Agent Cover Up Car Cam During Servicing

[merc280v6]

For PML they will plug off the power cable. I think they dont want let ppl see their work progress.

 

And i can accept if appt 8am and start work at 12pm to let engine cool down first but agree if at 4pm then quite annoying.

PML smart!

[Mercury1]

My advise is if you send the car for a quick service tell them not to wash the car, that will save about 2 hours 

 

They always forget to disconnect my backup cam 

 

For PML they will plug off the power cable. I think they dont want let ppl see their work progress.

And i can accept if appt 8am and start work at 12pm to let engine cool down first but agree if at 4pm then quite annoying.

 

Edited August 26, 2017 by Mercury1

[DACH]

If only all AD have a viewing window for customer to view the car while they relax in ac room.. Drinking coffee.. That will be great.

 

Oh someone say VW have it rite.. Hope other AD can follow their style!

That would be great.

[Vratenza]

Most ADs will need at least half a day if not full day for something as simple as basic oil change servicing.

 

Alot of the bigger ADs have workshop spanning the seize of half football field and multilevel. How to have a wide enough waiting area with window that allow each owner to spot check on their precious whichever service bay their car is assigned to? 

 

I for one don't have the luxury of time to just wile my time waiting for my car to be serviced at the AD. Drop and collect. 

 

On the other hand smaller 3rd party workshops can get an oil change done under 1-2hrs. That, I can hang around to wait for my car to be done. 

 

If only all AD have a viewing window for customer to view the car while they relax in ac room.. Drinking coffee.. That will be great.

Oh someone say VW have it rite.. Hope other AD can follow their style!

 

Edited August 27, 2017 by Vratenza

[merc280v6]

Agree!

[1fast1]

Most ADs will need at least half a day if not full day for something as simple as basic oil change servicing.

 

Alot of the bigger ADs have workshop spanning the seize of half football field and multilevel. How to have a wide enough waiting area with window that allow each owner to spot check on their precious whichever service bay their car is assigned to? 

 

I for one don't have the luxury of time to just wile my time waiting for my car to be serviced at the AD. Drop and collect. 

 

On the other hand smaller 3rd party workshops can get an oil change done under 1-2hrs. That, I can hang around to wait for my car to be done. 

To be fair, among the ADs, Cycle (the AMG side) has done enough to earn my trust. I don't insist on watching them.

 

Munich and Borneo have done enough to lose my trust. I don't feel comfortable with leaving them to their own devices, which is why I don't like their cam policy.

 

As for private shops, I have full autonomy to choose - but I get to watch in most cases, so it's a moot point anyway.

[1fast1]

If I'm the agent workshop, I'd just disconnect car battery during servicing

[merc280v6]

May cause unnecessary complications for newer conti models. For my F10 M5 at least, I was told that a battery replacement will need some sort of DME coding. Not sure about disconnection, but I have noticed the car running rough initially after a battery drain condition.

 

It's an unnecessary risk to the electrical system. Unless major work is done, don't disconnect.

Yah, observed that done on my conti cars too.

Before replacing my old battery, they'd use the emergency van's service battery jumpered in parallel, before disconnecting mine.

 

Said something about having to reset this and that, if not done so!

[DACH]

Most ADs will need at least half a day if not full day for something as simple as basic oil change servicing.

 

Alot of the bigger ADs have workshop spanning the seize of half football field and multilevel. How to have a wide enough waiting area with window that allow each owner to spot check on their precious whichever service bay their car is assigned to? 

 

I for one don't have the luxury of time to just wile my time waiting for my car to be serviced at the AD. Drop and collect. 

 

On the other hand smaller 3rd party workshops can get an oil change done under 1-2hrs. That, I can hang around to wait for my car to be done. 

Not to mention the queues.

You come at 9.30am, doesn't mean your car is serviced at 9.45am. There are also people in front of the queue.

 

But some ADs need to buck up, like Trans Eurokars Singapore.

[jcchia]

Agree!

[carloverguy2017]

You've probably seen cars with brake lights permanently lit up while driving, or reverse light lit on when car is moving forward... then when they stepped the brakes, hazard lights lit on etc..

 

These are the idiot WS people connecting up your rear light anyhow .. never check, never ensure.. 

 

The worst fear is they accidentally jeopardize your safety...

