Non franchise dealer service

Faults and Technical chat for the Volvo XC40
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Yowfailed
Posts: 12
Joined: Sat May 07, 2022 3:29 pm

Post by Yowfailed »

Guys
Whilst I fully appreciate that your car can be serviced by a non franchise garage and so long as they use genuine parts any warranty is maintained. A couple of questions spring to mind if I may.
1. How would Volvo know the the non franchised garage used genuine parts?
2. If serviced by that non franchise garage is there any way that the service could be included on the Volvo electronic system ( have be been told it could be included if you pay?) Sound correct?
3. If a vehicle is sold with a non franchise garage service stamp in the service book would that vehicle be eligible for sale as a ‘Volvo Select’ vehicle.
Sorry for the lengthy post.

bba
Posts: 102
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:12 am
Location: Fairford, UK

Post by bba »

Why would you want to use a non-franchised garage? What are you seeking to gain?

If buying I would pay significantly less for a nearly new (3-4 years old) car with a non-franchised service history if I would even consider it.

Also, it seems a major portion of car servicing today is updating software which I would not expect many non-franchised garages to have access to so you would be losing out on improvements and bug fixes, particularly in the first few years.
Used to have an XC40 T5 Recharge Inscription Pro MY21 with Polestar and useless Pilot Assist
Chris John
Posts: 496
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2020 9:08 pm

Post by Chris John »

If the car is still under warranty I just wouldn’t go to a non franchise. How will the back street garage update the software?
Volvo XC40 T5 R-Drive Pro. Thunder Grey with lots of extras
Andy40
Posts: 445
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2022 10:24 am

Post by Andy40 »

If the cars under warranty, IMO it’s not worth the risk / hassle that you might get, if you need to claim if the car hasn’t been serviced by Volvo - how much money are you saving ?

Not a clue if it could be recorded on the Volvo electronic system, but I would doubt it ? how it would and is it possibly misleading ???

My understanding, a Volvo select vehicle is one that meats their standards - so possibly not being serviced by them would rule this out, it would certainly rule this out for me purchasing one via select…
Yowfailed
Posts: 12
Joined: Sat May 07, 2022 3:29 pm

Post by Yowfailed »

Thanks for your responses guys. However, I never said that I was considering service via a Non franchise garage. This was a conversation I had with a Friend who put forward the argument for non franchise work, I disagreed.
Last edited by Yowfailed on Sun May 08, 2022 5:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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pwliv
Posts: 78
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:01 am

Post by pwliv »

When trading in my BMW for the XC40 I was asked about service history. The last service (outside warranty) was from a non-franchised garage because it was done under lockdown when I couldn't get to my dealer, and I was told that as far as the Volvo dealer was concerned, that meant it had no service history at all.
Paul
Denim Blue T3 Momentum auto (2021), Pilot assist, Climate, Parking assist
Deleted User 3629

Post by Deleted User 3629 »

There are many great non-franchise garages who will service a car as good as any franchise one (and some would say better), and often for a lower price too - but when it comes time to move the car on, wonder how the non-franchise stamps in the service book will affect its value - it shouldn't affect the value at all, but bet it does?
KeithR56
Posts: 222
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2022 4:16 pm

Post by KeithR56 »

A full Volvo Main Dealer service history might make a difference if you’re selling it privately, but, in my experience, if you’re trading it in, it probably won’t. In fact it could be covered in dents and scratches and holes in the seats with part service history and the price might be just the same.

In 2017 I had a D5 V60 SE Lux Nav to trade in against a nearly new XC60. The V60 was top spec, low mileage, in mint condition inside and out, and had a full main dealer service history. My local dealership would only give me bottom book value of £6,000 as a trade in. So I sold it to a local car dealer for £10,000 and bought a nearly new XC60 from a Volvo Dealership 108 miles away.

Five years later it was time to trade in the XC60 (again top spec, mint, 39k miles) and my local dealership offered me £15k trade in. The very next day We Buy Any Car offered me £20k (after they’d inspected it). This time I travelled 90 miles to another dealership and they gave me £19.5k against a nearly new XC40 without even haggling. The condition of my XC60 was such that this dealership put it on their forecourt for £23.5k. It was sold in less than a fortnight.

The moral of this tale is once your Volvo is out of warranty, have it serviced wherever you like because it won’t affect the value. At least it doesn’t at my local dealership.
MY22 XC40 Inscription B4P, Auto, FWD, Denim blue, Blond Leather, Climate, Versatility, Sunroof, Tints.
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