Having booked mine in for its second service at 19k I would like to know what the general view is about what really needs to be done as opposed to what dealers want to charge me for. When I got my vRS it was vague as the car was not in their service guides at that time.

They say its 2.5 hrs labour but wouldn't say what was to be done as it is as per Skoda listed. I expect oil and filter, fuel pump filter and air cond filter but thats not 2.5 hrs labour. No brake fluid change due until 30k.

Also can I expect to get my other 3 coils changed per VW recall and the worn seat panel renewed under warranty?

Chris

No it certainly won't take 2.5 hours to service your car , but if that's what the book time is that is what you will be charged .

Garages and mechanics love sevices , they are simple and straightforward and can be completed in well under the book time .

If the mechanic servicing your car finishes the job in 1.5 hours , he gets an hours bonus , and goes onto his next job . The garage will still charge you 2.5 hours labour time plus the cost of the parts used , which they obviously make good profit on also .

But having bought a new or nearly new car you don't want to lose your warranty , so you have no option but to take it to a main dealer .

Well , my car is due in soon for its first (variable) service (currently says 'service 800 miles') , it has done 13300 odd miles and is almost 23 months old (2 yrs old on july 7th). Im wondering how much its gonna sting me , as the tax is due end of june too! PS , i got my worn seatcover replaced under warranty no problem , although i dont know how long it took.

I am afraid that the Skoda dealerships have followed in the VW group of pricing with there set hours/labour charges. Dont expect replacing brake pads to come under the service time allocation, it will have its own allocation even though they may already have half the job done.

Whilst I like the way VW has taken Skoda and their cars, I dont like the way dealerships are turning away from the family atmosphere and towards the corporate animal.

Cheers

Yes, exactly my point. I have worked for dealer and know their tricks. Is there anything else that needs to be changed as opposed to "checked" that you can send me so that I can minimise the rip off. Last time I just had an oil and filter at 9k for 0.5 hrs labour@

Kentish Wrote

Whilst I like the way VW has taken Skoda and their cars, I dont like the way dealerships are turning away from the family atmosphere and towards the corporate animal.

As much as I agree with you , they don't have any choice - being part of VAG , they have to abide by the rules . As regards the brake pads , the wheels don't need to be taken off to check if new pads and/or discs are required .

Chris , I'm afraid you are going to be charged 2.5 hours labour time regardless , obviously labour rates vary from dealer to dealer , but whichever dealer you take it to the the labour time will still be the same , and that and the cost of the oil is going to be the bulk of the cost .

Originally posted by mellowyellow in this post

Kentish Wrote As much as I agree with you , they don't have any choice - being part of VAG , they have to abide by the rules . As regards the brake pads , the wheels don't need to be taken off to check if new pads and/or discs are required .

I know and agree with you, but my point was that once they have your car on the ramp why if doing a set of brake pads does it become a totally fresh job as regards timings when they are already working on the thing, and all they really need to do is just cost the extra time it took over a service.

Ultimately accountants at the head offices set the labour and time rates not the individual dealers, and they rely on a cowboy reputation of the motoring trade to maintain custom. Finding a small garage to do the work who you know, trust and have faith in is the answer, but they are sadly lacking these days.

Cheers

Might I be as brave as to let me have the delaers name and roughly how many folk on here use them?

Are they a good dealer?

Basicaly what I'm getting at here is, I have no problem with you or I talking to them about BRISKODA to obtain a discount. It's worked for my localish one, 10% off, but he is seeing a few cars (mine) travel past 2 other dealerships for that.

Worth a pop if nothing else; however check the dealer reviews in case there a bit dodgy, if they are go to another...That goes for anybody reading this, one of the benefits of a wide spread community

Kentish Wrote

Ultimately accountants at the head offices set the labour and time rates not the individual dealers,

Agreed about the times , but not the labour rates . The VW garage where I live was taken over by a group last year and the first thing they did was raise the labour rates from

Just had a 30k service on my RS.

Originally posted by mellowyellow in this post

raise the labour rates from

Missed this off the previous message. The real kick in the nuts is to stop and think what vat stands for......Value Added......judging by the earlier contents of this thread I believe that to be somewhat in question!!!

BTW I've just been quoted

Eeek! That seems rather costly indeed... I thought Skoda's where cheaper to run than its richer next of kin brands? What do you get for that amount?

Q.

My servicing has been quite cheap, I thought. My 30K was less than

My 20k service from Merrits was somewhere in the region of 210 inc VAT if I recall correctly.

20k 4x4 service, which also includes a haldex oil change aswell; changed barake fluid aswell (Supplied brake fluid) 227 all in.

Re brake fluid changes, thats my second. According to dealer they are actually only needed every 2 years. However given the way we drive, okay I drive I wanted to change it for some super dot4.1 as suggested in another post.

All this talk reminded me mine needed booking in. I rang and asked:

a) do I need to have it dealer serviced to keep the warranty valid - answer from dealer "no"

what will it cost - answer "just under

Originally posted by spc in this post

I really don't want the constant reminder of what I'm paying to HM Gov.plc.

I was under the impression that VAT was introduced as a way

for us to contribute to the EEC. And being one of the richer

European countries we don't see much of our contribution

back!

You're probably best going to an independent as your car's

out of warranty. I think I've already mentioned that Wayne

Connolly does the servicing on Metro Taxis Octavia fleet so

they should be alright...

Rob.

Originally posted by robmawer in this post

I was under the impression that VAT was introduced as a way

for us to contribute to the EEC.

Rob.

Lost track of that a long time ago, but the principle is still the same, it's my dosh that ends up in someone elses pocket..............

:cheers: Paul

Marlborough Skoda's service pricing is here. This is a West London (Isleworth) dealership so the prices are hopefully more than most of us will be charged by our local dealerships.

The Fabia 1.4 8V holds the record for a 40K service -

:shocked: - If my 40K service is going to be nearly

How about the Fabia 1.9 Diesel 60K service at

Originally posted by DGW in this post

Marlborough Skoda's service pricing is here. This is a West London (Isleworth) dealership so the prices are hopefully more than most of us will be charged by our local dealerships.

What about the Fabia 1.9 Diesel, 60k,

Hmmm.... interesting prices to say the least!

The only service mine has had so far was the 1 year / 10k (ish) - which cost about