 

Once I witness a outside WS guy working on my wheel alignment, who accidentally knocked into my brake caliper metal tube.

It didn't leak immediately, so I didn't took noticed.

But as I drove home, the brake pedal got softer and softer until it couldn't stop the car hard. Luckily I manage to find out the fault and return the car to the work shop.. driving very very slowly, using my handbrakes to assist in slowing down. 
The brake fluid also lifted off my rim's paint due to the corrosive nature of the brake fluid and I had to replace the rim.

Imagine you are unaware of what is happening in the workshop, one day you find yourself in situation like me, you will think the brake spoil due to wear and tear.

Luckily as the WS guy knocked onto the caliper, I heard it, so I ask him did you damaged anything ? He said NO. 

When I confronted him again and told him the knock had cause my caliper tube to got loose and leaked, he admitted.

Do not be contented with AD claiming professionalism. 

Sometimes human error . 

It is better to witness than to cry over spilled milk.

[inlinesix]

May cause unnecessary complications for newer conti models. For my F10 M5 at least, I was told that a battery replacement will need some sort of DME coding. Not sure about disconnection, but I have noticed the car running rough initially after a battery drain condition.

 

It's an unnecessary risk to the electrical system. Unless major work is done, don't disconnect.

 

DME coding is required for new battery to allow car knows new battery is installed.  Car runs smart charging.

[Vinceng]

Not to mention the queues.

You come at 9.30am, doesn't mean your car is serviced at 9.45am. There are also people in front of the queue.

 

But some ADs need to buck up, like Trans Eurokars Singapore.

 

Cycle & Carriage is no better. 

 

Seen many  cases of cars ending up with dents and scratches after servicing.

[1fast1]

I don't think every service provider is trustworthy. That's why I diy whenever I can.

 

I have no stake in any workshop, nor endorsed any "bad" habits of theirs. I'm just voicing the other side's POV.

 

As to whether AD or other w/s, they may choose to block car cam to protect themselves, whether we like it or not.

This is not a proper reply to my points. I don't know whether I'm going to get one from you.

 

But just to give you the benefit of the doubt:

 

1. "DIY" will still void an AD warranty if you "DIY" anything more than plug-in accessories and simple fluid/tyre pressure checks.

 

2. "Voicing the "other side's..."": and that's exactly what got me curious what your stake in it was? You sound more like the "other side" is actually your own.

 

3. "Whether we like it or not"? At present this is the situation. But there are ways to pushback. If we make enough noise, generate enough negative publicity, and even make it an explicitly stated criterion for car purchase - I think we'll begin to see some positive change. Lying back and taking it "whether we like it or not" is defeatist and serves no purpose - unless you're allied with the industry as I've already mentioned.

Edited August 29, 2017 by Turboflat4

[1fast1]

DME coding is required for new battery to allow car knows new battery is installed.  Car runs smart charging.

 

Interesting.

[Adrianli]

Komoco never did that to mine.

Let me go find my footage that I had saved and post it here. Must do some fast forward editing if not very boring. And yes, I save these footages to my hdd.

 

As promised, video footage of my servicing at Komoco. There is some very slow processing at youtube editor so the start video not processed for fast forwarding yet. So I post the sending in and other separately.

 

Sending car to Komoco at 7.20am.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUKgpOYK68Q

 

 

See what time the car was attended to and what time the actual servicing commences. And it was not done complete 10k km servicing. I had to send it in the next day again.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjIqyOob99c

[Vratenza]

Sometimes I wonder why we waste so much energy and attention on trying to prevent the inevitable?

 

Reason why most people buy from ADs are basically to have a piece of mind and also to have some sort of accountability if things goes wrong with the car itself or  recalls/servicing/repairs.

 

We are also assured that the ADs (in theory) should be responsible as a corporate entity to give it's best to provide good service during the time the car is with them. I will assume the no ADs go about their business trying their darnest to damage your car or their reputation. And in the event of any misadventure (human error), they will have the decency to take up the responsibility to rectify the mistake.

 

What I will usually do when I send by car in for routine servicing or recalls is to give my car a wash, note down any dings/scratches or imperfections from daily usage, take some pictures with date stamp if desired. 

After collecting the car, give my car another once over interior and exterior, open up the bonnet and and engine cover to just have a look using a torchlight. It helps that you are familiar with your engine bay and tubings/connections. 

