Service Costs?
Discussion
Right before I go off on a rant my car is due a 12K service so I phoned my local TVR service approved centre and was quoted £733 
Unfortunately There is only 1 recognised TVR service centre in Scotland and the price that they charge for a 6K service is about £610 and for a 12K service it's £733. I asked why they are so much more expensive that down south (which range from £350 to about £550) and they said that they don't know how anyone can do it for less because of the number of man hours involved. Now I know if I drive my car down to Englandshire its gona work out about the same but It might be worth while shoving it on the back of a trailer and towing it down behind my other car which is a diesel? I know that they would probably do a good job but it seems soooo much more money to pay up here! Do I just shut up and pay or look else where?
Unfortunately There is only 1 recognised TVR service centre in Scotland and the price that they charge for a 6K service is about £610 and for a 12K service it's £733. I asked why they are so much more expensive that down south (which range from £350 to about £550) and they said that they don't know how anyone can do it for less because of the number of man hours involved. Now I know if I drive my car down to Englandshire its gona work out about the same but It might be worth while shoving it on the back of a trailer and towing it down behind my other car which is a diesel? I know that they would probably do a good job but it seems soooo much more money to pay up here! Do I just shut up and pay or look else where?
Dave 500 said:
I said down here. Don't mean I use them 
Good man!!!!mt10argyll said:
Holy sh*t TVR chims with rover v8s any second grade
oil changer can service them £200 tops all filters and
oil included
I would do it for £100!!!oil changer can service them £200 tops all filters and
oil included
Cant beleive the money people chrge for working on Chims/Griffs..."OOooooooh - sorry sir, its a TVR, thats another £200 for the service...."...i wonder how they justify it???
I know they are different cars but i wonder how much it costs to do an oil change and service a land rover V8 compared to a V8 engined TVR?? and yes i know in the TVR service they check things like brakes, tyres, fluid levels
but i bet the landy has more parts than a chim to go wrong...ETA You have to ask yourself - is it really worth spending £700 for a TVR stamp on a car that is 12-13 years old....where do you draw the line....sure keep the stamps while the car is new or in warranty but if you brought a 12 year old ford/vauxhall/rover would you only take it to a ford/vauxhall or rover dealer?
Edited by andy-w on Wednesday 8th August 22:37
People in "the trade" are more than aware of the outrageous prices that TVR people are willing to pay,and it`s not just confined to service charges.
A recent thread quoted one guy around£600 to change his Chim exhaust manifold gaskets,whilst another was quoted £400+ to replace engine mounts....
Exhaust manifolds..4 hours plus £4.00 for parts,engine mounts 2-3 hours plus £57.00 for the mounts
,I know `cos I`ve just done ours,doing both together saved about 1 hour.
In as much as the fueling requires specialist knowledge,not an awful lot though, Chims/Grifffs are pretty simple cars.
How about listing prices and the garages that charge them..name and shame
A recent thread quoted one guy around£600
to change his Chim exhaust manifold gaskets,whilst another was quoted £400+ to replace engine mounts....Exhaust manifolds..4 hours plus £4.00 for parts,engine mounts 2-3 hours plus £57.00 for the mounts
,I know `cos I`ve just done ours,doing both together saved about 1 hour.In as much as the fueling requires specialist knowledge,not an awful lot though, Chims/Grifffs are pretty simple cars.
How about listing prices and the garages that charge them..name and shame
AluminAl said:
People in "the trade" are more than aware of the outrageous prices that TVR people are willing to pay,and it`s not just confined to service charges.
The problem is that like most things in life if the majority just pay up because they don't know any better/can't be bothered the ones that do/can be also get shafted.
Would still try what I suggest above though, nothing to lose etc.
In my albeit limited experience of TVR ownership I have already found there is a massive difference in prices quoted by garages that are close to each other for identical workscopes. My TVR needs the top rear differential mounting bush replacing and I have been quoted anywhere between £300 and £700 from specialists and main dealers, with man hours from 4 to 10!! I can accept there will be a difference in prices between the main dealers that were and small indepedent specialists - larger overheads and so forth will inflate the labour rates etc. What I find hard to swallow though is when there is a big difference in manhours quoted for the same job.
