My 2 year old (circa 12k mile) Skoda Superb is with the dealer this morning (Murray Skoda in Plymouth) for its annual service (£260 with brake fluid change) and I asked for the wheels to be rotated front to rear as I always do to even out the wear.

Just had the call from the dealer to take payment and was told that there is a £72 charge for this!!!!

This is absolutely disgraceful, I’m 60 years of age and this is the first time I’ve ever been charged at all for this in 43 years of services with several manufacturers but to be charged such a ludicrous sum for what is no more than 5 minutes work is simply outrageous.

 

even if it’s 15 minutes for a laggard, this is an hourly rate of £288!!!!

Skoda should not be treating loyal customers in this way.

I’ll now pop down to my local tyre fitters who will do it for a tenner.

Didn’t realise main dealerships were ripping folk off in this way so thought I’d share to alert others.

Presumably they have the wheels off to bleed the brakes after the fluid change anyway??

You can normally get a bleeder on from the back of the wheel when the car's up in the air.

 

But yes, that takes the p***

Everyone's at it!! Autoglass ads on the TV stating 'as little as £20' to fix a bullseye on a windscreen, without saying that that price relies on you having windscreen insurance. Otherwise £220!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for something that you can do yourself in 15mins for a tenner. 

1 hour ago, Megawatt said:

ust had the call from the dealer to take payment and was told that there is a £72 charge for this!!!!

Now guess why they're known as "main stealers".  

@MegawattWelcome.

 

It is not 5 minutes work.  You do it if you can in 20 minutes.

Bolt caps off, bolts loose, wheels off, changed position,  bolts back on, checked for correct tightness, bolt covers on.  Moaning customer when the security bold is mashed because the last person over tightened them...

But if the wheels are coming off anyway then it is not done twice.

That £72 has 20% VAT. 

Hourly rate can be £115 including VAT or more, especially right down in the wealthy south.

 

It is nice when places do it for a tenner.

Where i go and get stuff like that done free i still give £20 for the tea money, and if they need to put it through the books they get what they need to charge.

But then when i charge for my hourly rate for work i am not cheap.  When a nod and a wink to a blind person from HMRC that is different.

 

?

Is that what your cars manufacturers guidelines, recommendation or specification shows now, Brake Fluid change first @ 2 years. (Like the old days 15 years ago.)

Or were they taking the Michael and treating you like a Golden Goose? 

 

?

Did it get an Oil & Inspection Service & a Pollen filter replaced & the Brake Fluid change for the £260?

Did it get a road test and an inspection and report and a Body Inspection report for the Paint Warranty and the 12 year corrosion warranty and did you get a paper copy?

 

At the Annual Oil & Filter & Inspection Service, 1 to 2 years they might not take the wheels off, but they should at 3 years @ the Extended Scope and then each 2 years.

 

Some places take wheels off anyway, like maybe an Arnold Clark Dealership to send the video showing you how bad the discs and pads are, even when they are not. 

Edited 14 July, 20232 yr by toot

That's taking the pish assuming wheels are gonna be off for brake fluid change. 

Wrong assumption.

 

Changing (or probably not!) brake fluid at 2 years is a pish take.

I think OP is saying the charge is for wheel rotation! Brake fluid change iirc is 60quid flat at most if not all Skoda dealers. 

OE skoda documentation requires to remove/refit the wheels for bleeding the brakes

Skoda UK Fixed Price Servicing and Maintenance in 2021 had the Brake Fluid change @ £65.   £60 in 2020. 

 

 Is it not at £72 or £75 now in 2023?

 

 

Edited 17 July, 20232 yr by toot

6 hours ago, toot said:

Skoda UK Fixed Price Servicing and Maintenance in 2021 had the Brake Fluid change @ £65.   £60 in 2020. 

 

 Is it not at £72 or £75 now in 2023?

 

 

Just got my annual inspection / oil change done at a VAG indy. £140 for the service, £60 for replacement Brake Fluid & £220 for DSG oil & filter. Advisories. 

 Service advise;
Air conditioning service every 2 years - declined as it's fine & I changed pollen filter myself last year. 
Haldex oil replacement every 38,00 miles or 3 years whichever comes first - done 2 years ago. 
Nearside rear and offside rear suspension coil springs corroded at the common fracture point - one to watch.
Nearside front tyre tread depth; 6 mm.
Offside front tyre tread depth; 6 mm.
Nearside rear tyre tread depth; 4 mm, tyre cracking on the inner and outer treads - only 1 year old!.
Offside rear tyre tread depth; 5 mm, tyre cracking on the inner and outer treads - only 1 year old.
1.6 mm is the legal tyre tread depth limit.
No service book in vehicle at time of service - yes there was in glove box.

Haldex is every 3 years or 30,000 miles, but someplace it might say @ 38,000 miles like when it used to show @ 4 years.