How much have you paid for a battery replacement

acb

Got my car battery replaced today in a Peugeot 3008 and was charged 145EURO for it.
Got it replaced in an Autoservice garage in Fonthill, they said the battery was going to take a half hour labour to change it and said that would be 35Euro on top of the 110e for a dagenite battery (2 year warranty).

I feel very annoyed as I think I got screwed with the price for fitting. Id be the first to admit I dont know a whole pile about cars and so said sure if it has to be replaced and the cost is 145 then its 145.
As I went outside to walk around while i waited, another customer came over to me and said that they were charging huge amount to replace it.

Id love to hear that 145 euro now is the going rate for batteries to be replaced.

biko

A battery is usually between 70 and 150 euro. Several places will change it for you free of charge.
So yeah you paid too much depending..
I change my own so usually pay 70 for a battery from a motor factors.

davo2001

You were ripped off OP, plain and simple.

bucketybuck

acb wrote: »

I feel very annoyed as I think I got screwed with the price for fitting.

Why?

davo2001

bucketybuck wrote: »

Why?

Because it doesn't take 30 minutes to fit a battery.

MintyMagnum

Got mine changed after Xmas, I think it was €90 fitted.

bucketybuck

davo2001 wrote: »

Because it doesn't take 30 minutes to fit a battery.

Why do you assume that matters?

davo2001

bucketybuck wrote: »

Why do you assume that matters?

Did you read the OP?!

they said the battery was going to take a half hour labour to change it and said that would be 35Euro on top of the 110e for a dagenite battery (2 year warranty).

howamidifferent

Got mine changed last week. Guy did it in 15 minutes and didnt charge for labour as I'd had it in for a service a few weeks back. Cost me €70 for the battery.

bucketybuck

davo2001 wrote: »

Did you read the OP?!

They said the time they expected it to take. Again, why do you assume the time taken directly relates to the actual charge?

James Bond Junior

Some batteries need coding to the car so not always what it seems in fairness. But if that wasn't the case 35 to fit a battery is pretty steep.

Duke O Smiley

I know I was out with a mate last week and Halfords charged him €13 to change the battery in his car, literally a 60 second switch out

In a 07 C class

bucketybuck

Duke O Smiley wrote: »

I know I was out with a mate last week and Halfords charged him €13 to change the battery in his car, literally a 60 second switch out

In a 07 C class

Interesting. If the cost to the customer directly relates to the time taken then Halfords charge €780 per hour labour.

Stephenc66

As said above some cars should have the new battery coded to the car when the battery is replaced. Anyone know if this is the case with the Peugeot 3008.

Is the battery in an awkward place. Under the front seat or in the boot that might necessitate extra labor other than a few minutes under the bonnet.

OP did they mention anything like that or did you see them plug a diagnostic computer in after they had changed the battery.

This might account for the labor charge?

davo2001

bucketybuck wrote: »

They said the time they expected it to take. Again, why do you assume the time taken directly relates to the actual charge?

They didn't say they expected it to take 30 minutes, they said it would take 30 mins. Do you actually think the OP got good value for money?

bucketybuck

davo2001 wrote: »

They didn't say they expected it to take 30 minutes, they said it would take 30 mins. Do you actually think the OP got good value for money?

You're just making me repeat myself, why does it matter that they said it would take 30 mins and why does it matter if it actually took 30 mins or less?

Why do you assume that the price they charge for work directly relates to the time spent doing it?

Value for money? Its all relative, I know dozens of garages that would have charged more than €30 due to minimum pricing, and they would be right to do so. I also know thousands of people that could have changed the thing themselves for zero cost, so where is the value? Is any charge at all a rip off?

Pkiernan

bucketybuck wrote: »

You're just making me repeat myself, why does it matter that they said it would take 30 mins and why does it matter if it actually took 30 mins or less?

Why do you assume that the price they charge for work directly relates to the time spent doing it?

Value for money? Its all relative, I know dozens of garages that would have charged more than €30 due to minimum pricing, and they would be right to do so. I also know thousands of people that could have changed the thing themselves for zero cost, so where is the value? Is any charge at all a rip off?

Wasn't a rip off.

