60,000 mile service cost Aberdeen

[excelsam]

Hi all, 

I bought a 2021 Corolla TS last July with 47,000 miles on it and have put approx. 10,000 miles on it since so it's due a service. 

I called Parks Toyota Aberdeen this morning who quoted me £550 for the service as it would involve spark plugs (basically a 60,000 mile full service). 

Toyota's website quotes a full service at £370 which aligns with what I used to pay for the same kind of service on other cars. 

https://www.toyota.co.uk/owners/servicing-and-aftercare/service-pricing

Are Park's Aberdeen having a laugh or have other owners experienced this too? 

[Parts-King]

60K service includes the plugs, it is not an additional cost, you need to challenge them on that and get a breakdown of costs 

 

 

[Willss]

Book the service online (Toyota website and specify your usual garage) and it's £370 and lists what is included (eg spark plugs!). Print off the list showing what you've bought and they should service it according to to that/the standard schedule.

My main dealer started adding bits on (fuel cleaners, AC cleaner etc which I didn't want but which put the cost of the service up) making the service more expensive than it should be. I now book online and get the standard service at the standard cost. A bit naughty really as unless you know better you pay about £60+ for them to pour 2 bottles of stuff in your car (which you can buy from them and pour yourself for about £25 (if you felt you needed it). 

Starting to get fed up with having to challenge them on stuff all the time.  12 years loyalty is basically taken as meaning they can try to exploit me. Didn't used to be like that.

[Red_Corolla]

Toyota call it fixed price servicing. Clue in the name. Besides, £180 extra for 4 plugs? No, I don't think so.

[Dylanfan]

I have a service plan, so no extras. The only thing I pay for at time of service is the MOT. 

[excelsam]

Thanks for all the answers, it does seem like they are having a laugh. 

[Hybrid21]

5 minutes ago, excelsam said:

Thanks for all the answers, it does seem like they are having a laugh. 

Not funny, just trying to rip you off, and will catch many customers with this 😕

[Saxmaniac]

Just normal main dealer service plus the standard of work can sometimes be appalling so better to say stuff the warranty and DIY or proper independent mechanic 

[TonyHSD]

If I am physically fit I most likely continue to service my car if I buy a newer model 3-4 years old again.
The reasons are: simple to work on, parts widely available, the extended warranty doesn’t bother me as if the car develop a fault within the first 6 months I am covered by the consumer rights, then after I don’t mind keep saving money and hassle  from not visiting and dealing with dodgy dealers employees. The only parts that will eventually go wrong in near future aren’t covered under extended warranty anyway ( head lights units) ⚠️, and they do go wrong and are so expensive,  so I will need to pay by myself. 
 

[Niky]

10 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

If I am physically fit I most likely continue to service my car if I buy a newer model 3-4 years old again.
The reasons are: simple to work on, parts widely available, the extended warranty doesn’t bother me as if the car develop a fault within the first 6 months I am covered by the consumer rights, then after I don’t mind keep saving money and hassle  from not visiting and dealing with dodgy dealers employees. The only parts that will eventually go wrong in near future aren’t covered under extended warranty anyway ( head lights units) ⚠️, and they do go wrong and are so expensive,  so I will need to pay by myself. 
 

Thats what I used to do before I bought my very first brand new car - Corolla TS 1.8 hybrid 

Doing it yourself, you know 100% what's in your engine - oil, filters, etc.... This was the most important bit for me, apart of enjoying doing the job of course.

I have always been servicing all my cars myself, but not with the Corolla. Maybe if I keep it long enough and go over 100k miles(43k miles in 27 months now) I'll start servicing it myself, but still might think twice about it.... Theoretically a one owner car with full dealer service history should have a better value and should sell quicker, so very likely all the money I would have saved from servicing it myself I will loose from the car sale later on. 

[Yowsah]

I also stay in Aberdeen but make the trip to Elgin to Alexander Wallace Toyota Dealers. I have been going there for years and have had great service. I know it’s a three hour round trip but it’s definitely worth it for me. I have only heard bad reports about Parks Toyota so it may be worth considering Wallace’s.

