Senok Prices

[sampathd]

Hi,

I recently bought a used VW Bora as I fell in love with it when I saw it. Now I am thinking of putting it to Senok for a service. I was wondering whether there is anyone out there who has had experience with Senok's VW/AUdi service facility and thier prices.

What are the prices like ( I am putting it for a service, so how much can I expect it to cost?)

How are thier workmanship?

How long do they take usually?

I havent had my own car for a while and it is after a long time that I am outting my own car for a service. Also I havent had any experiences with the servicing at an agent. Been going to places near home. But since this car has a lot of comouterized stuff in it, I thought a service at Senok is worthwhile.

Thanks for any advice in advance.

[GTAm]

I have no experience but I have heard from more than one source that they are very expensive. So you better check with a few people before you commit.

I wonder if there are any VW specialists like BMW and Alfa do.

[sampathd]

Thanks, that was my worry too. Specially given the fact that they are german.

Am definitely interested in VW specialists out there like Milroy for BMW's. The only thing is the Bora has a lot of computerized stuff running like the service indicators, etc which needs to be properly reset after a service. SO a little bit scared to take her to any service joint.

[VWvortex]

sampathd, I own a Bora myself but rarely go to agents for services. I go to either carmart or senok for engine tuneups or for any engine diagnostic work when the VAG-COM is required. Servicing can be done at any decent service station ( i go to laughs at koswatte) but u need to get the filters from outside. contact me and i will tell you where to get them for cheap. Also the service indicator lights can be switched off, so that it does not bother you every few thousand kilometers. But if you do that keep track of the mileage and get the services done on time

[priya]

I go to either carmart or senok for engine tuneups or for any engine diagnostic work when the VAG-COM is required.

Are you sure that Car Mart has Diagnostic and tunning equipment?(eg;O2 sensor) I dought it since when I had my Mazda(BHA3P 1997) I went their once(3 years back). They Charged me 1500bucks for tunning ..which I would say a fairly low rate at Agents but the items used for Tuneup in the bill was Cotten wool, Hot water, sand paper,petrol etc. Funny isnt it. After a month exactly the tunning was wrong again. No wonder....!!!! Finally after about an year after I met Thi*****(guy who works and tunning) at Car Mart at Keels he said that they always remove the battery terminals for 2 hrs and keep..and refix it so that the deafult map loads and the car is smooth ..thats it. And they make the customer pay bloody 1500 for doing that and mention cotten wool,petrol,sand paper etc..Good for you you've chosen the most pathetic place to do a tuneup. But I don't know the stuation now maybe they have spend a couple of lacks/millions and got some equipment...

Edited April 29, 2008 by priya

[VWvortex]

its just a hand held device that captures error codes. Not a very expensive tool

[The Don]

I go to either carmart or senok for engine tuneups or for any engine diagnostic work when the VAG-COM is required.

Are you sure that Car Mart has Diagnostic and tunning equipment?(eg;O2 sensor) I dought it since when I had my Mazda(BHA3P 1997) I went their once(3 years back). They Charged me 1500bucks for tunning ..which I would say a fairly low rate at Agents but the items used for Tuneup in the bill was Cotten wool, Hot water, sand paper,petrol etc. Funny isnt it. After a month exactly the tunning was wrong again. No wonder....!!!! Finally after about an year after I met Thi*****(guy who works and tunning) at Car Mart at Keels he said that they always remove the battery terminals for 2 hrs and keep..and refix it so that the deafult map loads and the car is smooth ..thats it. And they make the customer pay bloody 1500 for doing that and mention cotten wool,petrol,sand paper etc..Good for you you've chosen the most pathetic place to do a tuneup. But I don't know the stuation now maybe they have spend a couple of lacks/millions and got some equipment...

Hi Priya,

Since Carmart was the dealer for VW/Audi until recently I'm sure they have all the equipment required to service these cars to factory standard, because without investing on that they would not have been able to gain the dealership !

Whether they use them or not (or even know how to) is an entirely different matter

I owned a Mazda myself for a while, and once had the misfortune of going to Carmat. Needless to say never went there again. They gave me a 175 000 rupee quotation to fix problems I did not know existed for a car worth only about 270 000 at the time !

The Don

[Bugatti]

I agree with Don,

They charged me 10k to ONLY remove, adjust and re-fit my clutch and messed it up much worse than it was. Never went there since..

I assume the technical expert there gets his knowledge by reading service manuals...

[priya]

Hi Priya,

Since Carmart was the dealer for VW/Audi until recently I'm sure they have all the equipment required to service these cars to factory standard, because without investing on that they would not have been able to gain the dealership !

Whether they use them or not (or even know how to) is an entirely different matter

I owned a Mazda myself for a while, and once had the misfortune of going to Carmat. Needless to say never went there again. They gave me a 175 000 rupee quotation to fix problems I did not know existed for a car worth only about 270 000 at the time !

The Don

You are right Don! they may have all the state of the art equipment and still perform crap since they lack expertise in using them!

[sharkster]

Hi Priya,

Since Carmart was the dealer for VW/Audi until recently I'm sure they have all the equipment required to service these cars to factory standard, because without investing on that they would not have been able to gain the dealership !

Whether they use them or not (or even know how to) is an entirely different matter

I owned a Mazda myself for a while, and once had the misfortune of going to Carmat. Needless to say never went there again. They gave me a 175 000 rupee quotation to fix problems I did not know existed for a car worth only about 270 000 at the time !

