So I asked my local Skoda dealer for a quote on labour charges for replacing front discs - and a separate quote for replacing pads.  Dealer quotes £105.60 for the discs labour and £67.20 for the pads labour.

(I can source the actual parts for £75 rather than the £154 the dealer quotes).

 

So I ask how much the labour will be if they fit my parts in one go and they say its £105.60 plus £67.20.  Eh? surely part of the labour time is taking the wheels off etc. which you're only going to have to do once if you do both the discs and pads at the same time, so how come its both labour charges in full?!?!?!

 

 

They have fixed pricing. its nothing to do with the actual time it takes. a single mechanic can be booked for 14 hours in an 8 hour shift for example.

a brake change will be booked as 1 hour for example, but could be done in 20 mins. the fact its booked in for 2 jobs in the same area of car is irrelevant to the charge. you pay for 2 jobs at the job rate.

 

This is not skoda specific.

take it to an independent, or do it yourself, it's not that hard! Front discs and pads would be an hours job on the driveway.

Discs and pads just over £50 from brakes international. I got APEC discs which are holding up nicely so far (14,000 miles on them). No signs of warping, unlike the stock discs which where getting wobbly within 3000 miles.

Just phoned my dealer for you to get a price. This is excluding parts.

The labour charge for fitting front discs and pads is £121.68 incl vat.

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Thanks for the all the helpful responses.

 

I did challenge my dealer re the alternative price Stormchaser obtained (thanks for doing that!)  and they're not budging.  Considering I've given that dealer almost £70k of business in the past, I think thats the last nail in their coffin.

 

I've sourced discs, pads and fitting for £120 at a local independent. 

Thanks for the all the helpful responses.

 

I did challenge my dealer re the alternative price Stormchaser obtained (thanks for doing that!)  and they're not budging.  Considering I've given that dealer almost £70k of business in the past, I think thats the last nail in their coffin.

 

I've sourced discs, pads and fitting for £120 at a local independent. 

Certainly pays NOT to be a loyal customer in your case, well done for using some of your little grey muscles (no offense intended)..

Customer loyalty doesn't pay off. It's always worth shopping around, even if it's just one dealer to another.

My biggest gripe re Customer Loyalty is I have used a well known building society, which better remain nameless, but did have an "X" in the name!

After I was fortunate enough to pay off the mortgage (as a member of the OFC my 25 yrs are up! I continued with house & contents insurance through them .

Each year the monthly payment went up by "the odd fiver" or whatever and I just carried on with them..... Until I checked out the annual fee was just over £900! I rang them and they said they could adjust it... by £10 p.a. ! So I went to John Lewis, who use Royal Sun Alliance, and got exactly the same (unlimited house cost & contents cover) for under £300! When the John Lewis renewal came through I thought it would rocket as they had my business  I opened the envelope with trepidation only to find yes it had gone up... by £1.02 p.a. ! This proves that loyalty doesn't pay with some companies but can do with a few.

Customer loyalty doesn't pay off. It's always worth shopping around, even if it's just one dealer to another.

My biggest gripe re Customer Loyalty is I have used a well known building society, which better remain nameless, but did have an "X" in the name!

After I was fortunate enough to pay off the mortgage (as a member of the OFC my 25 yrs are up! I continued with house & contents insurance through them .

Each year the monthly payment went up by "the odd fiver" or whatever and I just carried on with them..... Until I checked out the annual fee was just over £900! I rang them and they said they could adjust it... by £10 p.a. ! So I went to John Lewis, who use Royal Sun Alliance, and got exactly the same (unlimited house cost & contents cover) for under £300! When the John Lewis renewal came through I thought it would rocket as they had my business  I opened the envelope with trepidation only to find yes it had gone up... by £1.02 p.a. ! This proves that loyalty doesn't pay with some companies but can do with a few.

Geoff...I'm with John Lewis too....for both house and car insurance. People have commented "John Lewis eh? Bet that's expensive!". In fact, JL gave the lowest quotes for excellent cover (hence the Which? Recommended Provider status) and the premiums rise very little on renewal.

Thanks for the all the helpful responses.

I did challenge my dealer re the alternative price Stormchaser obtained (thanks for doing that!) and they're not budging. Considering I've given that dealer almost £70k of business in the past, I think thats the last nail in their coffin.

I've sourced discs, pads and fitting for £120 at a local independent.

You're welcome and well done for going somewhere else [emoji106][emoji4]

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