Evening all, I have my 2nd year service booked in for a couple of days and I wondered people's thoughts on future services? I have been told I can pay £500ish for another 2 services from the Skoda dealer, is it worth it? I am planning on keeping it until at least 4 years when the finance ends. What do you get in the service plan as I can't seen to work it out. I found a suggested scope of works from Skoda but what do you actually get from the service plan? 

I wouldn't at that price. We paid 250ish for 2 services when we got the arona. It's an oil change plus some filters if they deem them needed. They might change the spark plugs if at the right age and they need it.

 

Can you tell I have a really dim view of dealer services? Only reason I get mine done by them is down to being in warranty.

 

Someone will be along to give you a more detailed info on what is done. I'd take that info to a trusted local indy who will likely half the price and actually change stuff.

I've always felt that these arrangements are for the benefit of the dealer, not the customer.  My view is that you pay for things when you get them and not in advance.  It's unfortunate but over the years, I have grown to be very cautious of car dealers.  This is from my personal bitter experience and not the views of others (of which there are many on this forum alone).  Find yourself a good mechanic locally who you can trust.  Word of mouth is by far the best recommendation.

I've just entered into a two year plan for my new Superb, which costs £396 in total, but am paying by DD for 24 months at £16.50 to spread the cost and not be whacking out a full service charge immediately before (hopefully) taking it on holiday each of the next two years.

 

That comes to £198 per service and I get in year one an oil change plus any other fluids topped up to 0.5l with no additional charge, and in year two oil change, inspection, and pollen filter change.

 

Is the price a rip off? That is subject to debate and each to their own, but here is my experience of the last service I paid for:

 

I had an MG ZS from new and took it to my usual independent dealer for its first service, which also comprised nothing more than an oil change.  After VAT it cost about £125.

 

So you are talking just over £70 more for effectively the same thing. At Skoda however you are also getting the additional fluids if needed (which I appreciate may not come to £70 more elsewhere), diagnostic checks, any major software updates applied, and a proper Skoda-technician inspection of everything else.

 

I am grateful I can afford the extra cost to keep services with the dealership for now, so I don't consider it a rip off as I am willing to pay for it.

 

Now ask, is the independent ripping people off charging £125 for an oil change? Undoubtedly.

 

I'm no fan of dealers (see my threads in the Octavia MK4 forum about rejecting my Octy a few months ago...) but am no fan of independents frankly.

 

They aren't there to help us, they are there to make money.

 

So ask whether you'd like to be ripped off by amateurs or professionals and decide!!

 

3 hours ago, Gax said:

...... and a proper Skoda-technician inspection of everything else.

 

......

 

So ask whether you'd like to be ripped off by amateurs or professionals and decide!!

 

 

Just because they are working at a dealer doesn't make them any more qualified.  Quite often they get the apprentice to do the oil change.

 

Who says an independent is an amateur?  In my experience they are usually more honest and open about the work.  

 

The point about the updates and dealer support is a very good one though and worth paying the extra when and if you can afford it.

2 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

 

Just because they are working at a dealer doesn't make them any more qualified.  Quite often they get the apprentice to do the oil change.

 

Who says an independent is an amateur?  In my experience they are usually more honest and open about the work.  

 

The point about the updates and dealer support is a very good one though and worth paying the extra when and if you can afford it.

 

What I mean is that I guess at least at a dealership they are seeing the same cars come and go all day every day and know the quirks, issues, remedies etc, whereas an independent is working on a 1998 Ford one minute and a 2017 Citroen the next and doesn't have the feel for each brand.

 

Case in point, when I had my MG ZS it went to the independent for what I thought was a minor issue but he had to go on google to find what he thought was the remedy. As he was telling me about this it became rapidly apparent he had been reading an old MG owners forum discussing the old 1990s ZS and not the relaunch 2018 model I had! This doesn't happen at a dealership.

@Gax You are absolutely right with all that.  Where it differs is when you go to an independent specialist.  VAG in this case.  I guess we need to be more clear when discussing these things.  The VAG specialist I use is known in the tuning world and they know so much about these car that I would trust them over dealer hands down.  A garage I have started to use recently (we moved) is equally as trustworthy but not for VAG specific stuff.  Good for generic component change/maintenance.  Not so good for stuff like a DSG service or coding.

 

I wasn't aware that there was a new ZS.  Is that one of the new EV's?