Anything wrong immediately call up the AD hotline to report so that things can be rectified asap and preferably with the AD collecting the car if it is a major mistake on their part.

 

After years of car ownership, I came to the realization that no matter how expensive or how much you love your car, it is meant to serve us and not the other way round. We give reasonable care to their maintenance so that they continue to serve us faithfully till the day the ownership status changes.

 

my 2ct w/o gst

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Terrylmt]

Agents are smart to cover up camera.

They don't want any unnecessary problems with the recording and disgruntled customer putting in on youtube.

 

But they should be upfront about it and post notice.

 

If you're not happy with the cover-up, take your car elsewhere.

I think the issue is not with the cover-up but rather the damage done in attempting to disable/restore the car camera that is the bane of most owners here. It's perfectly fine if they want to cover up,  but don't make the car owner have to pay for damage that they caused as a result doing so.

 

You don't get it at all.

I'm talking about ADs that insist you need to use their workshop for servicing. If you go outside, you lose the warranty, which can mean years of risk. This applies even to ADs that don't typically bundle in free servicing (like Cycle).

 

In which case, the owner is forced to use the AD workshop to preserve the warranty. Even if they disconnect the car cam. And if they damage the cam and/or the car in the process, good luck getting fair compensation. It's not worth the hassle.

 

You can choose to put your trust in everybody. Or you can be a discerning consumer and be more selective. Even doctors (still considered to be among the most trustworthy professions) are not given blind trust by their patients, and that's actually a good thing.

 

There are two aspects to my discomfiture. The first is simply that I don't want them messing around with things in my car that don't concern them (I've already highlighted the damage wrought by one such cack-handed tech). The second is that I want to see what's being done to my car. I don't treat my cars as simple conveyances. They represent far more to me than that, and I'm sure the same applies to many other vehicle owners. People can have as much attachment to their cars as to their homes, and I'm sure you won't hire a cleaning service that tells you to get out of the house (not just the room they happen to be cleaning at the time) and deactivate all security cameras before they touch your house?

 

I don't insist on a recording if I'm able to see what's being done to my car. At many private workshops I am fully able to scrutinise what's being done.

 

I'm an auto enthusiast, even if I'm not an expert. I have been able to find issues with what's being done with my car - e.g. failure to turn off the electrical system before messing with the electrics. These errors are definitely acknowledged by the staff, and I don't press the issue.

 

It's not limited to cars. In my real sphere of expertise (medical), I've seen quite a few major issues occurring right in front of my eyes. When my wife was hospitalised some time ago, I insisted on being in the room when the nurses were tending to her. They tried to perform a procedure completely wrongly (and in a hazardous fashion), and I immediately called them out on it. There would have been significant risks to my wife if I hadn't been there.

 

You still think every service provider out there is completely trustworthy? If so, good luck to you.

 

I don't see why you're so defensive of this bad habit of car workshops anyway. What's your stake in it?

 

I think he was just expressing an alternative point of view, and surely others are allowed to have an opinion without having vested interests right? Is that not the premise of a well-rounded, healthy discussion? Everyone has their own perspective on things, and that's why we have a community to share.

 

Most ADs will need at least half a day if not full day for something as simple as basic oil change servicing.

 

Alot of the bigger ADs have workshop spanning the seize of half football field and multilevel. How to have a wide enough waiting area with window that allow each owner to spot check on their precious whichever service bay their car is assigned to? 

 

I for one don't have the luxury of time to just wile my time waiting for my car to be serviced at the AD. Drop and collect. 

 

On the other hand smaller 3rd party workshops can get an oil change done under 1-2hrs. That, I can hang around to wait for my car to be done.

 

AD (may) have the loading capacity to store the vehicles for the entire day, and they are likely to take their time as there is no incentive to complete at a record pace as their salaries are likely to remain the same if they complete 10, 20 or 30 cars a day. This is my assumption here.

 

However, other outside, smaller workshops need to rush and complete the cars as having one customer's car stuck on the hoists is money lost for another customer's car that they can complete and close another "deal" for the day. Hence the difference in service levels.

 

 

Interesting.

 

Indeed. It is interesting that a car enthusiast such as yourself and having owned Beemers has not encountered a battery change process. This is standard procedure that is very well documented - http://www.bimmerscan.com/bmw-battery-registration/