Most outrageous service cost?

Most outrageous service cost?

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Discussion

Tromperie

7 posts

108 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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I remember an episode of Top Gear where Clarkson had a Merc 600 Grosser and a service cost him 15k. Don't know if that was exaggerated for TV, but that seems mightily steep.

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

228 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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rix said:
First service due on the derv TT (Yes I know - how very PH!) so booked it in with the local dealer. Inspection 1 service so only parts changed are oil and filter. Obviously they will spend hours meticulously checking every moving part bit still blown away at the price....




....£454.40.


(plus £31.35 if the pollen filter is changed).


Anyone beat this for such humdrumness?
I know you would want to do this in terms of any future goodwill that may be required. However, I simply cannot understand why people bother with rip off merchants like these. I bet people do though.

Someone else mentioned the fact that they lease so only do a cheap service before handing back. Isn't this the service you would need to do anyway if your car was leased? So you'd be stuck with it and the cost?

It wouldn't be so bad if you got quality workmanship for the top money you pay. My mum has a diesel Golf GT. A VW dealer did some work on it and in the process, dropped the sump. When they re-attached it, they didn't do it properly. Fortunately, my dad noticed the oil leaking out all over the drive after he got it home, before my mum started it the next day.

Do people ask about service costs when buying new or newish cars from main dealers? Or is it something else that is priced artificially high to make you purchase a 'service pack' at a slightly 'better' price?

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

219 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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fivepointnine said:
Nah, not really. I had my Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 serviced at the Hyundai dealer in Seattle, Washington and the 10k service was $60. Oil/filter/air filter and visual inspection.
But a Hyundai dealer isn't really the type of place the person I replied to was talking about - nor the focus of the video I posted.

Moonhawk

10,730 posts

219 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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funkyrobot said:
It wouldn't be so bad if you got quality workmanship for the top money you pay. My mum has a diesel Golf GT. A VW dealer did some work on it and in the process, dropped the sump. When they re-attached it, they didn't do it properly. Fortunately, my dad noticed the oil leaking out all over the drive after he got it home, before my mum started it the next day.
Same here - we had my step daughters car serviced at a Ford main dealer - was a major service and they should have changed spark plugs (they certainly charged us for doing it).

They didn't however, and by the time the next service came around that required spark plug change - the plugs has corroded to the point that they disintegrated when the mechanic tried to extract them. He reckons they hadn't been changed since the car was new.

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

228 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Moonhawk said:
funkyrobot said:
It wouldn't be so bad if you got quality workmanship for the top money you pay. My mum has a diesel Golf GT. A VW dealer did some work on it and in the process, dropped the sump. When they re-attached it, they didn't do it properly. Fortunately, my dad noticed the oil leaking out all over the drive after he got it home, before my mum started it the next day.
Same here - we had my step daughters car serviced at a Ford main dealer - was a major service and they should have changed spark plugs (they certainly charged us for doing it).

They didn't however, and by the time the next service came around that required spark plug change - the plugs has corroded to the point that they disintegrated when the mechanic tried to extract them. He reckons they hadn't been changed since the car was new.
You simply cannot trust them, can you. hehe

Loyly

17,996 posts

159 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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From a Peugeot main dealer, I paid about £250 for a service and cambelt change on a 106 Rallye. They first tried to charge me nearly £400 for the same service with a visual inspection of the rest of the car thrown in! Chancers...

spookly

4,019 posts

95 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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funkyrobot said:
Do people ask about service costs when buying new or newish cars from main dealers? Or is it something else that is priced artificially high to make you purchase a 'service pack' at a slightly 'better' price?
One of the old boys local to me that runs a Merc pays more for his service pack than it would cost to pay for the services individually at the local Merc dealer. I know some service packs are good value, others seem to be worse than just paying for the services.

corozin

2,680 posts

271 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
rix said:
First service due on the derv TT (Yes I know - how very PH!) so booked it in with the local dealer. Inspection 1 service so only parts changed are oil and filter. Obviously they will spend hours meticulously checking every moving part bit still blown away at the price....

....£454.40.

(plus £31.35 if the pollen filter is changed).
Anyone beat this for such humdrumness?
Welcome to Audi ownership.

GreatGranny

9,128 posts

226 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Amateurish said:
NIssan Leaf first service - £100 to replace ... nothing.
Luckily Nissan UK gave me 2 years or 2 services free because of some software issue when I first had the car.
Trouble is I've only had the car 15 months and it's just had it's 2nd service at 36k miles!
Got to pay from now on :-(

Davey S2

13,096 posts

254 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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My fathers Bentley Mulliner Arnage T came with a copy of a service invoice the first owner paid which was over £12K.

Granted it included new disks, pads and tyres all round plus a few cosmetic upgrades but still.

Dick Lovett Ferrari also quoted him labour of £850 to change a bit of hose about 6 inches long. It's location meant half the engine needed to come out. Replacement price of the hose was under a tenner.