Why shouldn't the guy be paid for his work?
OP was given total cost up front and rather than discuss it with the shop comes on here to moan.

I remember being quoted $200 to install the battery in 1999 VW Beetle in California. This was on top of the cost of the battery. I told the guy he must be joking and I said I'd do it myself.

3 hours and skinned knuckles later I wished I had paid him....

Asmooh

I paid about 200 for the battery in my mx5 or so and installed it myself

Bruthal

davo2001 wrote: »

They didn't say they expected it to take 30 minutes, they said it would take 30 mins. Do you actually think the OP got good value for money?

Well the next time you get one changed, have the stopwatch ready.

Op was told price, not suddenly hit with a surprise.

Yardleys Lavender

If the OP learnt how to change their own battery she wouldn't have to pay for fitting at all.

If you need to pay somebody to do something for you because you don't have the skill set then you will find that you can avail of a service for a small amount of money or a larger amount of money. It your own choice who services you avail of.

The term "Rip Off" is used so easily in Ireland for things that are perceived to be more expensive. In this case surely "Rip Off" would describe the situation if they had fitted a second hand battery and charged her for a new one.

biko

I'm kinda surprised someone still use Dagenite

Then again, if you would have bought the battery from micksgarage.ie it would be a bit more expensive at almost €300...
http://www.micksgarage.com/search/batteries/peugeot/peugeot%203008/3008%202009%20onwards/1.6%20hdi/120

Special Circumstances

biko wrote: »

I'm kinda surprised someone still use Dagenite

Then again, if you would have bought the battery from micksgarage.ie it would be a bit more expensive at almost €300...
http://www.micksgarage.com/search/batteries/peugeot/peugeot%203008/3008%202009%20onwards/1.6%20hdi/120

Yuasa 5yr guarantee battery could be got from halfords for under 100 (using 10% off). Whether you trust them to fit it for another few euro (18?) is a personal decision.

In answer to the question in the title, I've never paid for a battery change.

0lddog

Special Circumstances wrote: »

.......could be got from halfords for under 100 (using 10% off). ........

Please can you share ways to get this 10% discount ?

Bongalongherb

€70 for a sealed battery from halfords with 3 year warranty and it just took me 7 minutes to fit. In my opinion it was a rip-off that they charged you that much.

Special Circumstances

0lddog wrote: »

Please can you share ways to get this 10% discount ?

Axa customers, or many workplace group schemes get 10% off.

porsche boy

Bongalongherb wrote:

€70 for a sealed battery from halfords with 3 year warranty and it just took me 7 minutes to fit. In my opinion it was a rip-off that they charged you that much.

Unless your car is a 3007 than this is a pointless post.
I can change a battery in less than a minute in some cars, others can take 30 minutes or more.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

jca

The last battery I bought cost me €105 in halfords. It was for an Octavia 1.9 diesel I fitted it myself. It would have cost €25 for halfords to fit it.

Voodoomelon

Here's the battery removal for a 3008:

http://ahw308.blogspot.ie/2010/03/diy-removing-battery.html

You'd do well to turn that around in much less than 30mins from tools out to tools away, so no, you weren't ripped off.

I personally find it surprising some places don't charge for battery replacement. When you are, people think they're ripped off. Swapping on a Fiesta may take 10 minutes, something like a 3008 takes longer and is deserving of a charge.

Easily takes me 30 minutes to swap mine in my E66, spare wheel has to be unscrewed and removed from the boot, jack has to be unhitched, tyre chock unscrewed, plastic cover removed and only then can you start the fiddly process of getting at the terminals and exhaust tube, before wiggling 25kg sideways into the wheel well with your back in shambles.

corks finest

acb wrote: »

Got my car battery replaced today in a Peugeot 3008 and was charged 145EURO for it.
Got it replaced in an Autoservice garage in Fonthill, they said the battery was going to take a half hour labour to change it and said that would be 35Euro on top of the 110e for a dagenite battery (2 year warranty).

I feel very annoyed as I think I got screwed with the price for fitting. Id be the first to admit I dont know a whole pile about cars and so said sure if it has to be replaced and the cost is 145 then its 145.
As I went outside to walk around while i waited, another customer came over to me and said that they were charging huge amount to replace it.

