Servicing?

[Carrie]

Okay, prepare for some real idiots questioning here.
My car is just approaching its 2 year service, which Vauxhall have just told me is a major service and have quoted a price of £146 + VAT at which point I nearly fell through the floor. I was expecting it to be expensive, but not that expensive! So, what do they actually do for all that money?
This is the first time I'll have ever had a proper service on a car, but figured that as this is the newest car I've ever had, I'd better have it serviced otherwise Vauxhall will no doubt use that as a get out for the warranty if I don't. They used that as a get out when my Corsa started to rust.
In the past, I've never bothered with servicing, I've got some good friends who are mechanics and if I go down to the garage from a chat, they'd quite often just pop my car up on the ramps and look it over whilst we were chatting, so although my cars never had full service histories, they were probably much better maintained than many cars that do have full history.
So, at the end of the month it looks like the Astra will be heading off to the main dealers for a service and I'll admit I'm a bit nervous about that because I always look upon main dealers like they want to screw you at any chance they get.

[woodyracing]

that does seem a high quote and I guess they haven't even inspected it yet. a service is usually oil change, oil filter, sometimes fuel filter, spark plugs, top ups (water, antifreeze, brake fluid, washer wiper soapy stuff), tyre pressure and knowing dealers they'll probably poke around looking for any faults.

[sss]

i think most of it is labour cost, mechanices must be on 50 pound an hour i reckon, but really if the car is in the warranty still best go to a vauxhall dealer

[woodyracing]

i forgot to mention air filter too.
Id agree, with a new car id probably go to the main dealer.

[Mattracer]

I wouldn't go to a dealer after it's off warranty.

[Mattracer]

I've got an Astra (a Holden in Australia) and the service intervals a very long (15,000km) but I do as they say and check it weekly.

[AussieV8]

My wife and I have a Mazda each and we have been going to the same dealer for 15 yrs and we want change. The last 4 cars have come from there and we are bitting the bullet in August and trading the two in on a Mazda RX8. zoom zoom.

[Dave Brand]

Originally posted by Carrie
So, what do they actually do for all that money?.....

......and I'll admit I'm a bit nervous about that because I always look upon main dealers like they want to screw you at any chance they get.

I'm not familiar with Vauxhalls, but presumably you have a service booklet, which should detail exactly what is required at each service. If I were you I'd ask the dealer for a detailed list of whet they have quoted you for & make sure that they do only the work specified by the manufacturer. Don't let them sell you extra work.

Manufacturers put a lot of effort into drawing up maintenance schedules; dealers may claim to know better.....they don't!

As far as I know, you don't have to have a car serviced by a dealer for that make to maintain the warranty. I think the only requirement is that it must be serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's maintenance schedule. Disclaimer: don't take my word for that - I am not a lawyer!

[sss]

i dont know if your right or wrong dave but, you dont want to give them any chance of welching out of the warranty

[ss_collins]

a 2 year service is fairly major and they go over a serious amount of stuff ie fuel filters. Lots of obscure little things that need to be done and jsut about very single service part imaginable £146 + VAT is a very average price.

[Carrie]

Originally posted by Dave Brand
As far as I know, you don't have to have a car serviced by a dealer for that make to maintain the warranty. I think the only requirement is that it must be serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's maintenance schedule. Disclaimer: don't take my word for that - I am not a lawyer!

My last car (a Corsa) didn't have a full service history and I was told by Vauxhall that without a full service history from a main dealer the warranty wasn't valid.

Thanks for all the answers folks. Looks like it's got to be done to keep the warranty. Actually, I can't have any complaints about the warranty - so far in the 12 months I've had the car I've got a new radio, oil leak repaired, new starter motor and it's about to have an fault on the rear wiper fixed - all under warranty.

[medler]

The price seems ok for a 2 year service. I doesn't take a lot of labour at £20-25 per hour + vat and then there are parts to add up to that. A full service history is also a good selling point. Main Dealers are only as likley to try and rip you off as a backyard garage, some might but many want you repeat business so will try and keep you happy. But having a nice showroom in a prime site and workshops full of expensive equipment as well as having to send mechanics on training courses costs money. I also believe that David Brand is right about the service history, it doesn't have to be serviced by the main dealer, but if things do go wrong you have to stand up for your rights as they will try and use it as a way to get out of a claim.

[blackx]

sss i think most of it is labour cost, mechanices must be on 50 pound an hour i reckon

I work for a main dealer and I work nights for the truck side and I am on nowhere near £50 an hour m8....
Our commercial labour chatge is £44 per hour..
A service on your car will probably be allocated 3 hours labour and therefore represents good value..
Main dealers have in the past been rip-off merchants but have now come into line with many of the independant workshops and I believe still represent good value..
I send my car to a main dealer for it's services and repairs because in todays climate of ever cheaper cars a dealer service history is a big plus sign when you are ready to sell the vehicle..
By the way...I dont work for a Vauxhall dealer either....lol...

[TimD]

That last point is a key one - cars are getting so ridiculously cheap on the secondhand market that early dealer stamps are critical to the resale value.

Certainly when I sold my Corsa earlier this year, I know it was the dealer service history which swayed the buyer towards my car against a similar one with fewer miles on the clock.

