Ok, ok that wasn't funny (anyone get the Buzz Light year reference though)?

After much thought and a few phone calls today, I have decided to try an Indy centre to service my 170 CR and give them a try. I've come to the realisation that an official Skoda dealership (or any VAG affiliated business for that matter) do not accept customers who provide their own parts.

Don't get me wrong, I work as a spark and materials cost money as do overheads. If you want to make money, then you do this by charging on said materials, simple as.

However, when you come across offers like quantum III long life oil at £17.99 for 5lt and looking at my records, Skoda Warrington charged me £53 for exactly the same product, does kinda make me think 'Why can't I do what customers do and purchase my own materials then get labour only. Surely someone out there will do this'.

My last service was a minor and I paid £139 for what was basically an oil/oil filter and pollen filter change and supposed ahem 'vehicle check'. By the bloody way!, the pollen filter only got changed because I pulled the technician when watching the work being done and thought he's leaving that awhile. Finally changes it (he wasn't going to I swear) and muck, dirt and all sorts falls out. You shouldn't have to encourage a scenario like that should you? Come on now.

What I actually paid for looking back was for the privallege of a Skoda dealership stamp in my service book. So yes your most likely to say 'Well yeah dur, what did you expect?' BUT very first time Octavia owner and very first experience of a dealership such as.

Life is all about experiences after all. What am I actually talking about!?

My car when I'm bored of her is going to my old man, because I'm kind and it's way out of warranty so I needn't be concerned with a stealership, I meant dealership sorry.

My belief is that if you can trust someone on your car and they are local and you can help their business grow and they do a proffessional and honest job, they're for keeps. Sometimes, you'll find that diamond in a lump of coal.

Anyway, so yeah I'm going to buy all the parts such as oil/fuel filter, air filter, pollen filter, sump plug bla bla and get the Indy to do it who has quoted £70.

His response to 'I will be buying the parts like, you ok with that?'

'If you buy **** mate and it goes wrong then on your head be it' and chuckled. Fair enough me thinks but I won't buy rubbish and will use ECP probably.

I may even have a dab at doing the oil myself. The air filter is obviously a no brainer.

I wonder does anyone else do this or have a good relationship with an Indie who is happy to just charge labour. If so, that's pretty cool.

So yeah, just putting it out there sorry for the waffle guys, I have no friends ha ha.

For a few years now I have been using an indie garage. They had my CTR, my Honda Accord, My Mazda 3 Sport and now my VRS. I have found them very honest and reliable and yes I usually supply my own parts. Just last Saturday I had my car serviced their with my own oil and filters and I asked them to check the condition of the battery while it was in and fit a new one if necessary. The Owner Ben, who I have got to know well, stated if it was poor he had them in stock. When I picked it up, honest as always, he said he did not need to sell me a battery, as mine was okay. I also change my own oil and filter between 12k services. He advised me that the front discs and pads will need changing soon. He was not trying to get the work either, as he knows I will change them myself. He knows how fussy I am with my cars, so he always does the work on the car himself, even though he has a number of good mechanics working for him. Can you get a better garage than that? He also only charges £40 per hour, plus the dammed VAT of course. Like a lot of owners, I think Mazda, Honda, Skoda etc, hike up prices just because they can. Owners like you and I should start a revolution to steer clear of major official dealerships, till they at least stop taking the pi55. Would still show loyalty to my local indie though, even if they did then drop prices. That's it, rant over!!

Seriously, do not under estimate how easy it is to do it yourself. Unfortunately this only goes to even further demonstrate how expensive the main dealers are.

 

Use one of these, I am converted!

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/378738-pela-or-sealey/

 

 

If you do decide to drop it out of the sump plug the CR170 is almost identical to my CR140, see here for my experience plus loads of pictures...

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/346425-oil-and-air-filter-change-skoda-superb-cr140-cffb/

Seriously, do not under estimate how easy it is to do it yourself. Unfortunately this only goes to even further demonstrate how expensive the main dealers are.

 

Use one of these, I am converted!

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/378738-pela-or-sealey/

 

 

If you do decide to drop it out of the sump plug the CR170 is almost identical to my CR140, see here for my experience plus loads of pictures...

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/346425-oil-and-air-filter-change-skoda-superb-cr140-cffb/

Have thought about this equipment before, but at the moment I still drain via sump plug. Might consider it even more now though.  

Cheers for the replies guys. Ah, I see Silver has popped in to Lord Raiden's tavern to share his wisdom

Btw, I noticed on your Pela 6000 thread you have a pic showing the oil filter with attached stalk. Is that right?

Still don't know which version I bloody need!

Main dealers are happy with me supplying genuine TPS parts and quantum LL3 for my 2 x Skoda's and one VW Golf. That's 2 dealers, albeit part of the same Trust Group.

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Ive only ever used main dealers on newish cars for residual value and warranty purposes.

When you trade a car...most dealers look for favourably on full dealer history than anything else of course...also whilst they shouldnt providing OEM parts are used dealers can get a bit funny about warranty work when a car hadnt been serviced/repaired inside the manufacturers dealer network.

I had a several year old Astra H 1.6 Design up until recently....Network Q car, had a years warranty plus a 2 year extension following that...to keep the warranty going I had to keep it serviced with Vauxhall and in fairness it went wrong a few times and got fixed...the AC failing was a biggy!

However anything else, Id just use my best mate....he has race/classic/modern supercar maintenance experience and supremely capable...being a mate I trust him implicitly too. Otherwise id use a specialist no question.

Outside of warranty there isnt much point in lining a main dealers pockets....they rarely offer decent levels of goodwill and you have to fight tooth and nail for it anyway...not sure I could be assed :-)

Edited 9 February, 201610 yr by pipsypreturns

Main dealer prices seem to vary wildly according to where you are.  Ridgeway Skoda in Oxford quoted me over £600 for some work on my Scout recently.  As it happened I was going on holiday and flying from Bristol, so I booked it into a Skoda garage in Bristol where I was charged about £350 for the same work

Main dealer prices seem to vary wildly according to where you are.  Ridgeway Skoda in Oxford quoted me over £600 for some work on my Scout recently.  As it happened I was going on holiday and flying from Bristol, so I booked it into a Skoda garage in Bristol where I was charged about £350 for the same work

I also live in Oxfordshire, which of course according to Ridgeway Skoda, is the "posh county". That must be why they charge so bloomin much!!

DIY. Piece of cake. :yes: .

 

And I did it the old fashioned way, without spilling a single drop of oil.  .

Edited 9 February, 201610 yr by Tilt

I think what it boils down to is personal preference. My car is out of it' s warranty and will be passed on as said to my old man so the need to maintain it's service record by way of having it done by the dealer seems pretty pointless imho.

 

My two 5Lt tubs of quantum oil has turned up today so this further cements the fact that going an Indy route seems to be the way forward (for most I'd assume) where Skoda charged me £53 for one. Really puts it into perspective and you know what, I'm not entirely sure I trust them especially after the pollen filter incident. I guarantee if I'd have kept my mouth sealed, it wouldn't get done.

 

£139 for what is essentially a lip service doesn't cut it for me. However, If my car was a brand spanker, would I have this opinion? I'm not so sure.

Cheers for the replies guys. Ah, I see Silver has popped in to Lord Raiden's tavern to share his wisdom

Btw, I noticed on your Pela 6000 thread you have a pic showing the oil filter with attached stalk. Is that right?

Still don't know which version I bloody need!

 

It wasn't easy working out which filter I needed, see here...

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/380179-oil-filter-for-bmm-pd140-octavia-scout/

 

In hindsight I should have whipped off the filter housing lid and taken a look!

To the OP. At Skoda main dealer paying them about £85 labour with your own genuine parts is what I am doing. As per another thread on here many years ago only have the interim £139 service, less the parts price is what I get above. I send the other parts air, pollen and fuel to suit my own service intervals as I find the manufacturer ones too long and for the sake of £6 an extra filter(pollen or air) change I am more than happy to shell out for. Labour rate pretty much always static. LL3 from Cardiff Audi and all other parts from TPS. Car is collected washed/vacuumed and returned to my house. Not saying this is better but maintaining the main dealer history is where I am at.

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