Car dealer Swansway has extended the opening hours of its three Audi centres.

The aftersales teams at centres in Crewe, Stafford and Stoke will be taking bookings from 7.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday and from 8am until 1pm on Saturdays, an additional half an hour in the mornings and evenings, allowing customer drop-off before and after work.

Customer demand has led to the change, and if successful both in terms of work booked and customers satisfaction levels, Swansway would extend hours for other brands, and potentially for more than an hour per day.

In terms of retail hours, most Swansway centres operate with about 14 technicians. The extended opening hours will equate to an extra 70 hours labour time.

Group aftersales director Paul Woodhead said: “It may sound a little bit of a cliché, but people’s lives these days are busier than ever and our customers are no exception.

“Fitting servicing your car into an already hectic schedule can prove a logistical nightmare and we hope that by opening longer hours we can ease the burden.”

“Customers will now be able to drop their car off before work and pick up at the end of the working day, eliminating the need to arrive late at work or to leave the office early”, added Paul.

Swansway Audi centres have a customer lounge, with free Wi-Fi, TV, coffee, tea, a cold drinks fridge, fruit, pastries, and the option to order a complementary lunch.

“We’re trying to offer every option to our customers, whether they want to cut and run or wait, with the combination of the extended hours and the new lounges we should hopefully please everyone.”