As for slightly older cars - well, my Rover was stamped up to its fourth birthday, and then it went to the trusted independent, who to be honest, seems a lot more keen to keep my business than the main dealer. Exemplary service at all times.

(W Ganderton of Buckingham, in case anyone's in the area.)

So to be honest, I'd say the main dealer service is worth it if you're likely to pass on the car before it's four or five years old. And, of course, if a quiet, straightforward, no quibble warranty claim is high on your list of priorities!

[Carrie]

Right, the car is now booked in for its service and as is usually the case with this dealers, I've been quoted a different price - £146 inclusive of VAT this time. Okay, so not as bad as the biggest difference in quotes that I've ever had from them which was a price for a new radio which varied by £250. However, it seems every tim you phone for a price with them you get a different price, so I think my cynicism is well justified.
Plus, I hoped to get a courtesy car whilst mine was being serviced as the garage happens to be 25 miles from where I work. I've been told that all of their courtesy cars have been taken out of commission

[Tedebear]

That sounds better Carrie - we've got our Mondeo Estate booked it for its 12.5k service on Friday - cost is £139 with a Ford dealer (booked on line too!!!)... The 25k service will be the same cost as well....even though I hate to pay that price for a service as my other half could probably do it twice as well for a quarter of the cost - we would invalidate the warranty if we did so I think....

[woodyracing]

courtesy cars seem to be something of a myth.. there's never any when you want them.

[blackx]

I have a new shape Mondeo 2001 vintage..I am a mechanic by trade but use a main dealer for my servicing....Why??
1) Modern cars are mainly controlled by a main computer and need a diagnostic workstation to carry out many jobs..The one we use for DAF trucks cost £15,000..
2) If anything goes wrong with a service related part after the job has been done then the dealer is liable for the rectification costs..
3) The dealer will collect,service and deliver the vehicle back to my wifes place of work at times to suit us with no charge for the collection and delivery..
Not reaaly worth putting on my overalls is it??

[Amaroo Park]

DON"T GO TO A DEALERSHIP THEY ARE ALL THE SAME,


BLOODY AWFUL

[Bluebottle]

If you can't be any more helpful than that please don't bother.

[Mattracer]

A friend of mine had a work vehicle to be serviced and when he got home, he lifted the bonnet to check the oil level and lo and behold, here is oil sprayed around the engine bay because they had not replaced the dipstick. Truly amazing and it was a dealership- BLOODY AWFUL.

If that hapeened to me in my privately-owned vehicle, well, I'd rather not say anymore....

[Webslinger]

I have the new shape Renault Laguna, with service schedules noted as every 18,000 miles. The charge for that was £140, whilst the next due at 36,000 will be £240! I also do my own servicing in between every 9,000 just for good measure, using a fully syntetic oil - my own peace of mind really!

In the 12-months I have had the car it has required a new gearbox (9,000 miles), and new rear discs and pads (23,000 miles). When I got the car back after the gearbox replacement, one of the tyres had actually come from another car in the workshop at the same time! Some guy out there has got my tyre on his car and probably does not even know about it!

I have had to pester the dealer with (sometimes) sarcastic letters to get the things done, but so far the warranty has covered them all. I dread to think what would have happened if I had not had the first service done by the dealership?

Besides the above problems the car also displays the odd electrical hic-cup, with wiper blades that do not turn off when the 'delay' switch is in a certain position, together with little dashboard warnings that appear from time to time re the tyre pressure sensors. The front tyres have also worn out at a phenomenol rate (two pairs in 12,000 miles!), since I trusted the computer diagnosis of the main dealer. In frustration I went to ATS opposite the main dealer entrance, who using a more antiquated method, laughed when they saw how much the tracking, etc. was out! Since I allowed them to put it right the front tyres are showing every sign of lasting a darn sight longer than their predecessors.

So, back to the query, is a main dealer worth it? I think only as long as the warranty is needed, because the care and attention to detail is not necessarily any better than another servicing garage. Ask me in another 18-months after my warranty has expired...

PS. I love the car, but little things tarnish the overall amusement factor...

[zefarelly]

our Mondeo just had its 1st service at a main dealer . . . . its come back with a missfire at low revs when you put any load on the engine . . . . .it was fine before, I never have and never will trust main dealers, they where hopeless when we where looking for a car (we went to 6 different ones and theyre all the same)

once I have the warranty period out of the way Ill revert to doing it myself or my trusty independant mechanic.

1st year on a V6 MOndeo is 134, as is 2nd year . . .3rd is major and £220 . . .If they actually do what they say theyre going to then not bad given it should take 3 or so hours.

[garcon]

Misfire could be anything - shouldn't have changed the plugs at a 1st service - they could have overfilled it with oil...

The more stories I hear, the more I think there's a polarisation between the quality of service (in both senses) you get from the volume market - Ford, GM, Citroen Peugeot etc - and the Jap/sports/exec market. You seldom hear of problems from Toyota for example. Or BMW (except for their charges!)

[Webslinger]

Sadly Garcon what you say is true. Besides the Laguna I had the Toyota Avensis on my very short list, simply because the Toyota Carina I had before was nigh on bullet-proof. In hindsight I wished I had gone with the Avensis, just for that solid reliability reputation!