Good morning,
I've phoned 3 Peugeot dealers (all in sw london / ne surrey) for quotes for a new cambelt, alternator belt and power steering belt. Car is 1995 306 1.4 (TU engine).
The 3 quotes were £125, £160 and £280 (all including VAT).
The cheapest told me the cambelt was a fixed price inc. labour, and the other two belts were the cost of the parts (£15 each) as they have to come off anyway.
The middle one said the same thing (but everything was more expensive).
The most expensive one, phoned last, told me I had a clear choice when I mentioned the gap between his price and the other two.
Are they likely to be quoting for exactly the same job? I've read here of tensioners and the like - might the cheaper dealers not be including these - and is changing them necessary on a pug?
Or was the last one just not interested in the job? He sure sounded that way...
All opinions welcomed, as are dealer recommendations / warnings.
Cheers,
Ben.
1995 305 1.4.
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Jesus Wet! It's just over an hours work plus the belts!
Pay no more than £125 tops
I suggest you find a reputable local garage, not a dealership.
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That's one problem with living in the Sarf. Up here (Cheshire) my local independent changed the cambelt on a 205 1.4 two years ago for £130, and threw in brake-fluid and coolant changes as well.
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I don't know if theres much extra work involved in a cambelt change on a 306 DTurbo than on your 1.4, but i asked three independants and all gave me quotes of £200 plus. Peugeot themselves told me £380! Are these ridiculously high qoutes, or is my larger turbo diesel engine more fiddly to change belts on?
Hawesy 1982
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306 D Turbo belt change (using genuine belts) is £99inc VAT down the road from me.....and a reputable garage, too!
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Thanks for the replies.
David, as it's a cambelt, I want a peugeot/citroen specialist to do it, so I'm sticking with a dealer as I've not found any local independants yet.
I've spoken to 5 dealers now, and all are currently quoting me either:
a. £84.99 parts and labour for the cambelt, plus £20-£30 parts only for the other two belts, fitted as part of the cambelt price.
b. £218 for parts and 2 hours labour.
3 dealers quote the cheaper price, 2 the more expensive. All 5 claim theirs to be the "Peugeot Book Price". This is a trifle perplexing.
When those quoting price a. are told of price b. (or vice versa) they laugh at me!
So I've booked it in for friday at the cheaper rate.
Andrew-T, I'll keep my fingers crossed for a free coolant flush, but I'm not hopeful...
Cheers,
Ben.
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That £99 price was at a Peugeot Specialist (A Dealer some time ago)
Lower overheads = lower prices for the punters!
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It's a really easy job, you know.
Get a new belt from GSF car parts (german swedish and french) for about a tenner. Get a haynes manual for about £15 and you'll never pay for anyone to do this job for you again.
Honestly, a doddle.
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Are you near Wimbledon?
There is a good Citroen/Pug indie in Merton call All Citroen (020 8544 9997). They charged 160 to change the cambelt and the waterpump on my ZX.
Very reasonable and if you do go there, judging by all the old Citroens around you will see that it is a labour of love!
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Sean,
What you consider a doddle, might in fact be very difficult for someone who has very little or no mechanical knowledge.
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Fair comment, DD.
It just upsets me greatly to read what folks have to pay for the simplest of jobs.
Then you look at what the big boys actually are paying their "technicians" and it seems scandalous.
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>> Then you look at what the big boys actually are paying their "technicians" and it seems scandalous.>>
As this "Rip-of-Britain" topic has been answered by HJ in his DT column, and has been discussed "to death" in previous threads, I will not restart the debate again. However, in another thread www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=14...0 <<;
Sean kindly offered to do a cambelt change and I have added a real-life incident to that thread.
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It just upsets me greatly to read what folks have to pay for the simplest of jobs.
Sean, I agree. A neighbour of mine got charged £13.50 just to have a brake light bulb changed on his Cavalier a couple of years ago. He is totally non mechanically minded, so just called by his local dealership for a bulb and advice on how to fit it. Before you know it, open wallet surgery.
I also agree with eMBe's comment about R.O.B. already previously being done to death, so I'll end it there.
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Glutton,
Thanks for the merton garage recommendation. Sounds like the kind of place I've been looking out for.
This time, I'll stick with the dealer (in morden), purely because I've planned a day off work around taking her in tomorrow. But I'll call them first next time something comes up.
