What's the largest routine service bill you've ever had?
Discussion
I avoided the largest service bill I've ever seen back in the late 90s. I *really* wanted a Maserati Ghibli Cup - the one with the 330bhp twin turbo 2.0 V6.
Then I saw the cost of the 24,000 mile service that included an engine-out element (from memory to change the cam belt). As I was doing around 20,000 miles / year at the time, it worked out that I'd be spending over £3k / year in routine servicing. Adjusted for inflation, that works out at £5.5k / year today.
I bought an Alfa 155Q4 instead. Servicing was cheaper, but it probably cost me about the same in fixing the bits that broke
Then I saw the cost of the 24,000 mile service that included an engine-out element (from memory to change the cam belt). As I was doing around 20,000 miles / year at the time, it worked out that I'd be spending over £3k / year in routine servicing. Adjusted for inflation, that works out at £5.5k / year today.
I bought an Alfa 155Q4 instead. Servicing was cheaper, but it probably cost me about the same in fixing the bits that broke
I suppose somewhere in the region of £1500 on a car. Caravelles had to have new inlet cams in the past, and its going in again next week for clutch / clutch slave / flywheel that will be similar...
Bikes, just had to check. Invoice from JHP for the Ducati for £4047.29. Can't recall anything larger...
Bikes, just had to check. Invoice from JHP for the Ducati for £4047.29. Can't recall anything larger...
QuartzDad said:
I'm feeling very lucky given some of the numbers posted.
£630 for a service on a 3yo 118d consisting of:
£107 for 5 litres of 0w-30
£12 for a litre of brake fluid
£180 for 4 filters
Probably 10 minutes of labour
Completely bent over but we'd recently bought it and wanted the BMW stamp in case we were going to sell it soon.
Son is in for roughly £2300 of bills on his E92 325i he bought six months ago, £1700 was to replace all the injectors.
You can buy 5x 1 litre bottles of the same bmw oil for £55. So they've charged you double the price with bmw tax. I expect they have a drum of the stuff, so they actually pay circa £5 per litre, at most.£630 for a service on a 3yo 118d consisting of:
£107 for 5 litres of 0w-30
£12 for a litre of brake fluid
£180 for 4 filters
Probably 10 minutes of labour
Completely bent over but we'd recently bought it and wanted the BMW stamp in case we were going to sell it soon.
Son is in for roughly £2300 of bills on his E92 325i he bought six months ago, £1700 was to replace all the injectors.
B'stard Child said:
For me only a pinch of bravery (in attempting to reduce costs by diy) is missing from the thread
It's in there somewhere! See the crankshaft position sensor, rear pop up seat and boot trim replacement. That's all I find time for, I'm afraid. A two week holiday at home, two years ago... Otherwise, I just want to drive the thing!
I think my largest is probably only c. £700 but Lexus did quote me £1,300 to replace the front wishbone bushes... which they said we 'starting to crack' and then passed it on the MOT with no advisories! They also wanted a £186 "diagnostic fee" to replace the tailgate gas struts, BEFORE the parts and labour to actually replace them. Madness.
bolidemichael said:
B'stard Child said:
For me only a pinch of bravery (in attempting to reduce costs by diy) is missing from the thread
It's in there somewhere! See the crankshaft position sensor, rear pop up seat and boot trim replacement. That's all I find time for, I'm afraid. A two week holiday at home, two years ago... Otherwise, I just want to drive the thing!
I was pulling your chain just a little
B'stard Child said:
bolidemichael said:
B'stard Child said:
For me only a pinch of bravery (in attempting to reduce costs by diy) is missing from the thread
It's in there somewhere! See the crankshaft position sensor, rear pop up seat and boot trim replacement. That's all I find time for, I'm afraid. A two week holiday at home, two years ago... Otherwise, I just want to drive the thing!
I was pulling your chain just a little
Since owning it September I've spent over £1k a couple times on a CLK55
First was a post purchase inspection and included fixing an oil leak and some suspension bits (£1079)
Second was an MOT, Service A and new disks and pads (£1070)
Now it needs new tyres....
Worst I had was £3300 on a 207 Sport (the infamous Prince engine) for a top end rebuild and a new camshaft (old one had spun) I should have driven it into a lake, would have been cheaper.....
First was a post purchase inspection and included fixing an oil leak and some suspension bits (£1079)
Second was an MOT, Service A and new disks and pads (£1070)
Now it needs new tyres....
Worst I had was £3300 on a 207 Sport (the infamous Prince engine) for a top end rebuild and a new camshaft (old one had spun) I should have driven it into a lake, would have been cheaper.....
Jesus, some horror stories above.
My top 3 of more everyday, everyman stuff.
I once spent £450 to get a £1k Mondeo through an MOT, it was that or scrap it, and I was tempted just to be the one who got to save the rest of mankind from the horrors of at least 1 base spec MK3 Mondeo, but I was too broke to, so I gave the garage the £450 (they thought I was mad) and sold it to the next poor sap who was on his arse and needed cheap wheels for a bit. I saw the same look in his eyes I'd had 12 month previous and hoped he would be back on his feet by the time the MOT was up. It didn't survive the next test date, I hope he's okay.
£900 on a Seat Exeo, service, cam belt, pads and some other stuff. Was an excellent car, bit boring, but faultless and cam belts are never cheap.
£1000 on my current Skoda Superb Sportline, the service was 'only' £260 or so for a 'major' service which somehow doesn't really come with much, £500 on 4 discs and pads and £240 to have the gearbox serviced, because that's a thing somehow. Skoda made a few vague mentions about the cam belt, then couldn't really pinpoint the service life on that, until laughably they checked the mileage on mine and then rounded it up to the nearest 10k miles, before admitting Skoda say it's 120k miles irrespective of years. I only took it to Skoda because their fixed price DSG service is about half the cost of the local gearbox specialist place.
My top 3 of more everyday, everyman stuff.
I once spent £450 to get a £1k Mondeo through an MOT, it was that or scrap it, and I was tempted just to be the one who got to save the rest of mankind from the horrors of at least 1 base spec MK3 Mondeo, but I was too broke to, so I gave the garage the £450 (they thought I was mad) and sold it to the next poor sap who was on his arse and needed cheap wheels for a bit. I saw the same look in his eyes I'd had 12 month previous and hoped he would be back on his feet by the time the MOT was up. It didn't survive the next test date, I hope he's okay.
£900 on a Seat Exeo, service, cam belt, pads and some other stuff. Was an excellent car, bit boring, but faultless and cam belts are never cheap.
£1000 on my current Skoda Superb Sportline, the service was 'only' £260 or so for a 'major' service which somehow doesn't really come with much, £500 on 4 discs and pads and £240 to have the gearbox serviced, because that's a thing somehow. Skoda made a few vague mentions about the cam belt, then couldn't really pinpoint the service life on that, until laughably they checked the mileage on mine and then rounded it up to the nearest 10k miles, before admitting Skoda say it's 120k miles irrespective of years. I only took it to Skoda because their fixed price DSG service is about half the cost of the local gearbox specialist place.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff