Dealership closing

[jberks]

I guess it was inevitable. Popped into my local dealership which is a sattelite of the main Leeds dealer. All the staff have been given 28 days notice and they're closing the place down. Real shame, they did a great job and being a small outfit, provided an excellent service.

 

[psmart]

I guess it was inevitable. Popped into my local dealership which is a sattelite of the main Leeds dealer. All the staff have been given 28 days notice and they're closing the place down. Real shame, they did a great job and being a small outfit, provided an excellent service.

Which one, harrogate? Last time I passed it just after new year, it was looking bleak in terms of cars!

 

[jberks]

Which one, harrogate? Last time I passed it just after new year, it was looking bleak in terms of cars!

North Leeds
Harrogate revamped last year but to be honest I fear for them too. They may well pick up new business from Leeds with this change (the old man says he's going to go to them) but they can't be that strong.
I reckon that given the entire motor business has grown out of all proportion in the last 10 years, mainly based on false money, we're going to see a lot more closures until its back to a sustainable size.

 

[PeterCLK]

If Mercedes can't make it work in Harrogate then where can they?
I bought mine from there and the service was 1st class.

 

[Ellsy Tanners]

This is happening across the country!! Loads of good quality technicians out of work. The indies are thriving, but at the expensive of the places that trained them and got them where they are today.

 

[Jay Gee]

MB of North Wales (Inchcape) have just opened a brand new facility in Llandudno Junction.

 

[hawk20]

So many owners trying to save fractions of a penny per mile on servicing and going to non-MB places for a servcie it is not surprising. Use them or lose them, IMO.

And the same goes for internet suppliers of new cars -just kills off dealers.

 

[television]

So many owners trying to save fractions of a penny per mile on servicing and going to non-MB places for a servcie it is not surprising. Use them or lose them, IMO.

And the same goes for internet suppliers of new cars -just kills off dealers.

What way around is it then Hawk, is the servicing supposed to pay for falling new sales, brought about by the holier than thou attitudes of some dealers. In business if you are good you will see any hard times out, if you are bad, then you will fall by the wayside, and that goes for any business from building houses to selling ice cream, in the service trade, if you are too expensive then you will price yourself out of the market.

There are very few of us on this forum, or any other that are lucky enough to be able to go out and buy a new car, most of the MBs here have had several owners. Why should we as enthusiast of the marque pay 3-4 times more than a job is worth, I would suggest that the all under one roof for sales and service is not working very well.

 

[rhud]

Would hate to see MB Harrogate go. Bought my car from them and use them for servicing. Excellent.

 

[MarkF]

Malcolm,

Agree with you totaly on this, dad has a very nice 54 C180K elegance SE with the toys on, just covered 28000 miles. New C class comes out he thinks, thats nice, goes and gets a price needs to spend best parts of £18K cash which he has to replace, he thinks at 6000 miles or less a year no way.
Also they charged him over the odds for the last service so after 25 years of being with the main dealer the car is now going to be looked after by the indi I use, he is retired and the pounds in his pocket are more important than a full MB history on a car he will never sell, when he is finished with it I will have it.
As for breakdown cover, he is going to use the same as me and I put it to the test last week when the ML was recovered even after restarting the car it was able to drive I explained my concern to the recovery driver and he said no problem where would you like it taken to, all this for a sum of £35.00 a year.
Mercedes need to get there act together if they want to stay in business, they may have been very good at one time, Drayton offered first class service for over 20 years at Stoke, but a lot of new faces and dad just felt that for the first time he was being ripped off.
I very happy with the level of service I get from my indi and will remain with him.

 

[television]

This has always been the case Mark, I have always done very well with too much work all of my life, If I overcharged, or rather than use that word,charge more than the job is worth, I would deserve to go under

 

[britnordic]

Sad but not surprised

I have visited over 10 Merc dealers in the past few weeks with around £15k of my own money to spend. I may not be wearing a suit and tie and yes I'm at the lower end of the market, yet I expect to be talked to!
The same is true of our local BMW and VW dealers, one of whom asked if I had an appointment?? If there is a recession in the auto trade (you bet there is) then these dealers are not reacting to it.
Now the coffee and cakes maybe nice, but the service costs are high and unless you are buying new or nearly new, you are not made to feel welcome in the majority of showrooms.

THANK GOD FOR GOOD FRIENDLY INDIES !

Tony

 

[mattsurf]

A friend of mine bought an Audi A6 avant last week with nearly £12k off the list price of £34k.

He wanted to buy another BMW or new shape C class, however, the dealers didn't appear to be interested in his money - he went in with £12k cash and a 3 year old BMW 525D as PX

Even though he wanted to buy an Ex Demo car - Audi offered him a new car for £5000 less than any ex demo's in the dealer, although he is still confused how the dealer was able to put together such a deal

In these times, with Audi charging Ford Mondeo money, can BMW and Mercedes carry on as they are?

 

[television]

I have visited over 10 Merc dealers in the past few weeks with around £15k of my own money to spend. I may not be wearing a suit and tie and yes I'm at the lower end of the market, yet I expect to be talked to!
The same is true of our local BMW and VW dealers, one of whom asked if I had an appointment?? If there is a recession in the auto trade (you bet there is) then these dealers are not reacting to it.
Now the coffee and cakes maybe nice, but the service costs are high and unless you are buying new or nearly new, you are not made to feel welcome in the majority of showrooms.

THANK GOD FOR GOOD FRIENDLY INDIES !

Tony

Too true Tony, I went with a friend about 18 months ago to the Cricklewood road branch to buy a new S class with every possible extra, after being told that we have to make an appointment with a salesman, we left and bought it elsewhere

 

[britnordic]

Well I'm not in that "Class" Malcolm, but if there is a car on the lot in my bracket, you'd think they'd want to sell it.

Tony

 

[television]

Well I'm not in that "Class" Malcolm, but if there is a car on the lot in my bracket, you'd think they'd want to sell it.

Tony

The dealer did not know what we wanted to buy Tony ,so the new car did not come into the equation, we were not smartly dressed, as there is money in muck, we had just clothes on that I use for work

 

[Xtractorfan]

There was a time when they wished to make it exclusive, I think things are now changing, turnover and profits are making these cheap suit egoists realise that customers are valuable, but sometimes it takes a while to sink in..

 

[britnordic]

It's certainly taking its time where I've been recently!
Thought it was just a one off at first, but no it's a disease. It seems they don't even bother to wash and prep cars under £20k. The promise is to have the car prepared "like new" when collected.

 

[discoking]

A friend of mine bought an Audi A6 avant last week with nearly £12k off the list price of £34k.

He wanted to buy another BMW or new shape C class, however, the dealers didn't appear to be interested in his money - he went in with £12k cash and a 3 year old BMW 525D as PX

Even though he wanted to buy an Ex Demo car - Audi offered him a new car for £5000 less than any ex demo's in the dealer, although he is still confused how the dealer was able to put together such a deal

In these times, with Audi charging Ford Mondeo money, can BMW and Mercedes carry on as they are?

No word of a lie but the Audi dealer close to me hasn't sold a car(new or used) for 2 weeks to private buyers.

 

[Dosco]

and another...

Heard two/three weeks ago the large BMW dealer in town is on the edge and about to close down. They have a large quantity of stock on the front even with all the current offer on nothing appears to be moving.

Given that there are two MB outlets (same dealer) in the county about 12 miles apart one has to wonder what the future holds for either of them:cry::cry: