Just wondering if anyone does the basic oil, filters, all round checks any more, because our 2nd car is an Alfa and I can buy all the bits for £60, but would be looking at £250 for the garage to do it.

I can use the spanners for doing basic jobs - pads, discs, calipers, wishbones etc.

Skoda still do that basic oil and filter and health check as do all vag dealers. Not sure about other marques. I replace my own air and pollen as needed and skoda do basic oil service. 

I buy my own oil and all my filters and my local garage charges £20 to drain and replace both oil and filter then every 2nd oil change I get them to replace the air filter & sump plug (supplied by me) still only £20 labour and I change the cabin filter myself at home ... I'm usually in and out in under 30 minutes from driving on the ramp to driving off it ... This next oil change I'm needing to look at doing a fuel filter change so I'm unsure what that will add to the cost.

I have always done my own servicing and repairs in the past but with a new car with warranty its sort of a must for the first 3 years and even then, at Skoda's price for a service its maybe worth carrying on for at least 2 years just in case something breaks you will more than likely get a good will gesture towards an expensive repair.

 

Also, doing servicing yourself can put buyers off if you want to sell. Again it depends on the age of the car or even if your the type of person to sell private. It seems in recent years the amount of private sales has dropped significantly, only cars people sell privately now are on Facebook marketplace for maybe a grand or 2 max. 

 

My Superb is over 3 years old now but i'm still going to get it serviced at Skoda, just so when I come to sell it in a year or 2 It has a complete history

 

 

20 minutes ago, SuperbTWM said:

My Superb is over 3 years old now but i'm still going to get it serviced at Skoda, just so when I come to sell it in a year or 2 It has a complete history

 

When you see the grief people get put through with Skoda to rectify faults, chain tensioners failing on TFSI engines for example, on vehicles over 5 years old the main dealer service really is worthless compared to what it might have been at one time ... The service book is so "valuable" it's often one of the first things, and indeed often the only thing, to go missing from the vehicles wallet when you trade it in....   

9 hours ago, andyoctavia said:

Just wondering if anyone does the basic oil, filters, all round checks any more, because our 2nd car is an Alfa and I can buy all the bits for £60, but would be looking at £250 for the garage to do it.

I can use the spanners for doing basic jobs - pads, discs, calipers, wishbones etc.

Andy,

I am with you on this. Our runaround is a VW Fox. I buy all the service items from ECP for @ £50. German filters and Castrol  oil. I am no mechanic but it is so easy to do and takes no time whatsoever. It saves about £150, avoids a trip to the garage and gives me a sense of satisfaction.

2 hours ago, kevberlin said:

Andy,

I am with you on this. Our runaround is a VW Fox. I buy all the service items from ECP for @ £50. German filters and Castrol  oil. I am no mechanic but it is so easy to do and takes no time whatsoever. It saves about £150, avoids a trip to the garage and gives me a sense of satisfaction.

 

I was surprised at the cost of the parts from Alfashop for the GT - £61, ordered yesterday, arrived half an hour ago - oil, fuel, air and pollen filters, some screenwash, 5L Petronas Syntium 3000E fully synthetic oil.

If I had a brand new car then probably I would do servicing at the dealer (or another serious garage) just to have some history record. But I don't so I do the basics myself.

Oil (+filter) - I have place to do it ~twice per year. Air + pollen filter usually once per year and it's a very easy thing to do. Fuel filter also is simple thing and it's done once in two years.

Also things like wipers, liquids etc.

 

Sometimes I visit a friend to do some other things - brakes (some repair works or brake fluid change) but sometimes not - depends on free time and how complex is the thing.

I would never try to change the timing belt or something like that

Even for a full service, Skoda don't remove the wheels or disturb the brake's. I do my own, take my time and that way I know the sump plug hasn't been zipped on with a impact wrench by some 17 yr old

I trust myself to do a better job than main dealers, at least for the basics. (Oil filter, oil, air filter, spark plugs on petrols) Bigger items that I don't have the facilities or knowledge to do I go to a decent independent.

 

As my cars get newer, there's less that I can do myself I find.