The other day I was appalled when JCT600 quoted me £35 just to provide a quote to carry out some minor bodywork repairs to my Saab 95. In my experience, this is not the way that Saab dealerships do business, so I called two other dealers (including the one I bought the car from originally) and they both found it quite comical and were very surprised.

I thought this was worthy of a complaint to Saab, and this is the response I got:


Thank you for your email received on 11 November 2008, in relation to the above dealership.

In order for the dealership to provide you with a quote for a repair, it is necessary to inspect the vehicle. This usually carries a charge for labour and time taken to assess the job.

We are sorry that you are not happy with this but we feel it is justified in order to clarify what the issue is before commencing any repair work.

Thank you again for taking the time to write to us and for allowing me the opportunity to comment.

What rubbish!

Needless to say JCT600 won't be getting any business from me. I would rather spend the money in fuel to take my car to another garage.

This happened to me when I wanted to know if my 9-3 had the dreaded bulkhead problems. Rowcliffes (Taunton) wanted £50 to have a look. You may be surprised to know that I havent been anywhere near them again....

John

If it's an involved inspection, with the car on a ramp and possibly some dismantling - which I'd expect the bulkhead crack check probably is - and especially if it's a "Do I need something doing?" rather than "How much'll it cost?" - then, yes, I can see it being chargeable.

But not just for an inspection & quote of "minor bodywork repairs". That's taking the mick.

No need for that to be franchised dealer, though - a dedicated bodyshop would not only be cheaper but better quality.

It's a tricky one, this. On the face of it, it's not unreasonable to charge something for their time - who works for free? Yet it's true that there's a long tradition in the motor industry of free checks for quotes - my local main dealer has never charged me for looking. But then again I guess they confidently expect that I'll then give them the work - and when a garage doesn't expect that they're bound to be antsy about the commission. I think where the work does entail more than a glance, the best middle way would be for them to say that it does cost; that if they are then asked to go ahead and do the repair that they'll waive that cost; but if they aren't then they reserve the right to make a charge for their time and equipment.