Service Cost Whinge
Discussion
mikey k said:
CatalystV12V said:
Same with tyres, 2 new rears from dealer £1300. EventTyres/Buckley tyres, around £850 - £900 for the pair. When I asked why, I was told I was paying for the experience of their fitters...
That's almost as funny as one of Jockmans lines 
CatalystV12V said:
mikey k said:
CatalystV12V said:
Same with tyres, 2 new rears from dealer £1300. EventTyres/Buckley tyres, around £850 - £900 for the pair. When I asked why, I was told I was paying for the experience of their fitters...
That's almost as funny as one of Jockmans lines 
Neilc123 said:
Got to love that! Maybe Aston owners should have the same reputation as pilots used to have and have a mistress (or chap if they are female - i'm not sexist) in every county to give them added purpose for their drives
Didn't need a girl in every port - there was enough talent on board. 
KarlFranz said:
Was talking to my local Ferrari dealer who informed me that in order to take away some of the sting off a new car purchase and assuage some buyer fears, they are now including the first 7 years of maintenance and service—at least in the USA. Would be nice is Aston followed suit.
I thought this was applicable in the uk from last year on all new ferraris?Anyway the r8 I had cost me £400 for one service by Audi in 3 years of ownership,the 997 turbo something similar.
The Aston servicing is comparable to the lambos though.
.F1 NDW said:
James it will depend on the thickness and condition of your disc's.
But how many of us would trust any dealer to tell you if you "really" need to change pads and discs.....if you have less than 10,000 miles left on yr pads then the dealer is duty bound to advise you to replace your pads ......if your only doing 4000 miles per year then they might last, and be perfectly effective for another 2 years michael gould said:
But how many of us would trust any dealer to tell you if you "really" need to change pads and discs.....if you have less than 10,000 miles left on yr pads then the dealer is duty bound to advise you to replace your pads ......if your only doing 4000 miles per year then they might last, and be perfectly effective for another 2 years
Had exactly this happen on my service last year. Was advised to change the rear pads as "60%" worn. Oh and you'll need new discs at the same time. Oh and your front tyres are down to 3mm. Well a year on and the pads are still going strong (and will possibly get a further year out of them), the discs may well actually have another set of pads in them and the front tyres have magically gained 3mm as they were measured at 6mm this service. michael gould said:
F1 NDW said:
James it will depend on the thickness and condition of your disc's.
But how many of us would trust any dealer to tell you if you "really" need to change pads and discs.....if you have less than 10,000 miles left on yr pads then the dealer is duty bound to advise you to replace your pads ......if your only doing 4000 miles per year then they might last, and be perfectly effective for another 2 years Edited by F1 NDW on Saturday 7th July 17:19
Jockman said:
CatalystV12V said:
mikey k said:
CatalystV12V said:
Same with tyres, 2 new rears from dealer £1300. EventTyres/Buckley tyres, around £850 - £900 for the pair. When I asked why, I was told I was paying for the experience of their fitters...
That's almost as funny as one of Jockmans lines I did let them make up my new number plates though lol
LC23 said:
Had exactly this happen on my service last year. Was advised to change the rear pads as "60%" worn. Oh and you'll need new discs at the same time. Oh and your front tyres are down to 3mm. Well a year on and the pads are still going strong (and will possibly get a further year out of them), the discs may well actually have another set of pads in them and the front tyres have magically gained 3mm as they were measured at 6mm this service. 1. The could crack.......ye right how many times has that happened to you
2. Less metal means heat build up is quicker making them less effective .........for 90% we don't get that close unless the car is being tracked
Maybe also the grooves are worn so the water is not removed as quickly ........and they are uneven, which is not good
Or am I wrong
michael gould said:
The disc issue is a massive con........as far as im aware there are two issues with thinning discs
1. The could crack.......ye right how many times has that happened to you
2. Less metal means heat build up is quicker making them less effective .........for 90% we don't get that close unless the car is being tracked
Maybe also the grooves are worn so the water is not removed as quickly ........and they are uneven, which is not good
Or am I wrong
I think it perhaps pays, to know exactly where your pads and discs are in the wear cycles and track forward with your mileage.1. The could crack.......ye right how many times has that happened to you
2. Less metal means heat build up is quicker making them less effective .........for 90% we don't get that close unless the car is being tracked
Maybe also the grooves are worn so the water is not removed as quickly ........and they are uneven, which is not good
Or am I wrong
On a DB9, I was told that rear rotor discs start new at 32mm. The front rotor discs start new at 28mm.
