Full service by Car dealership: worth the extra?

gaiscioch

I've been just quoted €175 for a full annual service in a Ford dealership for a diesel Ford. It's called the 'Blue' service and is for cars under 5 years old. (The price I thought it would be, €129, is for cars over 5 years). They give you a €20 One4All voucher for that, so €155 I suppose is the final price.

Is there anything important which a dealership can do that makes it worth spending this additional money? Over on Mydealpage.ie there are people advertising 'full car service' here and here for €99.

km991148

Guess it depends on the 'fullness' of the service.. Third party one are fine as long as they can verify they do things by the service manual - i.e. correct oil/ brakes etc

Toyotafanboi

people will pish posh a lot about main dealers saying they aren't great and all but with a fairly new car like you say you have, i'd take it to the main dealer for the sake of a nifty fifty. they will know the car better than an independent (generally speaking), they will be using genuine parts and the correct oil, they'll know any common weaknesses to look out for, be able to issue software updates etc and if it's still in warranty they'd be keeping an eye out for anything that needs doing on that too.

Drummerboy08

Plus in terms of resale I'd always prefer a full main dealer history in the first 3/4 years of the cars life over a service from Advance or Atlas.

mullingar

gaiscioch wrote: »

I've been just quoted €175 for a full annual service in a Ford dealership for a diesel Ford. It's called the 'Blue' service and is for cars under 5 years old. (The price I thought it would be, €129, is for cars over 5 years). They give you a €20 One4All voucher for that, so €155 I suppose is the final price.

Is there anything important which a dealership can do that makes it worth spending this additional money? Over on Mydealpage.ie there are people advertising 'full car service' here and here for €99.

At that price I would have expected the basic of basic services, but I would like to be proved wrong.

Be wary of a call mid service that it also needs x, y & z. Just say you will get a second opinion and whatever you do do not get tyres or wipers from them.

Also, go to https://www.etis.ford.com/fordservice/serviceScheduleForm.do and print off the service sheet for your car for that mileage and ask them afterwards was all this work completed as detailed on the Ford Worksheet. If they do perform everything on that service sheet for that money, then it is a very good price (Only items with an "L" is extra).

Atlantic Dawn

I think in the first 4-5 years of ownership it's worth it if the car is a spcialist model requiring more care than your standard family car, this will be a selling point later down the road. In Ireland most people don't keep service history and most people don't look for it when buying a car so you can pretty much sell a car that's 4 years old that has never had it's oil changed and some people would buy it.

coylemj

mullingar wrote: »

Be wary of a call mid service that it also needs x, y & z. Just say you will get a second opinion and whatever you do do not get tyres or wipers from them.

He is 100% guaranteed to get that call if he goes for either of the €99 services that he quoted - the so called 'deals' that have been discussed many times on boards, especially the ones from a well known tyre chain.

I occasionally get the BS from my main dealer about stuff that 'needs' doing' but that's usually when I'm picking it up after the service. I normally tell them when I'm leaving it in that for example I'm not getting new brake pads pads until the sensor light comes on so they get the message and don't bother calling me during the service unless it's an item that urgently needs replacing.

AutoMan79

I always use main dealer and dont find it much more expensive then indy.

mullingar

AutoMan79 wrote: »

I always use main dealer and dont find it much more expensive then indy.

Time to find a different indy

AutoMan79

mullingar wrote: »

Time to find a different indy

Last month got a new cluch + flywheel replaced + 2 years warranty and a free car for a day for €1190 from a main VW dealer while indi qouted me close to 1000. Maybe some ppl have a good indy mechanicks but unfortunately i didnt find one that would be much cheeper and headacke free.

coylemj

mullingar wrote: »

Time to find a different indy

Some people would call that a race to the bottom. At some stage you have to figure you're simply paying too little and they're just not doing the job properly or cutting corners like using sh1te oil.

I know a lot of main dealers overcharge and are just as capable of cutting corners but at least you know that the mechanics have to do mandatory ongoing training and the dealer can have the service franchise withdrawn by the distributor so does have an incentive to do a decent job and keep the customers coming back. There's also so much software under the hood these days that I want to know that any updates get applied when I have a service.

