Garage oil costs

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Discussion

Mr lestat

Original Poster:

4,318 posts

189 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
I have my car booked in to a local BMW independent specialist for an inspection service soon and an oil change. They are quoting £11 per litre plus vat for shell helix ultra oil that I can buy myself for 5 pounds a litre at Euro car parts. I have asked them to check if the price is correct and they say it is. I have no issue with a garage making a profit on things they sell to you but more than twice the price for the oil seems rather steep to me. Obviously there is then labour charge for the oil change which you would expect.

After ringing the local very expensive main dealer turns out they’re actually £40 cheaper than the independent specialist as it comes under a BMW service plan.

Opinions please. I’m seriously thinking of a sytner stamp in the book

Deep Thought

35,724 posts

196 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
Mr lestat said:
I have my car booked in to a local BMW independent specialist for an inspection service soon and an oil change. They are quoting £11 per litre plus vat for shell helix ultra oil that I can buy myself for 5 pounds a litre at Euro car parts. I have asked them to check if the price is correct and they say it is. I have no issue with a garage making a profit on things they sell to you but more than twice the price for the oil seems rather steep to me. Obviously there is then labour charge for the oil change which you would expect.

After ringing the local very expensive main dealer turns out they’re actually £40 cheaper than the independent specialist as it comes under a BMW service plan.

Opinions please. I’m seriously thinking of a sytner stamp in the book
Its how they make their money these days since theres little profit left in new cars to fund these big shiny showrooms.

Not sure what you can do? Would they let you supply your own oil?

Brainpox

4,054 posts

150 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
If you don't like it don't pay it. These businesses can charge whatever they like and good on them if they profit from it.

Mr lestat

Original Poster:

4,318 posts

189 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
They might but it's not like I know them or have ever been to them before so they will prob say no, I also don't want to appear like a bit of a dick by turning up with my own oil. I'm going to drive to Sytners on Monday and check the offer out in person. Then take it from there.

Mr lestat

Original Poster:

4,318 posts

189 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
Brainpox said:
If you don't like it don't pay it. These businesses can charge whatever they like and good on them if they profit from it.
No issue with anyone making a profit but I assume that they are buying their oil at trade so it will be less than I can buy it from eurocarparts, maybe £4.00 a litre then sell it for £12. I would never have considered looking at a main dealer until I saw the oil price.

Taglioni

71 posts

69 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all

, I also don't want to appear like a bit of a dick by turning up with my own oil.

That didn’t stop you asking the dumb question on here

Mr lestat

Original Poster:

4,318 posts

189 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
Taglioni said:
, I also don't want to appear like a bit of a dick by turning up with my own oil.

That didn’t stop you asking the dumb question on here
I didn’t actually ask the question I asked an opinion there is a difference


Edited by Mr lestat on Saturday 21st July 15:33

vikingaero

10,256 posts

168 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
Mr lestat said:
I have my car booked in to a local BMW independent specialist for an inspection service soon and an oil change. They are quoting £11 per litre plus vat for shell helix ultra oil that I can buy myself for 5 pounds a litre at Euro car parts. I have asked them to check if the price is correct and they say it is. I have no issue with a garage making a profit on things they sell to you but more than twice the price for the oil seems rather steep to me. Obviously there is then labour charge for the oil change which you would expect.

After ringing the local very expensive main dealer turns out they’re actually £40 cheaper than the independent specialist as it comes under a BMW service plan.

Opinions please. I’m seriously thinking of a sytner stamp in the book
A lot of business sell products or services with 100%+ profit. By the time the cost of the product and cost of running the business is taken into account then the net profit is far less.

I bet you or your employer do the same. Would you or they reduce their costs?

spookly

4,011 posts

94 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
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If it's a fairly new car and you want to maintain the main dealer service history then you have little choice than to go to a dealership. Some are cheaper than others, so worth shopping around if there are different franchises in your local area.

For anything older, I always change the oil myself.

anonymous-user

53 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
This getting your service book stamped is a carve-up imho. I understand it up to the manufacturers warranty runs out but after that just change the oil yourself, it's hardly rocket science.

