Pricing of independent servicing v main dealer
Discussion
Over the past few years, I've noticed that for cars over 3 years old, main dealers have become more competitive for servicing. I'm not too sure if it's the main dealers dropping their prices or the independents getting more expensive.
I'm up in Manchester. When I had a Porsche, OPC Wilmslow offered cheaper servicing than a respected independent in Knutsford.
Similarly with Audi, if you read this month's EVO magazine, an independent has priced up a minor service, major service and transmission oil change for a TTS at £206, £495 and £170 respectively. Audi's prices are £159, £309 and £170. So surely if someone took the time to compare prices, they'd go to a main dealer.
I know there is the argument that you might get a better and more knowledgeable service at an independent but surely for a lot of people, this won't matter?
I'm up in Manchester. When I had a Porsche, OPC Wilmslow offered cheaper servicing than a respected independent in Knutsford.
Similarly with Audi, if you read this month's EVO magazine, an independent has priced up a minor service, major service and transmission oil change for a TTS at £206, £495 and £170 respectively. Audi's prices are £159, £309 and £170. So surely if someone took the time to compare prices, they'd go to a main dealer.
I know there is the argument that you might get a better and more knowledgeable service at an independent but surely for a lot of people, this won't matter?
I had this a couple of years ago with my dads Merc. He was away & asked me to have it serviced by the supplying dealer, I dont remember the service it needed but it was around £250.
I dropped it with the dealer & got a call later that day with a list of things that needed doing including changing a `Drive belt`, for an outrageous sum, replacing coolant, brake fluid & regassing A/C, recommended apparently at the cars then age. The only thing I was really concerned about was the belt, I asked if this was a Cam belt & was given a complicated explanation of what turned out to be a Fan belt!!
Had I agreed to all this work I think the final bill would have been close to £1000.
Seems to me the prices are low because the actual `Service` is just an oil & filter change these days as things like Spark Plugs are longlife & everything else is extra.
I dropped it with the dealer & got a call later that day with a list of things that needed doing including changing a `Drive belt`, for an outrageous sum, replacing coolant, brake fluid & regassing A/C, recommended apparently at the cars then age. The only thing I was really concerned about was the belt, I asked if this was a Cam belt & was given a complicated explanation of what turned out to be a Fan belt!!
Had I agreed to all this work I think the final bill would have been close to £1000.
Seems to me the prices are low because the actual `Service` is just an oil & filter change these days as things like Spark Plugs are longlife & everything else is extra.
Like the poster above this will be done to get people in the door. They then have the power to tell you if the refrigerant in the AC isn't changed in the next 20 minutes the system will fail and give you legionnaires disease at the same time, or the fan belt will snap and take everything with it on the way past. Or that you need four new tyres which they can do for a 'very reasonable price'.
My Mondeo is going back to the Ford dealer for another service next week, £119 and they throw in a year's RAC cover. It's near my office so is very convenient, and last year they didn't attempt any "upsell" at all (which given that it passed it's MOT with no advisories I expected)
Since it's last service I put it into the same dealer to ask them to look at a brake problem, they fixed it perfectly first time, despite it having eluded previous garages.
I can't see the point of going to an independent to save a relatively small sum when I can just leave it with a garage that have proven themselves, are well located, and throw in some RAC cover.
(oh and I get the stamp in the book which means my old Mondog is worth about 50p more than similar examples....
)
Since it's last service I put it into the same dealer to ask them to look at a brake problem, they fixed it perfectly first time, despite it having eluded previous garages.
I can't see the point of going to an independent to save a relatively small sum when I can just leave it with a garage that have proven themselves, are well located, and throw in some RAC cover.
(oh and I get the stamp in the book which means my old Mondog is worth about 50p more than similar examples....
)I don't really get the people saying that the main dealer's are using cheap servicing to lure you in with a view to producing a list of unnecessary work. Nobody is holding a gun to your head and telling you that the work needs to be done. Just graciously accept the list of advisory work and either check it over yourself or get it done elsewhere at a cheaper rate if necessary.
I for one believe that cheaper servicing from a main dealer can only be a good thing surely??
I for one believe that cheaper servicing from a main dealer can only be a good thing surely??
Not everyone is quite so savvy though and people are quite easily led by someone with subject knowledge. So if a main dealer tells average punter their superdoodle and conflabulator are 90% worn most people are going to get the work done. Especially somewhere like Merc where the customers are a bit better off, they just want the cars to work and damn the expense.
My dad is a prime example of this. If a garage tells him something needs sorting he will just tell them to get on and do it. I on the other hand want to see what the problem is and weigh up the costs or see if it's something I can sort myself. I think every garage I have used as a customer has tried it on with parts at some point.
My dad is a prime example of this. If a garage tells him something needs sorting he will just tell them to get on and do it. I on the other hand want to see what the problem is and weigh up the costs or see if it's something I can sort myself. I think every garage I have used as a customer has tried it on with parts at some point.
I do most of my work myself, but my local indy is the bee's knees. I've known them a while, and they know me a bit, but they go so far out of their way.
Recently I didn't have time to do the heater return pipe when it went on my E36 (it's down in the middle and you need to take quite a few bits off - not difficult, but time consuming.) Went in, had a chat, explained why I wasn't doing it myself, left without a quote but said don't make it too much. They called me a day later and they'd changed out the hose, done a full flush and refill of coolant, and done the viscous fan (because it looked a bit black) for £110 inc labour.
And that's in London.
And they're nice people.
Recently I didn't have time to do the heater return pipe when it went on my E36 (it's down in the middle and you need to take quite a few bits off - not difficult, but time consuming.) Went in, had a chat, explained why I wasn't doing it myself, left without a quote but said don't make it too much. They called me a day later and they'd changed out the hose, done a full flush and refill of coolant, and done the viscous fan (because it looked a bit black) for £110 inc labour.
And that's in London.
And they're nice people.
RB Will said:
Not everyone is quite so savvy though and people are quite easily led by someone with subject knowledge. So if a main dealer tells average punter their superdoodle and conflabulator are 90% worn most people are going to get the work done. Especially somewhere like Merc where the customers are a bit better off, they just want the cars to work and damn the expense.
My dad is a prime example of this. If a garage tells him something needs sorting he will just tell them to get on and do it. I on the other hand want to see what the problem is and weigh up the costs or see if it's something I can sort myself. I think every garage I have used as a customer has tried it on with parts at some point.
Those affluent people who just give main dealers carte blanche to do work are the type of people I like to buy my used cars from!My dad is a prime example of this. If a garage tells him something needs sorting he will just tell them to get on and do it. I on the other hand want to see what the problem is and weigh up the costs or see if it's something I can sort myself. I think every garage I have used as a customer has tried it on with parts at some point.
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