Riley Blue

20,955 posts

226 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
corozin said:
rix said:
First service due on the derv TT (Yes I know - how very PH!) so booked it in with the local dealer. Inspection 1 service so only parts changed are oil and filter. Obviously they will spend hours meticulously checking every moving part bit still blown away at the price....

....£454.40.

(plus £31.35 if the pollen filter is changed).
Anyone beat this for such humdrumness?
Welcome to Audi ownership.
Audi fixed price major service on my 4.2 petrol A8 is £399.

Otispunkmeyer

12,593 posts

155 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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As bad as some of these are I think Electric cars have the biggest rip off service costs. I believe Nissan will still charge 100-150 for first service on a leaf which involves doing not a lot. A cursory tyre kick and maybe some water in the wash-wipe.

Watched a video of a guy with a 270,000 km Tesla. Basically doesn't get the thing serviced regularly at all... it still had life left in its original discs and pads and the worst thing about the mechanical condition of the car was some worn bushings in the suspension.

Literally money for nothing.

J4CKO

41,562 posts

200 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Largely isolated from this by doing my own, saves time and money, money as you dont have to pay labours, parts at cost and time as its quicker to do a service than take it, drop it off and then lurk round.

Only grudgingly pay if its under warranty.

Not bothering this year for the Merc and C1, they got done last July, done tiny mileages, cant see any point in changing 9 litres of synthetic oil that have only done 2000 odd miles, would make no differences whatsoever apart from 9 litres of oil to dispose of.

It is quite amazing what gets charged on higher end stuff, all for that main dealer service history, whic to be honest, I dont hold in that high regards anyway, having had stuff in I was fairly certain had not had its oil changed and came back smelling of fish and chips.

Liggle

281 posts

101 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Audi servicing is ridiculous!

I have a Skoda Octavia vRS TDi so the same engine they put in current Audi TT TDi and I've just booked my first main dealer service for £149, it'll cost me £199 next time.

Perik Omo

1,902 posts

148 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Just got back from having my 2010 Jaguar XF 'S' serviced at the Jaguar/Land-Rover main dealer here. Seventh year service and 76,000 kms including all filters changed, it was €396 all in.

No courtesy car though, well actually there was but no thanks as it was a totally clapped out 2005 Saab 9.3 with the engine management light on and 350,000 kms on the clock. Just why the Jaguar/Land-Rover premier dealership do this I just don't know, there were 6 other Saab 9.3s in a line all looking very woeful. These must all be leftover "junk" cars from when they were a Saab dealership and couldn't pass them on at any price. I may just drop Jaguar Customer Services a line as it doesn't leave a good impression.

EJH

934 posts

209 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Abarth service costs, as previously mentioned, can be quite punchy for a shopping car.

There’s a main dealer I won’t name per N&S who I disliked ever since they tried to sell Ms EJH a set of tyres, describing them as, “dangerously worn.” They back-tracked when she said she would get me to look at them as I was, “usually on top of those sort of things,” and these would be the same tyres that were changed with over 2mm of tread on them, over 2 years later.

Anyway, I thought I would call this dealer for sport when the biggie service came up with timing belt, etc in 2015. They quoted over £1,200 for the service but did try to explain this by stating they would, “use only racing-quality parts.” They compounded the insult when they quoted the wrong side of £200 to re-gas the AC (134a).

As it was, the car went to the local dealer (have used ever since the car was out of warranty – was a Fiat dealer, now a Fiat and Abarth dealer – Fiat dealers are scared of Abarths within warranty period) and the total bill (including the A/C being re-gassed) was ~£600.

liner33

10,690 posts

202 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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HannsG said:
Is there a difference in service prices between seat/skoda and audi/VW?
I paid £199 inc vat for 3 years servicing on my Skoda when I bought it new so guessing not

KungFuPanda

4,333 posts

170 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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I'm in a very lucky position where one of my good friend is not only a Ferrari tech but also owns his own MoT station with three ramps and his dads garage around the corner has two ramps as well. He has two brothers who work from his dad's garage and a permanent MOT tester employed.

I always service my own cars at his garages and my work is checked over by one of the mechanics. The last service for my D4 A8 cost me £65 for genuine oil filter, air filter and 10 litres of synthetic oil.

Joeguard1990

1,181 posts

126 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Thus my brilliant idea of Service Schools.

You rock up with your car, and service the car yourself, but a mechanic talks you through it, helps as provided and provides the parts and tools.

You pay a premium, but going forward you have the knowledge to do it yourself next time and you increase your knowledge in all things cars smile

Krikkit

26,527 posts

181 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
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Joeguard1990 said:
Thus my brilliant idea of Service Schools.

You rock up with your car, and service the car yourself, but a mechanic talks you through it, helps as provided and provides the parts and tools.

You pay a premium, but going forward you have the knowledge to do it yourself next time and you increase your knowledge in all things cars smile
Great idea, exploit a self-eliminating market... The better you are the more proficient your user-base, the more likely it is they are to realise they don't need you!