The Don

a friend works at the colombo dockyard and he told me of a mazda tribute that went through water and was sent to car mart to fix... the job costed 800k

[The Don]

a friend works at the colombo dockyard and he told me of a mazda tribute that went through water and was sent to car mart to fix... the job costed 800k

Well in our scenario Car mart told my dad we needed new engine mounts (3 x) new steering, new suspension bushes all around, new shocks, new air conditioning system, new CV joints and drive shafts, new clutch pressure plate and release bearing, a carburettor service and tune up and quoted 175K in 1997 with labour.

What we actually got done by our friendly neighborhood mechanic (plus a dubious AC guy hint the joint is down Stanley Tilekaratne Mw and is Mw and is painted light blue the last I saw it) was 1x Engine Mount (3500 original Mazda) , 2 rear shocks (7000 KYB), clutch and pressure plate (7500 original Mazda) complete AC overhaul with new compressor evaporator and condenser (we were taken for a ride here as this was completely unnecessary, just needed a new evaporator !!! 25 000) carburettor repair kit + labour + tune up (7500 at Macro with a Original Mazda repair kit) 2 CV joints (9000) , clutch + pressure plate + bearking (7000) labour 10 000 approx. Total cost 76 500 (approx). But what is most important here is all of this was done over 6 years while we owned the car. Some of this did not become necessary until 2001 !!!

Compared to Car Mart places like A*W are much more reasonable as they take a more realistic approach to repairs and even use used parts on customer request.

Senok from what I've heard is also a fairly reasonable agent at least when it comes to Subaru's and one of the reasons Subaru's are cheaper to import second hand compared to Evo's though they have nearly identical RRP's brand new.

And yes, German parts are expensive (now even more thanks to a strong Euro), but cars like VW's should not be that much more (like 3 to 4 times more) to maintain via an agent compared to a Japanese car. (though parts outside agents would be significantly more expensive compared to Japanese parts due to low volume of imports and thus higher margins) so I'm keen to know of a comparison of costs.

[VWvortex]

Hi Priya,

I owned a Mazda myself for a while, and once had the misfortune of going to Carmat. Needless to say never went there again. They gave me a 175 000 rupee quotation to fix problems I did not know existed for a car worth only about 270 000 at the time !

The Don

I had a similar experience with them. They quoted 150k for two rear shocks, mounts and timing belt with the adjusters etc.... total job just cost me close to 30 k with the help of a mechanic who has no experience what-so-ever on new generation VW's :-)

So my advice is, anything you can get done outside the agents just do it that way. But if its something you must go to them, well you have no choice. This is the problem when u own European cars, unless there are specialists outside ( I don't think there is anybody for VW), for certain jobs the right diagnostic equipment is required. Having said that, i used an E-36 for 2 years and even the trusted specialist from Kelaniya does not come cheap anymore. Also in comparing Senok with Carmart, i find Senok much more accommodating.

[The Don]

I had a similar experience with them. They quoted 150k for two rear shocks, mounts and timing belt with the adjusters etc.... total job just cost me close to 30 k with the help of a mechanic who has no experience what-so-ever on new generation VW's :-)

So my advice is, anything you can get done outside the agents just do it that way. But if its something you must go to them, well you have no choice. This is the problem when u own European cars, unless there are specialists outside ( I don't think there is anybody for VW), for certain jobs the right diagnostic equipment is required. Having said that, i used an E-36 for 2 years and even the trusted specialist from Kelaniya does not come cheap anymore. Also in comparing Senok with Carmart, i find Senok much more accommodating.

You know VWvortex, European cars are not AS complex as agents or specialists will have you believe nor are they as complex and difficult to fix as they might make you believe. I mean you really should see our local mechanic who is a Sri Lankan and has a garage exactly like the one you might find at home and he is game for more or less any problem in most European cars especially when it comes to mechanical repairs.

What I've realised in European cars are 2 things,

1. There is a specific way to do something, and things are not always where you might expect them to be. Thus trying to do anything in one without having a service manual (unless you are familiar with the model) is a hair tearing experience. A lot of things are hidden under covers for aesthetic purposes and figuring out which is which is a nightmare. Japanese cars tend to be more consistent across the board when it comes to things like that, in the sense anybody who has experience with one Japanese model can easily become familiar with another Japanese model.

2. The cars are obviously made to be assembled fast on an assembly line and designers have not really bothered themselves in access to components, which I must say Japanese cars seem to do extremely well on. I mean how many of you have needed a car to be lifted up on a hoist for a clutch replacement ?. Just to share a personal experience a friend of mine who is a German Tech graduate was trying to replace the clutch on his 98 Mondeo, and estimated it will take him 3 days because to get to the clutch without dropping the engine down he will have to remove everything from suspension to drive shafts to God knows what else. Now he might have been overstating the point, but I've noticed this issue in European cars while in SL as well and used to drive my old mechanic up the wall (a particular 305 ).

So they require a bit more effort and a bit of expertise which is only lacking in SL since cars are not as plentiful. But apart from electronic problems you might need a scan tool for, most other repairs should be within the grasp of any skilled mechanic.

[VWvortex]

So they require a bit more effort and a bit of expertise which is only lacking in SL since cars are not as plentiful. But apart from electronic problems you might need a scan tool for, most other repairs should be within the grasp of any skilled mechanic.

Yes...