What is it that a zed owner would like to see at a garage ,

friendly honest staff , fixed prices , cheaper prices , want to ask the people that matter , any input welcome , anyone had bad experineces that has made them sceptical of zed garages

kept informed of progress, dedication not complacency ,honesty and reasonable costs

Don't say your going to do something and then skimp on the parts and rip people off pocketing the money from the item you were supposed to have replaced!

 

i have been ripped off twice now and to be honest i don't trust ANY mechanic because of it. its cost me too much money so i personally would rather do the job myself and learn along the way.

 

good luck in your venture

 

gaz

Quality work at a sensible price with a guarantee of workmanship+parts used

Fixed prices on things like 60k service, clutch change, air-con re-gas etc

No problems if the customer wants to source and supply the parts to be fitted.

A Conzult/diagnostic check each time the car is in for work

MOT testing

 

I'm sure there's more................... :D

A willingness to not only tell us what needs doing, but explain why or how at happened and help us understand the fix, Zed-Education as it were.

 

I understand as a business, profit is the whole point and without it, there is no business. But if someone is willing to spend a few extra minutes with me explaining things, im more likely to come back and be a repeat customer and recommend to my friends.

 

Knowledge is power, and if your not only well informed, but fully understand what is happening, it gives zed owners a better understanding of there cars, and is reassuring to here that your mechanic understands what is going on enough to explain it to the customer to the point where they understand what is happening, instead of just handing over a load of cash.

 

And as previously said, QUALITY of work. I would rather pay top dollar for high standards of work than save a few quid and have the likelyhood of further problems down the line.

Ill I want is good quallity workmanship from someone that takes pride in what they're doing.

 

I'm thousands out of pocket because of sh1te bodged workmanship in the past which could of all been avoided. At least its sorted now and will be an real treat for the next owner.

alot of good points coming across , sorry to hear some of ou have had bad experiences , burt hopefully will have something in place to try and help forget those experoiences

in one word mate TRUST

in one word mate TRUST

 

 

Thats the one ;)

From experience (mostly bad)

 

Keeping to timescales and deadlines is a must.

Keeping to the initial quote.

Communication on a regular basis about progress and if it's gone passed the deadline then communication everyday.

 

I know it's asking a lot but it means so much more to the customer.

One of the biggest problems is expectations. You can now buy a Zed for the price of a 10 year Mondeo unfortunately most people think the servicing costs will (should) be the same, yet in the next breath they will call it a 'supercar' and liken it to a Porche, Ferrari etc., Supercar servicing costs are in the region of £250 an hour, which is a lot of money, and a Zed is as complicated as these desirable vehicles and performs similarly. No one likes being ripped off but we should all appreciate the skills required to repair and service these cars properly, and be prepared to pay the price necessary for it to be done right. Nothing is infallable either and with these vehicles now around 15 years old or more, we need to get real about the chances of things failing and the costs of putting it right. We all like to know beforehand what things are going to cost but we should also be prepared for additional costs due to other items being worn or faulty and likely to fail, after all it is an old car. This I think is where most people end up falling out with their chosen garage. Performance comes at a price and so does peace of mind.

Its an issue of trust for me. if im a new customer i'll be watching EVERYTHING to make sure your doing your job properly, after that if all is well im happy to use the same garage etc etc

Good communication, calling people to let them know what is going on or if something has cropped up that needs doing or will delay work. I got fed up with having to call to find out if my car was being worked on, i very impressed with zedworld so far as Geoff even called me at 9pm to inform me my car had arrived and to mail me some pics :)

What is it that a zed owner would like to see at a garage ,

friendly honest staff , fixed prices , cheaper prices , want to ask the people that matter , any input welcome , anyone had bad experineces that has made them sceptical of zed garages

 

Honesty, integrity, professionalism, fixed price (rather than a blank cheque), trust, experience, proof of experience oh and a warrenty fro any works carried out.

 

I've just put my mota in for a new timing belt, tein suspension inc. EDFC, oil cooler etc.... the parts came to about 1200....but the labour is the killer...£55 plus VAT, which I think is a p155 take to be honest. But they are local and any issues and they're on my door step.

Sorry mate, but £55 plus vat is nothing! That pretty much the average garage will charge for labour. Infact thats not a bad price, I cant think of any official dealership that charges less than that, apart from the like of TATA and Peradua

 

You wana try owning a ducati, official dealership rates for working on my old bike was £110 ph plus vat!

What do zed owners want from a garage

 

Someone who knows how to work on a Zed

 

Good quality of work

 

Kept up to date on progress

 

Timescales kept to or good comms if not

Be within 50 miles.

well the next question is what would you say is a fair hourly rate ?

well the next question is what would you say is a fair hourly rate ?

 

How cheap can you do it ? Surely this will be down to your expenses, i.e., overheads for premises and equipment etc., unless of course you plan to work out the back of a van, have jack will travel. The other decider will be the competition in your area and surely you are not planning to make a living purely on Zed repairs, especially in the beginning when you are establishing yourself. In the longer term you may be able to be like Zedworld, but that will most cretainly take years, and with rising costs, fuel and insurance etc., and additional taxes being piled on us by government, most zed owners will find the coming years financially challenging and if like most is a second car, it will end up being left in the garage.I wish you good luck with your intentions.

Same as i would like from any garage, for them to admit if they do not know what is wrong, instead of presuming and pretending.

well the next question is what would you say is a fair hourly rate ?

 

anything from £35 -£55 an hour seams to be the standard workshop rates at the mo so anywhere within that really.