But I would like to emphasise that cheapest is not always best - you need to be sure you are being quoted for the same job, same quality parts etc etc. That said in my experience of owning other marques, you often get a better level of service and quality from the smaller guy - they tend to trade of reputations more and are often enthusiasts
Just goes to show how important it is to shop around and discuss experience between owners - we as the customers are in the driving seat and we dont need to accept to pay inflated prices by greedy workshops.
OK, my rant is over...
MJW1977 said:
But I would like to emphasise that cheapest is not always best - you need to be sure you are being quoted for the same job, same quality parts etc etc. That said in my experience of owning other marques, you often get a better level of service and quality from the smaller guy - they tend to trade of reputations more and are often enthusiasts
OK, my rant is over...
Edited by TVR Thomo on Thursday 9th August 10:24
i would argue that a full TVR service history doesnt really warrant the extra cost of all those pricey services. As long as there are records for the service being done by a local garage would it stop you buying a car that otherwise drove well and had been looked after??
Save your cash! and the way TVR prices have crashed down it isnt worth the extra..
Neal
Save your cash! and the way TVR prices have crashed down it isnt worth the extra..
Neal
TVR Thomo said:
MJW1977 said:
But I would like to emphasise that cheapest is not always best - you need to be sure you are being quoted for the same job, same quality parts etc etc. That said in my experience of owning other marques, you often get a better level of service and quality from the smaller guy - they tend to trade of reputations more and are often enthusiasts
OK, my rant is over...
Edited by TVR Thomo on Thursday 9th August 10:24
This 'pay the extra for the stamp', or lose some on resale is something I've been wondering about recently, so disappointing is my experience with supposedly reputable TVR 'specialists'.
Don't forget the price quoted is just the base service cost, and you may be persuaded that more needs doing on top.
My first TVR shafting - I mean service, ended up costing about £1000 in total, and the rear callipers came loose a few days later (on both sides, one side completely while I was driving) after the brakes had been done.
s.
Don't forget the price quoted is just the base service cost, and you may be persuaded that more needs doing on top.
My first TVR shafting - I mean service, ended up costing about £1000 in total, and the rear callipers came loose a few days later (on both sides, one side completely while I was driving) after the brakes had been done.
s.Edited by Lurker on Thursday 9th August 13:36
It may be of interest to know that company charge out rates for much more highly trained technical personnel (for example the aircraft industry) in many cases cannot match those of so called specialist garages by some considerable margin. I'd like to know how some can justify the huge bills charged especially when the person 'servicing' your car is a young lad with very little engineering experience(I too had a caliper fall off, post wisbone fit)
As others have said - it takes about 7 hours labour for a 12k service - so you need to know their hourly rate.
With a 1994 model - having a TVR main dealer service history - is no longer a top priority.
These are easy and simple cars to service .. so why not ask for a recomendation for a good local indy.
With a 1994 model - having a TVR main dealer service history - is no longer a top priority.
These are easy and simple cars to service .. so why not ask for a recomendation for a good local indy.
rev-erend said:
As others have said - it takes about 7 hours labour for a 12k service - so you need to know their hourly rate.
With a 1994 model - having a TVR main dealer service history - is no longer a top priority.
These are easy and simple cars to service .. so why not ask for a recomendation for a good local indy.
i totally agree...my car is a 94 and i bought it with no history (mug) and it was the first one i saw (bigger mug) from a bloke in blyth (Gigantic mug) but now i have fully stripped the car down and am replacing loads and it should be as good as new. Once it is finished i would welcome any inspection if and when i sell it. Would that be worth more than a 94 car that had a complete service history but had nowhere near the same amount of work done to it???With a 1994 model - having a TVR main dealer service history - is no longer a top priority.
These are easy and simple cars to service .. so why not ask for a recomendation for a good local indy.
As said above...you pay your money and take your chance...
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