as best we can coz we are are not allowed to remove any part of the vehicle that requires tools to do so, with alloy wheels fitted to most modern vehicle's our life in testing is a bit easier then it use to be. Brake pads will fail if they are 1.5mm or below in thickness (the friction material only, does not include the metal backing), the the thickness of a 5 pence piece, brake disc can only fail if they are contaminated with brake fluid or oil, or in such a condition that they are severely weakened (i.e cracked or very very worn,) corrosion and pitting of disc must be very extreme, those discs in the photo are rear discs and would JUST about pass, but if it was me would certainly be brought to the owners attention and would be advised on the test certificate.

 

Brake performance on this yeti would be by a decelerometer being a 4x4, and they are not the most accurate pieces of kit.

 

Needless to say if it was my car they would be changed straight away, i keep my brake and tyres in tip top condition as they are the only things that keep u on the road and stop u.

Edited 20 May, 2017 by Ju1ian1001

[usedabused]

You dont need to go to a dealer to keep up the service book stamps , whats this obessesion with mileage???

 

You building the mileage up pointlessly travelling 170mile for the service

 

You were totally out of order demanding they changed the lamp and retested straight away its your daft fault you traveled that far they have other customers to pamper...

 

 

[emotive69]

Can i just point out to those who have mentioned it once again that this thread is not about an MOT or what would or would not fail an MOT , its about me having paid 11 thousand pound for a car described as a quality used car with skoda inspection which covers brakes and tyres- therefore I dont expect it to not stop properly or not corner properly , neither do i expect to be treat like a fool by a dealership when i go to them and show them the disks and ask them to sort out what i had paid to have them fixed. Oh and just as an additional one , i checked the oil within a few days of getting the car and it was below min , they hadnt even bothered to do that.

[Ju1ian1001]

5 minutes ago, mikeholroyd said:

Read my post again - So it's a 170 mile trip to see family close by and get the car done whilst over there. That is not pointlessly travelling 170 miles.

 

And what the hell do you mean it's my daft fault I travelled that far to DS??? At the time (4 years ago) it was the nearest dealership to where I live, I needed to collect parts and simply had the MOT done whilst over there. If I remember rightly I think I had an MOT discount voucher I was using too. I would have needed to go whether the MOT was done or not  - get real. Retested is the terminology they use - it's not a retest as such, it's simply changing a bulb and issuing the paperwork, and I was not prepared to return, putting unnecessary mileage on the car and it costing time and fuel for the sake of that - especially as I was there in the dealership waiting. Common sense would say that someone from service reception would come over to me and say it needed a bulb, would I like it doing, and issue the pass there and then instead of expecting me to take it back home, and return days later - it takes well less than 5 minutes to change a bulb! There is a massive difference in, as you call it, "pampering" customers and using a little bit of common sense which would have gone a long way to making the whole customer experience one where I would have been far more likely to return.

 

It's OK for you in Durham having Pulman on your doorstep - when there is nowhere to get parts (as there wasn't at the time) as local as you are lucky to have, every run to the dealer becomes a lot more than nipping down the road in more ways than one.

I get what Mike is saying here, if the customer is sitting waiting at my test center i wonder in and tell them it's failing on a bulb would you like me to change it for u, saves me and the customer time and improves customer service at the same time.

 

A lot of the time by doing this i uasualy get a couple of quid towards the tea fund as well (thats what we use the tips jar for at work.)

Edited 20 May, 2017 by Ju1ian1001

[usedabused]

33 minutes ago, mikeholroyd said:

Read my post again - So it's a 170 mile trip to see family close by and get the car done whilst over there. That is not pointlessly travelling 170 miles.

 

And what the hell do you mean it's my daft fault I travelled that far to DS??? At the time (4 years ago) it was the nearest dealership to where I live, I needed to collect parts and simply had the MOT done whilst over there. If I remember rightly I think I had an MOT discount voucher I was using too. I would have needed to go whether the MOT was done or not  - get real. Retested is the terminology they use - it's not a retest as such, it's simply changing a bulb and issuing the paperwork, and I was not prepared to return, putting unnecessary mileage on the car and it costing time and fuel for the sake of that - especially as I was there in the dealership waiting. Common sense would say that someone from service reception would come over to me and say it needed a bulb, would I like it doing, and issue the pass there and then instead of expecting me to take it back home, and return days later - it takes well less than 5 minutes to change a bulb! There is a massive difference in, as you call it, "pampering" customers and using a little bit of common sense which would have gone a long way to making the whole customer experience one where I would have been far more likely to return.

 

It's OK for you in Durham having Pulman on your doorstep - when there is nowhere to get parts (as there wasn't at the time) as local as you are lucky to have, every run to the dealer becomes a lot more than nipping down the road in more ways than one.

