"a" Service Shock

[System~G]

Hi all!

Thought I'd eventually post a thread of my own for a change :)

I took my MR2 back to Westlands Bromsgrove for it's first "A" service yesterday since being in my ownership.

I was originally quite please with the Quote of £80.00 for the service plus 15% discount for MR2DC membership (I could have used TOC details too, but since paying for DC I thought I would take full advantage).

Two hours after dropping the car off I got a phone call saying the rear brakes were down to the metal and need urgent replacing - I said OK.

From a quote of £80.00 to £241.19 I was stunned!!!!!

They charged me for oil, screenwash (which I refilled four days ago), the brake pads and a few other bits and pieces. They did give me 15% where they could.

I was stunned as I assumed that the Quote of £80 included all that was need for the entire service. Then of course plus the brake pads. I wish they had made it clear from the start of the extra's normally needed for a typical "A" service!

The Service manager was polite and helpfull. But I think he was in a rush to get home when I collected my car.

The Courtesy car was OK - nothing special. It was what I am assuming a "Base-Line" VVTI Yaris. It was a horribly lime green colour. I climbed in and imediately noticed the seating was very high, but still couldn't see the front of the car. The dash looked as plastic as Vauxhall's best, and the Intrument cluster??? WTF is that all about??? LOL Glancing over to check speed is somewhat distracting IMO. the fuel level LCD thingy is half hidden by plastic (it's OK when you look out your right eye only, but left only you don't see it at all or both eyes open you get split imaging ) When I first got it out on the dual carriage way, I thought lets see what this thing can do! And there was.... Nothing This car just did not suit my driving style It was a courtesy car after all. I certainly hope those of you with a Yaris have something a bit more special than this one!

[ae111sr]

You're lucky getting a quote of £80 for an "A" service. I asked the main dealer in Cardiff for an "A" service quote for my 4 year old 1.6 Corolla and was given a figure of £180

Needless to say I took my car elsewhere.

[jimma]

Hi all!

Thought I'd eventually post a thread of my own for a change :)

I took my MR2 back to Westlands Bromsgrove for it's first "A" service yesterday since being in my ownership.

I was originally quite please with the Quote of £80.00 for the service plus 15% discount for MR2DC membership (I could have used TOC details too, but since paying for DC I thought I would take full advantage).

Two hours after dropping the car off I got a phone call saying the rear brakes were down to the metal and need urgent replacing - I said OK.

From a quote of £80.00 to £241.19 I was stunned!!!!!

They charged me for oil, screenwash (which I refilled four days ago), the brake pads and a few other bits and pieces. They did give me 15% where they could.

I was stunned as I assumed that the Quote of £80 included all that was need for the entire service. Then of course plus the brake pads. I wish they had made it clear from the start of the extra's normally needed for a typical "A" service!

The Service manager was polite and helpfull. But I think he was in a rush to get home when I collected my car.

The Courtesy car was OK - nothing special. It was what I am assuming a "Base-Line" VVTI Yaris. It was a horribly lime green colour. I climbed in and imediately noticed the seating was very high, but still couldn't see the front of the car. The dash looked as plastic as Vauxhall's best, and the Intrument cluster??? WTF is that all about??? LOL Glancing over to check speed is somewhat distracting IMO. the fuel level LCD thingy is half hidden by plastic (it's OK when you look out your right eye only, but left only you don't see it at all or both eyes open you get split imaging ) When I first got it out on the dual carriage way, I thought lets see what this thing can do! And there was.... Nothing This car just did not suit my driving style It was a courtesy car after all. I certainly hope those of you with a Yaris have something a bit more special than this one!

I got full B service (ie, every nut bolt and washer checked!) for £150 plus Vat.

[Steve Ratcliffe]

Hi Mate,

I know what you mean about Toyota Services, on my old Yaris they had it in for a full service, which they told methe worse case price of, and i specifically said when I handed the car over that I simply would not pay anything more unless they rang me up to confirm what it was they needed to do, what needed changing and what they were going to charge extra for. They rang me up and said it needs a full wheel balancing and four wheel realignment, plus the pads are shot so we need to do that also, oh and one set of replacement tires..... They wanted £95 to do the pads, £75 to do the alignment, £70 for the tyres and £6 per wheel for balancing. I asked them who had decided it needed balancing/alignment as there was not the slighest vibration or anything when I dropped it off... so i went down there to see for myself and sure enough when i drove it there was vibrations in the steering from 40mph onwards. I stuck to my points and said when i dropped it off it was perfect so its something you've done, they argued and said it couldnt be anything they had done, so I said get the serivce finnished and ill pay for that, then i took it up with the workshop manager (TW4T). They ended up doing the rebalancing an alignment for nothing, but when I drove the car home it was even worse still.