6 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

@Gax You are absolutely right with all that.  Where it differs is when you go to an independent specialist.  VAG in this case.  I guess we need to be more clear when discussing these things.  The VAG specialist I use is known in the tuning world and they know so much about these car that I would trust them over dealer hands down.  A garage I have started to use recently (we moved) is equally as trustworthy but not for VAG specific stuff.  Good for generic component change/maintenance.  Not so good for stuff like a DSG service or coding.

 

I wasn't aware that there was a new ZS.  Is that one of the new EV's?

 

They're pushing the new EV now but the petrol model I had was launched in 2017 I think.

 

Dealer support for me over a few issues was bad, hence going to what had been my usual independent garage for servicing and to look at a recurring issue as dealer was hopeless and not interested despite it happening just a few weeks out of the warranty stage for said issue.

 

Nice looking cars and decent runner etc for the cheap price, but I commited the sin of being an early adopter. I didn't learn my lesson and got a First Edition MK4 Octavia and no longer own that either! 

You sometimes wonder whether it's pot luck with the service you get.

 

Having used the same indy for 7 years, he very kindly retired late last year  so when I booked my Superb in for it's service in March I wasn't aware of the change of ownership. The garage seems far more interested in telling me what it was going to cost rather than what they were going to do. I was quoted £230-£250 for full service 20k one. This was confirmed on phone as £230 when they called to say it was ready. I got there and it was £300 (£250 + vat). They also said it needs new discs and pads on back and wanted £230 for this too. I refused and said I'd leave it. I reviewed the bill and the labour charge was the same but parts were considerably dearer (more than dealer prices online).

 

Needless to say I've found another garage, who have just done MOT, brake pads, tracking and bulb. They confirmed the discs were fine and didn't need changing.   

1 minute ago, Sheriff said:

You sometimes wonder whether it's pot luck with the service you get.

 

Having used the same indy for 7 years, he very kindly retired late last year  so when I booked my Superb in for it's service in March I wasn't aware of the change of ownership. The garage seems far more interested in telling me what it was going to cost rather than what they were going to do. I was quoted £230-£250 for full service 20k one. This was confirmed on phone as £230 when they called to say it was ready. I got there and it was £300 (£250 + vat). They also said it needs new discs and pads on back and wanted £230 for this too. I refused and said I'd leave it. I reviewed the bill and the labour charge was the same but parts were considerably dearer (more than dealer prices online).

 

Needless to say I've found another garage, who have just done MOT, brake pads, tracking and bulb. They confirmed the discs were fine and didn't need changing.   

 

Cheeky gits. I suspect this particular establishment hasn't got long for this world. 

 

Any place that gives a price and then pulls that 'plus vat' crap at point of sale need boycotting. Also, I thought it was banned at least 20 years ago, retail should only ever quote inclusive prices.   

Yes that's exactly what I though too. They had come as a team from an Audi dealership and set up on their own. They made no secret of the cost of buying the garage and that they needed to recoup this. Two other lads that were with the retired owner had been let go too. Shame as they were honest and nothing was too much trouble for them.

 

I will not be returning and if anyone asks for recommendations I will tell them what I found!!

So from what it seems It is pot luck as to whether it is better to go indy or not. I do use an indy for my wife's older car but am unsure for mine. Especially regarding the online service book. When I picked my car up from its service at Skoda the gent on the desk said that there was a 20% discount on a service plan in July, he is supposed to be ringing me back about the price for it. 

Yep it's definitely pot luck but I think this shower have that main dealer mentality where they try to get you to have jobs done that don't need doing.

 

Another one I forgot was the osf tyre was marked as being on 2.7mm on the service. I checked when I got home and it was no where near the 3mm wear markers. It's still ok now and has passed the mot with an advisory that it was slightly worn on the inside. I've had the tracking done to sort it anyway. 

 

I think once you are out of warranty that an honest indy is the way to go   

On 17/07/2021 at 20:59, Chrisis said:

So from what it seems It is pot luck as to whether it is better to go indy or not. I do use an indy for my wife's older car but am unsure for mine. Especially regarding the online service book.  

 

Ironically, when my Superb was delivered I was chatting to the driver who told me his Dad had just sold his Mercedes and had huge problems trying to get a copy of his service record. That was the payback for his loyalty of using his dealership for servicing.

 

You basically can't win, whatever you do...

Edited 21 July, 20214 yr by Gax