how much for motorhome service?

garminguy

hi, i just picked up my motorhome from its service and i feel like i have been mugged!
i was charged 250 euros and 150 of this was labour!
am i over reacting or is this a normal amount?

Aidan_M_M

more info needed . What was done , was it a "proper" garage or a back yard nixer , and what base vehicle .

garminguy

it is a fiat ducato 1993, done in a legit garage, only oil and airfilters changed, routine checks with other stuff.
how many hours work is involved in this service?
parts came to 95 euros including 2 euros for "SCREEN WASH"!

Aidan_M_M

garminguy wrote: »

it is a fiat ducato 1993, done in a legit garage, only oil and airfilters changed, routine checks with other stuff.
how many hours work is involved in this service?
parts came to 95 euros including 2 euros for "SCREEN WASH"!

What "other stuff" ?

I'll spend 1.5-2 hours , absolute minimum , doing a full service . Often more . 7-7.5 litres oil , at anywhere between 4-8 euro a litre plus VAT , depending on the grade , an Oil filter (Ducato 2.5/28 is around 25 euro IIRC) , Fuel filter (at around 10 Euro) , clean pre filter on injector pump , Check Fan belt , PAS belt , adjust if required, check antifreeze , top up if required , remove spare wheel and open air filter , replace that, check Brake Fluid (I usually flush a bit through the bleed nipples and top it up again) , grease the gearlinkages while the wheel's off , check all cables and pipes around the engine .

Run engine , check for leaks , top up oil if required.

Check all suspension joints and bushings . Check engine mounts .

Check all lights , check/adjust clutch cable and grease pivot point . Check brake pads , and make sure front calipers/pads are sliding freely .Check all brake pipes , flexi and solid .
Release handbrake adjuster..Remove rear wheels , check wheel bearings , brake cylinders , and brake shoes . Re-adjust handbrake .

Check battery for acid , and battery connections , also earth strap for corrosion .

Grease wiper linkages and all door locks/hinges . Check/replace Wiper blades .

Test drive van , check tire pressures .




Probably other bits , but when you're doing it every day , it becomes automatic and you don't even think about it .

garminguy

the only problem we had was when we tried to start the engine, sometimes it would not start.we found out that it was a bad connection on the starter leads which the garage claimed to replace.
when i tried to start it later on that day it would not.
so from what i an see they have not fixed something they claimed they fixed and then charged me for the part, labour and vat.
when my wife phoned during the week to find out how much the bill was gonna be she was told that it would cost no more than 180 euros.

also one final thing that annoyed me was when i paid the bill with 5 50 euro notes, the lady in the cash office counted the notes 4 times, used that pen to suss out fakes notes and then counted the money again.

Aidan_M_M

hmmmm... seems a bit strange alright . One thing I'll never do is claim to replace something I didn't , it'll always come back to haunt you .

paddyp

Aidan_M_M wrote: »

What "other stuff" ?
Grease wiper linkages and all door locks/hinges

Good man - noone seems to do this

Aidan_M_M

cheers .

Check the gearbox for oil obviously too .

huddlejonny

garminguy wrote: »

hi, i just picked up my motorhome from its service and i feel like i have been mugged!
i was charged 250 euros and 150 of this was labour!
am i over reacting or is this a normal amount?

was charged €200 for a service recently but I was given a print-off for what was done, have to say I was happy with that. I think in or around the €200 - 250 is okay, wouldnt pay more than that though.

garminguy

apart from the starter connections not been fixed, now the battery is not charging while driving, so its understandable if i am not happy, regardless of the price.
the garage had it three days and only worked on it the morning of the third day.
when i arrived for it at about 1 30 he said i was taking a chance arriving without phoning first!
if i let an appliance in to be repaired and was told it would cost 40 euros max to fix it, collected it and was charged 50 euros and it was still not fixed i would understandably be annoyed.

huddlejonny

garminguy wrote: »

apart from the starter connections not been fixed, now the battery is not charging while driving, so its understandable if i am not happy, regardless of the price.
the garage had it three days and only worked on it the morning of the third day.
when i arrived for it at about 1 30 he said i was taking a chance arriving without phoning first!
if i let an appliance in to be repaired and was told it would cost 40 euros max to fix it, collected it and was charged 50 euros and it was still not fixed i would understandably be annoyed.

I was told when i took mine in that the price would be around the €150 mark but when I was charged €200 he also gave me the breakdown of the service. If you are unhappy with the service then I would suggest you let him know and if hes any way half decent or interested in your business then he should resolve the problems for you f.o.c. Remember you are the customer and if you are not happy then its upto him to fix it. As for arriving on the third day and not phoning, I think thats a mechanic thing, there all the same. Ive taken my Camper to a few different garages for services when I first got it until I found a guy I trust who is reliable and fair, word of mouth was how I found him so it might be an idea to ask around. G'luck..

Aidan_M_M

Agreed with Huddlejohnny.

@Garmionguy, not ignoring your PM , just got back online today , freakin' laptop sh1t a brick...