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Most folks seem to go for Fords or Vauxhalls from the economical servicing aspect but do the roomers think this is a good idea?. You hear of hefty bills for all makes so is there a make or model used or new that stands out? My economy kings were Pandas years ago but this was offset by the rustbug which scothced any savings.
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 04/11/2007 at 11:51
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We all always tend to go for Fords because they are durable and when they go wrong are cheap to fix. The same can be said of Vauxhall's but Ford's packaging always suits our needs better.
An example I had my Fiesta serviced for £80 which inc labour for the heater control valve, and some adjustment to rear drums. That £80 included the oil, filters etc but no plugs (he said the plugs were too new to be replaced).
On some of these new cars it would cost £80 just to change the HCV yet I still have all my elecy windows, central locking, electric seats.
Edited by Rattle on 04/11/2007 at 13:31
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Judging by comments elsewhere, it would seem a good idea to check how much it costs to replace the clutch before commiting to any car. ;-((
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sq
And i agree with you Henry, also the blessed cambelt some of those can be a shocker as well.
Before we signed for our new car we asked about servicing costs, and this seemed to be met with surprise, not that the garage were hostile, just the opposite but seems no one asks.
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 04/11/2007 at 14:56
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I think it all depends on whether you're going for franchised dealer or independent servicing, where in the UK you live or finally if you are going in for DIY servicing.
We have 2 Pandas still under warranty and live in the North-East and I find the servicing costs are low to mid range. However, when out of warranty I will service both myself and the simplicity of the design and the low prices for parts will make them cheap and easy to service.
Oh, I don't think the New Panda will rot like its predecessor and if looked after with mechanical sympathy I predict many high milers will be seen on the roads for years to come.
However, as they do burn oil, I predict a lot of low mileage engine failures from punters who never check the oil level. We have a 1.1 and a 1.2 petrol and at motorway speeds they consume 125ml approx of oil every 500 miles.
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DC. Simple maths suggests that you will never to need to change the oil as you are burning more than a sump full between services! So, just the filter then, or am I missing something, as usual?
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A good point but over the 1 year, 12,000 mile, service interval you will have a build up of oil molecules of varying age and mileage in the sump so a change is still needed.
The way I view it is that I really believe in a 6 month, 6,000 mile oil change interval and that is probably near to what I'm getting with these top-ups.
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haha
My mate never boths with oil changes on his Fiesta because it burns it so fast!
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A friend had one of the last 1999 model 1.6 litre (Zetec engined) Escorts which ran parallel with the Focus for the first few years of production. This car cost peanuts to service. 10,000 mile intervals, with an average service at the indy dealer he used costing about £80 all in. The timing belt service and clutch replacement were £200 a piece at the same indy.
The car was dull and unremarkable, but totally reliable and you could buy parts for it anywhere for next to nothing. There wasn't a single job on it that was "uh oh" expensive or difficult (like a clutch replacement on a Mondeo for example), the Zetec engine was well proven, and the Escort by this stage was as thoroughly developed as anything else.
It was written off in an accident with 125,000 miles on the clock, still driving well and still not having given a big bill.
Cheers
DP
--
04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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My two-and-a-half year old Panda 1.1 has cost me just two 80-quid annual services (at the main dealer as well). Nothing else at all.
Hasn't used a drop of oil.
Got through 4 tyres in 22k miles though - tracking did for the fronts quite early on. But hey, they're barely 30 quid a piece.
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One of my main reasons for buying Fords and then Vauxhalls, over nearly 40 years, was that maintenance bills are lower - the numbers of cars they build/sell means that almost every good independent garage knows how to do all the jobs needed and/or they're simple enough for me to maintain.
I've no reasons to regret any of those purchase decisions.
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from a self service point of view:
I had the last model cavalier. the oil filter was helpfully accessable from the front wheel arch - easy peasy.
I now have an MR2, and before Toytoa modified the design in 1994 the oil filterw as nestled snugly between the exhaust manifold and turbo!
Not such a good design if you're trying to change the oil after warming the engine up!
I think manufacturers design has a lot to do with service ease, and as time is money this fits into this thread I reckon.
vauxhall 1
toyota 0
Ian
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DC. Simple maths suggests that you will never to need to change the oil as you are burning more than a sump full between services! So just the filter then or am I missing something as usual?
I think there are more reasons to change the oil. When you change the oil I suspect that you will also remove some particles that are suspended in the oil? My car drinks about 1 litre of oil (3.8 litre capactiy) every 6 months (3000-4000 miles), which is when I change it. After this short period the oil is much darker than new oil, and I can hear a slight difference in engine noise, especially when it's cold.
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Suggest you avoid the Porsche Boxster, £2800 spent in 4 months (!!)
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Now that the cat's out of the bag with my new car - First service will cost 140 quid plus VAT. What would you get in a BMW garage done for that ??????
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my 306 dt was particularly cheap to be serviced. Though having a decent independant who only charged £27/hr combined with cheap parts certainly helped!
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