Id love to hear that 145 euro now is the going rate for batteries to be replaced.

Robbed

visual

0lddog wrote: »

Please can you share ways to get this 10% discount ?

AXA cars is one way.

endacl

Batteryworld in Kimmage about a month ago. €50 and free fitting. Focus.

Feck. That would have paid for nearly three batteries for a French car...

Melodeon

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Here's the battery removal for a 3008:

http://ahw308.blogspot.ie/2010/03/diy-removing-battery.html

You'd do well to turn that around in much less than 30mins from tools out to tools away, so no, you weren't ripped off.

I personally find it surprising some places don't charge for battery replacement. When you are, people think they're ripped off. Swapping on a Fiesta may take 10 minutes, something like a 3008 takes longer and is deserving of a charge.

Easily takes me 30 minutes to swap mine in my E66, spare wheel has to be unscrewed and removed from the boot, jack has to be unhitched, tyre chock unscrewed, plastic cover removed and only then can you start the fiddly process of getting at the terminals and exhaust tube, before wiggling 25kg sideways into the wheel well with your back in shambles.

Along with all the above, most modern cars will require the use of a memory saver device of some sort before the old battery is disconnected.
Otherwise, a lot of time will be consumed reprogramming/recoding/resetting stuff like the immobiliser, alarm system, central locking, audio system, electric windows, dash clock, and who knows how much else. Some of these things may require a visit to a main dealer with the correct diagnostic equipment.

Mango Joe

I found some of the responses on this thread so unbelievably irritating.

- Sometimes people assume a certain amount of trust and decency is in place when entering into an agreement with someone.

There is always the option open to the person providing to service to exploit the customers lack of knowledge in an area or profit from their concerns re. their car not starting and worries around this etc.

People should always be fairly paid for their time, expertise and outgoings none of which are ever going to be stretched dropping a battery into an engine bay!!!

If the customer had innocently agreed a fee of €500 upfront cause they thought that was the usual, normal going rate would the retailer here still have no case to answer????????

FWIW I'd never visit this place and I'd tell anyone I ever knew or cared about to avoid it at all costs too.

Jesus wept.

biko

Welcome to capitalism. No-one is going to hold your hand trough life, you need to figure stuff out for yourself.

munchkin_utd

needed a battery in a hurry for the focus (cold weather snap, wife going ballistic) so spent 80 or 90 on the battery.

Picked up a mini rachet set for a tenner and fitted it myself, and now have a handy rachet set that gets more use than I thought it would!

Special Circumstances

Looking at the steps in that link... the labour charge doesn't seem extortionate. Somewhere between reasonable and pricey by my reckoning.
Although I'd say they have a nice margin built into the dagenite 2yr warranty battery at that price!

anothernight

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Looking at the steps in that link... the labour charge doesn't seem extortionate. Somewhere between reasonable and pricey by my reckoning.
Although I'd say they have a nice margin built into the dagenite 2yr warranty battery at that price!

But the steps are all quick "remove this, remove that", which look like it would take a few minutes to do. Half an hour labour for removing five things does seem very pricy, imo. That blog calls it a dozen steps, but the 11th and last one is "11. DONE."! My Ford Focus has these steps, which looks like more work than it actually is, yet it couldn't be more straightforward really. Then again, my old Megane had an even more straightforward battery change... if you didn't take into account the extremely awkward angle the battery had to be inserted at so it would fit. Took ages, just that one step.

If you pay someone to do work for you you're also paying for their expertise. Since they agreed the price beforehand and the OP accepted it, I suppose the price is fair. Steep, but fair.

To answer the OPs question: I think I paid about £50 for my last car battery at Halfords (from memory. I could be wildly wrong!).

jimgoose

Today on "My Two Cents", that labour charge strikes me as a bit saucy but not extortionate. Replacing the battery isn't getting any quicker or simpler on newer cars - even on my old heap it's a slight faff because it's under the boot floor-panel. Mind you I don't pay anyone to do it. :pac:

Special Circumstances

anothernight wrote: »

But the steps are all quick "remove this, remove that", which look like it would take a few minutes to do. Half an hour labour for removing five things does seem very pricy, imo. That blog calls it a dozen steps, but the 11th and last one is "11. DONE."! My Ford Focus has these steps, which looks like more work than it actually is, yet it couldn't be more straightforward really.

