Fabia VRS service cost query

[peejdj]

Hi all,

Just had my 20,000 mile service for my 2006 Fabia VRS.

Dealer recommended rear brake discs need replacing as they were corroded. Said this is down to short trips and not using the car everyday. Cost of this job (parts and labour) was £200!

Also needed a brake fluid change - fair enough.

Total cost of service was £520 - ouch!

I feel a bit ripped off - was I?

With previous cars (Mazda, Ford and Citroen's) I have usually only paid around £150 for a 20k service

Will do a ring round of dealers for estimates next time I think!

[jasc1988]

Ouch

Go independant

[Decron]

The service would have included an "Annual inspection" which adds to it.

£520 for the whole lot including £200 for a disc change....

You sure they didn't do more than just the service, BF and discs?

[RiCh_vRS]

Wow you were well ripped off there mate, i would never pay a dealer that much.

Did you get a price for the 20k service before you booked it in?

I just had my car serviced a few weeks back from a main dealer, my car had done 19.5k miles and it cost me £160 or something like that. That was for the normal 20k service/inspection only and i didnt need any other work done.

That means that if you didnt get the rear discs done then it would have been £320 for the 20k inspection and bf change!! :eek: Doesnt the 40k service which involves a new cambelt cost around that much? I wonder how much your dealer would skin you for that when that service comes along.

Your dealer is way expensive :thumbdwn: £200 for the rear discs only is a rip off for a start, im sure you can get front & back discs & pads fitted for that much.

They must have serviced the wrong car or something.

[BOBAD]

Just had a quote for a 20k service on a 2006 Fabia from Alex Lawrie Main Dealers in Liverpool: £203

Don't you get an estimated cost before asking your dealer to work on your car?

And £203 sounds a lot to me for what is little more than an engine oil & filter change and a new pollen filter.

[peejdj]

Sadly I didn't get an estimate - a lesson learned! Will deffo do next time.

By the way, the dealer in question is Mitchell Skoda in Ellesmere Port. To be fair the customer service is very good and they do go through the whole bill with you to explain everything - no doubt to justify the rip off charges!

[ap0gee1978]

I didn't pay much more than that for my 60k (cambelt) service - although I didn't need new discs and pads at that point. I remember getting an advisory for them after my 50k service, with a quote for £180. This was about a year ago, so £200 is consistent if nothing else. There's VAT to add, I suppose, which would bump the cost of your brakes up to £235, but that's still £285

[Ratt]

£200 40k service at Awesome and £240 for genuine manufacturer discs and pads all round from Dubsport in Wigan (before I discovered Awesome). i'd say you had your pants pulled down mate. Happens to us all occasionally!!!

[Fred Bloggs]

Mitchell Skoda in Ellesmere Port.

Well, you ARE paying for the "free" doughnuts, muffins, coffe and orange juice. There's nothing "free".

[peejdj]

Well, you ARE paying for the "free" doughnuts, muffins, coffe and orange juice. There's nothing "free".

Hmm, can't say I got offered any of them. There was even a charge for the courtesy car! Don't think I'll be going back there again. The service is good but they charge too much.

[ap0gee1978]

...There was even a charge for the courtesy car! Don't think I'll be going back there again...

That's pretty bad. We have a section for dealer reviews if you feel like making your feelings known...

[Fred Bloggs]

Hmm, can't say I got offered any of them. There was even a charge for the courtesy car! Don't think I'll be going back there again. The service is good but they charge too much.

I agree. They seem to go over top to ensure they are seen to provide "good customer service" but I think really it is a kind of strategy to try to blind you to the amount you are paying. I will not use them. I have owned 5 Skodas, 1 was bought from them but I'll not use them again. Too "flash" by half for me.

[Darren H]

I find the servicing quite costly in dealerships.

When I had the car re-mapped & found out how much cheaper an independent garage is that's where I'll be going next.

[Orta]

My local Skoda Dealership, Hortons, has a reputation for excellent service etc. However, I say "local" loosely. It's about 35 miles away! So it's not really practical for me to use the Skoda network.

That said I will NEVER EVER EVER use a main dealer for anything unless I really have to. Because they are notorious for charging the Earth. My local garage, which a lad I grew up with runs, can do everything I need and has never charged more than £120 for a service...

[whitemarina]

The argument from dealers who have a full blown setup will always be that they have to charge over and above independants as they have more invested and this has to be repaid.

VAS 5052 £8k - and 1 is never enough! / BTAC Server £2k / Minimum Special Tools £25k ish / Training £10k a year.

This is the bare minimum you would have to pay to run just a workshop. But that being said, if you want to keep running a dealer workshop you have to strike a careful balance between cost and the service you provide.

£200 for a 20k s/v that includes a loan car and insurance / wash and vac and full peace of mind that they have used the right oil, parts, not cross threaded the sump, plus a good relationship with a dealer you can rely on for the odd bit of free advice is money well spent in my opinion

And really the price should be on the job card when you drop your car off in the morning, or should be if they havent got a problem with the prices they charge....

[national]

I really do not know why "Dealers" do not become more competitive, as they lose so much work to independants, if they reduced the price, they would get the work SPQR

I prefer to use STAR PERFORMANCE as you know the mechanic and quality of work, at an excellent price more personal,

Yet really there is nothing stopping a dealer doing the same, and building a reputation and having a FULL workload rather than ten services a week at inflated prices making a loss, which in turn is added to the price of the next car they sell, which in turn reduces the amount of cars they sell

Or am I living in UTOPIA world

National