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the support they get from MAN dealers
Page 46
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Service back-up is one of the key factors in any buying decision. It's taken a while for MAN to get its service network up to full strength, but according to our operators the dealers are now firing on all cylinders.
They seemed to go through a difficult period four or five years ago, particularly in this area," says David Allen at Wrexhambased CS Allen. "They've got it together again now. Our nearest dealer had been in either Widnes or Manchester but the ERF service agent in Wrexham has now been included in the network and they can do most things for us."
All our TG-As are on repair and maintenance contracts with MAN," says Les Coatman at Durham City Transport. "They're very good trucks, but these days they are so complex and for us to have all the diagnostic kit here would be impossible. They send a two-man crew down to our workshops on a Friday afternoon and Saturday and do all the servicing on the TG-As. If there's anything special they may need to take it back to the dealership, but generally everything can be done here.
"We carry about £5,000-worth of imprest stock. We have the same relationship with Mercedes on servicing," he adds, "though they come on a Sunday to prevent any confusbn."
Mitchells of Grangemouth has a similarly flexible arrangement with its local dealer: We drop the vehicles off in the evening," says Stuart Allison. "They're serviced on the night shift and ready for us first thing in the morning. That way it doesn't impinge on our operation."
"The main thing for us is service," says Chris Kilsby, depot manager at Fowler Welch-Coolchain's Gateshead operation. The company runs 20 TG-As out of its North-East depot. "Whatever you buy there will be problems," he points out. "The key for us is how quickly those problems are addressed. We had a clutch go in one of the TO-As and the vehicle was repaired and back on the road within four hours."
Parts pricing is often another bone of contention, but most operators reckon MAN pricing is about average for the industry. Maybe parts factors such as Imex, which specialises in MANs, serves to keep prices depressed.
We price match with lmex and will use them every so often, to keep MAN on their toes," says David Allen. "Some MAN parts are a bit expensive, but we haven't had a lot go wrong."