 

 

You see the problem here is the simple fact you are using main dealers its that simple....

 

Its not a bulb its a lamp and try fitting an indicator lamp in five minutes when your mot slot is over and the next vehicle is due on the ramp...

 

And above all this thread is not even about you and your car its about a bloke that bought a car after a short test drive that had issues then instead of giving the dealer a chance to rectify the issue he spunked over five hundred quid to a tyre monkey and expected the og dealer to cover the bill..

 

After over twenty year in the motor trade them discs are the result of exstreme neglect or a siezed caliper and do not in any way tally with the story so far.......

 

 

[emotive69]

Here are some more photos of the disks and pads 

[emotive69]

46 minutes ago, usedabused said:

 

 

You see the problem here is the simple fact you are using main dealers its that simple....

 

Its not a bulb its a lamp and try fitting an indicator lamp in five minutes when your mot slot is over and the next vehicle is due on the ramp...

 

And above all this thread is not even about you and your car its about a bloke that bought a car after a short test drive that had issues then instead of giving the dealer a chance to rectify the issue he spunked over five hundred quid to a tyre monkey and expected the og dealer to cover the bill..

 

After over twenty year in the motor trade them discs are the result of exstreme neglect or a siezed caliper and do not in any way tally with the story so far.......

 

 

Tally with the story so far ? There is no story. Its fact  - i  bought this car and these are the disks that were on it . Maybe there was neglect by the previous owner or the garage but thats none of my business , when i buy a car which has as part of the deal been inspected then i dont expect to end up risking my life. Isnt that the whole point of buying an Approved used car from an Approved dealer ?

[usedabused]

1 hour ago, mikeholroyd said:

 

Final post on this - no matter where it goes there is going to be a difference of opinion

 

1. Main dealer used because parts were required

2. MOT done at main dealer because I had a free MOT voucher there

3. Rear indicator bulbs can be changed in less than a minute

4. My experience of the dealer is just as relevant as the OP's, as this thread is in DEALER REVIEWS. Both myself and the OP have done exactly that - reviewed the dealer

 

1 og parts are available from tps

2 so you got a voucher ??  greed follows greed...

3 ****** it takes at leats that to accsess the lamp

4 your story his story its all irelavent...............

5 so im dyslexic the point still stands...

[usedabused]

21 minutes ago, emotive69 said:

Tally with the story so far ? There is no story. Its fact  - i  bought this car and these are the disks that were on it . Maybe there was neglect by the previous owner or the garage but thats none of my business , when i buy a car which has as part of the deal been inspected then i dont expect to end up risking my life. Isnt that the whole point of buying an Approved used car from an Approved dealer ?

 

This thread is about customer service ...

 

you bought a car from a main dealer , had an issue and consulted a tyre monkey, a tyre monkey that failed to spot a serius issue with the brakes .

 

you then returned to your tyre monkey and replaced discs and pads...

were these genuine parts??

 

I think not..

 

then you return to your main dealler expecting them to pay the greese monkeys bill????

 

Are you serius??

 

Why didnt you go back to the main dealer in the first place?????

 

post some pics of the caliper???

[emotive69]

1 minute ago, usedabused said:

1 og parts are available from tps

2 so you got a voucher ??  greed follows greed...

3 ****** it takes at leats that to accsess the lamp

4 your story his story its all irelavent...............

5 so im dyslexic the point still stands...

 

Greed follows greed !!? How naive you sound. Dealers send out free and discounted vouchers for MOTs all the time, aswell as using them as a sales tool to sell cars in the first place.

[usedabused]

my point proven why would you fall for a discounted mot only to be ****ed over for a lamp that is not quite orange enough?????

 

[removed]

Edited 21 May, 2017 by john999boy

[emotive69]

1 minute ago, usedabused said:

 

This thread is about customer service ...

 

you bought a car from a main dealer , had an issue and consulted a tyre monkey, a tyre monkey that failed to spot a serius issue with the brakes .

 

you then returned to your tyre monkey and replaced discs and pads...

were these genuine parts??

 

I think not..

 

then you return to your main dealler expecting them to pay the greese monkeys bill????

 

Are you serius??

 

Why didnt you go back to the main dealer in the first place?????

 

post some pics of the caliper???

 

Firstly the person you call a tyre monkey is an established garage with over 50 years experience in all motor related repairs with their own mot facilities. So your point there is invalid. I did not go back to the dealer as i did not want to drive the car any further in an unroadworthy condition, and given the dealers consequent comments i am not convinced they would have dealt with it anyway so glad i didn't put me, my wife and child in any more danger.