Value, service, experience and convenience
For keys, possibly you just need to have a spare key cut or a new spare remote supplied and programmed. Possibly one of your remotes has stopped working. Worst, possibly you have lost or broken your keys. All these are issues any car owner might encounter at some time and the obvious answer, especially if your car is relatively new, is to contact your nearest main agent. However, this is likely to be very costly in more than one way.
For other problems, you may have a warning light showing on the dashboard, your vehicle might be running poorly, or performance and fuel consumption might have deteriorated. Obviously, we offer routine maintenance and mechanical repairs, but are also highly experienced and trained (and with all the correct equipment) to diagnose and repair electronic and electrical faults.
Recovery charges
If you have lost or broken your keys or remote, and your car cannot be unlocked or started, most main dealers will want to carry out repairs in their workshops. This means you will end up paying for the car to be recovered and taken there, which is obviously going to be relatively costly and also inconvenient.
Repair times
Main agents may have to order full replacement remote keys directly from the manufacturer, pre-programmed for your vehicle. This could result in you being without your car far longer than you expected, and also result in substantial cost. In the case of electronic failure of any main ECU (electronic control unit), main agents and franchised dealers will almost always source a new replacement unit from the manufacturer, the price of which will be extremely high. By contrast, we have a number of trusted and highly-experienced specialists who are able to diagnose faults and repair existing units. Even in the (unusual) case that an ECU is damaged beyond repair, we are often able to source replacements at a significant saving.
Repair charges
The hourly charges set by main agents are substantially higher than our rates. Frequently, labour charges are set by the manufacturers themselves. Franchised dealers are also obliged to have substantial premises and have to hold large stocks of parts, all of which increases their overheads. Although we have up-to-date technology and highly experienced and trained staff, we rely on a network of independent suppliers. We therefore do not need to hold vast stocks of spares, as the vast majority of items can be delivered to us within an hour or so.
We do keep a wide range of vehicle remotes, remote keys and standard key blanks in stock. Our equipment allows us to cut keys and programme remotes in a short space of time, and in the majority of cases, we do not need to have the vehicle in our workshops to carry this out. Even if access to the car is required, if you are reasonably local, we can carry out work at your home or business to programme the vehicle itself, or to access the relevant codes to provide replacements.
No matter what the problem is, we will be cheaper than any main agent, yet will offer the best possible and most convenient service.
