2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Mon 14 Jul 2014 23:29

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Trilogy

Up until recently I used a mobile mechanic for servicing my main car. The cost for a main service with him for the aforementioned car was £140. Having felt a visiting mechanic fitted in with my work pattern, I decided to get a quote from another one, who had been recommended to me. You can imagine my surpise when I was quoted £250 by this guy. I then contacted the garage that has carried out my last two MOT. Their quote for the same service is £140. The £250 sounds a bit of a rip off to me. I'll be booking the car in with my MOT garage.

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Mon 14 Jul 2014 23:33

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - elekie&a/c doctor

So what do you get for your £140 service?

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Mon 14 Jul 2014 23:34

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Trilogy

Full service.

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Mon 14 Jul 2014 23:39

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - elekie&a/c doctor

Ok,full service,but what parts are replaced and what quality parts used?do the wheels get removed and brakes checked,especially if rear brakes are drums?

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Mon 14 Jul 2014 23:54

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Trilogy

Oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter and full check. I have used them previously when I had my Skoda Octavia and found service exemplary. Prices quoted never varied and car was always ready when stated.

I used the mobile mechanic when I worked from home. I liked the fact he was VAT free and I could always see what he was doing. Originally I went with him for his apparent? Mercedes experience when my Merc was my main car. The Mercedes now goes to an independent specialist, one of three in a small market town.

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Mon 14 Jul 2014 23:58

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - elekie&a/c doctor

Sounds very cheap to me ,especially if this includes vat.I would be interested to know what make filters and oil are used.I doubt if these are Ford genuine parts .Also don,t forget the cabin filter.

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Tue 15 Jul 2014 00:02

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Trilogy

Thanks for cabin filter tip. Never had any problems with their Skoda servicing. £250 for a mobile mechanic seems pricey to me.

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Tue 15 Jul 2014 00:11

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Happy Blue!

I pay less than £250 for a full service at a recognised garage, including four filters (oil, air, fuel and cabin) and wheels off brake check. Other parts and VAT are extra.

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Tue 15 Jul 2014 07:01

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - gordonbennet

I don't see why a mobile should be any cheaper, you get the convenience of not having do anything other than answer the doorbell, i can live without free dealer coffee and access to propaganda sheets quaintly still called newspapers by some.

I'd be very interested too in what quality parts are being used, there's oil and there's oil and then there's filters and there's lumps of loosely compressed paper.

Also as alluded to above, there's a world of difference between a glorified oil change, and a proper service which should include full brake strip clean lube and transmission fluid changes etc when required, which HB appears to be getting, and i get from my MB indy.

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Tue 15 Jul 2014 09:24

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Trilogy

IMO, mobile should be cheaper - far lower overheads. Original mobile mechanic got sacked because he rarely turned up when he said he would, didn't inform me about quote price changes and thought 9.15 am was first thing in thhe morning.

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Tue 15 Jul 2014 20:31

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Simon

Maybe that is why your orignal mobile mechanic was cheap...

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Tue 15 Jul 2014 20:33

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Cyd

and thought 9.15 am was first thing in thhe morning.

Folks would do well to remember that a self employed tradesman does not work for you. He works for himself. As such, he can set his own itinerary.

When I was self-employed and my lads were young, I used to take them to school before setting off to the first job. Never felt the need to justify that to anyone else.

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Tue 15 Jul 2014 21:33

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Trilogy

and thought 9.15 am was first thing in thhe morning.

Folks would do well to remember that a self employed tradesman does not work for you. He works for himself. As such, he can set his own itinerary.

Depends what kind of service an individual wants to provide. Most garages open much earlier than 9.15am.

Edited by Trilogy on 15/07/2014 at 21:45

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Tue 15 Jul 2014 22:37

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - gordonbennet

Whats the problem, he's coming to you so you can drink tea, read a book, walk the dog or go back to bed whilst he's servicing your car, if you have to go to work he can visit you there and you can go about your normal business whilst he does the bis.

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Tue 15 Jul 2014 22:51

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Trilogy

Whats the problem, he's coming to you so you can drink tea, read a book, walk the dog or go back to bed whilst he's servicing your car, if you have to go to work he can visit you there and you can go about your normal business whilst he does the bis.

I don't think my clients would be too thrilled to have his van parked in their driveway in addition to my car.

Also £250 would be more than my Merc costs at a Merc specialist for the same service. No way I'm paying that much for a Ford service.

Edited by Trilogy on 15/07/2014 at 22:56

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Fri 25 Jul 2014 10:13

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Trilogy

Update.

Checked service book and discovered an interim service is required. Phoned my old garage from 25 miles away, but close to work on a Monday, for a quote. This was £155 plus VAT. Then I was recommended a garage two miles away, by someone who has been going to them for 10 years. The quote was £126.64 inc VAT, plus a fuel filter. Service being carried out this morning.

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Fri 25 Jul 2014 19:58

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - thunderbird

If you think Ford servicing is expensive try Volvo.

Had a Focus C-Max TDCi for 5 years, service was small, small, big, etc, costs approx £130 for small and £250 for big at main dealer. Not quite the full story since you always got the phone call saying that brake fluid service is due, another £60 or A/C service is due, another £60 etc. Over those 5 years we had 4 services (another was due when it went) and the total cost was about £900 including 2 brake fluid services.

Looked at a V50, exactly the same car with the same engine. Expected servicing to cost about the same but asked to make sure, what a shock. 1st £250, 2nd £350, 3rd £450, 4th £350 etc. 4 services would have totalled £1400. When I asked why they simply said something like "its a Volvo so you pay more".

Salesman said they would include the services in the deal which sounded good until I spotted he had added £1400 onto the invoice for servicing.

Guess what we did not buy.

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Fri 25 Jul 2014 21:15

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Trilogy

Personally, I'd expect Volvo to be expensive.

Pleased with today's service. Itemised bill, just like my Merc specialist (never happened with mobile mechanic) and check list sheets. They seem very thorough. Loan car too. :)

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Fri 25 Jul 2014 21:17

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - elekie&a/c doctor

So did you ask them what make parts were fitted and what oil?

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Fri 25 Jul 2014 22:09

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Trilogy

So did you ask them what make parts were fitted and what oil?

I asked for genuine Ford parts.

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Sat 26 Jul 2014 12:26

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Simon

What parts did they fit? An oil filter, the engine oil and maybe a cabin filter???

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Sun 27 Jul 2014 08:23

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - TedCrilly

Local Vx garage, the one named after a 5 sided polygon! do a Masterfit service AND MOT for £119.99 on the wifes motor.....and they pick it up and deliver it. Its all I want and its all the car needs. I have taken it there 3 times, they have yet to fail it and the quality of the the work and parts used is obviously adequete. I ask them why they are cheap, the answer is Masterfit is a stand alone operation with low overheads in comparison to main sites and they are geared up in favour of volume service work rather than warranrty and the more involved repairs.

At that sort of money its not worth getting your hands dirty.

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Mon 6 Oct 2014 10:24

2001 Focus TDDI service cost disparity - Trilogy

What parts did they fit? An oil filter, the engine oil and maybe a cabin filter???

Oil filter, fuel filter, no oil...........................only joking, thought that was rather an odd question. Semi-synthetic.

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