Car servicing charges, are they a ripp-off?

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Thu 03 Apr, 2008 11:41 pm

My car had its 1st service today; here's the breakdown.

Service to manufacturer's specification £102

Filter - cabin air (never knew I had one) £11.54
Cleaner Windshield W £1.94
Cleaner £5.25
Filter, engine oil £5.70

Jeep oil - Mobil 1 (Fully Synthetic) £55
Jeep environmental £8.50 (disposing of old oil I suppose)

(It's not a jeep!)
VAT £33.24

Total £223.17

When I booked it in - after a reminder by post - I asked what the going rate was for a first service "About £230" they said. "Wow" I thought - remembering my last dealer service on an Austin Allegro in 1978! (That was the last time I bought a new car)

I was thinking £100 maybe.

Anyway - they said they'd like it there at 0830 - it's a train ride back here and a long walk, or taxi from the station this end and quite a long walk from the station that end to collect too. Not impossible but a hec of an embuggerance for us at that time of day.

I suggested I leave it there the night before and drop the keys, in an envelope, through their letterbox.

They don't have a letterbox, none of their branches have letterboxes - cars have been stolen by keys being fished back out!

But the guy says, as he does not live far from me, he could call after work the day before and collect a spare key, then I could park the car on their forecourt after work, and if I wanted he could leave that spare key in the glovebox and I could collect after hours.

He collected the key but I picked the car up mid afternoon.

It was immaculate. I'd given it a quick, but good wash and wipe, run a dustbuster over the interior - it was still pretty minging from the Corwall trip - and the Milton Keynes one. Couldn't send it to hospital with dirty underwear!

Bit like brushing your teeth before a visit to the dentist (got one of them tomorrow - crown - there's another £500)

The interior was as new - all the junk had been removed from storage nooks and crannies and replaced after cleaning and they put an air freshener in the cabin air filter - or somewhere - that smells like nothing you can buy, or nothing I have found anyway, and - if it's like when I bought it - lasts for ages.

It was gleaming outside, even the tyres had been scrubbed - wasn't expecting that - just the mechanical stuff.

Then I thought, in the time that they took and for the satisfaction they gave, I can't complain - I could easily knock out a frame costing more in that time withouit getting my hands dirty and probably with about the same outlay in materials and definitely less overheads.

Post by **prospero** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 2:22 am

A mate of mine has a BMW X5. That service charge would buy precisely 2/3 of a tyre. Wait till he wants a new exhaust. (Or a windscreen.

)

WelshFramer · Post by **WelshFramer** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 7:38 am

Our last Smart car service cost nearly that much!

In our case the Smart dealer is 97 miles away so it's a day trip to the shopping mall - which adds a bit more to the bill.

Funny thing about wives, say the guy in the garage, it's always 'their' car till it's due for a service.

Moglet · Post by **Moglet** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 6:15 pm

I think you got good value as well as top-notch service, John!

Merlin · Post by **Merlin** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 6:21 pm

Wifes car goes in for MOT and an oil change.

Gets a phone call that the back box needs changing. "they are not that expensive".

£256.81 later. !!!!!!

£103.90 is labour.....

Merlin · Post by **Merlin** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 6:22 pm

Sorry. It is only a Pug 206 SW. Nothing special

Post by **prospero** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 6:45 pm

It's a well known fact that car maunufacturers make most of their profits from spares, not new cars. And has anyone noticed that original parts in a car last for years and replacement parts last for about 5 mins.
I got a new battery about 18 months ago. It replaced the original one, about 6 years old. The replacement died about a fortnight after the guaranteee ran out.

As a stopgap, I shoehorned one in that came from my old car (c.1989) and had been flat for three years at least. Charged it up and it's been going strong ever since.

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 6:59 pm

That oil may sound expensive but I paid £49 for a can of the same stuff from Halfords.

The servicing intervals are quite good too - 1st service at 9 months or 10,000 miles.

We have a Beemer dealership next door almost - so I can relate to Prospero's post. Our Euro mouldings rep used to pay us extra visits when his was in for a service - nothing ever used to cost him - well, the company - less than £500.

But now he works for Nielsen and drives a Passat like everyone else!

(Think my car shares the same 6 speed diesel engine but I may be wrong - it's a VW engine anyway)

w00dward · Post by **w00dward** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 8:22 pm

I suppose this can be the only good side to working in IT. My company car has maintenance included and it only costs between £150 - £160 in tax each month.

Boy, I'm gonna miss that when I finally have the balls to quit and start on my own....

fineedge · Post by **fineedge** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 8:48 pm

hec of an embuggerance

Beautiful! Bet the US readers enjoy this too.

Framerpicture · Post by **Framerpicture** » Fri 04 Apr, 2008 8:49 pm

As a BMW driver the services always seem well above £500 and can be getting near a grand on occasion, but long service intervals and its just a dream to drive.

Bill Henry · Post by **Bill Henry** » Sat 05 Apr, 2008 2:16 pm

fineedge wrote: Beautiful! Bet the US readers enjoy this too.

Well, I would have spelled it “embuggerence”, but I guess I followed the gist of it.

Our petroleum costs tend to be a bit less than it seems you guys pay. A (U.S.) gallon of oil would be about the equivalent of £15-16, I think.

But, labor costs seem outrageous here, too. My wife’s 2005 Toyota cost her pretty close to £200 just for a “routine”, keep-up-the-warrantee maintenence.

What do they do for that? … rotate the tires, change the oil and filters, top off the transmission fluid, and that’s just about it!

avantime · Post by **avantime** » Sat 05 Apr, 2008 6:24 pm

Bill Henry wrote: Well, I would have spelled it “embuggerence”, but I guess I followed the gist of it.

Our petroleum costs tend to be a bit less than it seems you guys pay. A (U.S.) gallon of oil would be about the equivalent of £15-16, I think.

But, labor costs seem outrageous here, too. My wife’s 2005 Toyota cost her pretty close to £200 just for a “routine”, keep-up-the-warrantee maintenence.

What do they do for that? … rotate the tires, change the oil and filters, top off the transmission fluid, and that’s just about it!

Id have spelt it "tyres"!!!!

<runs off and hides!!>

Moglet · Post by **Moglet** » Sat 05 Apr, 2008 6:36 pm

Ah! The linguistic entente cordiale is restored. Great stuff!

avantime · Post by **avantime** » Sat 05 Apr, 2008 7:13 pm

Oh - and labour and warranty!!!!

3-1!!!!

Bill Henry · Post by **Bill Henry** » Sat 05 Apr, 2008 8:41 pm

Id have spelt it "tyre"!!!!

Silly me! I always thought Tyre was a city in Lebanon.

Post by **prospero** » Sat 05 Apr, 2008 8:56 pm

Languages were never my meteor.

avantime · Post by **avantime** » Sun 06 Apr, 2008 7:11 am

Bill Henry wrote: Silly me! I always thought Tyre was a city in Lebanon.

.....and I thought "tire" is what happens during a hard day framing!!