Many things are straightforward when you know how.

OK, it's not rocket science but I wouldn't expect anyone but a peugeot tech to know that sequence off the top of their head. And I wouldn't expect many to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the different procedures for every modern car.

10mm spanner, undo 4 bolts - that's straightforward... and OBVIOUS and QUICK. Which is the crucial difference here I think.

anothernight

Special Circumstances wrote: »

Many things are straightforward when you know how.

Er... that was my point. She paid for expertise, but they told her it was for time. The price was steep imo, but still fair as she didn't know how to do it and it was a pre-agreed price.

Special Circumstances

anothernight wrote: »

But the steps are all quick "remove this, remove that", which look like it would take a few minutes to do. Half an hour labour for removing five things does seem very pricy, imo. That blog calls it a dozen steps, but the 11th and last one is "11. DONE."!
...
...
...
..
.
If you pay someone to do work for you you're also paying for their expertise.

anothernight wrote: »

Er... that was my point. She paid for expertise, but they told her it was for time. The price was steep imo, but still fair as she didn't know how to do it and it was a pre-agreed price.

Ah, I concentrated on the tone and content of the longer first part of your post. Which conveyed a completely different message to the one liner toward the end.

Have you ever considered politics?

Bongalongherb

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Here's the battery removal for a 3008:

http://ahw308.blogspot.ie/2010/03/diy-removing-battery.html

You'd do well to turn that around in much less than 30mins from tools out to tools away, so no, you weren't ripped off.

I personally find it surprising some places don't charge for battery replacement. When you are, people think they're ripped off. Swapping on a Fiesta may take 10 minutes, something like a 3008 takes longer and is deserving of a charge.

Easily takes me 30 minutes to swap mine in my E66, spare wheel has to be unscrewed and removed from the boot, jack has to be unhitched, tyre chock unscrewed, plastic cover removed and only then can you start the fiddly process of getting at the terminals and exhaust tube, before wiggling 25kg sideways into the wheel well with your back in shambles.

I had no idea it would be that much work just to change a car battery. Why do they make those cars so hard to get the battery out ?. In that case I can understand now why they charged so much for the removal and change of the battery.

Voodoomelon

It depends very much on the car.
Many cars still have their batteries right there when you open your bonnet. Undo a clamp and the terminals and you'll have it replaced in under 10 minutes.

But many engine bays now have little spare room and so the battery is positioned underneath other components or in the boot of the car, in which case there is more work required to get at it.

ofcork

Thats a 308 in the blog is the setup the same?

anothernight

Bongalongherb wrote: »

I had no idea it would be that much work just to change a car battery. Why do they make those cars so hard to get the battery out ?. In that case I can understand now why they charged so much for the removal and change of the battery.

Not battery-specific, but a lot of the annoying positioning of things in newer cars happens because they try to cram the car with new features, and yet they still have to comply with stringent regulations and statements of design. Vehicle packaging can be quite challenging in some cases, especially in cars with more advanced heating systems, sound systems, hybrid batteries, etc.

In fairness to whoever the shop/garage is that sold you the battery, 30 minutes isn't unrealistic (nor is €35 per hour for labour).

30 mins to the shop/garage would be most likely having to include the customer approaching and asking price, bringing their car in, figuring out battery size, taking the old one out, replacing, removing car, making sure everything still works and sending them on their way (likely with a receipt etc). All of this has to be done with the expectation of no damage or anything, and most likely the place it was done had lighting, heating, etc. for the OP to wait in relative warmth while the job is done (although I do realise not everywhere is like that).

So whilst i personally think it's a tad steep, based on the amount of, say, Motor Factors, that sell and fit for free, i don't think it's fair to expect everyone to operate the same business model.

If I were the OP i'd probably agree I paid at the higher end of the scale, but I wouldnt feel cheated or conned at all.

Sh1tbag OToole

Asmooh wrote: »

I paid about 200 for the battery in my mx5 or so and installed it myself

I suppose if it lasts the 10 years it will pay for itself. Do you find them good value?