Bigus

If there's software updates , or quiet recalls the main dealer will cover these at no extra charge, so for car under 5 year old I'd go main dealer if only for the stamp.

selous

I bought my car new, so said to myself i'd do the main dealer thing, 7yr on nothing has gone wrong with it, 145km on it now gets general service every 15k-km and a hum dinger of one every 60k-km costs E600 all the fluids get changed, I did ask a very reputable non main dealer how much that would cost using genuine parts I was quoted E580 and they were E25p.h cheaper that the main dealer, that didn't include any software updates, so I went off to main dealer drop it in at 2.30 pick it up at 5.30, no drama, apart from when they present the bill,

pred racer

AutoMan79 wrote: »

Last month got a new cluch + flywheel replaced + 2 years warranty and a free car for a day for €1190 from a main VW dealer while indi qouted me close to 1000. Maybe some ppl have a good indy mechanicks but unfortunately i didnt find one that would be much cheeper and headacke free.

What vw is that? They are well known for being an easy car to change the clutch/flywheel on.

moleyv

mullingar wrote:

Also, go to

mullingar wrote:

Also, go to

mullingar wrote:

and print off the service sheet for your car for that mileage and ask them afterwards was all this work completed as detailed on the Ford Worksheet. If they do perform everything on that service sheet for that money, then it is a very good price (Only items with an "L" is extra).

Is there something like that for VW? I'm due a 'big' service soon, was trying to figure out what needed doing. The service book includes for all models and engines, bit of a headache to work through.

Mechanic365

gaiscioch wrote: »

Is there anything important which a dealership can do that makes it worth spending this additional money?

No
I used to work in a multi-dealership garage and I felt sorry for the people that pay good money For all they got
For the money you quoted above they'll just change oil, filter and diesel filter, and straight out the gap again, and they'll waste your diesel on a pointless test drive
Unless the car is still under some warranty get it done at a local garage and ask him to make a list of anything else the car needs doing now or in near future and he'll advise you on the costs etc
etc.
Main dealer on the other hand "thank you come again"

AutoMan79

Mechanic365 wrote: »

No
I used to work in a multi-dealership garage and I felt sorry for the people that pay good money For all they got
For the money you quoted above they'll just change oil, filter and diesel filter, and straight out the gap again, and they'll waste your diesel on a pointless test drive
Unless the car is still under some warranty get it done at a local garage and ask him to make a list of anything else the car needs doing now or in near future and he'll advise you on the costs etc
etc.
Main dealer on the other hand "thank you come again"

How much would be a small/big service at Indy approx?

Mechanic365

AutoMan79 wrote: »

How much would be a small/big service at Indy approx?

There it was about 200/250 for your "small" or essential service. Oil, filters, plugs*

Big service could be anywhere from 300 to 700
On a d5 volvo xc90 your talking 600/700
A 1.6hdi volvo s40 probably 350

Mechanic365

Mechanic365 wrote: »

There it was about 200/250 for your "small" or essential service. Oil, filters, plugs*

Big service could be anywhere from 300 to 700
On a d5 volvo xc90 your talking 600/700
A 1.6hdi volvo s40 probably 350

Edit, that wouldn't be including any suspension parts, cv boots, joints etc so the average bill would come to a grand on the likes of an xc90

Voodoomelon

Never really understood drivers questioning whether they should go to the dealer over an independent for a service when it comes to a basic service, if there's only €50 odd in the difference. If the car is relatively new, to me there is no question, take it to the dealer.

Sure that €50 means more to some than others, but if you're driving a recent enough car, it shouldn't be an issue.

Stamps, software updates, recalls rectified, in-brand knowledge, decent coffee and guaranteed comeback. Usually a clean thrown in too, what's not to like.

I'd do it for sure, but a €50 difference for a Focus is a €250 difference for me, so not a hope.

AutoMan79

Mechanic365 wrote: »

There it was about 200/250 for your "small" or essential service. Oil, filters, plugs*

Big service could be anywhere from 300 to 700
On a d5 volvo xc90 your talking 600/700
A 1.6hdi volvo s40 probably 350

At my Vw dealer small service is 149 and the big one is 269. Don't think Indy would be much cheaper and plus free courtesy car.

Eric Cartman

For the entire warranty of the car youd be mad not to use a main dealer, after that a specialist for anything above run of the mill or a good indy for anything standard.

coylemj

Mechanic365 wrote: »

Unless the car is still under some warranty get it done at a local garage and ask him to make a list of anything else the car needs doing now or in near future and he'll advise you on the costs etc
etc.
Main dealer on the other hand "thank you come again"

I get my car serviced by a main dealer and I get that list of things that need doing - without asking for it.

You can generalise all you like but no two indies and no two main dealers are the same so people should decide for themselves and not be biased or prejudiced based on your or anybody else's experience with an unnamed dealer.

Mechanic365

coylemj wrote: »

I get my car serviced by a main dealer and I get that list of things that need doing - without asking for it.

