Why is servicing so expensive?
Discussion
its a lot of money granted but have you ever watched a service being done? I have, tuscan and cerb, and its full on activity, and all worthwhile. Last service i watched the guys at str8 six work bloody hard to get everything done, and they wouldn let the car go til it was ready, they must have given me over an hour free tidying up bits that i hadnt done right or parts i had bought that needed some work. I cant imagine its different for many of the cars they have through, and they have to balance reputation and have a business to run. Honestly the best guys out these arent making much money in their servicing i just cant see it. I also think when u compare with other marques of a similar performance the prices are better.
Quietlybonkers said:
Its £300 inc VAT and parts at my local authorised service centre.....Don't forget, your 3 series is likely to be a 4 cylinder, your Chimaera will be a V8. A small service on a BMW, or any other repmobile, is really an oil change and inspection, on a TVR there is rather more to it.
Now £300 seems reasonable to me. My car is a 6 pot and I do barter with the dealer. Looks as though it's worth shopping aroundColin RedGriff said:
Yes much more it appears! I used to wonder when my car was new and I was getting even bigger bills. I then watched the car being serviced at Team Central and wondered no more. They do a lot in a service. It's not just oil and plugs and a wipe over with an oily rag, they actually took things apart, checked them, and put them back together.
Compared to servicing for other highly stressed cars servicing is pretty cheap.
Compared to servicing for other highly stressed cars servicing is pretty cheap.
It's no the cost of servicing that gets to me i know a lots done. it's the mark up on most parts because of what there being fitted to I don't like
Last year I fitted a starter motor the correct make Tvr fitted as new. It cost me less then £150 plus an hour under the car replacing it. 2 years earlier before I owned the car it was fitted with one stocked at euro car parts for £100 at a tvr dealer/ service place they charged £350 for the starter motor then another £250 for fitting. This is a massive mark up.
Last year I fitted a starter motor the correct make Tvr fitted as new. It cost me less then £150 plus an hour under the car replacing it. 2 years earlier before I owned the car it was fitted with one stocked at euro car parts for £100 at a tvr dealer/ service place they charged £350 for the starter motor then another £250 for fitting. This is a massive mark up.
zx6rscotty said:
It's no the cost of servicing that gets to me i know a lots done. it's the mark up on most parts because of what there being fitted to I don't like
Last year I fitted a starter motor the correct make Tvr fitted as new. It cost me less then £150 plus an hour under the car replacing it. 2 years earlier before I owned the car it was fitted with one stocked at euro car parts for £100 at a tvr dealer/ service place they charged £350 for the starter motor then another £250 for fitting. This is a massive mark up.
£600 to supply & fit a starter motor, now that is a rip off Last year I fitted a starter motor the correct make Tvr fitted as new. It cost me less then £150 plus an hour under the car replacing it. 2 years earlier before I owned the car it was fitted with one stocked at euro car parts for £100 at a tvr dealer/ service place they charged £350 for the starter motor then another £250 for fitting. This is a massive mark up.
But like others are saying, a proper service is very involved, Str8Six seem to be one of the few that cover all bases.
When you look at what they do it's actually pretty good value.
It can get pricey if they find stuff, which they probably will because they do a very thorough job, and lets face it our cars are getting on a bit now.
But why moan about it, have a look at how much it costs to service a Ferrari 328 which has similar age & performance to your TVR.
I service my car myself and use the savings on upgrades, but I don't have the wheel alignment kit so that needs to be done at additional cost.
If you're not confident to service your car yourself you should just accept it's not an everyday hack, and pay a trusted specialist like Sr8Six to do it for you.
You will get a very comprehensive job, for example wheel alignment & a suspension geometry adjust is included, I suspect most/many specialists will skip this.
Although I am more than capable of looking after my car myself, I still give it to Str8Six every three years for a thorough going over.
Having a fresh set of experienced eyes looking over it for me is a good thing in my book, I may miss the odd thing they pick up on, and there's no shame in admitting that.
You are paying for peace of mind, having your TVR has properly looked over by very experienced professional who knows all their little traits & foibles is worth the money alone in my opinion.
It's worth remembering your TVR Chimaera is still a fast accelerating 150mph plus hand made sports car, do you really want a cheap service on it?
Edited by ChimpofDarkness on Monday 6th August 09:02
Walford said:
zx6rscotty said:
i have always asked myself this.
i think its because are cars have a tvr badge on the front and garages think tvr owners can afford over prices servicing. im sure its the same with all the sports car makers.
Do it yourself, and see how long it takes i think its because are cars have a tvr badge on the front and garages think tvr owners can afford over prices servicing. im sure its the same with all the sports car makers.
Change oil ,filter,plugs ,clean K&N air filter.
Check clutch and brake fluid "re seal access panel" this is never romoved by specialists! check the silicone seal.
Check the underneath ,bushes,brake and fuel lines ,pad etc
Think the whole lot comes to less than £100 ,useing the cheaper spark plugs and VR1 Mineral oil.
Keep the reciepts and thats good enough. My mates got a four poster ramp so it`s a doddle .