[excelsam]

I had considered Elgin but I am time limited so that's not the best solution - Dundee was also an option but the time frame just wasn't great there either.

I had an issue with the front sensors going mad in heavy rain in December and the soonest appointment Park's could give me was mid-February at the time which is ridiculous. I contacted Toyota UK about it who said they had been hearing a lot of grumbling from the NE of Scotland about the situation but that there wasn't much they could do. 

I never experienced Arnold Clark's service situation but I can't imagine it was any worse...

[excelsam]

2 hours ago, Niky said:

Thats what I used to do before I bought my very first brand new car - Corolla TS 1.8 hybrid 

Doing it yourself, you know 100% what's in your engine - oil, filters, etc.... This was the most important bit for me, apart of enjoying doing the job of course.

I have always been servicing all my cars myself, but not with the Corolla. Maybe if I keep it long enough and go over 100k miles(43k miles in 27 months now) I'll start servicing it myself, but still might think twice about it.... Theoretically a one owner car with full dealer service history should have a better value and should sell quicker, so very likely all the money I would have saved from servicing it myself I will loose from the car sale later on. 

Yep, I use to service my van but I no longer have a driveway and for a relatively complex car like the Corolla, I'd rather have the assurance of being able to blame a main dealer for something going wrong, than doing something wrong and effectively shooting myself in the foot. Maybe once the 100,000mile warranty is up, I'll start doing it myself but I'm still quite a way from that!

[Hybrid21]

15 hours ago, excelsam said:

I had considered Elgin but I am time limited so that's not the best solution - Dundee was also an option but the time frame just wasn't great there either.

I had an issue with the front sensors going mad in heavy rain in December and the soonest appointment Park's could give me was mid-February at the time which is ridiculous. I contacted Toyota UK about it who said they had been hearing a lot of grumbling from the NE of Scotland about the situation but that there wasn't much they could do. 

I never experienced Arnold Clark's service situation but I can't imagine it was any worse...

I'm sure Arnold Clark could really be worse Sam without trying too hard.  😀

[Clockwork]

19 hours ago, Yowsah said:

I also stay in Aberdeen but make the trip to Elgin to Alexander Wallace Toyota Dealers. I have been going there for years and have had great service. I know it’s a three hour round trip but it’s definitely worth it for me. I have only heard bad reports about Parks Toyota so it may be worth considering Wallace’s.

Thanks very much for the recommendation, that's enough for me to be following your lead!

[excelsam]

Update: 

As I was away on holiday, I didn't get round to booking the car in until mid-July. 

Park's Toyota doesn't take online bookings through the Toyota website or app and their phone lines were busy so I went past the dealership directly. A lovely young trainee was kind enough to squeeze the car in for a service on 12th August (apparently they close their bookings a month in advance so you would have a 4 week wait minimum for any work) and he confirmed pricing for a 60,000 mile full service would be £370 as stated on the Toyota website. 

I got a phone call this morning from the same guy informing me that he had been told to rectify the quote as it didn't include spark plugs which would be required at this service - this is despite the service manager walking him through the process of booking us in when we were in the dealership. 

I was quoted £490 this time (I'm not sure where they are pulling these figures from) which I contested, pointing out that the Toyota website definitely says that spark plugs are included. 

I'm now awaiting a call back to tell me if they are still happy to service my car or not at the Toyota pricing. 

Depending on what they answer, I will be raising a complaint with Toyota directly as to me, it looks like they are simply ripping customers off. 

[FreddoChoc]

Toyota Europe publish the best UK dealers offering exceptional service ( three in this case) https://newsroom.toyota.eu/toyota-recognises-its-best-european-retailers-for-delivering-exceptional-customer-experience/  

but not the worst.

