Hey folks, Car's currently due the 20k miles service and just rang Benfield Skoda there in Newcastle and they quoted me £215.77 for it, is this reasonable price? Recently had a rough estimate for £110 from a local tuner so looks like I might be taking that up!

So am I getting shafted by this dealer once again? :thumbdwn:

Sure when i was lookin around not so long ago my nearest dealer was saying just over the 100 mark for service. However i did pay over £200 for the last time my megane got serviced, but that was with some work on exhaust as well

So am I getting shafted by this dealer once again? :thumbdwn:

No, they're just more expensive than local tuners - costs money to have lots of diagnotic equipment, trained Master Techs, etc. You also might find that the dealer's definition of a service is oil change and inspection, whereas the local tuner service is just an oil change...

Rob.

The £105 saving could be less than you would use by not having a full skoda history come resale time. A full Skoda history is worth a lot more than a full service history, and after the warranty runs out you stand a better chance of getting good will gestures if the car has a full skoda history in the event of a problem.

I would get some prices from other dealers nearby, you should be able to get it cheaper even factoring in the cost of fuel to get there and back again.

No, they're just more expensive than local tuners - costs money to have lots of diagnotic equipment, trained Master Techs, etc. You also might find that the dealer's definition of a service is oil change and inspection, whereas the local tuner service is just an oil change...

Rob.

Well i'm not too arsed about the inspection as the car's still under warrenty for another year+ and it needs to go in for some warrenty work anyhow, so would it be ok to just miss the Stealers this time? In contrast I paid £188 for my 10k service, they even charged me for windscreen wash! :confused:

The £105 saving could be less than you would use by not having a full skoda history come resale time. A full Skoda history is worth a lot more than a full service history, and after the warranty runs out you stand a better chance of getting good will gestures if the car has a full skoda history in the event of a problem.

I would get some prices from other dealers nearby, you should be able to get it cheaper even factoring in the cost of fuel to get there and back again.

That's what I was thinking, shame, as the £105 saving could've went to my holiday fund :P

If the inspection is not carried out you will invalidate the warranty anyway because the car must be serviced in accordance with skodas schedule and that includes the inspection.

You can get the car serviced anywhere you like as long as skodas service regime is maintained.

If the inspection is not carried out you will invalidate the warranty anyway because the car must be serviced in accordance with skodas schedule and that includes the inspection.

You can get the car serviced anywhere you like as long as skodas service regime is maintained.

Really? Aww poo. Will try other dealer prices then Cheers for the heads up mate

Anyone kow any good dealers in the NE?

In contrast I paid £188 for my 10k service, they even charged me for windscreen wash! :confused:

Yeah, windscreen wash is usually a "standard service item" - fill your washer bottle up before you go in, tell them you don't want it and it'll save you a quid or two. Likewise they'll probably be charging you £15-£20 for fuel additive, if you tell them you don't want that either then you're south of the £200 mark.

Most dealers will allow you to supply your own oil too, so if you can source suitable for less than the dealer's charging you then that'll save a bit too.

As Manny says though, it's important to make sure the correct service is carried out if you want to maintain your warranty - if the tuner is doing the proper inspection and oil change for the price then you're onto a winner. If not, you'd need to weigh up the dealer cost vs. impact on warranty...

Rob.

If the Tuner is registered with the 'good garage scheme' then you will get a copy of a checklist that has been carried out on your car, just like this one:

http://www.exhaustdiscounts.co.uk/images/service-checklist.jpg

I have worked for both a main dealer and for an independant. I would not use a main dealers again, some independants tend to treat the car with a bit more care.

I serviced my vRS all in by myself for £50 at least im sure of whats going in it then, and doing this every 5k miles and keeping all receipts etc to me is more important than a dealers stamp at every 10k

Plus think of the saving....

I serviced my vRS all in by myself for £50 at least im sure of whats going in it then, and doing this every 5k miles and keeping all receipts etc to me is more important than a dealers stamp at every 10k

Plus think of the saving....

I serviced my last car (A3 TDI), and the one before (Ibiza TDI) myself. When I traded the Ibiza it made about £200 difference to dealer trade-in price- and I saved more in lower serviceing cost. For the A3 it made no difference. I just keep receipts and photos of oil used and mileage so I could prove it- expecially when I did a long-life oil change on the Audi.

In warranty though, I use the stealer- it's just easier if you want to claim.

I'd say £215 is a fair to okay cost. People have paid less and many have paid more.

