maisymay

Hi can someone tell me the words for 'car' service please

adra04778

Revisión

megmet

servicio de coche

fionamw

I've only ever heard revisión.
(though when I tried a translation programme it said servicio de coche... has different connotations to me)

JLFS

Could you go into a lot more detail as to what connotation s-d-c has to you?

jo-ann

I found that servicio de coche was just enough to get it through an ITV, but revision is for a full service.

cricketman

this is the correct term

snikpoh

In my experience, revisión is for any size of service and is the correct term.

amideislas

I can understand your concern ... it's not uncommon for car repair shops to "load up" on expensive repairs "required" to pass ITV. But the terminology you use is generally not going to save you in that case.

There are a few independent "service providers" around who, for a small fee, possess the inside connections to "assist you" with the ITV process, rather than risk your car to expensive, unnecessary and often poorly installed "repairs".

cricketman

You couldnt resist it

Just like in any country, go to a garage that your friends recommend. Simple

amideislas

Well, I have to say Spain is the only country we've ever lived where replacing expensive engine parts are neccessary to repair a faulty turn signal switch.

And historically, there's always "something" that doesn't pass ITV (such as a faulty turn signal switch), which strangely enough, inevitably requires something significantly more complicated, time-consuming, and expensive than a "turn signal switch" to repair. (and not to mention the risk of petrol tank drainage, which admittedly you can easily avoid simply by following the commonly-known rule of always bringing the car to the garage nearly empty).

But yes, personal recommendations are everything - several years ago, some friends of ours introduced us to a "pre-ITV" service that operates here. And for €100, they personally take our cars to the ITV, and they pass first time, every time, without any repairs.

It's like magic!

Rosemary

Our garage has always been straightforward and totally honest with us about what repairs are necessary either at normal service times or when they do a pre ITV service. We have always been very pleasantly surprised at the low cost of each visit that we have made to them.

Rosemary

cricketman

Ours too

And I take our car to the ITV myself. I used to have an older car which I had to take every year. Always passed no problems and sometimes they gave advice on what we might want to get fixed for the following year

But we know that people like to rip amideislas off. Maybe it is how they come across

Rosemary

We used to take our car ourselves but with OH being so out of action I have had to rely on the honesty of local tradepeople more and more and have not had any misgivings or problems at all.

I do often wonder whether people have different experiences because they live where there are a lot of foreigners whereas we live in an ordinary Spanish town where word of mouth is totally relied on. If any member of the community ripped off another they would get no business from anyone.

The builders around here have kept working throughout the building crisis. They may have less work but they are not out of work. Many have tried hard to keep prices down for people and try to find the cheapest way to ensure that people can have work done.

Sensible, astute people as far as I am concerned.

Rosemary

amideislas

What you say seems to hold water. We do have a huge foreign population here, and it's not even a matter of debate as to whether foreigners are subject to a "bit different" rules than the rest of the population.

And to further support your theory, I'd have to say that in personal contact with the locals (which we enjoy much of), my solid impression is that they are by far the most reliable and honest of the lot.

That may sound contradictory, but as I've mentioned in other threads, I believe it's something deeply entrenched in the culture here - Since the beginning of the "tourism" boom, foreigners (particularly the Germans) have traditionally represented "easy money", and perhaps over decades it's become accepted wisdom that foregners are "legitimate" targets - unless of course you know them very well, and can trust them. We have several exceptional relationships with local building suppliers for example, and wouldn't consider buying from anyone else. But that's only due to the relationships we've built over the years. Newbies would never get the same treatment.

After years of hiring Germans and English tradesmen (the ones who are supposed to be the best), we've found that Spanish tradesmen, while not always up to date with the latest methods and skills, have proven to be far more reliable, honest and fair than their foreign competitors, who consistently appear hell-bent on doing the least and charging the most.

In any case, it's a rather complex set of cultural realities to try to sort out.

But back to the original topic: For my money, I'd prefer to pay the €100 and get it sorted quickly with minimum of risk, rather than put a car in a garage for a week and risk getting slammed for things that have nothing to do with anything (something we've consistently experienced).