I've booked my car in with the dealer from whom I purchased it.
There doesn't seem to be much info in the service book so I wondered if a more knowledgeable poster could enlighten me.
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well judging by most modern cars it will be
Oil change
Oil Filter Change
possibly cabin filter change
possibly air filter change
General inspection
They will try and lump you with two hours labour, screenwash addative, possibly wiper blades, oil disposal charge, charge for consumables (rags and gloves and seat covers)
Say 150 quid?
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Robbie, If you are booked in at a Honda Main Dealer expect to pay around £150. This is what I paid for the Civic.
If they are the same as my local Honda dealer they will have the prices displayed by the service desk. I believe they are fixed by Honda and you should have nothing extra to pay .You will get it back valeted and gleaming.
Why not just give them a ring and ask?
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Robbie, If you are booked in at a Honda Main Dealer expect to pay around £150. This is what I paid for the Civic. If they are the same as my local Honda dealer they will have the prices displayed by the service desk. I believe they are fixed by Honda and you should have nothing extra to pay .You will get it back valeted and gleaming. Why not just give them a ring and ask?
Thanks for that. It's a Honda Main Dealer and the same chain from whom I bought my Omega.
The Vauxhall Service Book listed every item that was checked/replaced and I couldn't grumble at the charges. It's the earlier post about being ripped off at servicing that prompted me to ask this.
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You must bear in mind that Honda dealers have a £icence to print money:o) but I am so in love with my Jazz that I am prepared to live with that!
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I never realised that a cost of a service coudl vary from Main Dealer to Main Dealer. I know, looking back at it it sounds naieve - but I thought it was a fixed price of service. But not so. Like by simply calling around my VW dealers I was able to save myself some £50 on the same service. daveyjp is right, you MUST call around to ensure you get the best price. Another example is my wife's BMW 330. It's due an Oil Service at 45k Victoria BMW in MK charge £175 (inc. VAT) and when I queried them as to what it invovles they said it involves an oil change, new oil filter and a pollen filter. Calling Sytner BMW in Essex they quoted £115 (inc.) for the SAME service, although to be fair theirs didn't include the cost of a pollen filter.
I know a pollen filter costs about £25 (inc.) from BMW parts. Now if I happen to visit my In Laws on one particular weekend in Essex - where do you think I wll be getting my car serviced? ;)
And even then, these prices aren't fixed since I found Ford and VW eminantly open to 'negotiation' when it came to 'service + brake fluid + other service items' - you must phone around and see if you can push the cost down even further.
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No-one's disputing that main dealer servicing is expensive.
No such thing as cheap though, I had my VW serviced at a main dealer chosen by the lease company who obviously try to save wherever they can.
It was obviously "serviced" by the work experience lad as some of the items on the service hadn't been carried out and the car had breather hoses disconnected which made a right mess of the engine bay plus a couple of other niggles.
I now mark my air filter/oil filter, etc before servicing as although I don't own the car the principle still counts.
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I've not long returned from the dealer. £157.50 for what was basically an oil and filter change. It also showed £1.75 plus vat for screenwash, and £2.95 plus vat "environmental charge."
I remonstrated with them over the screenwash - thanks to being forewarned here - as I'd filled up the container when I washed the car on Sunday. As a result they have agreed to deduct £10.00 from the cost of my next service.
Talk about a £icence to print money, as a previous poster put it.
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Why not get these issues covered when you drop the car off rather than afterwards?
Just cheerfully tell them: "No screenwash or wiper blades please, and if you can't get rid of the oil for free then I'll take it to the tip."
Might as well do this, although I can see why some might not when they are prepared to pay £157.50 for £20 worth of oil, a £5 filter and 20 minutes work.
Yes, I know there's no option when you have a warranty at stake. Just my customary cheap jibe at main dealer servicing!
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Yes the good old screenwash con. Morrisons are selling 5 litres of concentrate for £2.99 at the moment - one of these lasts me a couple of years.
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I've just checked the screenwash container and they haven't even topped it up.
I haven't used the screenwash since I topped it up on Sunday, when I used it to clean the windscreen after washing the car just to remove any waxy residue from the shampoo.
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Robbie ,
I don't often defend Main Dealers but....
- the price is expensive against an independent but was almost exactly what we expected you to pay.
- I have to agree with Graham F1 and say it would have been better to ask them not to bother with the screen wash etc if you had already filled it up.
- If they are anything like our local Honda dealer the first service is a fixed price one.If you had asked them they would have advised you what it included and what the fixed cost would be.
- I believe that fixed cost almost certainly included for screenwash and checking of screenwash irrespective of whether it needs it.
- They have made you a very fair offer of a tenner off your next service when you pointed it out to them.
