AlaisterM Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Afternoon all, Having read through other posts on here,I wanted to brief you of the positive experience (!) I've had with Follett Motors,an independent VW Audi specialist in St Albans,Herts. I chose to go to them for a main service on my A6 after the main dealer closed recently and I have found them to be very straightforward,reliable and,importantly,competitively priced. Their website is : http://www.follettmotors.com From what I gather,the majority of their business comes from disatisfied ex-main dealer customers and word-of-mouth recommendation.I live in Radlett and was told about them by a neighbour who has used them for years. There's a good deal to be said for finally being able to find a reliable alternative to the main dealer - at long last (!!) regards, Alaister Mackenzie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 [off topic] You're not Alaister Mackenzie ex MDIS employee are you? [/off topics] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlaisterM Posted November 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 ???I am not ??? what is MDIS ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shao_khan Posted November 24, 2004 Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 I think its something like McDonald Douglas Informaiton Systems - or something like that (I forget now). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlaisterM Posted November 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2004 aha. I'm an accountant... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigster Posted December 2, 2004 Report Share Posted December 2, 2004 Interestingly enough i live in London Colney now and quite often drive past on the way back from Homebase wondering if they are any good. I too was a little shocked at the £500 price tag given to change my cam belt, i wouldn't have minded if it was gold plated but when its a part that costs around 30 notes i do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlaisterM Posted December 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 I know exactly what you mean about main dealer prices.... The problem is ,though,"we" all know that "we're" not happy about having to go to main dealers,but it takes a leap of faith to take the plunge and go to an independent specialist. I have to admit,had the main dealer in St Albans not closed,I was complacent enough to not bother looking around,but I was told about Folletts by a chap who's been going there for years and has had a succession of Audis maintained by them. I don't know about you,but I don't want to feel that by taking my car to an independent,that I am running the risk of compromising the quality of work.I'm just as concerned that the person working on my car is technically able and using proper diagnostic equipment and that they're not going to give the old hoo-haa about mysterious random 'other things' which need sorting out. Starightforward pricing is also more attractive than being held over a metaphorical barrel as at a main dealer ..... (I'm very straightforward,me..!) Having said all that,I suspect all main dealers treat their (captive)customers with a fair degree of complacency - my wife has a mercedes and she was shocked to find that they had deemed it necessary to replace the entire console between the front seats - at great (read:massive) cost,without us knowing anything about this needing to be done. I think the moral of the story is : if you can get hold of a good independent VW or Audi (as in my case) - then hold on to them. By the way (tangent) ,do you live in LC, or used to live/work in Brighton ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigster Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 By the way, yep used to live and work in sussex but now live in LC and work in the smoke. Spoke to Geoff at Folletts today, they have been going since the 60's so there is certainly no lack of knowledge. I think any half decent mech. can fix your car when its mechanical but when its electrical then its a different matter. I felt after my conversation with them that they were extremely professional and now that the St. Albans main stealer has shut down i think most of that work will go there. If i have any problems i'll post them here, fingers crossed i won't! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlaisterM Posted December 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2004 [ QUOTE ] St. Albans main stealer [/ QUOTE ] lol...I have to laugh;I've not come across that interpretation before (!) Hope it works out well for you.... *Professionalism* is such a nebulous concept though - for a lot of people it just means a glass & chrome showroom and lots of middlemen who don't know much about *anything*. One thing that struck me the most about Folletts was that I was actually shown the old parts themselves which had been taken out (ie,those which I was informed needed replacing and had authorised them to do so). This sounds a minor/trivial point;but I've been in the position before (not only with my Audi,but in the case of my wife's Mercedes above,with the console...) where you have this horrible feeling that just perhaps the parts they said needed replacing/work doing..didn't really and you end up paying hand over fist... I could go on !! Alaister --------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigster Posted December 15, 2004 Report Share Posted December 15, 2004 well it looks like i might have to put them to the test sooner rather than later, the car has developed an EPS/ABS fault so we'll see what they are made of. I'll report back in due course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigster Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Basically told me what to look out for first so i could check without him having to charge me. I fixed the problem myself, how many other dealers would talk themselves out of business. Also recently had it serviced there and will be taking it back for a cambelt change and new disks. If you live in or around St Albans talk to Geoff you won't regret it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wikkus Posted August 26, 2005 Report Share Posted August 26, 2005 What a wonderful resource Tyresmoke.net is; I Googled, I got a hit, I spoke to a nice young lady and a very helpful gentleman, mentioned TS (got a giggle!) and now I'm off to Follett's tomorrow a.m. to get my rogue EMS light attended to :-) Wish me luck it's going to be a cheap 'un! Rik. Will report back soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlaisterM Posted September 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Wish me luck it's going to be a cheap 'un! [/ QUOTE ] Well;I wouldn't call them 'cheap' (* 'cheap' conjures up all kinds of nasty connotations ) but they are reasonable and very,very thorough. Service is also spot on as well - I got an emailed confirmation of my booking - which is a damned sight more than my wife got when she used to take her car down to Wandsworth Mercedes (when we lived over that way)...and had the misfortune to have them book her in ,only for her to turn up and have them insist that she had not actually been booked in at all - but that is another story...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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