Took my vRS for its first service today. I'd already checked on SKODA website, noted that the cost was £129 (Fixed service schedule).

However dealer has told me the cost is £149 UNLESS I SIGN UP FOR A PREPAID 3 YEAR SERVICE SCHEDULE at a cost of £16 and some pence per month, including 1st MOT.

Is the dealer trying it on or is this official SUK policy?

I'd have a pop at them if I were you

 

Surely 'fixed price servicing' is what it says on the tin, fixed price, so unless they've had to put anything on outside of the servicing remit it should be £129

 

Get them to show you website on their computer if necessary, and see how they try to wriggle out of it

Terms and conditions apply to national pricing which includes the following:

* For ŠKODA vehicles 3 years (from first MOT) up to 10 years old. National Pricing is available to customers at participating ŠKODA retailers only. All prices are (where applicable) inclusive of standard parts, labour, oil and VAT and come with a two-year parts and labour warranty. This cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Offers may be varied or withdrawn at any time.

My Octavia had 2 variable services plus a brake fluid change and an aircon service in its first 3 years at national pricing rates. I asked the dealer in advance each time if they would give me those rates and they did.

http://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/service-and-maintenance/national-pricing

The £129 deal is for those on Fixed Servicing.  & at Participating Dealers. Read the small print.

 

A non Participating dealer may do a 'Minor Service' for less than £129

 

So unless you have Variable servicing which you can get changed from.

 

First Service 'Minor Service', 9400 miles (10,000 miles) 1 year.

2nd,  'Inspection Service', Major Service 18,800miles (20,000) 2 years

Includes Pollen filter change.

 

3rd Service. 3 years,  'Minor Service' 28,200 miles (30,000)

and needs Brake Fluid Change @ 3 years.

The £129 deal is for those on Fixed Servicing.  & at Participating Dealers. Read the small print.

 

A non Participating dealer may do a 'Minor Service' for less than £129

 

So unless you have Variable servicing which you can get changed from.

 

First Service 'Minor Service', 9400 miles (10,000 miles) 1 year.

2nd,  'Inspection Service', Major Service 18,800miles (20,000) 2 years

Includes Pollen filter change.

 

3rd Service. 3 years,  'Minor Service' 28,200 miles (30,000)

and needs Brake Fluid Change @ 3 years.

George

My dealer (apparently)  is a non participating dealer & is therefore free to charge whatever - hence the £149, although I didn't know that at the time . You would think being a non-participating dealer they would charge LESS than SUK's official prices.

£149 does seem high for oil & filter change & a visual inspection. Am I free to go elsewhere without infringing my warranty?

I don't mind paying the going rate but I don't like being ripped off. It leaves a bad taste.

http://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/service-and-maintenance/national-pricing/servicing/

The national servicing deal applies to vehicles over three years old and upto 10 years old.

The National Deal is a rip off.

Minor Service. 3.6 litres oil & Filter, sump plug,

£129 more than covers that. Some are just greedy.

 

*** 3rd year minor service.

Fabia vRS Twincharger.

& the Brake Fluid change at £45 is £149.76 at my local Skoda Dealer.

 

Oil Filter £7.20, Sump Plug £1.70, Windscreen Wash £3.45, Oil £25.92,

(Brake Fluid £7.62 you are not having that done. they may be looking at the screen wrong though)

VAT £24.95

So £78.92 Labour, which was right for a 'Minor Service', & doing a Brake Fluid Change.

 

I would check you local VW Dealer.

 

You need a VAT registered garage using the correct Skoda/VAG parts.

 

I would rather stick with Skoda.

Check this price if that is what reception are saying from the Computer.

 

You do want the VW504,00 Long Life Oil, not the VW 502.00 Even though the 502 is ok fixed service.

 

Tell them no VW/Skoda Washer Fluid it is full.

No car Wash or vacuum.

& no Environment charge for disposing of Oil & Filter, thats what they do at services.

 

They take the Mick

George

My dealer (apparently)  is a non participating dealer & is therefore free to charge whatever - hence the £149, although I didn't know that at the time . You would think being a non-participating dealer they would charge LESS than SUK's official prices.

£149 does seem high for oil & filter change & a visual inspection. Am I free to go elsewhere without infringing my warranty?

I don't mind paying the going rate but I don't like being ripped off. It leaves a bad taste.

Ask them to justify the extra £20.

Have they topped up the screen wash without you asking them to etc.

Is there hourly  overhead rate higher because of where they are based ?

I was thinking along the lines of the OP asking the price on a first service. .Minor Service;

 

& the Desk Quoting on a 3 year 'Minor Sevice' plus Brake fluid change. Near £150.

which would be right. Right for that.

Not right for the first service

 

The Service Plan Sales ploy or the high service cost is just pathetic in my Opinion,

& i would check with the Dealership Manager if they think that is a fair Treatment of customers.

 

Until recently when you bought a car the Skoda Dealer would give you a Discount Voucher for £20 off the first service to get you to come to them.

All it did was actually bring the Service to near the true cost. Under £100.

I get three cars MOTd and serviced every twelve months by a local independent garage that is a member of the "Good Garage Scheme".  For £149 they:

• Drain the engine oil, flush the engine, replace the oil filter and fill with new oil
• Replace the spark plugs with NGK plugs
• Clean and adjust the brakes
• Check the anti-freeze, brake fluid, coolant, washer fluid, A/C, brakes, battery, tyre pressures, etc., etc., etc
• Clean the car interior
• Wash the car
• Give me a 50 point list of items checked

Before undertaking any extra work they always phone me and explain in great detail what they recommend I should get done and why; if there was anything that they felt I should go to a main dealer for, they would tell me - it has happened once.