Balance this service as a percentage against the total cost of your Accord. It is not high.
What is the cost of using an alternative independent garage and possible warranty issues if something goes wrong ?
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Not that anything will go wrong because its a Honda.
Also did you get it back cleaned and valeted?
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Robbie,
did you mention the poor fuel consumption?
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What is the cost of using an alternative independent garage and possible warranty issues if something goes wrong ?
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I agree. I dislike Main Dealers and their prices and have absolutely no confidence in their abilities to conduct servicing on my car to the degree and competancy they make out. However, if you have a new car (< 3 years old) you are tied to them.
Let me give you guys a positive example:
My mother owns a MKIII Golf. She bougt it new in 1997 and it has done a mere 36K since. Every year it goes to the VW Main Dealer for its 'annual service' at a cost of about £150. All they do is an oil and filter change and a whole bunch of checks. Expensive for what it is, I agree. But then in February 2003 the inlet manifold failed and there was a leak of coolant etc. so it went to the VW main dealer and they costed the job at £400. Lot of money for a car that old. So the dealer contacted VW Customer Services and they agreed to pay about 40% of the cost, the VW dealer paid 40% cost and my mother only had to pay 20% - the reason? The car had a FULL VW service history from day one. 13 months later the fault occured again and VW Customer Services met the whole cost.
So maybe there is a silver lining to all this?
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Probably not.
First major failure 7 years from new - if the car had been serviced at an independent the amount saved would have been more than £400.
Doubt whether the manifold job would have been costed at £400 at an independent either.
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Probably not. First major failure 7 years from new - if the car had been serviced at an independent the amount saved would have been more than £400. Doubt whether the manifold job would have been costed at £400 at an independent either.
Well the failure happened twice. And yes, perhaps the cost might have been less, but then again maybe not - I don't know about you though but I never end up saving money :P It always seems to get spent and I end up paying the same. The point was that yes Main Dealer Servicing is expensive - soemtimes rediculously so - but it does have fallbacks.
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By the way Robbie - The next service is 24000 miles or two years and that comes in around £250.... ( or £240 with your £10 off.)
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By the way Robbie - The next service is 24000 miles or two years and that comes in around £250.... ( or £240 with your £10 off.)
I never paid anything like that for my Omega and that gave me nine trouble free years.
I mentioned the fuel consumption and they said that the computer read-out indicated it was set up correctly. They said that they would contact Honda - don't hold your breath - and let me know. The guy at reception mentioned this to one of their staff who runs a Tourer also - fuel paid for by the company so he never checks - he did a calculation and was surprised to find he was only averaging 33 mpg. Perhaps that might spur them to do something.
I'm off to my place in France for three months at the beginning of April so I asked them to contact Honda soon. I'll keep you all informed if/when I hear something.
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It also showed £1.75 plus vat for screenwash, I remonstrated with them over the screenwash
I now never bother filling up the screenwash prior to a service since previously been charged for it. If they want to fill it up for a couple of quid, then let them. It's far easier than haggling with them to obtain a refund afterwards. I've even tried telling them it was full beforehand, and also leaving an A4 sized note on the passenger seat in case the mechanic wasn't told by the service desk. I still got billed. As I said, far easier just let them fill it, IMHO.
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I now never bother filling up the screenwash prior to a service since previously been charged for it. If they want to fill it up for a couple of quid, then let them. It's far easier than haggling with them to obtain a refund afterwards. I've even tried telling them it was full beforehand, and also leaving an A4 sized note on the passenger seat in case the mechanic wasn't told by the service desk. I still got billed. As I said, far easier just let them fill it, IMHO.
Look after the pennies etc........................:)
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I purchased a new Honda CRV from Bob Gerard, under their 3 year warranty I can have it serviced at any VAT garage. So I was recommended a garage in Dagenham, Essex, about two months ago, for the first service I purchased a Honda oil filter and sump washer £8, plus Magnetec oil from Costco's £13. They used these and checked everything else, and charged me for 1 hour at £40+£7 VAT equals £47 for labour, making a grand total of £68, quite fair I think.
Regards Chris7
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Look after the pennies etc........................:)
When I queried it, they insisted on correcting the paperwork as well as having to wait around for a refund.
So, it depends whether you consider spending 10 minutes or so waiting around while the accounts department refund you a couple of quid is worth it or not ;o)
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>> Look after the pennies etc........................:) When I queried it, they insisted on correcting the paperwork as well as having to wait around for a refund. So, it depends whether you consider spending 10 minutes or so waiting around while the accounts department refund you a couple of quid is worth it or not ;o)
I didn't wait around as I couldn't be bothered. However, it's the priciple of the thing, and I'll have to remember next year to get the tenner knocked off.
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