Perfect Pitstop
Service light on? Matthew Parkinson lifts the bonnet on main dealer servicing with Bowker BMW and MINI. Photography: Paul Currie
How much do you know about your car? Think about it. When was the last time you checked your oil, topped up the water, or even opened up the bonnet? Reliability is something we probably take for granted and whilst your car might run like a well-oiled machine, there’s a big clue in that phrase as to why it does, someone needs to oil the machine once in a while. The same is true for your car.
If you’ve bought a brand new car, congratulations, this bit is incredibly easy. Just drive on back to the dealership you bought it from, hand them the keys, wait a little while and the process will be over as promptly and as painlessly as possible. But what if your motor’s getting on a bit? What if you don’t have a service plan in place?
Perhaps it’s at this point you skipped back to the first paragraph and decided to defy what I said earlier by lifting the bonnet to take a peek, thinking you’d have a crack at it yourself. If you’re anything like me however, that’s probably about as far as you got, after taking one look at the mass of plastic covers, wires and colourful labels warning you about the variety of ways you could injure yourself before deciding not to bother.
You now have two choices. You can either take it to a main dealer, or take it to an independent garage and let them have a crack at it. Besides, everyone knows that those independent, quick-fix garages are cheaper, right? Not necessarily.
If a warning light on your dashboard is on, you can now drop into the centre and the experienced team will give you free of charge advice.
Independent garages lack Bowker BMW and MINI’s most useful tool – their manufacturer support. Bowker has the correct equipment and technology to ensure your time and money isn’t wasted. They add a level of reassurance that the people working on your car are trained by BMW and MINI to the same exacting standards as the people who assembled it in the first place.
For any service, repair or MOT work, Bowker BMW and MINI are open six days a week, including until 5pm on Saturdays. Whilst your car is being worked on, you can relax in the WiFi equipped customer lounge and enjoy complimentary refreshments. If you can’t make it to the centre yourself, Bowker also offer a local collection and delivery service from your home or workplace. They will wash and vacuum it, before returning it to you free of charge. If you need to keep moving whilst your car is in for work, they’ll even provide a courtesy car too.
Pre-paid service plans start from £16 per month, or you can drive now and pay later with 0 per cent APR on service and repair bills over six or 12 months.
In the first half of this year, Bowker MINI in Preston was the top performer in aftersales, beating over 150 other MINI Centres, and as voted for by those whose opinion matters most – its customers.
Still not convinced? Go and discover the advantages for yourself by dropping into Bowker BMW and MINI on Preston Docklands for a free consultation to see how much you could save.
Bowker Preston BMW
Channel Way
Preston PR2 2YA
01772 766070
www.bowkerprestonbmw.co.uk
