Question about pricing

generalmental

Hi I was just looking for an opinion please on work done to my car Please.

I drive a Fiat grande punto 07. What I got done was a full service, the spring on the suspension was changed and new brakes put on.

I was charged 340 € for the work. What do any of you think of that price.

DaveJac

Sounds good too me def not over charged anyway, i take it the job was not done in a main dealers could probably add on another 150-200 if it had been

generalmental

DaveJac wrote: »

Sounds good too me def not over charged anyway, i take it the job was not done in a main dealers could probably add on another 150-200 if it had been

But I just found out when I collected the car that it was a cash job and there was no tax on it.
It wasn't a main dealer and all he had to buy was the brake pads.

I feel at that price with no tax on it that it was a rip-off.

Alanstrainor

generalmental wrote: »

But I just found out when I collected the car that it was a cash job and there was no tax on it.
It wasn't a main dealer and all he had to buy was the brake pads.

I feel at that price with no tax on it that it was a rip-off.

What about the spring? And was it pads on all 4 wheels? Doesn't seem.that unreasonable to me.

djimi

A lot depends on what you got for a "full service" to be fair.

You have also got to factor in labour; parts have to be fitted.

ironclaw

If by full service he did all 4 brakes, oil and filters then that seems ok. But, depending on the car, its unusual to change one spring on one side. We've always changed them in opposite pairs.

generalmental

djimi wrote: »

A lot depends on what you got for a "full service" to be fair.

You have also got to factor in labour; parts have to be fitted.

I was getting a full service when I lived in dublin for €100. This fella charged me 150

generalmental

Im probably not going to get anywhere here. Probably a load of mechanics im talking to anyhow.

Plus the car is still pulling to the left.

Supergurrier

Would need a full breakdown of what was done in both cases to be able to compare really.

Yawns

So basically you just want people to agree with you and say you got ripped off?

You didn't. If you were happy to only pay €100 for the full service in Dublin, then I suggest you drive to Dublin for each service then. Prices vary and also so does the level of service. A lot of cowboy cheap servicing gimmicks are just that. They will give you a mini service and charge around €99 for it. This mechanic bought parts and fitted them as well as presumably carrying out a full service.

If you want lower servicing bills in future, you could always learn how to service your own car. It's actually not that hard to do and much more rewarding. Some excellent posters on here and some guides provided along with pictures.

I agree with the others btw. Not overcharged and I am definitely not a mechanic just in case you're wondering.

bazz26

generalmental wrote: »

I was getting a full service when I lived in dublin for €100. This fella charged me 150

Again unless you can tell us what both garages did for the price they charged it is impossible to judge whether one was expensive over the other. A full service is a generic term but could mean anything really and is dependent on what was done prior to that. Cars need different things changed at different service intervals, you are assuming that the guy who charged you €150 changed the same parts and did the same level of work as the guy who previously charged you €100. That is not always the case.

generalmental wrote: »

Im probably not going to get anywhere here. Probably a load of mechanics im talking to anyhow.

Plus the car is still pulling to the left.

No offence but it seems to me that you have already made up your mind that you were over charged and anyone here who is in disagreement based on the information supplied is just a mechanic. That's a bit silly to be honest.

djimi

generalmental wrote: »

Im probably not going to get anywhere here. Probably a load of mechanics im talking to anyhow.

Plus the car is still pulling to the left.

Are you just looking for sympathy or something? You asked for opinions and you got them. You havent been specific with regards the actual work that was carried out (there is no such thing as a "full service"; it can vary greatly depending on what actually needs to be done on the car at the time), so its very hard to say if the price is fair or not.

If you want some context, the last service on my car cost me €180; that was a fairly basic service of oil, filters etc. If you factor in changing break pads and suspension parts as well as any other parts that might need replacing during the service (spark plugs for example) then €340 is not beyond the realms of possibility.

coylemj

generalmental wrote: »

I was getting a full service when I lived in dublin for €100. This fella charged me 150

You weren't getting anything that could be remotely described as a 'full service' for €100, especially not in Dublin where wages and rents are higher. What you got was an oil and filter change and they possibly checked the lights and brake pads.

No connection with the motor trade.

debabyjesus

generalmental wrote: »

But I just found out when I collected the car that it was a cash job and there was no tax on it.
It wasn't a main dealer and all he had to buy was the brake pads.

I feel at that price with no tax on it that it was a rip-off.

Sounds fairly reasonable to me so you can drop the whole rip off thing.

I'd love to know where he gets springs oil filters for free if all he had to pay for was pads. If you find out let me know!

ironclaw

generalmental wrote: »

Plus the car is still pulling to the left.

Might be stating the obvious here but why didn't you bring it straight back? Would have been obvious in a very short amount of time. As has been said a thousand times, post up exactly what was done to the car!