GSI belt change, any good garages in north east?

[tj56]

hi all
just as the title says.
my 3.2 gsi is now at 50+ thousand miles and i think its time it had its belt & water pump done. vauxhall in gateshead want 650 to do the work
can someone recomend a reputable garage in the north east they have used who i can get a quote from?
thanks in advance guys
Rob

[tj56]

anybody??

[byebyeitsagsi]

I would phone maybe your 3 nearest VX dealers and see who comes back with the cheapest quote or see if there is any vx specialists in your area.

Ill get shot down in flames here but due to the fact that most people dont even know the veccy comes in a 3.2 i prefer to take mine to the dealer who at least have some knowledge and a world of information available to them.

Hope that helps or fail on that google the good garage scheme and see if any of your local garages stand out.

[tj56]

i hear what your saying with the dealer only bit.
i feel the same way but 650 knocked me back a bit, especially when i know the price of the parts.
Labour rate at my local VX is 80ph plus VAT

[byebyeitsagsi]

Ano its a bummer, if it helps the labour time is 4 hours for a timing belt kit once you add on the additional times for the Z32SE the labour time for the job is 4.8 or 5.8 hours cant remember exactly. So there basing the quote on a 5 or 6 hour job + £130 for the timing belt kit. I was lucky enough to get my head gasket done under a warranty i got with the car and they phoned me up and i got my timing belt kit fitted for the parts price only.

Have you tried phoning around?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&...ed=0CBQQtQMwAA

[tj56]

nice one eh, jammy sod lol.
i only rang my local VX dealer as they are literally 5 mins from me. ive requested an estimate from another local garage through the good garage scheme website that had a lot of positive feedback. see what they come back with
i'll ring the other VX dealers that are a little further afield also and see if price is any different, may get it serviced too.

Any idea what an average service cost is from dealers mate?
my pal done last one but he's just too busy nowadays

[tonyord]

try sherwoods vauxhall in stockton i use them they are ok on price and you can do a bit negotiation on price as well good luck oh they also got one in darlington if this is closer

[tj56]

would prefer somewhere a little closer m8 but thanks for the recommendation, worth getting a quote from at least, cheers

[tj56]

407+ VAT up to now belt and pump
128+ VAT for service

Gonna ask if can do for 500+ VAT for whole lot

[muffking]

I know a guy in Lincoln near me who used to work for my local main dealer and did mine for £400 cash (i.e. no stamp). I should get mine done again now, I'm sure he'd do a deal on doing 2 at the same time ;-)