I drop the diff and gearbox oil every year.
I service my 97 HC myself without problems. I do this as I enjoy working on it probably more than driving it.
If you look at check list in the email thread then around a third is covered by annual MOT test anyway.
The rest is fairly standard fluids replace, service parts replace and mechanical review.
For me the TVR is a very straight forward car to service hampered only by some access issues for likes of power steering rack removal or a couple of the plugs.
If you have maintained other vehicles to a good standard then these will cause you no real problems.
Parts are easily sourecd from the likes of ebay whilst being carefull to go for good quality (brand?)at the best price rather than the cheapest parts of unknown origin.
I keep all receipts for parts fitted, car performs extremely well and I spend time cleaning everything as I work on it. So when wheels come off, the entire arch, brakes and suspension get a full clean as well as inspection same as I do for all my vehicles.
Do it yourself, learn about your car and save money at the same time.
If you look at check list in the email thread then around a third is covered by annual MOT test anyway.
The rest is fairly standard fluids replace, service parts replace and mechanical review.
For me the TVR is a very straight forward car to service hampered only by some access issues for likes of power steering rack removal or a couple of the plugs.
If you have maintained other vehicles to a good standard then these will cause you no real problems.
Parts are easily sourecd from the likes of ebay whilst being carefull to go for good quality (brand?)at the best price rather than the cheapest parts of unknown origin.
I keep all receipts for parts fitted, car performs extremely well and I spend time cleaning everything as I work on it. So when wheels come off, the entire arch, brakes and suspension get a full clean as well as inspection same as I do for all my vehicles.
Do it yourself, learn about your car and save money at the same time.
Dropped £1,100 on major service and MOT last week - never ever spent that when I had a Porsche or Jags. Oh and then I dared to try to start her last night, and what do you know? Ah yes I now need a new battery. That'll be nearly £200 fitted. Imagine the 'design' discussion they had about battery siting. 
Diderot said:
Dropped £1,100 on major service and MOT last week - never ever spent that when I had a Porsche or Jags. Oh and then I dared to try to start her last night, and what do you know? Ah yes I now need a new battery. That'll be nearly £200 fitted. Imagine the 'design' discussion they had about battery siting.
I purchased a Silver line socket set and large set of spanners and i never looked back .
My car is close to 17 years old i can`t justify spending that type of money on servicing .
I do use certain specialists for things i can`t do..
A good battery is about £70 with a three year warranty
I purchased a Silver line socket set and large set of spanners and i never looked back .
My car is close to 17 years old i can`t justify spending that type of money on servicing .
I do use certain specialists for things i can`t do..
A good battery is about £70 with a three year warranty
Do Chimaeras need much inout when it comes to valve clearances?
Obviously, being a speed 6 owner its something as a collective people are nervous about (!) because of history, i think that affects your perspective on where to take it too. Even though most have had a rebuld now and this shouldnt be something to worry about, but it scares me as its not something i have dabbled with in the past.
As for general servicing - yes - think i could do the vast majority, but then the value of the cars is affected by who has serviced it. Whether this 'lesser' value adds up to more or less that the saved cash by DIY'ing it is very subjective and down to your perspective.
Also depends on your time - the average garage doesnt have a lift and lacks air tools, if you have this kit it makes servicing a damn site more rapid!
Stand by what i said - i dont think that the companies doing the servicing (as it should be done
) can be making much cash at it because they put so much time in....
Obviously, being a speed 6 owner its something as a collective people are nervous about (!) because of history, i think that affects your perspective on where to take it too. Even though most have had a rebuld now and this shouldnt be something to worry about, but it scares me as its not something i have dabbled with in the past.
As for general servicing - yes - think i could do the vast majority, but then the value of the cars is affected by who has serviced it. Whether this 'lesser' value adds up to more or less that the saved cash by DIY'ing it is very subjective and down to your perspective.
Also depends on your time - the average garage doesnt have a lift and lacks air tools, if you have this kit it makes servicing a damn site more rapid!
Stand by what i said - i dont think that the companies doing the servicing (as it should be done
) can be making much cash at it because they put so much time in....There is NOTHING exotic or highly stressed about these cars, they are very basic, big motor, light body, nothing more- OK TVR breath on the engine, but its still a Range Rover lump, and dead simple to service. The mechanics are pretty basic too, so its a case of looking for chassis corrosion, loose bolts, worn brakes etc etc, and by now most of the common failure points will be known and easily checked. Im sure the high costs of basic servicing is simply a means to maintain a decent revenue from a relatively small, shrinking market place.
blitzracing said:
There is NOTHING exotic or highly stressed about these cars, they are very basic, big motor, light body, nothing more- OK TVR breath on the engine, but its still a Range Rover lump, and dead simple to service. The mechanics are pretty basic too, so its a case of looking for chassis corrosion, loose bolts, worn brakes etc etc, and by now most of the common failure points will be known and easily checked. Im sure the high costs of basic servicing is simply a means to maintain a decent revenue from a relatively small, shrinking market place.
This, They are so simple to work on next to modern normal cars.Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff