Main dealer hourly rates

[markCSC]

I don't normal use main dealers as they always charge an arm and a leg but I took my car in for an MOT yesterday to one across the road from work. It passed but needed new number plates bulbs (£2.50) however they charged me £18 to fit them. They said this was 0.2 of the hourly rate. That works out at £90 per hour!!!! I got the labour rate reduce to £5 after throwing a wobbly, but still £90 per hour!!! Is this normal?

[thinfourth2]

90 pounds isn't normal up here

1oo plus is normal up here for the services of a spotty idiot who is paid 10 an hour

[Coupe_Daz]

This is where peoples perceptions of dealers can be wrong.

We for example, fit all exterior bulbs for free, regardless of model and bulb. But ask average Joe and "dealers would rip me off so I went to halfords and they did it for a fiver".

Same can be said for servicing and some other tasks.

Our labour rate is 89.50 ph, the cheapest in our area.

[Carfiend]

The labour rate at a dealer is much higher as their mechanics are well trained and have experience working on the cars that they sell.

Yeah sorry couldn't keep a straight face.

[J4CKO]

D.I.Y is the only way, £18 to fit a bulb ffs ? Volkswagen did that to my heavily pregnant missus once, broken fog light cover on a Golf, the nice man on the parts counter offered to fit it (two screws) seeing she was pregnant and then they charged her for it, doubling the cost.

Got to pay for the posh reception, leggy receptionist, lifestyle magazines and coffee machine somehow I suppose.

[carmonk]

Good god, as if I need reminding why I don't go to dealers.

[S3_Graham]

For some perspective, my company charges less for aircraft engineers per hour than my local BMW at £120!!

[J4CKO]

Last trip to the dealers when we had a Sharan it came back smelling strongly of Fish and Chips, really classy using a customer vehicle to pick the lunch up and made me want chips.

[BMWBen]

markCSC said:

I don't normal use main dealers as they always charge an arm and a leg but I took my car in for an MOT yesterday to one across the road from work. It passed but needed new number plates bulbs (£2.50) however they charged me £18 to fit them. They said this was 0.2 of the hourly rate. That works out at £90 per hour!!!! I got the labour rate reduce to £5 after throwing a wobbly, but still £90 per hour!!! Is this normal?

£90/hr? That's just over half the rate the my main dealer charges...

£175/hr at cooper BMW. Oh yes.

[Rick_1138]

Saw this when i was in VW getting part numbers for my MK3 VR6 about 3 years ago.

It was £90PH then, its more now. Its shocking, especially that mosat issues are now solved by plugging into a PC, which you can;t do at home as the diagnostic machines have special software.

BMW are very bad for this as they have set up their systems in such a way that even independents can't fix the problem as they cant get the required software, you need a BMW main dealer to tell you whats wrong, which costs a lot!

Its a big scam, my folks only bought a new mini as they got the TLC pack which covered servicing costs.

But i am pretty good with spanners so can do most servicing jobs, and have a few good independents near me which charge about £40 an hour, which is a damn site better

[carmonk]

Rick_1138 said:

Saw this when i was in VW getting part numbers for my MK3 VR6 about 3 years ago.

It was £90PH then, its more now. Its shocking, especially that mosat issues are now solved by plugging into a PC, which you can;t do at home as the diagnostic machines have special software.

BMW are very bad for this as they have set up their systems in such a way that even independents can't fix the problem as they cant get the required software, you need a BMW main dealer to tell you whats wrong, which costs a lot!

Its a big scam, my folks only bought a new mini as they got the TLC pack which covered servicing costs.

But i am pretty good with spanners so can do most servicing jobs, and have a few good independents near me which charge about £40 an hour, which is a damn site better

Yep, about £45 per hour here and on the whole the service is excellent, plus often they don't charge labour at all for small jobs. Why anyone would pay 3X or 4X that for a bunch of monkeys (or indeed, even for the best mechanic on earth) is completely beyond me.

[T.K]

BMWBen said:

£175/hr at cooper BMW. Oh yes.

Really?!

My god.

[Arthur Daley]

Most charge around £80-£120/ hour round here.
Most fit bulbs free, although on some cars like the Megane they are a pig to change and the car needs to go on a ramp and then the mechanic has to drop the arch liner.
If its a customer that brings their car in regularly for service then they would probably chuck it in. If however its a customer that only brings their car in for recall/ warranty work but gets the servicing done at fred in a shed because its much cheaper then they get charged using the booking labour time as specified by the manufacturer.

I have seen it from both sides but if it was my business....

[mcford]

J4CKO said:

Last trip to the dealers when we had a Sharan it came back smelling strongly of Fish and Chips, really classy using a customer vehicle to pick the lunch up and made me want chips.

That's a poor show on the dealers part, we get our Fish and Chips delivered.

Seriously though, after talking to a dealer this afternoon who had just had £1500 worth of special tools delivered (as it was identified in a brand standards inspection that they did not have them), which they admit that they will never use. You can blame the manufacturer/importer for pushing the costs up.

[60]

Carfiend said:

The labour rate at a dealer is much higher as their mechanics are well trained and have experience working on the cars that they sell.

Yeah sorry couldn't keep a straight face.

Aircraft maintenance is cheaper per hour!

Edit someone beat me to it.

S3_Graham said:

For some perspective, my company charges less for aircraft engineers per hour than my local BMW at £120!!

[Fun Bus]

Rick_1138 said:

BMW are very bad for this as they have set up their systems in such a way that even independents can't fix the problem as they cant get the required software, you need a BMW main dealer to tell you whats wrong, which costs a lot!

I hear this a lot. What jobs are BMW main dealer only?

[CBR1000RRider]

Light bulb on Jag XF £50, i had to have it done as it was winter and dark.

Its an H4 bulb

[Fun Bus]

The Crack Fox said:

My BMW Indy is something like £40 an hour IIRC. Sytner trained, very knowledgable, completely honest. Got all the latest kit. I never dread taking the car there as I know he won't diddle me. I lost the washer bottle filler cap once, he supplied and fitted it FOC as "it didn't look right without it", I hadn't even mentioned it to him !

You're in the East Midlands too. Is your specialist called Mike (and the owner of the business) by any chance?

[iva cosworth]

J4CKO said:

D.I.Y is the only way, £18 to fit a bulb ffs ? Volkswagen did that to my heavily pregnant missus once.

So pregnant women should get a discount or stuff for free ?

I will find a fit girl ,a pillow to stuff up her front and send her out in my car

and see she can get it fixed for nowt ?

And anyway ,everything takes time and fitting bulbs does too ,so it gets charged or learn to do it yourself

[Shuvi Tupya]

You would think that at the very least they could have two levels of mechanic so you might pay £95 an hour when you need an expert but not when you need some monkey work doing..