Main dealer car service

KidMuscle

Brought my car to a main dealer for a service at the end of Jun. It's a secondhand hybrid so I wanted to go with a main dealer to make sure the hybrid battery was up-to-date. They ran their checks / diagnostics, test drove, changed oil and filters (oil, air and pollen). Paid €250 (includes VAT).

It still needs CVT Fluid and brake fluid change (didn't have time to get it done and only getting time now). My question is, would a main dealer do these changes without having to do all the checks again? Just want to keep costs down. Would it be cheeky of me to ask them to just change CVT and Brake fluid without doing anything else?

Sorry if my question sounds weird - first time car owner so haven't dealt with garages or mechanics before!

colm_mcm

They would do those jobs separately yes.

zilog_jones

What car is it? €250 for a standard service?! :eek:

punisher5112

Plenty of good indy out there that can do all them checks too.

colm_mcm

IS300h is that price anyway.

punisher5112 wrote: »

Plenty of good indy out there that can do all them checks too.

When you do the hybrid check it extends your warranty.

punisher5112

colm_mcm wrote: »

IS300h is that price anyway.



When you do the hybrid check it extends your warranty.

Even on something old? Up to what year

Tazzimus

zilog_jones wrote: »

What car is it? €250 for a standard service?! :eek:

That's in or around normal.
One of the many reasons I'm glad I can do a lot of work on my car myself, or know people for the stuff I can't do.

zilog_jones

punisher5112 wrote:

Even on something old? Up to what year

Up to 10 years with Toyota and Lexus. You can do the annual Hybrid Health Check separately from a service for €50 (for Toyota, not sure about Lexus).

Tazzimus wrote:

That's in or around normal.

€170 for a Prius service with Toyota - why would a service for an IS cost so much more!? Pretty sure an extra litre or so of oil doesn't cost that much...

bazz26

The same way a service for an Audi based on a VW costs more even though they could use the same parts and fluids. Premium brands charge more along with higher labour rates.

Wishbone Ash

Tazzimus wrote: »

That's in or around normal.
One of the many reasons I'm glad I can do a lot of work on my car myself, or know people for the stuff I can't do.

I think he meant it sounded a bit low for a service.

EDIT - just see the following post now!

colm_mcm

zilog_jones wrote: »

Up to 10 years with Toyota and Lexus. You can do the annual Hybrid Health Check separately from a service for €50 (for Toyota, not sure about Lexus).



€170 for a Prius service with Toyota - why would a service for an IS cost so much more!? Pretty sure an extra litre or so of oil doesn't cost that much...

They jacked up the price of the Lexus service earlier this year.

colm_mcm

punisher5112 wrote: »

Even on something old? Up to what year

Think up to 10 years old.

supervento

colm_mcm wrote: »

Think up to 10 years old.

They have recently increased it to 15 years on Lexus and Toyota's, and like mentioned earlier can be done without carrying out a service.

punisher5112

supervento wrote: »

They have recently increased it to 15 years on Lexus and Toyota's, and like mentioned earlier can be done without carrying out a service.

That's actually very good....

bazz26

bazz26 wrote: »

along with higher labour rates.

Made me think of a question to ask - My indy mechanic can service pretty much anything that rolls in the door, all prices pretty much the same regardless of what you're driving for generic servicing (unless it needs brand-specific stuff, etc.)


Would a mechanic working in an Audi/BMW/Mercedes etc dealership actually be making more than the same fella working in Toyota/Hyundai/Kia etc?


I'd have assumed all would be making similar money.

supervento

punisher5112 wrote: »

That's actually very good....

ya they don't give trouble in general (unless water leaks into the boot and goes un-noticed or they have moon mileage) , guess Toyota/Lexus must of looked at the failure rates and made the decision. Even at that batteries are not very expensive to replace...

colm_mcm

supervento wrote: »

They have recently increased it to 15 years on Lexus and Toyota's, and like mentioned earlier can be done without carrying out a service.

Lexus aren’t doing it now unless you do a service.

supervento

colm_mcm wrote: »

Lexus aren’t doing it now unless you do a service.

Must be different in the Uk as i got one done a week ago... without a service, cost me £59.00

colm_mcm

Yep, it’s a Lexus Ireland dealers thing. Not selling any new cars so screwing people on servicing their uk imports instead

supervento

colm_mcm wrote: »

Yep, it’s a Lexus Ireland dealers thing. Not selling any new cars so screwing people on servicing their uk imports instead

maybe a short sighted view.... would it be more beneficial to try get people into the dealerships and advise of other potential work the vehicle may require... you would be surprised at times they can be more reasonable that you would think.. I got a timing belt kit & waterpump and service done on a Rx400h after being advised of it... I knew it was due so I had it priced already and they matched my independent..£620.00 as they had a price match promotion on at the time, think it was a only U.K. Lexus promotion. I was well impressed anyway..

colm_mcm

I would say most Lexus hybrid owners get the car serviced at the main dealer to get the warranty.
The only car near a volume seller they ever had was the IS220d

bucketybuck

KidMuscle wrote: »

It still needs CVT Fluid and brake fluid change (didn't have time to get it done and only getting time now). My question is, would a main dealer do these changes without having to do all the checks again?

There is no reason a dealer wouldn't do what you are asking, just because something is commonly done during a service doesn't mean it can't be done separately. Thats all a service is really, a list of individual things done at the same time.

Be aware though, you might find that the price for just those two items is higher than you think. Most services are menu priced, basically a deal for doing all those things together, if you charged for them all separately the labour price alone would probably be more than the full service price.

So a full service gets the deal price but asking for one specific thing gets charged at normal labour rate, and perhaps with a minimum time charge of an hour. You might find that a full service is €250 while just the brake fluid on its own is €175 (figures pulled from my ass).

Think of it like flights, did you ever notice how one way trips can be more expensive than a return flight? There are reasons for that.

Anyway, just tell them exactly what you want and they should have no problem doing it. I would make sure to get a price first though, and don't expect it to only be a fraction of the full service price.

nogoodnamesleft

bazz26 wrote: »

The same way a service for an Audi based on a VW costs more even though they could use the same parts and fluids. Premium brands charge more along with higher labour rates.

And from my experience with one premium band the main dealer does a worse job than a competent home mechanic who is DIY savvy.

colm_mcm

To be fair, Lexus aftersales is usually to a high standard.