[Heidfirst]

On 6/4/2024 at 9:24 AM, Hybrid21 said:

I'm sure Arnold Clark could really be worse Sam without trying too hard.  😀

Actually, I never had any problems with AC servicing my 2 Avensis at either of my then local Toyota dealers whilst AC had the franchise. Indeed, I was happy with them.

Macklin, who gained the franchise, though, not impressed ...  

[excelsam]

Update number 2: 

Phone call from Parks Toyota Aberdeen again, this time telling me that the service would cost £590.52, a £100 increase over what they told me on Monday. 

In terms of pricing then, we've gone from £550, to £370, to £490, to £590.52. All for the same service. 

I asked the service advisor to explain his pricing and he told me that they have to include parts in the service cost, hence the increase in price. I had him go on the Toyota website and see for himself that the spark plugs were in fact included in the £370 full service. 

After telling him that I was going to contact Toyota UK because it felt like Park's were just trying to rip their customers off, he said that he would contact them himself to enquire about the pricing and would phone me back asap. 

I've since phone Alexander Wallace Toyota in Elgin who quoted me £370 including spark plugs (apparently they charge you the full price whether you ask for new spark plugs or not, so I would just ask for them at a full service anyway), and Barnett's Toyota in Dundee who gasped when I told the service advisor what I had been quoted in Aberdeen.

She confirmed that they don't charge for spark plugs because they are included in the service price.... and that at most they would offer a "full service plus" which would include an aircon clean and engine flush for £420.  

So no surprise, I'm now booked in with Toyota Dundee next week and can't recommend avoiding Parks Toyota enough. 

I'm still waiting to hear back from them but I feel a strongly worded email to Toyota UK writing itself. 

[trashman1965]

1 hour ago, excelsam said:

Phone call from Parks Toyota Aberdeen again, this time telling me that the service would cost £590.52, a £100 increase over what they told me on Monday. 

So what parks actually said was "please vote with your feet" - and you did. Sadly often the way these days. 

I would agree make a complaint to toyota however seems that is a long process in itself. 

[TonyHSD]

I still don’t like dealers policy to include or exclude parts in the service trim where price remains the same. 
Why always things needs to be complicated in the motor trade. 
Why do we need to be ripped off every time we visit dealers for services or repairs but kindly offered cheap coffees and biscuits?! 
Then a warranty that in some cases is so difficult to get and almost makes you wander is it worth the hassle?! 
Price per service should be based on parts included and time taken to be worked on the car. 

[excelsam]

2 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

I still don’t like dealers policy to include or exclude parts in the service trim where price remains the same. 
Why always things needs to be complicated in the motor trade. 
Why do we need to be ripped off every time we visit dealers for services or repairs but kindly offered cheap coffees and biscuits?! 
Then a warranty that in some cases is so difficult to get and almost makes you wander is it worth the hassle?! 
Price per service should be based on parts included and time taken to be worked on the car. 

Couldn't agree more - I used to work for JLR and left because it was always about cheating the customer out of money and not about building trust or client satisfaction. 

My experience has been broadly similar across all brands though (Skoda were particularly unpleasant to deal with when my suspension collapsed) - I suspect the same people jump from dealership to dealership and the attitude never changes. 

Time to buy a classic and a toolbox, and do the work myself 🙂

[TonyHSD]

21 hours ago, excelsam said:

Couldn't agree more - I used to work for JLR and left because it was always about cheating the customer out of money and not about building trust or client satisfaction. 

My experience has been broadly similar across all brands though (Skoda were particularly unpleasant to deal with when my suspension collapsed) - I suspect the same people jump from dealership to dealership and the attitude never changes. 

Time to buy a classic and a toolbox, and do the work myself 🙂

Hurray 👏, happy to meet another colleague that we can talk the same language and understand each other first time 👌

I went on that route with the toolbox 16 years ago when a garage couldn’t fix a speed sensor properly and blamed on the part been poor quality.
I had to do my own research in forums like this, buy a toolbox and do the job myself. 
Never looked at garages or mechanics ever since. 👍