I had the pads replaced by our works mechanic, I got the exact same pads that toyota were going to fit, but for about £30, then slipped the mechanic a tenner to do it at lunch.

With Toyota I ended up paying for the alignment etc before they would do a half decent job, even then it was never right again so no idea what they did. I wrote a formal letter of complaint over the ignorance of the service/workshop manager and they sacked him the next week :o

Steve.

[TheNissanMan]

Hi Mate,

I know what you mean about Toyota Services, on my old Yaris they had it in for a full service, which they told methe worse case price of, and i specifically said when I handed the car over that I simply would not pay anything more unless they rang me up to confirm what it was they needed to do, what needed changing and what they were going to charge extra for. They rang me up and said it needs a full wheel balancing and four wheel realignment, plus the pads are shot so we need to do that also, oh and one set of replacement tires..... They wanted £95 to do the pads, £75 to do the alignment, £70 for the tyres and £6 per wheel for balancing. I asked them who had decided it needed balancing/alignment as there was not the slighest vibration or anything when I dropped it off... so i went down there to see for myself and sure enough when i drove it there was vibrations in the steering from 40mph onwards. I stuck to my points and said when i dropped it off it was perfect so its something you've done, they argued and said it couldnt be anything they had done, so I said get the serivce finnished and ill pay for that, then i took it up with the workshop manager (TW4T). They ended up doing the rebalancing an alignment for nothing, but when I drove the car home it was even worse still.

I had the pads replaced by our works mechanic, I got the exact same pads that toyota were going to fit, but for about £30, then slipped the mechanic a tenner to do it at lunch.

With Toyota I ended up paying for the alignment etc before they would do a half decent job, even then it was never right again so no idea what they did. I wrote a formal letter of complaint over the ignorance of the service/workshop manager and they sacked him the next week :o

Steve.

word of warning, never let steve know where you work....

[System~G]

Regardless of costs involved this time, It has always been the case with my cars :( The first car I had in the UK I'ts first service landed up costing more than I paid for the bucket of nails!!! :D

But since I bought the MR2 with Full MrT history, I thought I'd keep it that way. So I really don't mind the expense, I just now know what to expect next time. £80 was too good to be true anyway ;)

But my whole point of the post was to wind up the Yaris owners and to try get their opinions of what they thought of thiers. And as part of this wind up, I drove our company's Berlingo today and even that out performed the Yaris even before I left the carpark!!!

[JT]

my car's got full toyota service history, and it's due an A service soon, so i thought id enquire how much it would be...... £120.

not as bad as i was expecting, but im still not going through toyota - it's not really worth it when the car's this old, and they probably wouldn't know what to do with it now!

[moaeedsajid]

Here's a question for you...

What's better....

1 . Main dealer with all the gadget and tools and more importantly dealer Badge?

or

2. Independent garage, i.e someone who will make their money by satisfying customers (by doing a good job on the car) and word of mouth?

[ratus9]

Hi

Had my first 10k service yesterday at Westland’s Stourbridge and they charge me 76 as I told them not to to do the screen wash as I filled it to the brim before I left home.

I ask if they could have a look at my handbrake as it was click up to 8 times not three like it should be they told me that it was not part of the service mmmm and would cost me, I also ask them to change the wheel from the front to back and that would cost me £20 mmmm,

so all I paid 76 quid for was for oil filter, oil, deposit of old oil, and a rubber stamp in the service book what a rip off I could of done it myself for 24 quid...

Mind not quite sure what £3.75odd was for consumables??? for the rubber gloves they wear...

funny all the above as when I have my last t sport they quite happily adjust me handbrake and swapped my wheels for nothing last time and give it alignment for £140ish if memory serves me right. <_< maybe they have change their policy. Charge more do less.

mind they did say in the paper that toyota was about number 5 for the most rip off for service costs over the last few years up 40%. ??? in the sun & autoexpress i think :o

when I collected the car they did not wash it but the lady at the service desk did say if it had not been done then bring it in any time I am passing to have it cleaned, later I check my log book to find that it was not stamped so I looks like I have to go back now

Another British ripped off again.