Servicing Costs

[DodgyKnee]

Hello,

I have just gotten back from the garage after having a 30000 mile intermediate service - or as it turns out, a £130 oil change. My warranty runs out any day and I thought I'd spend the cash just in case anything expensive was picked up and could be fixed under the warranty.

The cost is clearly excessive, but I suppose main dealers have high overheads and need to make a profit - if they can't make much by selling cars they will rake it in from servicing. Fair enough.

However, I have been fixing my own cars for twenty years (since I was seventeen and had to keep my old mini going) and always check the work done by the garage when I get home. Anyway I was charged 80p for screenwash, but the bottle was the same half full as before. So I filled it from the 5 litre bottle of the stuff I have in my garage. I know it sounds trivial, but trust in a garage is important to me. Also, I was told that my tyres were a bit underinflated and causing the rims to wear. The garage didn't pop a bit of air in, they just told me a price for a couple of replacements when they are needed. So I came home a blew up the tyres - took two minutes and was free.

I think next year, rather than paying about £250 for the 'full' 40000 mile service, I will service my own car like I have been doing for two decades and put the £200 saving towards something nice.

[Parts-King]

You should clearly have had better service than that, and there is no excuse for not topping up the washer fluid or tyre pressures, you should have been back there to demand an explanation!

Servicing costs are an emotive subject, and you wouldnt expect me to justify your poor experience, however we are not all like that. Dealers have to make a profit as you have stated, and people often equate £70 per hour with "well you don't pay your mechanics that do you" Obviously we don't but we do have considerable costs in relation to insurance, equipment, ramps, software licenses (some up to 5,000 per piece of kit!) I could go on and on, What appears to be a good profit margin is soon wittled away by these very high costs. Our own company has recently invested nearly a million pounds in showroom refurbishments, something that has to be paid for over a period of time. I'm not looking for anybody to get their violins out, but there are costs incurred in running a dealership that customers very often overlook.

On a positive note, get yourself back to your dealer and ask for a partial refund, you shouldnt have to give up your hard earned for a shoddy service

Merry Christmas and good luck

Kingo

[bjw]

You are lucky you own a Toyota if it was a Mercedes you owned the servicing costs would make your eyes water :o

But on a more serious note many dealers do offer a discounted service for Toyota's over 3 years old and sometimes when a unexpected problem surfaces such as the VVTi oil burning issue after the warranty has run out a fully stamped Toyota dealer service book has helped in this situation .

I am afraid many of the prices we have to pay for services from various companies are to be honest are extortionate but we do live in rip off Britain

[Guanocascade]

Just had mine serviced on Friday at a cost of £327 for a 40000 mile service. I was charged £1.66 for the same invisible screenwash! The car has cost a little over £1000 inclusive for 3 services at 20k, 30k and the last one. Anyway, it was the last dealer service as the warranty will expire in 6 months and then it will go to where our other car is serviced.