Are tvr workshops starting to over charge a bit ?
Discussion
I was thinking of the premium some of the tvr specialists are starting to charge, why is a rv8 engined car so difficult to work on.
Let's face it they really are no more complex than a kit car and the rv8 side and a lot of the electrics are all from land rovers.
Do we really need any more than a good normal mechanic ?
Let's face it they really are no more complex than a kit car and the rv8 side and a lot of the electrics are all from land rovers.
Do we really need any more than a good normal mechanic ?
This might open a can of worms but in IMHO I think this is one of the easiest cars to service and maintain. But, there are a lot of owners who are not mechanically minded and having spent a lot of money on their car, will want to maintain it as best they can.
I have only used one big named TVR place and the prices did not seem to be bad. When you consider how much a Merc or BMW dealer will charge you for a routine service on one of their cars, I don't think most TVR specialists are expensive.
Having said that, a local garage told me they had spoken with a TVR specialist who they knew well and in the course of the conversation the specialist said they charge TVR owners more because they've got more money.
It may be a pain to travel for servicing but if you are unsure about the cost, a few phone calls to other garages may save a bit of cash.
I have only used one big named TVR place and the prices did not seem to be bad. When you consider how much a Merc or BMW dealer will charge you for a routine service on one of their cars, I don't think most TVR specialists are expensive.
Having said that, a local garage told me they had spoken with a TVR specialist who they knew well and in the course of the conversation the specialist said they charge TVR owners more because they've got more money.
It may be a pain to travel for servicing but if you are unsure about the cost, a few phone calls to other garages may save a bit of cash.
I find the £65-70 per hour I'm charged very acceptable compared to what my OPC used to charge me for my Cayman S 
My preferred place of TVR service also has fully trained mechanics as opposed to "fitters" and a very impressive machine shop that allows them to fix anything brought in............within reason
My preferred place of TVR service also has fully trained mechanics as opposed to "fitters" and a very impressive machine shop that allows them to fix anything brought in............within reason
), some TVR dealers were charging £100 per hour or more. I don't know everyone's prices, but those that I use are similar to above these days.I think that it's not so much how difficult it is to work on
(you can get to most parts of the engine relatively easy on the RV8s. On my Passat you have to take the entire front of the car off to change the timing belt!)
more the knowledge that has taken years to accumulate and that they stand by their work.
I'd rather pay for one hours labour at £100 than three hours labour at £40 if the cheap garage has no clue what they're doing!
I remember being at Dom's place when a Tuscan came in with a really lumpy tick over and high rpm misfire.
Dom went and fetched a water sprayer and went down all 6 inlets. He got to one inlet and then the tick over smoothed out for about 3 seconds.
The water was just enough to block off the gap between then inlet manifold and the cylinder head,
It took him 2 minutes to diagnose the problem whereas some might have been arising about with plugs and leads for hours.
I think that the cost of 'genuine spares' is more of a rip off!
(you can get to most parts of the engine relatively easy on the RV8s. On my Passat you have to take the entire front of the car off to change the timing belt!)
more the knowledge that has taken years to accumulate and that they stand by their work.
I'd rather pay for one hours labour at £100 than three hours labour at £40 if the cheap garage has no clue what they're doing!
I remember being at Dom's place when a Tuscan came in with a really lumpy tick over and high rpm misfire.
Dom went and fetched a water sprayer and went down all 6 inlets. He got to one inlet and then the tick over smoothed out for about 3 seconds.
The water was just enough to block off the gap between then inlet manifold and the cylinder head,
It took him 2 minutes to diagnose the problem whereas some might have been arising about with plugs and leads for hours.
I think that the cost of 'genuine spares' is more of a rip off!
Richard 858 said:
N7GTX said:
they charge TVR owners more because they've got more money
Even if that were true, it wouldn't be for long with that kind of attitude!I can assure you this is true because a certain club member took exception to this, finding out via the RO in the region after he private messaged me. His posts were deleted on PH which sums it up.
