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I'd like to mention our little local garage (Nice's in Waterbeach, Cambs). I took the Yellow Peril in for a service today, and they did it all without a hiccup, including the notoriously difficult oil filter.

When I picked her up, Mr Nice told me about a few things he'd spotted, like a bit of corrosion on the alloys: I did know about this, but it was really nice to know he'd looked over her so thoroughly.

And although it was a more comprehensive service, it cost me almost half what the main dealer had charged me for an oil and filter change.

Thank you, Mr Nice!

 

That's them!

(D'you know, I've lived here over 20 years, and I didn't know they had a website... )

 

HMC in Hendon, london. Very helpful indeed. Had first service there while I waited, quick and reasonably priced.

Would recommend them to anyone.

 

Yup, that's them. David, the main man, is very welcoming and helpful. Service was quick as I said and, although I normally bitch about the "extra" the valet of the car was also excellent.

 

I have to mention my local garage - CJ Hardie & Son, Colne - they are truly brill. My Copen has got 90,000 miles on the clock now (that's a lot of servicing!) and they are absolute professionals. I've completely lost track of what service Tarquin needs when, and just leave it up to them. If they were sharks they could really take me for a ride but they are great, they only ever do what's needed and they know the car inside out.

I've also had an emergency recently where the self-closing mechanism decided to fail on the car, meaning the boot wouldn't shut. One of the computers in the boot had gone a bit haywire it seems so they resoldered some of the connections and cleaned it up, and returned the car same day in working order. A lesser garage would have done the easy thing and ordered a new computer to make a killing on the price of a spare part.

I've also tried Parkside Daihatsu in Bolton. All I'll say is of the 29 services that Tarquin has had, they've only done 2 of them...2 too many.

 

If any Londoners are reading, I have to sing the praises of my local garage - "Euro Car Centre" in Tulse Hill, South London, SE24. Whilst my dealership (Kinghams of Croydon), were great for sales, their repairs and oil change quotes are astronomical! A friend recommended Euro Car and I haven't looked back. They've done a very reasonable oil change for me, and last week little Nim was there for 3 days having a seriously nasty bash on his bodywork fixed after some horror ran into him while he was parked. They did a truly fantastic job, there's no sign of the scratches at all, and with a stunning valet job inside and out it's the smartest this little Copen has ever looked! And all for just over £300 all in. It's a lovely family business and they always greet me like an old friend, and love the chance to work on an unusual car

 

That's the one!

 

Well no one's posted in this thread for ages so I thought it was time to wander in through the door and blow some of the dust and cobwebs away!

I took Neville to Sharoe Green Garage in Preston (still have their Daihatsu signs up) for his service and general shakedown and I have to say I was well impressed. The whole feel of the place was welcoming and business-like and they gave every impression of knowing what they were doing. It was his fourth service and at that point they were hoping to get the alloys sorted under warranty as well as the corroded front brake discs, which they were unhappy with. He also has a small leak into the boot and they were claiming for that to be done as well with a reseal of the brake light on the boot lid. Price-wise their labour is £60/hour and the receipt suggested the work took a total of 1.5 hours. Once he's out of warranty I might not always get him serviced there (2 hour drive from home!), but I can certainly recommend it and their service advisor, Nicki, seemed really switched on and friendly.

Nicki phoned me a couple of days ago to say that Daihatsu have approved ... wait for it ... four new alloys, new front brake discs and a replacement seal on the boot-lid brake light. RESULT!! Reckon that's worth a 4-hour round trip to have it all done under warranty.

To be honest I'm well-pleased with Sharoe Green, who don't know me as a regular customer - they have made a big impression right from the outset, so I can certainly recommend them for anyone in the northwest of England.

So, off to Preston in a week for a new shiny set of wheels and, maybe, a dry boot (hmmm ... depends whether the seal's the only culprit!).