Are You Getting the Right Attention?
So you love your Bentley and want to take great care of it, but you’re in LA and the dealer charges an arm or a leg, like literally, you can buy a Nasco replacement bionic arm for less than a lot of repair bills I’ve seen. But who can you trust with your investment? I mean, it’s special: it’s a Bentley. Not just any tech can touch it, right? Well, yes, and no. Bentley is owned by Volkswagen/Audi. Don’t believe me? Pop the hood and look for the logos on all the parts. Made in the Slovakia has long replaced Hand built in England. So let’s just call up an Audi specialty place and let them at it! No, don’t get ahead of me yet. You see, it is a special automobile, and requires a special touch, but does the dealer really provide the best service for it? I mean, a corporate mega company like VW is running the show, so how much special care do you think they are dedicating to you? Or how much do you think they expedite most of the work that comes through to maximize the profit margin.
Bentley Service in Los Angeles a Sham?
How? Well, let’s start with the tech. What’s your tech like? You’ve never seen him have you? That’s not an accident. You’re polished “Service Advisor” keeps the tech out of site. Techs that work for the dealer get the minimum union rate, and are required to complete work in set amounts of time to limit the wasted labor the dealer has to pay. So what type of tech would do this? The best of the best? Not so much. More like the new techs, right out of school or from a related VW dealership, hoping to soon get training on your brand. Oh yeah, they aren’t trained until years into working to see if it’s worth spending those corporate dollars on training them. Meanwhile, you’re paying $225 an hour for a “specialist” to put hands on your car. How do I know this? That was me. I was your tech at a major luxury dealer. I got no instruction, no access to manuals most of the time, and a minimum hour goal to make that put me on a time crunch. How did it work out? Not so good. I’m disappointed to say, it resulted in a $10,000 part of a certain car flying off on the freeway, forever lost, because when I asked, “What’s the torque for these bolts?” my answer was, “Tight.” Now, insurance covered it, but not without downing the car for a couple of months. If you ask for it, a good independent shop will show you his insurance that will do the same that the dealer’s insurance did.
Your Bentley Deserves the Best Service
So why go to an independent shop? That tech has the experience on your brand, but the passion and dedication to run his own business, with his name on the line. He cares directly about each of his customers. You’re not just a number on the stat sheet. Also, you’re talking to the tech himself. You know how may times a Bentley got sent back to the customer because the description of the problem was not properly passed along to the tech. The service advisor quickly jots down “Noise in wheel,” not “Sounds like a baseball cards in the spokes when I’m turning at slow speed,” and two weeks later you get your ride back with no change. Another benefit to an independent shop, he’ll be straight up with what should be covered under warranty, and not try to pass it up. He’ll tell you the words to say to a dealer to get your problem escalated to repair before the warranty expires and you’re stuck with the bill. Remember, he cares about you and his reputation.
Again, it is still a special car, so do your vetting. Dropping a wrench on a Bentley paint job will cost you to fix, so choose your Los Angeles Bentley service mechanic carefully. Choose a shop that will show you their insurance, specifically how much coverage they have. Choose a shop with a solid online reputation in your brand of vehicles. And choose a mechanic that you can talk to, and when you do, you see that passion in their eyes, that they love what they do. Los Angeles… Schedule your Bentley service at Hollywood Mechanic today!
We Care About Every Detail.