Slightly off topic but relevant. How do people feel about owners doing work on their cars? In terms of resale, as for me I like to look at actual condition of the car and if there's plenty of part invoices for servicing and what not. I'm new to TVR ownership but I practically rebuilt the mx5 I had before and basic servicing can to me be done for much less than any garage due to no labour. I'm trying to decide what's best in the long run.
TVRmikey said:
Slightly off topic but relevant. How do people feel about owners doing work on their cars? In terms of resale, as for me I like to look at actual condition of the car and if there's plenty of part invoices for servicing and what not. I'm new to TVR ownership but I practically rebuilt the mx5 I had before and basic servicing can to me be done for much less than any garage due to no labour. I'm trying to decide what's best in the long run.
I use a garage to do my 6000 and 12000 service, but I do a 3000 mile oil and filter change in between, I have the original service shedules from the factory and check lists, but the service is nice as it gets someone to check over you car another pair of eyes so to speak. I do agree that servicing is pretty simple on a RV8 TVR and most of the guys on here are very competent engineers, but having the service and MOT at the same time seems to work for me. Just look at the adverts and you will see that cars with a FSH from known good garages command the best prices.
I do quite a few bits myself but get any major work and servicing to schedule done by experts that have worked on TVR's for 20+ years. That way they stay reliable while maximizing their future value.
I do quite a few bits myself but get any major work and servicing to schedule done by experts that have worked on TVR's for 20+ years. That way they stay reliable while maximizing their future value.
Dealer service history is good up to a point. That point being 'who' has done the service. When I had my new T350 back in the day I pondered over who to do the first service at 6k and so took it to the factory thinking it was best, you know first stamp by TVR factory. WOW, was that a mistake. Besides the fact they overfilled it with oil [filled the oil tank to the brim] which soaked the airbox resulting blowing huge clouds of blue smoke on the way home, they tried all sorts of old tosh as an excuse 
One was that I didn't use it enough and the valve seals have dried and gone brittle. I pointed out the car was only 6 months old 
The stamp is one thing, the experience is another.
I do all work myself, feeling confident enough to do so and I realise not everyone can. I keep every receipt and a photo journal of all work done.
There are some good blokes out there and if you find one, keep him and pay him well.
One was that I didn't use it enough and the valve seals have dried and gone brittle. I pointed out the car was only 6 months old The stamp is one thing, the experience is another.
I do all work myself, feeling confident enough to do so and I realise not everyone can. I keep every receipt and a photo journal of all work done.
There are some good blokes out there and if you find one, keep him and pay him well.
I would 10 x over rather have a car with no service history and thats been looked after at home by an enthusiast.
To me stamps are not worth a jot, especially on the age of what some of our cars are approaching. I`m fortunate that i can do everything myself and any mechanically savy person will be able to tell a cars internal condition by looking and listening instead of reading service stamps.
I`m a perfectionist when it comes to my TVR and it doesnt matter to me if the smallest job takes all day as long as its done correct and to my high standards. Unfortunately when using garages time is money, money is time so there has to be a balance between getting the job done quickly v ocd perfection. Hopefuuly most garages will get the balance right but as we have seen some of the so called specialists dont.
Forget the service stamps go on condition.
A mate of mine used to work at a BMW main dealers amongst others. After the stories he comes out with you`d never buy a car again if it had main dealer history.
To me stamps are not worth a jot, especially on the age of what some of our cars are approaching. I`m fortunate that i can do everything myself and any mechanically savy person will be able to tell a cars internal condition by looking and listening instead of reading service stamps.
I`m a perfectionist when it comes to my TVR and it doesnt matter to me if the smallest job takes all day as long as its done correct and to my high standards. Unfortunately when using garages time is money, money is time so there has to be a balance between getting the job done quickly v ocd perfection. Hopefuuly most garages will get the balance right but as we have seen some of the so called specialists dont.
Forget the service stamps go on condition.
A mate of mine used to work at a BMW main dealers amongst others. After the stories he comes out with you`d never buy a car again if it had main dealer history.
Edited by carsy on Friday 14th August 14:54
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