Skoda UK not happy at us trying to get the best value on servicing

[Guest]

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Edited 4 April, 2014 by Guest
Offensive term removed from previous post and reply removed

[ruffday]

 

Part of the £259 major service includes "remove wheels and check brakes", yet on each and every £139 minor service I've been issued with brake pad wear percentages which suggests to me they've checked the brakes! 

 

I stand by my claim that the extra £120 gets you nothing extra. Why else would Skoda remove the information from their website?

 

Shameful.

 

I had my MK1 in not long ago for new coils and they did a health check.

 

The report said they pads were very worn I cant remember the exact percentage but it was over 50%.

The car has almost new disc's and pads all round and I don't even think they are 5% worn.

 

I don't think the remove the wheels on a minor service they just look at the pads either through the wheel or with a small mirror and take a guess.

[ChrisRs]

Mine was just in for a major service and it came out saying 70% worn rear pads and lipped rear discs

I saw the mechanic who serviced it and asked him if he found it awkward refitting the wheels..... due to the spacers fitted...He said he didn't remove the wheels!

[Aspman]

Remind me of teh Arnold Clark '50 point checks' of which about 24 were the same six checks on 4 wheels.

[JB-)]

Whilst there may not be any more "items" which you have to pay for in the larger service, the itemisation does show a number of additional checks to be performed, all of which will take up the technician's time, which would translate into Labour costs - I'm not saying I agree it should cost that much to perform those extra checks, but your point that you get "nothing" for the extra £120 is an exaggeration.

 

Those "additional checks" should be done every service. These main dealer service schedules are a load of carp. An oil change is not a service. The wheels should come off every time, and the brakes properly inspected and cleaned. Checking and adjusting drive belts only on major service? Imagine a belt failing just after a minor service and the response to your complaints to the dealer being "oh they aren't checked on that service, sir". Ridiculous! Whenever I buy a car, a full main dealer history is not something I place any particular value on.

[giandougl]

You must have a receipt of some kind issued by the garage that carried-out the work on your car.

This receipt should state what you are paying for, and what was carried-out..

[silver1011]

Yes, but they are rarely written in layman's terms, at least the VAG ones I've had over the years aren't.

 

Quite often they use codes and shortened or abbreviated descriptions making it difficult to work out what exactly they've done.

 

And of course, by the time you have the receipt the service will have been carried out and paid for.

 

Having the information up front is all we're asking for.

Edited 4 April, 2014 by silver1011

[TeflonTom]

why would they check the tension of a drive belt during a service? i bet the skoda dealers never do that tbh, it would take far too long.

[ChrisRs]

Not if all they do is push it with their finger!

[J306TD]

Maybe they should have a look at their pricing policy. The likes of Honda match any other local garage and VW also did or still do.

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[ChrisRs]

They do..but if its cheaper, they insist its that price because they don't use genuine parts...so wont match it

From DM Keith Skoda Website:

1. We’ll match any like-for-like quote within five miles:

We will match any like-for-like written quote for service, maintenance and repair using VW genuine parts from any garage within a five mile radius. That’s fair.

[J306TD]

Thanks for that Chris. I wonder how many other Skoda dealers do the same

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[DaleW]

Has anyone ever tried negotiating on the price of servicing? I managed to get £30 knocked off over the phone and I managed over £75 off over the phone with Mercedes!

[ChrisRs]

My dealer has gone another step further now

They will not give out ANY part numbers...thus, in their own words,......."..... preventing people buying elsewhere"!!

[J306TD]

My dealer has gone another step further now

They will not give out ANY part numbers...thus, in their own words,......."..... preventing people buying elsewhere"!!

Thats what I liked about owning my Peugeot. Any joe blogs can sign up for their parts system so can get the part numbers and diagrams for free and without hassle. Dealers dont like it though when you turn up with the part number lol.

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[Guest]

What irks me are all the things they list on the contents of the service like " 30 point safety check" which you know probably don't get done anyway. At the bed of the day you're paying £120 for an oil and filter change which is great work if you get it!

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[silver1011]

In my experience I tend to find that the dealers do more checks than needed - in the hope they find something that they can ring you up and ask to change - for extra cash of course.

 

No issue with this though, you can always say no and at least you know they've been over the car with a fine tooth comb.

[Ootohere]

A service schedule for a Major Inspection service is all set out and everything should be done on that list.

40 Point Health/Safety check.

Anything checked beyond the Service Schedule is surely a good thing.

Anything like Spare Tyre not checked because the boot is full, is usually noted.

 

If you can not trust the establishment or the staff, to follow inspection Services & do reports,

then you are at the wrong place.

 

Corporate Responsibility is with the people doing the Service or maintenance and people put their lives in Garages hands,

Any Mickey Mouse Establishments that falsely charge for work not done or checked 

are putting customer and the public in danger.

 

george

[DGW]

Skoda UK have reinstated itemised details of what the national fixed price minor and major services include.

http://www.skoda.co.uk/owners/service-and-maintenance/national-pricing/servicing?gclid=CNSqq525ib8CFdOhtAodMU4A6Q

QED.

[silver1011]

Yep, I complained to Skoda UK a few weeks ago. Had the call this morning to say that the marketing team agreed to reinstate it on the web.

 

After numerous emails with non related service schedules and going round in circles I asked for their complaints procedure.

 

The next day I got a phone call to say they would fix it.

 

Well done Skoda UK, it makes a nice change to show that they listen to us, at least occasionally!

 

_________________________________________________

 

Hi XXXX,
 
Thanks for the list, but as far as I can tell this does not tell me what I will get for my £139 minor service or £259 major service, the two available options listed on the Skoda UK website.
 
This information was previously displayed and made perfect sense, now it appears to be anyone's guess about what is included or is not included, please see attached.
 
As an owner I was able to refer to my owners handbook and determine which of the two services made the most sense, both in terms of adhering to the manufacturers guidelines and financially. Now I am unable to do that.
 
For example my handbook states that the air filter, pollen filter and fuel filter do not need replacing until around 3 years or 60,000 miles whichever is reached first. So why would I pay the extra £120 for a major service before this time when these three items are the only significant differences between the two service types?
 
I may as well pay £120 less each time I need a service and only pay the extra when I actually need the extra components included in the major service.
 
Essentially for only an extra £19 I could have two minor services for £278 and get twice as much work carried out on my car compared to one major service at £259!
 
At least when a breakdown of what was included was available online customers were able to determine this for themselves. It all sounds like a bit of a ploy to me to charge people £259 for a major service when in reality all they are getting is a minor service plus a few extra cursory/visual checks.
 
Kind regards,
 
XXXX.

 

________________________________________________________

 

Dear Mr XXXX,

Thank you for your contact through our website on 11 June 2014 regarding servicing on ŠKODA vehicles. I was sorry to learn that you are unhappy with the availability of the information on the site.

 

The information appearing on the website is controlled by colleagues in the Czech Republic and changes to the website are made on a regular basis. Whilst we have no direct control over the content, I have passed your comments to the relevant team for future consideration.

As you requested, I have attached a document that outlines what work is carried out on fixed and on flexible service regimes.

I apologise again for the circumstances which prompted you to contact us. However, I hope this information is useful. If you require any further assistance, please feel free to contact me using the information below.

Thank you once again for contacting ŠKODA UK Customer Services.

Kind regards,
 

XXXX.

Edited 23 June, 2014 by silver1011

[The Plumber]

All mine have come with service books without me asking.

When did this start George?

 

Production WK45/13 for the Octy III as far as I'm aware, so if your car has a service book it was built before then.

 

 

TP