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Main Dealer Servicing Costs.


Thrustyjust

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I was talking to the chap who MOTs the Westfleld about air conditioning as it's one of the services he offers. He said some of the manufactures put only enough gas in the system to make them work and well bellow the minimums that should be installed as new to the point that if you checked some brand new cars they would need to be topped up to bring them up to the minimum level. Based on this it's no wonder that some cars need to be refilled after a short amount of time. Audi he said was one of the worst for filling and then retaining the coolant.

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48 minutes ago, Rhett - Joint Black Country AO said:

I was talking to the chap who MOTs the Westfleld about air conditioning as it's one of the services he offers. He said some of the manufactures put only enough gas in the system to make them work and well bellow the minimums that should be installed as new to the point that if you checked some brand new cars they would need to be topped up to bring them up to the minimum level. Based on this it's no wonder that some cars need to be refilled after a short amount of time. Audi he said was one of the worst for filling and then retaining the coolant.

Problem is that the system needs to be charged correctly as the refrigerant cycles the compressor oil. If this runs low , then the oil doesnt return back and can cause compressor failures. Also, by people injecting more oil and uv dyes into systems, this can cause compressor to hydraulic and smash it to bits. Anyone fiddling with their car a/c will also induce moisture and dirt , hence why it should be left alone as much as possible.

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Weirdly, I called another branch of Marshalls Skoda today , to be met by a different cost again. Their Newbury garage want £260 , their Reading one wants £226 for the same service.......... might as well call their Oxford one tomorrow and get a full comparison . Still, £160 at Winchester Skoda ( different group) is obviously the cheapest.

It really is numbers in a hat. Day 3.5 and no response from Newbury. Found info on the CEO for Skoda . I'll get Oxfords costs and then pop him a polite email about how they get their prices so different?

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Not sure Skoda can (or are allowed to) control individual franchise costs, but I'm guessin'. It doesn't feel right what with all the competition laws and potential interference in the market place...

 

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31 minutes ago, Blatman said:

Not sure Skoda can (or are allowed to) control individual franchise costs, but I'm guessin'. It doesn't feel right what with all the competition laws and potential interference in the market place...

 

Maybe so Blatters, but if the nearest dealer to me wants to charge 40% extra to another main dealer 25 miles away shouldn't really be allowed . Currently my local non franchised garage is getting the business. Just make sure I use a Skoda/ VW oil filter and decent oil and off we go...........

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"Not allowed" suggests pricing control which would be a bad thing because it removes choice and competition. On the other hand... It would be great if it cost a fixed amount to service a car irrespective of where the main dealer is located or which holding company owns it. But then again costs of a dealership in London cannot be compared to a dealership in Middle Earth or Mordor... sorry the midlands or the north :oops::devil: 

I do understand the frustration though. Perhaps this is the unintended consequence of not allowing such price controls.

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What you should find in all main dealers is the time taken should be the same, so if Skoda recommend it takes three hours it should take the same anywhere. Hourly rate charges can fluctuate but their parts should never exceed RRP.

Costs of overheads will fluctuate of that there is no doubt, that happens in the independent sector as well.

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Skoda MD quoted £460 for cam belt replacement on my Octavia 1.6 MPI 

Why so much I asked .

Girl on service desk , "Its because genuine Skoda parts are expensive , but they are subsidised the full price should be £660   (no doubt due to  Skoda high quality ?) 

Me , But its a VW engine , it has VW stamped on the belt and on the engine . So how often do I need to have it replaced ?

Girl " It should  be replaced every 30000 miles or 3 yrs whichever comes first "

How old is the car .

Me , I bought it from you, brand new in 2011 , 46000 miles , and still on the original cambelt . I think Skoda must have made a mistake and fit the wrong belt from new  !

 

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About 10 years ago it used to be 120,000 miles or 10 years. Are the new belts vastly different or do the dealers need extra work/income?

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2 hours ago, DonPeffers said:

About 10 years ago it used to be 120,000 miles or 10 years. Are the new belts vastly different or do the dealers need extra work/income?

Modern belts are driving a lot more than they used to do in many cases and the risk of damage if one does let go is these days almost 100%. Everything is made to enhance fuel consumption so belts are developed to maximise what the manufacturer wants to run from it and what power they are looking to make.

I am not too familiar with the Skoda one but service lengths do vary widely these days 

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VW got their fingers burnt by specifying belt changes in the past according to a mate who was in the business, so they like to change the belts at an interval where the belt will be brand new . So they dont get engine replacements on a regular basis, as previous. Saying that, its not normally the belt that fails from being worn, more likely a water pump , if driven by the cambelt or an idler bearing going. I have varying belt schedules for the Citygo from 30k miles ( the default VW number)  to 130 k miles , as seen on Briskoda . 

Not had a chance to call Oxford today, sadly I was 'expected' to do some work, at work.............. some bosses !!  I am going to do the pollen filter myself, so I will just get my local chap to do oil and filter. That spec oil 0-30 is pretty expensive stuff though..............

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On 13/10/2017 at 18:02, XTR2Turbo said:

If you want a laugh get a quote from a land rover main dealer for a defender second service 

Yes, that really is hilarious. I said thanks but no thanks. I can't remember the exact number but I think it was something like £750:o

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14 minutes ago, Nick Mace said:

Yes, that really is hilarious. I said thanks but no thanks. I can't remember the exact number but I think it was something like £750:o

I have a mate with a brand new discovery costing £85k !!  And............................ the aircon doesnt work, it leaks , its got electrical issues ................... but he loves them and tell me about the repair costs they would have all been , should he not have a warranty. He wont buy anything else. :rolleyes: and they cant get the rear plate in the middle, looks crap

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I had a six month old Disco4 HSE on lease from a friend in the trade a few years back. It wasn't too bad in rain, but you had to be careful washing it, aim a (regular tap water pressure) hose at the wrong spot on the passenger side, and the rear N/S window would wind itself down 10cm and refuse to go back up again, unless you  used the forced override function.

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17 minutes ago, Thrustyjust said:

I have a mate with a brand new discovery costing £85k !!  And............................ the aircon doesnt work, it leaks , its got electrical issues ................... but he loves them and tell me about the repair costs they would have all been , should he not have a warranty. He wont buy anything else. :rolleyes: and they cant get the rear plate in the middle, looks crap

Don't mock. It's an illness...

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