Front pads, start new at 8mm. Rears pads, start new at 7mm
Handbrake pads, start new at 5mm.
Grants guide tells you what the ‘average’ wear cycles are for both rotor discs and pads.
Trouble with thinning of discs and having them endlessly skimmed is that the metal is of different a composition and hardness throughout. The stuff in the centre is not of the same resistance to heat and wear as the stuff on the outside - a bit like wearing tyres down, the compound changes.
That's why they need to be changed, but I fully agree that there is a time and place and most have plenty of life left in them!!
That's why they need to be changed, but I fully agree that there is a time and place and most have plenty of life left in them!!
michael gould said:
..Golf R32 serviced last week for £240 and ... VW Toureg serviced yesterday for £325…….
Why were these two cars 35% different? It's no different a query.4 general reasons:
1) Parts prices are greater.
2) It takes longer to check over the whole car properly (something you want done on a high performance car more than you would a daily snotter)
3) The service dude hourly rate is higher
4) Because they can charge more for a premium brand (see (3) also).
The answers?
1) Search out alternative suppliers of parts.
2) Not much you can do here if comparing like for like. Though things like telling them not to bother checking screenwash, wipers, tyres etc might help.
3) Use an indie or shop around and negotiate.
4) See (3)
brakedwell said:
My DB9 only does 4k miles per year and is driven regularly for never less that 5 miles per outing. Castrol Edge is a long life oil, (2 years), so I have stretched the service intervals to 18 months. The dealer reckons it is the nicest example for it's age they have seen, the car seems to thrive on this schedule and in effect I get three services for the price of two!
I guess this depends partly on how much you value residuals. Whether your car is better than it was when it left the factory, it will not have a FSH (or FAMSH either). On cars in this market, that matters.You'd be far better off just using a cheaper servicing agent. You're making your car harder to sell and knocking chunks off its value (certainly more than an indie service would cost).
Note also that a service isn't just chucking oil and a filter in. Many other things are checked that 99% of people don't check regularly.
michael gould said:
The disc issue is a massive con........as far as im aware there are two issues with thinning discs
1. The could crack.......ye right how many times has that happened to you
2. Less metal means heat build up is quicker making them less effective .........for 90% we don't get that close unless the car is being tracked
Maybe also the grooves are worn so the water is not removed as quickly ........and they are uneven, which is not good
Or am I wrong
I think as F1 noted above, take it to somewhere you trust.1. The could crack.......ye right how many times has that happened to you
2. Less metal means heat build up is quicker making them less effective .........for 90% we don't get that close unless the car is being tracked
Maybe also the grooves are worn so the water is not removed as quickly ........and they are uneven, which is not good
Or am I wrong
If someone I trusted told me they needed changing and why, and it wasn't just some "we always tell customers to do it at their xx service" or "we're obliged to say that if you leave us at 3pm on a Thursday" then I'd listen.
btw, the grooves aren't for getting rid of water.
michael gould said:
The disc issue is a massive con........as far as im aware there are two issues with thinning discs
During my DB9 20K service earlier in the year the dealer reccomended new pads and discs all around. I wasn't positive that the discs needed changing with the pads, but they were looking a little unsightly from rust and there was somewhat of a small ridge formed on the disc from the wear of the original pads. I suppose I could have had just the pads done, or gone elsewear to get the job done cheaper, but I just went back this week and had the main dealer replace my cars pads and discs all around for approx $3400 all in. At first I thought the quote was pretty expensive but when I looked at the prices for genuine discs and pads from Indys in the UK, it seemed to me that if I did the job myself, or had it done elsewhere, I would still have to pay nearly $2K just for parts anyway....so overall I wasn't too unhappy. BTW the braking feels a lot tighter and sharper now, the new discs look great, and my brakes don't squeal anymore at low speeds!Edited by FatFrank on Saturday 7th July 00:58
..... AM servicing costs??? I really don't have an opinion
It's an understatement to say that I'm not a fan of "longlife" service regimes. It's an interesting misnomer since it guarantees the opposite of a long life for the engine.
It's a cynical and clever marketing ploy. The manufacturers know that when the damage becomes evident the cars will be long out of warranty, so it's win win for them.
As for AM servicing, I *hope* that the extra cost is indeed justified by the extra attention to detail.
It's a cynical and clever marketing ploy. The manufacturers know that when the damage becomes evident the cars will be long out of warranty, so it's win win for them.
As for AM servicing, I *hope* that the extra cost is indeed justified by the extra attention to detail.
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