grant8064

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Posts posted by grant8064

  1. Posted

    On 8/28/2019 at 11:13 AM, Autolink100 said:

    Gentlemen

    Can anyone recommend a  trade friendly workshop in the Hastings area. I have one down there that I need to get inspected and diagnosed by somebody who knows what they are doing.

    Any suggestions much appreciated

    Ta

    I've used Tivoli Autos in the past, really good but they're mostly a Volvo specialist so depends what the car is. Worth a call 01424 442277

  2. Posted

    3 hours ago, Blenheim Car Sales said:

     Who does all collections and valet`s and  all the running around for all the pre sale prep to all the trades that i use

    We just get cars delivered and get most painters, valeters, mot and garages to collect and drop off from us. Mobile dent, glass and key guys visit. Not a big fan of staff when I can outsource it all to specialists but it's each to their own. 

    You might need to rethink the grand a month if you do look for someone...not even minimum wage and you want them to be self employed as well! 

  4. Posted · Edited by grant8064

    6 minutes ago, met said:

    I'd imagine that most antique auction houses would just stick them on the website for the highest bidder, like Ebay. Do antique auctions still operate like the ones on 'lovejoy'?

    Auctions don't generally own anything; they'll sell goods on behalf of dealers and joe public for a 20% fee. On face value they're transparent because all the bidding is conducted online at the same time as the physical auction takes place but in reality lots of Lovejoy-esque things happen.

    It's more the goods themselves that are questionable though, so many fakes out there it was becoming impossible to operate without routine investigations...main reason I left.

    I don't think any proper dealers use eBay.

  5. Posted

    On 7/26/2019 at 2:53 PM, NOACROSS said:

    I wonder if that’s true of the antiques business etc. 

    I got out of the antique auctioneering game about five years ago to do cars.

    Ever decreasing number of actual buyers because it's literally a dying industry with an ageing demographic.

    Add to that about 40% of the UK art market is forged/fake and a lot of the remaining is heavily restored or simply worthless. Plus the legislation killed lots of the market for no good reason. 

    Takes a lot less brain power to buy, market and sell a Ford Fiesta than a Napoleonic prisoner of war carving, plus the margins bigger and the market's less demanding.

    Gimmie cars every time.

  8. Posted

    4 hours ago, Nick M.K. said:

    Majority of TFSI have been sorted by Audi under warranty but you are only really safe on a post 2014 14 reg and newer. 

    Thanks Nick, wondered if the later stuff had been improved. 

    Interesting how Audi sound like they're happy(ish) to fix these...Skoda was a very different experience. Happier to f**k off someone on a supermarket brand than one you're trying to make premium I guess.

  9. Posted

    1 hour ago, Nick M.K. said:

    1.8 TFSI. 

    They will not be disappointed. 

    Nick, is a newer/modified engine design? 

    Be interested to know as we blacklisted the TFSi stuff because of the oil consumption issues but it was usually on 09-12 plate stuff. Has the newer VAG stuff improved?

  11. Posted

    We were with them for just over a year. Had a good rep but getting a valid claim approved and then paid out on was a real hassle. We were just a branded warranty supplier so maybe it's better if you go the whole hog and adhere to their "Approved Garage" standards.

    The branding is great, we'd originally moved to a new site which is why we used them; inspire confidence, be very visible etc. Since we left sales haven't dropped and no one seems to moan too much that we run our own pot.

  14. Posted · Edited by grant8064

    My closest friends collectively drive a Yaris hybrid (gets an NHS discount/subsidy) one of the small boxy BMW things (personal car) and a C Class hybrid (company car tax swerve...not going to pretend I know what model it is). They're all under 35 years old. The rest get trains and uber, i'm the same. Hate driving outside of work. 

    My favourite garage we use are hammering trade shows and courses to learn about hybrid tech so they can be an indie ev/hybrid specialist.

    Our only local main dealer doing well (Toyota) don't even stock diesel...not a Landcruiser in sight.

    Are they the future for consumers? Yes.

    Do I believe they're good? No. They are utter s**t for the planet. But because people have been spoon fed the sustainability narrative they've become the 21st Century Zeitgeist. Social and corporate responsibility is all well and good when you're sat in a warm comfy design studio or chatting in a bar/restaurant about your new motor but less meaningful when you're stuck in a pit in DR Congo mining minerals for the latest ev battery.