 

I am very happy with them

Unfortunately it's not just VAG companies that hit you with add ons .

 

They all do it. It's called profit making.

 

Your local friendly non- franchised dealer /servicer will under cut but of course the warranty issue comes into  play , so the Franchise  dealers have a captive market but should not further exploit it. AS SOME OBVIOUSLY DO!

 

Genuine parts should be pretty much same prices- so it's the add ons and the Labour and overhead rates that vary.

vxh26,  

a member here was charged something over £100 the other week for Spark Plugs to be changed, but then 4 are near £48

Ten years ago Skoda servicing was very reasonable. As the dealerships have grown in size due to the popularity the servicing prices have increased to support the big fancy showrooms.

 

BMW offer 5 year servicing packs on their own cars and Mini's from £300. Fair enough on variable servicing that's only two or three services but still not bad.

Oh you also get free unlimited oil top ups at any main dealer for 5 years. That would be handy for some VAG engines.

 

Had three free services thrown in on the Passat but had to be on "Fixed" schedule so used them up in 20 months. At the fourth service (Paid) also had to have a major service and change DSG oil which VW wanted over £400. This year it's Cam Belt, tensioners, water pump, brake fluid, pollen filter, air filter, diesel filter and standard service. This at three and a half years and 45k miles.

 

If I'd paid for all these services at VW I'd be looking at close to £1500 in three and a half years.

 

Thankfully Shark Performance do VAG servicing locally to me and are much cheaper.

 

Perhaps VAG need to look at what the competition is offering.

 

Cheers

Lee

vxh26,  

a member here was charged something over £100 the other week for Spark Plugs to be changed, but then 4 are near £48

If the "standard price " for plugs is £48, then the  £52 plus is overheads and add ons (disposal)

How long to change plugs?

 

I rest my case!

vxh26,  

a member here was charged something over £100 the other week for Spark Plugs to be changed, but then 4 are near £48

Dear merciful God!  What spark plug are we talking about here? I guess that it must take the dealer about 30 minutes to change four plugs on a vRS then?

 

I just checked the last set of plugs I had changed (NGK BKR6EKB-11), four of them only cost about £10 retail

 

Personally I am not convinced that there is any real need to change plugs every year.  However, it doesn't cost that much and does allow me to see what condition they are in.

I get three cars MOTd and serviced every twelve months by a local independent garage that is a member of the "Good Garage Scheme".  For £149 they:

• Drain the engine oil, flush the engine, replace the oil filter and fill with new oil
• Replace the spark plugs with NGK plugs
• Clean and adjust the brakes
• Check the anti-freeze, brake fluid, coolant, washer fluid, A/C, brakes, battery, tyre pressures, etc., etc., etc
• Clean the car interior
• Wash the car
• Give me a 50 point list of items checked

Before undertaking any extra work they always phone me and explain in great detail what they recommend I should get done and why; if there was anything that they felt I should go to a main dealer for, they would tell me - it has happened once.

 

I am very happy with them

Your comments outline no warranty at Risk issues (new car warranty) , hence the price difference of an independent but recognised service agent.

I agree that I am not talking about new car servicing here.  I would (reluctantly) always use an authorised dealer (aka rip-off merchant) until the warranty (aka blackmail) had expired

30 minutes to change 4 plugs while doing a service. & test driving a car anyway.

 

Not 30 minutes, to change the 4 plugs, test drive the car maybe plug into VAS first if the owner reported a misfire.

When not done as part of a service.  It is a Job on a Worksheet.

 

£10 each a plug if the dealer is doing you that price.

I pay for DENSO and they are £64.32 for 4 Trade Price.

Think yourselves lucky.

 

The first UK Impreza (Big Turbo Version) was £120 for a set of plugs and one and a half hours labour to change them. 

 

Had to strip the aux equipment off both inner wings to get down at the plugs nestling between the twin cams of the boxer engine.

 

Cheers

Lee

Edited 26 February, 201412 yr by logiclee

Lucky?

The member referred to here paid £112 for a plug change on an inline 4 engine haha.

If i was a vrs owner, and developed a misfire, id certainly change the plugs myself before taking any further action, after hearing this.

Sounds simple, & it is not difficult.

 

Just do not mess up a coil pack, and certainly do not cross thread a plug.

Because if you do, £112 will be sounding cheap.

Yeah. Agreed.

Changed many plugs over time though. Im a plumber by trade, so always using threads haha. Anyway...

I dont own a vrs, so i wont be worrying about that haha

I thought you could go to any VAT registered garage for your service without invalidating warranties?

 

vxh26's garage sounds great - I only use Skoda, as I believe (rightly or wrongly) that preserving Full MAIN DEALER Skoda Service History on a car could maintain its value a little better than stamps from Spanners & Co on the local trading estate.  That's not to say I believe the work is better, just the perceived value of a rubber stamp in a book.

 

I've got my second service next week.  The one that pretends to do all sorts (but actually doesn't look like much more than a minor service/inspection).  £240 or so, versus £130 or so for a minor.

 

I have no doubt they'll find some other advisories - front tyres maybe...

I thought you could go to any VAT registered garage for your service without invalidating warranties?

Indeed you can, as long as your garage fits genuine parts and follows the prescribed service process.

What you do loose though, is potential good will out of warranty should something fail as that will require evidence of customer loyalty. If you had the car always main dealer serviced then you stand a good chance of getting a substantial discount on the repair or getting it free.