Dealer or LR Expert for service?

[Greylandy]

G'day people,

For those of you with a land Rover still covered under factory warranty .. where do you get it serviced .. the local dealer or a landy specialist?

When I bought my first landy in AU (still under warranty) my thoughts were to build up a relationship with a local dealer ... although I part with more dollars ... I get looked after when it comes down to a warranty claim. As it turned out I did get looked after when I made a warranty claim, service was good but there was no real relationship. In fact the service manager position was held by three different blokes during my time. Nuff said .. :roll:

It is my understanding that a warranty claim cannot be denied if a vehicle was serviced by a professional with proper accreditation and equipment. So what are the merits of having your vehicle serviced by a LR dealer instead of a Land Rover specialist?

Now I might get shot for this but my local LR service manager is a women ... nothing wrong with that but I don't see myself building much of a relationship there 8O (hold your comments!! :wink: ). So ... why stick with an LR dealer if they are obligated by law to look after warranty issues etc.? ... or am I just afraid I will get shafted by the animal we know as LRA!!! :roll:

[DEFENDERZOOK]

in sydney theres graeme cooper and tr spares.

its best to get it serviced by someone who knows the product.
if you go to greame cooper they also do warranty work i think.

if its just warranty work straight to the dealer.

[noddy]

The guy who had mine before me (in Melbourne) was getting it serviced by an LR expert (Peninsula Rangie?).

I had a warranty claim and had no problems with my LR dealer (even knowing this other mob had been servicing it (incorrectly) since new.

Now that Kimba is about to come out of warranty, I am giving the dealer the flick. Will do the basic stuff myself (oil, filters etc) and then anything more I will take it to Graeme Cooper.

My philosophy has been to build a relationship with the LR dealer during the warranty period, to save any potential hassles with warranty claims. Now that this has lapsed, what benefit is there from taking it to a dealer? No cheaper, inconsistent service = patchy relationship. Why pay the same amount (if not more) when you can have someone like a LR expert who gets to know your vehicle. What is more, they are not wedded to using 'Genuine Land Rover parts' which we all know can be less than ideal.

[DEFENDERZOOK]

the td5s need a special grade of oil...my preferred brand is penrite.at the moment theres only one place in sydney to get it and thats auto pro at riverwood...$95 for 10 litres.

they were very helpful and ahve chased up all the filters at a cheaper price than land rover but are still chasing up the centrifugal filter.

they keep one drum of the oil in stock....it is HPR Diesel 5
it is a lot thinner than HPR Diesel.
and god only knows what what your local uses.
engines run better with the correct grade oil in them. with the cost of this oil i dont think they will use the correct oil but rather what they carry.

i , also, like to do as much as i can myself so i know whats been done and how its been done.

[Greylandy]

Originally posted by DEFENDERZOOK+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DEFENDERZOOK)</div><div class='quotemain'>the td5s need a special grade of oil...my preferred brand is penrite.at the moment theres only one place in sydney to get it and thats auto pro at riverwood...$95 for 10 litres.[/b]

I had my 10k service done at Graeme Coopers and they also use Penrite HPR 5. Being LR specialists I would think they only use quality consumables. My thoughts at the moment is to stick with Graeme and only do warranty claims with the dealer.

Originally posted by DEFENDERZOOK@
I, also, like to do as much as i can myself so i know whats been done and how its been done.

I've been servicing my old Defender for the last 2 years and like you say DZ .. if you do it yourself, you know whats been done. Unfortunately a vehicle under warranty is a no go for self servicing.

<!--QuoteBegin-NODDY
My philosophy has been to build a relationship with the LR dealer during the warranty period, to save any potential hassles with warranty claims.[/quote]
I feel the same way Noddy .. "to save on potential hassles" .. :roll: why do we think that! (bloody LRA I reckon! :wink: ) I've spoken to a few people .. even if I get it serviced by Graeme Cooper ... by law .. LR is not allowed to reject a warranty claim .. although it might be harder to get something out of them. In the long run I do believe Coopers will do a better job at looking after Greylandy.

[Knight]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>In the long run I do believe Coopers will do a better job [/b][/quote]

Im with all these guys!!

Graeme Cooper's will do a top quality job, with genuine Land Rover parts etc !

and, yep.........save the warranty work for the LR dealer (service manager being a woman or not, wont matter then :wink: ) he he he

Great guys at Coopers and they'll help you with anything and tell you what you what's what - without the BS!


Cheers
Knight :wink:

[RichardK]

JRT in Perth does all my servicing and does a great job, he has been involved with Rovers/Landrovers for 35 years so knows his stuff and I know the job is done properly, he also knows my vehicles.

Any warranty work and recalls I have done by the LR Dealer

[Ace]

My car isnt in warranty, but i will add my two cents worth anyway. As long as a licenced mechanic is servicing the vehicle and logging the services in the vehicles log book Land Rover, nor anyother manufacturer can deny a warranty claim. However as the guys have said above, Land Rovers need to be serviced by an expert. Matt

[Martinoz]

Graeme Cooper seems to be the go in Melbourne judging by your comments. Can anyone either message or PM me the details. The td5 I am looking to buy has been serviced all it's short life at a local dealer. Must have cost an arm and a leg. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

[Ace]

Originally posted by Martinoz
Graeme Cooper seems to be the go in Melbourne judging by your comments. Can anyone either message or PM me the details. The td5 I am looking to buy has been serviced all it's short life at a local dealer. Must have cost an arm and a leg. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img] :P

Here is a web site which has a list of all the known Land Rover Experts in every state, there might be one around the corner you didnt know about. Check it out.

http://www.comcen.com.au/~blumx/spareparts.htm

Hope it helps, Matt