    Will I ever stock a ev/hybrid? Yep, i'm a hypocrite with a mortgage and they're the future no matter what I believe. I'll stick to my well maintained high tax smoker though.

     

     

    • Like 2

  15. Posted

    On 6/2/2019 at 3:59 PM, David Horgan said:

    cant say we miss clogged up EGR's , turbo's , injectors , DPF's and the rest of the shite that goes wrong with oil burners though

    We haven't really been stocking them for 18 months now, they make up 10% of stock at any one time at most. Saved a bloody fortune in prep/repair costs but it's very location specific. We're in an area with lots of stop start traffic, lefty green council, it's rare people commute more than 10 miles...makes no sense to be selling oil burners for us. 

    If we we're in a semi rural or commuting town then i'd be the other way round.

    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    As others suggest; carefully selected from main dealer sources.

    But when you're halfway through a viewing and get the feeling you don't want to deal Billy it can be quite handy to drop the real source casually into conversation...never fails to make them 'food for thought', 'sleep on it', 'lots more to look at'.

  18. Posted

    5 hours ago, TangoVictor32 said:

    They're even looking at idling charges were you sit with your engine running.

    Pretty sure idling has been a fixed penalty issue for a while now.

    On the topic of how things are; 2019 has given us our best ever and worst ever months with no rhyme of reason between either. Stopped trying to work it all out long ago, just concentrate on cash flow.

  21. Posted

    Evening MJG and welcome from me.

    We've not much in common; i'm mainstream, pitch and the mere thought of dealing with used Jag, Audi, BM, Merc & Range, and the people they attract, gives me cold shivers...gimmie a 10 plate Aygo any day of the week. You've also been in the game a lot longer and I know sod all about trading from home.

    Sure they'll be some crossover though!

    3 hours ago, MJG50 said:

    You are so right about prestige making big money, even when it's not right! I go to Blackbushe a fair bit where's there's lots of prestige but most of it tends to make top money.

    The same applies to 58 plate Focus's and 61 plate Pandas...firm believer there's only 10% of any auction that's genuinely desirable whatever the makeup and it almost always makes the money

  22. Posted

    We sometimes retail them if they come in as swappers and are up to scratch, wouldn't buy one to retail.

    I can't tell you what determines a car becoming a write off or each categories criteria but I can tell you that it doesn't seem to harm the salebility (is that a word?) whatever the marker.

    All we do is new MOT and a VERY THOROUGH inspection on the ramp. I don't treat them like a normal car, when I say thorough I mean thorough, just for personal peace of mind. The irony is they'll be a load of unrecorded stuff in far worse or even dangerous condition floating around out there. 

     

     

    • Like 1

  24. Posted

    6 hours ago, David Horgan said:

    When you get busy and sell to more customers , you seriously haven't the time for bank transfers , as much as I like them for being free I cannot justify not having a card terminal .

    Today 3 customers

    Just my view mind . 

    No time to log in to online banking on your laptop/mobile (all of 30 seconds) and check???? Am I missing something?

    Today 7 handovers, most paid the balance in full 48 hours ago which helps with the cash flow. We re-negotiated our terminals recently but debit card is still an expensive way to take money. Card terminal for a dipper maybe but for balances it makes no sense when online banking is there. We don't do same day collection but if you do it's literally 30 seconds to check payment's in. Your business, you dictate the terms. Throwing £100's away each month using a terminal.

  25. Posted

    3 minutes ago, Stalker said:

    We only fit genuine wahler ones now after pissing about with aftermarket shite lasting 3 months. 

    We bought one from euro last week for £225 plus vat. And we have our own techs that fitted it. However I’d charge it out at about £150 plus vat labour I reckon.

    We had a young lad that did so many he got them down to 1.5-2 hours start to finish. 

     

    Mind we swerve as as many as we can with the emissions scandal thing. 

     

    Thanks, got another one coming back in next week for it and in the past we've been at £600-£650 all in. Didn't realise Euros were doing them for £225+...might take a couple of deliveries to get the right part but that's a good saving.