Sean,
I'd love to do it myself, but I'm too much of a novice. I can change an oil filter, but I don't have the confidence for a job like this. Or a socket set, in fact. Also, from the Haynes manual and elsewhere, I gather the tensioning of the cambelt is pretty critical, and not one to estimate unless you really know what you're doing.
Thanks for all replies,
Ben.
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All,
Just to let you know...
The main dealer in Merton (a Warwick Wright) changed the belts on Friday. Cost £85.99 for the cam belt & labour, and another £20 for the two auxillary ones. The car was also valeted inside and out (although perhaps I'd rather have paid less and washed her myself!).
The staff were neither rude to me nor made me feel stupid, which is highly unusual, in my experience. In fact, I think I (almost) enjoyed the whole experience, which is definitely a first.
Unfortunately, her brakes seem to squeak worse than ever, now they're not drowned out by the chattering belts. I guess that'll be the next job...
Thanks for all your input,
Ben.
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I think you're wise to get it changed at that price.
Unless you're really confident about changing these it's a good idea to get it done by a competent mechanic.
Although I buy most of my spared through Express Factors, I usually go to the main dealer for the cambelt and get a mechanic friend of mine to change it.
The main dealer tell me that if the cambelt is fitted correctly and then fails they will underwrite the cost of repairs to the car.
H
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Just took mt 2001 Passat TDI PD into the local VW dealers for its 50k service, (a £98 oil and filter change) asked about the cam belt and was told its due at 60k.
I asked how much it would be, should I start saving now, and was told it would be between £600 and £700 plus the service.
I was also told having the work done elsewhere ie independant or backstreet would invalidate the warranty.
Sigh
As ever
Mark
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Mark,
The one thing i learned was to shop around dealers - all claimed the "peugeot book price" but some were twice the price of others. vw might be as random. Maybe even call vw's customer care line to see if there is a standard price they _ought_ to be charging.
Also, once you've done another 10,000 miles, how much warranty do you have left? It might be worth weighing up the likely "value" of the remaining warranty vs savings to be had on servicing.
I claim no expertise on any of this. Just thinking in type, as some would say.
Cheers,
Ben.
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Mark,
I know you said it was a VW dealer, but my understanding is that the PD engines need a belt change every 40k miles.
The pumpe deuse system puts much more loading on the belt.
I'd double check, mate.
Check mate and I wasn't even playing chess?
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Hi Sean
I did check this out as the handbook said 40k; at the 40k service another VW main dealer insisted it was 60k for the change today at the 50k service another main dealer said 60k but some of the earlier PDs are 40k; it depends on the engine number apparently and when I paid up they assured me the engine no meant I had a 60k one. As a rule of thumb they told me most VWs are 60k diesel, 80k petrol or some Sharans are now 120k or so they claimed with quite a bit of conviction. I have just over a years warranty left on it and will do 10k in the next 2-3 months so it looks like I will have to fork out quite a bit. I did find last time it was cheaper to have a major service done in a poorer part of Scotland (I was there on business) than here in affluent Cheshire.
as ever
Mark
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Just had my 1999 1.8t 80000 mile service including cambelt done.
I found that by shopping around I saved £250 pounds, different VW dealers charge very different rate for the same job.
They quoted me one price on the phone, then tried to charge a higher price when I signed when droppping the car off.
If you car is 4 years old you should get a 15% discount on servicing from some VW dealers.
Yaapie
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Recently had the belts changed on my clio dti for a eye watering £247.91 at a main dealer. This is, at least to my mind, naked expolitation that relies upon you maintaining the warranty by paying way over the odds for bog standard service. For example the "mechanic" handed over the summary check list and talked me through the condition of the vehicle while I noticed they had it down as a 1.2 petrol. Hardly inspires confidence.
Speaking of the check list - I've had one of these at every 9k and the car is now reaching 47k and every one has said the brake pads are 30% worn despite the fact that I've not changed them at all to date! I ask you.
Renault dealers the new alfas...
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I was also surprised to find that 36000 service on 306 diesel would cost £340 at Warwick Wright City (Mile End Road) and £210 at Warwick Wright Chiswick. You'd thougt same name, same "label on the tin" and yet there is £20 difference for every mile between the two garages.
My advice is to pull up yell.co.uk, type in Warwick Wright and call every single garage within reasonable radius for the price.
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