If you need some warranty work done, why not get them [skoda] to do it all in one go. Saves driving to two different garages, and wasting time sitting around for the car to be fixed.

I can't imagine the 100 quid service include everything the 215 quid one does - however I might be wrong

Really? Aww poo. Will try other dealer prices then Cheers for the heads up mate

Anyone kow any good dealers in the NE?

hi ian have you tryed any vw dealers? somtimes they have offers on. I will be phoning a fiew this weekend along with local skoda dealers as mine is due a timing belt, water pump change.im sure i seen an advert for an indipendant in the local advertiser the other week will have a look see if ive still got it

Only other dealer I know is Silbury Skoda in Cramlington. I played these two dealers off against each other at my last service and managed to get the cost down by somethhing like £40. Not much to be fair when you consider the actual total cost was £160 for a 2nd service on OctyII vrs petrol. Am very happy with Silbury though both times I have been. Hope its of some help.

Yeah, windscreen wash is usually a "standard service item" - fill your washer bottle up before you go in, tell them you don't want it and it'll save you a quid or two. Likewise they'll probably be charging you £15-£20 for fuel additive, if you tell them you don't want that either then you're south of the £200 mark.

Most dealers will allow you to supply your own oil too, so if you can source suitable for less than the dealer's charging you then that'll save a bit too.

As Manny says though, it's important to make sure the correct service is carried out if you want to maintain your warranty - if the tuner is doing the proper inspection and oil change for the price then you're onto a winner. If not, you'd need to weigh up the dealer cost vs. impact on warranty...

Rob.

If you look in the handbooks of most cars it says that you must not use a fuel additive however most garages use it. How can this be correct?

If you look in the handbooks of most cars it says that you must not use a fuel additive however most garages use it. How can this be correct?

Do they actually say *mustn't* use a fuel additive (ie. indicating that it is harmful), or just that they don't recommend it (ie. if someone puts some dodgy additive into their car and it screws it they're not liable)?

Personally it's a practice that annoys me because it's not manufacturer's recommendation, but at the same time if it did cause the car any harm I know the garage would be liable for it - which is probably the main reason for the manufacturer's recommendation in the first place, rather than an issue with the additive products themselves...

Rob.

I paid £206 for 20k service, so its not too bad a price. The same garage did the 10k service for £85, so i don't think they were ones for over-charging either.

hi ian have you tryed any vw dealers? somtimes they have offers on. I will be phoning a fiew this weekend along with local skoda dealers as mine is due a timing belt, water pump change.im sure i seen an advert for an indipendant in the local advertiser the other week will have a look see if ive still got it

No I haven't but thanks for the headsup I know there's a big VW garage in Sunderland so will try ringing there, need to hurry up though as the car already has 21k on now and climbing

Oh and Dave, the Tuner was you lol :P

Also scotswood road newcastle and pulman durham, didnt find that ad for the indipendant cant believe i never kept it sure it was a specialist.will try a search.Have you had your car serviced at benfield before?I found it a bit topsy tervy when i got my mud flaps from there.

Yeah got it serviced there for the 10k service for £180 (Just over) and wasn't best pleased with the result, car wasn't cleaned either.

Just rang Pulman and they quoted me £170ish for the service so thanks very much JP1! Saved me loads there

Also they're doing an offer right now for the brakes and air-con re-gassed for £120, worth it? The car's 2 years old in December (How time flies!) and she said that's when it needs doing

Oh yeah, she asked me to ring back with my VIN number, anyone know where I can find this?

At the bottom of the windscreen on the passenger side , it starts TMB

Oh and to be fair , there ar alot of independant specialists out there that know about services

Here we have VAG trained technicians and I was a service manager at 2 Skoda dealers for 5 and a half years

Sarah

At the bottom of the windscreen on the passenger side , it starts TMB

Oh and to be fair , there ar alot of independant specialists out there that know about services

Here we have VAG trained technicians and I was a service manager at 2 Skoda dealers for 5 and a half years

Sarah

Thanks Sarah!

On another note, any idea on when the vids will be up on the site for the Briskoda Rolling Road?

Hoping by the end of the week

Sarah

Really? Aww poo. Will try other dealer prices then Cheers for the heads up mate

Anyone kow any good dealers in the NE?

Don't know if anyone has mentioned Derek Slack in Middlesborough, havent read all the way through yet. Thats where my old Furby came from, they always seem highly recommended.