Car Servicing Kapiti

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jasonwaiheke

278 posts

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#150320 18-Jul-2014 14:13

Hi all,

The time has come to get the first service on our first car, can anyone recomend a mechanic that can do a good basic service for a good price on the Kapiti Coast.

SCUBADOO

206 posts

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#1091452 18-Jul-2014 14:54

I will start.

Lived here for about 10 years. For the first 2 or 3 years I went from one rip off artist to the next. A Waikanae one perhaps 200m from home was the WORST. Avoid like the plague!

Finally I asked the CEO of a large security company in the same work building where they had their 10 or 30 vehicle fleet serviced.
Check out Allan Gray. Old school but I have been very satisfied for the last 7 or 8 years with our 2 vehicle servicing/lubes/WOFs etc.

As usual - no connection.

Neville

Edited. I should really spell the mans name correctly. (-;

Coil

6614 posts

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#1091455 18-Jul-2014 14:58

If its a new car you could ask the dealer, Maybe they have a local service department.
It only takes 1 idiot to do something wrong that your car would wear its entire life.

ajobbins

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#1091493 18-Jul-2014 15:43

TimA: If its a new car you could ask the dealer, Maybe they have a local service department.
It only takes 1 idiot to do something wrong that your car would wear its entire life.

Yes and no. If it's new and still under warranty, yes.

If it's out of warranty, I would consider going elsewhere for the following reasons:

a) Dealers will typically ONLY sell you genuine parts, which are much more expensive. Aftermarket parts are almost always as good, or better and cheaper.
b) Dealerships typically run with a service model where 'service advisors' don't get hands on with the car, but control what gets done. These guys are often measured on KPIs of how many cars they can get done in a day, so they can push the mechanics to make shortcuts when time is running short.
c) They often work off a checklist approach only. Those shocks might be completely fine, but the checklist says replace, so they get replaced (at genuine part prices).
d) This is anecdotal, but I have heard through people who used to work at dealerships that the mechanics that do the work are often young apprentice types and they have very high turnover. The dealerships often don't pay well, so mechanics go elsewhere once they get experienced.

There are some advantages to going to the dealer tho:
a) Sometimes better familiarity with that type of car (and common problems), as they specialise in them
b) Software updates can often only be sourced via the dealer. Expect to pay for them tho! A colleague was recently quoted AU$500 to update the maps on his Honda's GPS. He reluctantly got it done, only to find out the map data was 2 years old anyway.
c) Service bulletins from the manufacturer. These are often available outside of the dealer network too, but not guaranteed.

Twitter: ajobbins

edge

edge
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#1091497 18-Jul-2014 15:47

As always, its a personal decision! Apart from major franchises for new cars I have dealt with several "independent" mechanics in the area over the last 40 years or so (since I owned my first car!!) and had no particular problems over the years. For last 10 years or so have settled on Gold Coast Mechanical (Epiha St by railway carpark). I find Dayal and Simon straight up and down - will not do anything that doesn't need doing and will talk through options as required (even telling me occasionally I should be doing it myself!!). They look after our farm ute and several cars for the family. Reasonable pricing. One big benefit for some is that, if you commute by rail to Wgtn from P'ram, you can drop the car off in the a.m. and pick it up on way home!

That's not to say there are not other equally good options elsewhere (as per SCUBADOO comment above) - I can only give you my 2 cents worth! I also have no connection to them other than them servicing our vehicles.

"It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of what he was never reasoned into."
— most commonly attributed to Jonathan Swift, author/theologian

Coil

6614 posts

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#1091503 18-Jul-2014 15:53

Some good points, I would only ever go the dealer route if its a car under warranty ETC.

KiwiTim

406 posts

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#1091885 19-Jul-2014 08:59

My family has lived in Waikanae for over 30 years. We have tried a wide variety of car mechanics in Waikanae and Paraparaumu. Some are sloppy, some are dishonest, some charge way too much. However, I am very pleased with my current mechanic. He is honest, he tries to save us money on jobs, if a job doesn't need doing he tells us straight that it can wait another six months, and he is also very thorough.

Check out Auto Doctor, opposite side of Parata Street to what used to be Mitre 10 in Waikanae (just down the road from New World). The owner is Mike Bennet, a decent and honest fellow. We are completely satisfied with the work he has done for us. You can phone him on 04-293-5987.

Tim

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nzquiet1

21 posts

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#1092061 19-Jul-2014 16:51

Hi there, my two cents, check out the guy next to the VTNZ on Kapiti Road (can't remember his name, but location hasn't changed for a while). Always been good, easy, and truthful, ie not doing crap that doesn't need doing.
If on the other hand you still have warranty etc then do via dealer to keep it in place.

overkill

222 posts

Master Geek
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#1092069 19-Jul-2014 17:14

You are more than happy to use our garage and learn to do a basic service on your own car if you are up to it. Located in central Pram and have everything needed for a service through to a complete rebuild. Offer is there, PM if interested.

"Setting the Standard in Quality and Commitment"

jasonwaiheke

278 posts

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#1092626 20-Jul-2014 19:48

Thanks all for your posts. The car was purchased from a non branded dealership in Auckland (ie. not Toyota, Honda, Kia etc) and we are the second NZ owner, thus no warranty or requiment to use the dealership. I have been using the dealership up unitl now for WOF's and work that needed to be done. But when it cam time for a service I was a little amazed by the pricing and my options and what was covered. Bear in mind I am new to all this. So I asked around for recomendations, called around to cmpare prices and what was covered in the service, and wow what a difference. I see both Allan Gray and Gold Coast come recomended here, as based on recomendations and service and rates I would consider either of these two, in fact, it has come down to these two.

So once again thanks all, the decision is nearly made.

jasonwaiheke

278 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 5

#1092628 20-Jul-2014 19:50

overkill: You are more than happy to use our garage and learn to do a basic service on your own car if you are up to it. Located in central Pram and have everything needed for a service through to a complete rebuild. Offer is there, PM if interested.

Thanks Mate, but it is one thing to go over a car and clean it, adjust it, chnage the oil and filter, but to the untrained eye, picking up things that will need to be addressed in the near future to enable us to budget would be a little too hard I think.

Mattmannz

471 posts

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#1092805 21-Jul-2014 08:47

I have used both Allan Gray and Gold Coast Mechanical and they are both good. I have also used Kapiti Motors who used to be down by the beach in Paraparaumu but have now moved to Raumati, they are also recommended and where I go for most of my work.

I recently had an unplanned need to get my company car repaired at A1 Automotive on Kapiti Road and they were very professional.

Matt