Daughter's 4yr old Ibiza has a 2 yr service plan arranged with local SEAT dealer, to cover it's 4th and 5th year services and MOT.
So I took it today as she's away on holiday (otherwise hard to wrestle the car off her).
Ended up having a fairly heated discussion with the service manager as they wouldn't do the 2 yearly brake fluid change unless I paid for it.
In the end, they agreed to discount the price, but I think I'm most frustrated that I couldn't get them to agree that BF *is* part of the service schedule. Where we were diverging, was that they were entirely focused on mileage and the BF change is time based, so they regard it as an entirely separate thing, not something necessarily carried out as part of a service.
I would value others opinions.
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If you check the handbook or the service sheet you will probably find brake fluid is a visual check and possibly top-up as part of the service.
You are correct in that the manufacturer probably states two or three year interval changes but this falls into the optional extras of servicing as cam and aux belt changes appear to also.
If you do not specifically request them they will not be included in the scheduled service at the stated mileage or time interval.
Edited by gmac on 07/08/2008 at 14:56
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Vauxhall recommend the brake fluid is changed every two years, but at the end of the day it is up to the customer whether it is changed or not. If you do, then you have to pay. Mind you it's only £25 or £30 at my local authorised dealer, which to be honest is a pittance for peace of mind.
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Service schedule says it must be done every 2yrs.
Dealer's view is that the service contract covers "manufacturers scheduled servicing" for 2 yrs, but brake fluid isn't part of the "manufactuers scheduled service" as the 2yrs could occur at a different point in time to when the service needed doing, so is therefore a separate item.
I'm baffled by the illogicalness(!) of their argument.
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I don't follow how their argument is illogical.
Say you have a car which follows a 12000 mile service schedule and you cover this every 9 months.
Are you going to change the brake fluid at 18 months thereby losing 6 months or 25% life of the fluid you have paid for or are you going to wait until the next service which would put you three months outside the service interval invalidating your warranty as the service item was attended to outside the specified period ?
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I don't follow how their argument is illogical. Say you have a car which follows a 12000 mile service schedule and you cover this every 9 months.
Perhaps it is just me then - that's basically the argument that the Service Manager used to illustrate that the bf change could be a different point to the service, so therefore wasn't part of the schedule.
The scheme that covers the car actually says "2yrs manufacturer scheduled servicing" and I expected that would cover bf as it's bound to be called for at some point during those 2 yrs.
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Perhaps it is just me then
No you are not. Your reading of the agreement seems to me to be the correct one. Either the brake fluid change is a scheduled service or it is not.
Scheduled service can mean by time* or mileage or both*.
*Unless your contract specifically excludes the time element.
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Scheduled service can mean by time* or mileage or both*.
That was my point but it seemed completely lost on the Service Manager. His view was that scheduled servicing is mileage related, and anything else (I think in the Ibiza's case, it is only brake fluid) is time related and therefore fall outside the schedule.
I had another go at him when I picked the car up and he conceded (probably just to shut me up) where I was coming from, but still wouldn't relent on the charge. I guess that's probably more frustrating - I choose my battles carefully, and normally win them!
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I choose my battles carefully and normally win them! >>
BP,
You have only one Seat, the service manager has seen, and seen off by the sound of it, hundreds of Bill Payers.
You will never win, unless you buy the dealership and sack him.
Agree with your original point, by the way.
The Ford dealer I go to always asks to change the brake fluid every two years - at extra cost.
But then, I'm a cash customer, so they would, wouldn't they?
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But then I'm a cash customer so they would wouldn't they?
Yes. My own car is a Mercedes, which is on a full service and maint package called ServicePlus - MB have stopped doing it now, but mine runs until the car is 6 yrs old.
One thing that is very noticeable is how little work the car *really* needs. I take it in and am regaled with a huge lists of change this and that, and I say "Ooo..lovely". Then they ask me how I'll be paying and I say "ServicePlus" and they visibly slump!
Then I pick the car up and they say they've checked the ESS - Electronic Service Sheet - and my car didn't need all that work after all. "And all the other thing's I mentioned?" - "Our technician roadtested the car and couldn't find those faults".
It was serviced three months after its last MOT and the brake pads and tyres were reported as being *less* worn than they had been at the MOT!
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You might want to remortgage your house for the seven year service or get rid of the car before it is due :(
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I'm baffled by the illogicalness(!) of their argument.
Verbal ding dongs usually don't get anywhere unless you tape the conversation.
IMO, only way to get concrete definitive resolution is to: Write to them. This will concentrate their minds. See what their written reply states.
Then take further action, eg. lodge a claim in small claims court.
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Then take further action eg. lodge a claim in small claims court.
Trades descriptions -Do you have a copy of the advert and /or invoice for car stating 2 yrs servicing and a copy of the servicing schedule.
Goods were not supplied as per schedule - you have them by the short and curlies if I am not mistaken!
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Do you have a copy of the advert and /or invoice for car stating 2 yrs servicing and a copy of the servicing schedule.
I do have a copy of the original flyer, and it simply states "2 years servicing as per manufacturers schedule".
Of course, this on its own is a ridiculous statement as it would seem to leave them open for paying for infinite mileage services within 2 yrs.
The scheme paperwork itself does say it covers the 40K service in Aug 2008 and 50K service in Aug 2009.
In reality, the car had only 26K when we took the scheme out (a year ago) and the service it's just had was at 34K miles. They did the 40K service, which on Ibiza is fairly major (in that the spark plugs, air filter and pollen filter are changed, rather than just the oil).
I guess it's a debateable point (hence they're debating!) but, to me, whatever service the car has at 4yrs old should include brake fluid. I know it would be an extra cost item if paying for serving, but my belief was that the scheme would cover it as it is called for by SEAT as a mandatory item.
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As you say above, if you were paying for the servicing it would be an extra cost item.
What does the job sheet show. Usually manufacturers have a list which is a bit like an MOT sheet which shows what has been checked, if it is OK or not and a section for comments.
Does this sheet specify a brake fluid change or visual inspection. I suspect, even for the four year service, the manufacturer specific service sheet will show the later even though they specify the former.
Who is underwriting this scheme ? Is it the manufacturer, the garage or a third party ?
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As you say above if you were paying for the servicing it would be an extra cost item. What does the job sheet show.
It's all on separate bits of paper, so there's one for the 40K service, one for the MOT (also included in the scheme) and one for the BF change.
My guide is the service book which gives the schedule and it demands BF change at 2 yr intervals. I realise that it's not part of the 40K service per se, but it is an operation that SEAT demand is carried out at 4yrs, so it's not an optional item and therefore forms part of the vehicles overall service schedule. On a 2year service plan it is inevitable that the BF will require changing at some point.
Clearly the dealer scheme doesn't include it, but I think that's their error and they should carry it out at their cost.
Who is underwriting this scheme ? Is it the manufacturer the garage or a third party ?
It's underwritten by the dealergoup holding company.
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When I took my Vectra in for it's second service at about 34k and two and a half years they changed the brake fluid as part of the service. no extra to the quotes second service cost
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