Mr lestat

Original Poster:

4,318 posts

189 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
Raygun said:
This getting your service book stamped is a carve-up imho. I understand it up to the manufacturers warranty runs out but after that just change the oil yourself, it's hardly rocket science.
Yes but it’s a very nice Z4 coupe so I want a proper stamp in the book. Main dealer or good indi is fine with me. It’s also resetting the service indicator as well

Alucidnation

16,810 posts

169 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
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Business wants to make a profit shocker.

djc206

12,245 posts

124 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
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My local Audi dealership used to charge kicking on for £30/l. I just supplied my own, 10l of the same oil off eBay for ~£60. If they’d charged the same as I was paying they’d still make profit on the oil but they always refused to negotiate, bizarre really but hey ho.

Pica-Pica

13,621 posts

83 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
OP said it was an independent specialist, not a main dealer. I once took my E36 for an Indy service, and supplied my own oil. I knew them well, they did not get all stroppy about it, and were quite happy to do that.

Shell Helix Ultra ECT C3 SAE 5W30 Car Motor Engine Oil is from £39 upwards for 5 litres.
Depends on which engine and specific oil you want.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=s...

Wooda80

1,743 posts

74 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
Mr lestat said:
I have my car booked in to a local BMW independent specialist for an inspection service soon and an oil change. They are quoting £11 per litre plus vat for shell helix ultra oil that I can buy myself for 5 pounds a litre at Euro car parts. I have asked them to check if the price is correct and they say it is. I have no issue with a garage making a profit on things they sell to you but more than twice the price for the oil seems rather steep to me. Obviously there is then labour charge for the oil change which you would expect.

After ringing the local very expensive main dealer turns out they’re actually £40 cheaper than the independent specialist as it comes under a BMW service plan.

Opinions please. I’m seriously thinking of a sytner stamp in the book
Have I misread this or missed the point?

If the main dealer is £40 cheaper then why not take it's straight there?

Camelot1971

2,698 posts

165 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
Taglioni said:
, I also don't want to appear like a bit of a dick by turning up with my own oil.

That didn’t stop you asking the dumb question on here
He is asked for an opinion, not a tt to post in his thread.

anonymous-user

53 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
Pica-Pica said:
OP said it was an independent specialist, not a main dealer. I once took my E36 for an Indy service, and supplied my own oil. I knew them well, they did not get all stroppy about it, and were quite happy to do that.

Shell Helix Ultra ECT C3 SAE 5W30 Car Motor Engine Oil is from £39 upwards for 5 litres.
Depends on which engine and specific oil you want.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=s...
Think I paid £22 for 5L of Helix Ultra from eurocarspares about a fornight ago with one of them codes. I bought two 5L tubs of it and went and got my Purflux oil filter for £21 from eurospares, £65 to change the oil and filter on my Maserati.
Just to add it was 5w40 Helix Ultra Fully.

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 21st July 16:24

madbadger

11,555 posts

243 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
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How much do they charge for screen wash? My Saab specialist always adds £2.99 for screen wash even if I top it up before taking it in. Last service they might have added 10p worth.

Sheepshanks

32,530 posts

118 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
quotequote all
Just looked back at the Merc indie service my car had a couple of months ago and MB229.52 (which is the top MB spec) oil was £5 (+VAT) per litre.

I vividly remember getting a quote to take it to the dealer for its first service in 2005 and the oil was £12.95 plus VAT per litre - so near as dammit £100 for the 6.5 litres of oil. When I baulked at this, they said "bring your own" - and they knocked the full £100 off the price of the service. I was amazed they would just throw profit away like that.

I did notice that the VAG indie we use for daughters Golf has charged for 3.5, 4 and 4.5 litres of oil for the last three services. Capacity is 3.5L. Of course if it was a dealer I'd tear them a new one, but it's a bit more personal with your indie!

Green1man

549 posts

87 months

Saturday 21st July 2018
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Over £140 for 8 litres of Mobil1 at Porsche Dealer, Under£40 at Costco!!,