You can generalise all you like but no two indies and no two main dealers are the same so people should decide for themselves and not be biased or prejudiced based on your or anybody else's experience with an unnamed dealer.

True too, no to garages are the same
Remember the Ford focus rs story!

ianobrien

A lot depends on the dealer. I experienced one main dealer's level of service when a small bit of warranty work was being done. That resulted in a letter of complaint to the distributor. The next service I booked it into another main dealer over 250km away as I was more than happy with their level of customer service.

sparkynash

Well considering oil and filters will be close to 100 Euro plus 50 per hour Labour
Sounds good to me.

sparkynash

I get a Bosch service centre to do my 2011 passat,they have every tool you need under one roof and do air con.but they always make a mess when changing the diesel filter.How can they get the hardest part right and the simplest part wrong.most children even know to clean up after yourself.

martinr5232

sparkynash wrote:

I get a Bosch service centre to do my 2011 passat,they have every tool you need under one roof and do air con.but they always make a mess when changing the diesel filter.How can they get the hardest part right and the simplest part wrong.most children even know to clean up after yourself.

You can have all the tools in the world but if you dont know how to use them its not much use.
And they obviously dont have much pride in there work if they cant clean up spilt diesel after themselves.

_Kaiser_

Everyone here always says "go to a good Indy", but the problem is that many people wouldn't KNOW a good Indy, and if they do get burned it's going to put them off using one again.

Also main dealers have come down significantly on price in the last few years with some offering loyalty discounts on next servicing, parts or even free bulb changes (something I took advantage of last week to cure an annoying side-light warning and without having to pull the engine bay apart myself).

That said, there's only one Indy I'd know/trust myself based on previous experiences (he also posts here ) and seeing as I've recently moved up the road from him, he will probably be seeing my car again in the near future as she's due a service shortly anyway.

power pants

the dealership I worked at, tyres were no different in prices than anywhere else.
Id agree with wiper blades though, that was ridiculous prices

Also this phone call you believe you will get, after a healthcheck is carried out, the mechanic will consult the manager of the service dept and will double check and discuss before making the phone call to the customer

Often they would phone to say, it doesnt need replacing immediately but just to keep it in mind that it will do soon enough next x amount of miles eg

mailforkev

Depends on the car and job.

If I was under warranty with a newish car it would be main dealer all the way.

I'm out of warranty but have a main dealer nearby that is reasonable enough for servicing. They also give you a nice detailed printout of what was done and what will need to be done at the next service.

However for stand-alone jobs they can be very expensive. I got the front brake pads replaced this morning at a local Indy for pretty much half of what the main dealer quoted me.

selous

I only had one gripe with my main dealer, he changed the original wipers without asking and binned them, I had PIAA blades in them, they never streaked or lifted at any speed, replaced them with Bosch aero, said they were excellent, they weren't, asked at the next service for original ones, I was told they only come in on the cars when new, (and that model is replaced, Sh1t)

ofcork

I got a service done recently at the main dealer as my 12 avensis is under extended warranty,165 and quoted me 110 per 17" tyre to replace when the time comes as 4mm on them.

mullingar

Crap price for a linglong, excellent price for a continental.

What tyre brand did they offer?

ofcork

Didn't name the brand on the checklist they gave me assume they wouldn't be pure crap.

sparkynash

oh true true but many garages don't have all you need for a modern car and your car ends up in one garage then has to be brought to another one to get something don't due to the original garage not having the equipment but anyway enough about that yes your right the bosch service centre didn't take pride in there work and I wouldn't mind they charge 56 euro per hour labour....and are suppose to be far better than a main dealer....but the same fools cant even be tidy when changing the fuel filter....I mean the most basic of things on a car and they make a mess of it......I will take my vw to the dealer next time for any major stuff as at least there is a warranty and come back if things go wrong..i do think that very few ppl take pride in there work anymore which is a pity...

PADRAIC.M

Really depends where you go as there isn't any real legal standards with indies, I know of 2 polish mechanics which have set up shop near me, cheap labour, but you get what you pay for, one is a car painter and the other a gardener!! They have many comebacks and I have many new customers which won't go back ever, so many horror stories, the system we have I believe to be very honest with the customer- we use a vehicle health check system on tablets which allows us to flag items and attach a photo! Before any work is done the customer is emailed a copy of the VHC with attached photos ie. Low tyres/pads, then the service advisor calls the customer to get the go ahead or not, I think this is very transparent and works very well,

beauf

Finding a good dealer is the problem. Most of the ones I've had experience of are brutal. The standard of work (and professionalism) was worse than most indys I've used. Over the years there's been one or two dealers that I've used which were very good. But in my experience they seem to be the exception.