Dealer health checks

Water2626262

How reliable are these do you reckon? I’ve a low mileage (80k km) 2015 car. Got a huge list of issues from a main franchise dealer as part of a regular service.

It seemed legit but then again they wanted 40 quid for ad blue (I filled the tank about three weeks prior, they said they didn’t know how much was left, only that some was used). 500 odd for timing belt (on an 80k Km vag diesel 2 litre? Granted it’s 5 years but they have a long mileage interval).

I do wonder do they add pads and discs even if there is x thousand Km left on them.

When I was picking up my car the customer in front of me was getting a similar sized list.

Anyway off to the reputable independents with me. Probably long overdue. Going to see how much of the list is actually required.

mfceiling

40 quid for ad blue?

It's about a tenner for ten litres at the motor factors or less at the pump if it's nearby.

Most of those things on the checklist you could probably check yourself to be fair.

Lights, wipers, tyres etc are easy to keep an eye on weekly.

Water2626262

mfceiling wrote: »

40 quid for ad blue?

It's about a tenner for ten litres at the motor factors or less at the pump if it's nearby.

Most of those things on the checklist you could probably check yourself to be fair.

Lights, wipers, tyres etc are easy to keep an eye on weekly.

As I say I’d already topped up the ad blue from Halfords. 15 litres into a 17 litre tank. A lot of stuff on the list was fairly random. Few hours labour to inspect a fault code too.

Just remembered I overheard the service manager tell the previous customer that the wipers were auto filled as needing replacing on the list. It was a matter of whether “he felt they needed replacing”.

Pints?

I recently had a service at a well known North Dublin dealer. The 'health check' revealed my front brake pads and discs were "100% worn". Tried to charge me a ridiculous price so I went elsewhere for a quote of half the price. Then the mechanic I took it to refused to change them. Said they were fine. He was as pissed off as I was. Said this particular crowd were known for it.

Usually the health check for me means they’ll try flog me wipers and tyres.

Toyotafanboi

Water2626262 wrote: »

Anyway off to the reputable independents with me. Probably long overdue. Going to see how much of the list is actually required.

It's an unpopular opinion but your not actually asking them what's actually required. You are asking them to tell you what you can put off for another while. You'd probably get the same advice if you asked a dealer.

Dealers health checks IMO are by far the most comprehensive. Unfortuantely comprehensive usually means they will find more, which means the potential cost of servicing is higher so people chose not to go with them under the guise of they don't trust them whereas in actual fact people dont want to pay for them but for some reason people cant just come out and say that.

I mean it's no secret main dealers aren't the cheapest route to getting work done.

Generally a dealers health check mentions anything that will not last until the next service interval or is already due due to wear, time or distance already covered.

Examples that people usually dont agree with are dealers advising of pads and discs needing replacing because the discs are below spec where an independent will just fit pads to your below spec discs and save you a nice bit. Another is tyres in that a dealer will flag up any tyres below 4mm tread depth and most independents just wont really care unless you have canvas showing.

Same actually with pollen filters, windscreen wipers, wheel alignments and pretty much everything at a dealers. They may be past their best or needing doing but people dont often want to incur the expense associated with a very high level of maintenance on their cars and are happy ro let an independent do a little less for a little less.

Post up the health check or even the items needing attention and we can advise a little more though.

PsychoPete

Have seen it so many times, do a health check and give the list of parts it needs, customer doesn't get the work done then it comes to the next service and all those parts need changing or they might not even last that long

Water2626262

PsychoPete wrote: »

Have seen it so many times, do a health check and give the list of parts it needs, customer doesn't get the work done then it comes to the next service and all those parts need changing or they might not even last that long

Very true. I suppose the one thing is I don’t want to have the work done by them. Better value to be had elsewhere. Two front tires were quoted at 290 each!

Toyotafanboi

Water2626262 wrote: »

Very true. I suppose the one thing is I don’t want to have the work done by them. Better value to be had elsewhere. Two front tires were quoted at 290 each!

Why did you go to them for the service at all?

Make sure when pricing around the tyres that you are comparing like for like in terms of brand and spec.

Main dealer is probably offering a premium tyre for that money, again, you'll probably get less for less.

Water2626262

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Why did you go to them for the service at all?

Make sure when pricing around the tyres that you are comparing like for like in terms of brand and spec.

Main dealer is probably offering a premium tyre for that money, again, you'll probably get less for less.

The fixed price servicing is actually good value vs independents but they get you with the additional stuff.

Fairly sure I had priced the tires for far less previously. Exact like for like.

kirving

My last main dealer service on a 7yo car (I know I'll be called stupid for going still) was no more expensive than an independent, and they did a full health check, which to be fair only suggested stuff I needed doing anyway. They have bigger fish to fry than trying to screw me for a few quid on a service.

And funnily enough, called me the other day, within hours of the service light coming on, which doesn't have me suspicious at all.

Hellrazer

Kevin Irving wrote: »

And funnily enough, called me the other day, within hours of the service light coming on, which doesn't have me suspicious at all.

Why would it make you suspicious - service intervals are usually by mileage or date - usually 365 days.

Every morning I print out a "service reminder" list and this happens on at least 1 or 2 calls every day. I make the call and the customer said the light came on that morning..nothing unusual about it at all - it just good customer service.

ba_barabus

Kevin Irving wrote: »

My last main dealer service on a 7yo car (I know I'll be called stupid for going still) was no more expensive than an independent.

Yep I'm the same.

My 2013 Avensis with 195k km still has a full service history with the main dealer and a stamp in the book bang on every 15k km from new and a folder of receipts to back it up. I've always run the bills passed a few mates in other dealerships and they can never get over how cheap Toyota servicing is. For this reason I've never bothered with an Independent. They've done the health check at every service and nothing has ever shown up apart from tyre advisories.

kirving

Hellrazer wrote: »

Why would it make you suspicious - service intervals are usually by mileage or date - usually 365 days.

Every morning I print out a "service reminder" list and this happens on at least 1 or 2 calls every day. I make the call and the customer said the light came on that morning..nothing unusual about it at all - it just good customer service.

Ah just thought it was funny really, since the interval is mileage based rather than time based, and my mileage has dropped dramatically the past few months.

Statistically, common enough for dealers I'm sure, less so for an individual.

enricoh

ba_barabus wrote: »

Yep I'm the same.

My 2013 Avensis with 195k km still has a full service history with the main dealer and a stamp in the book bang on every 15k km from new and a folder of receipts to back it up. I've always run the bills passed a few mates in other dealerships and they can never get over how cheap Toyota servicing is. For this reason I've never bothered with an Independent. They've done the health check at every service and nothing has ever shown up apart from tyre advisories.

The oul lad has an 07 landcruiser N only ever went to the main dealer apart from tyres. He gets good value imo and the Jeep is perfect, not a rattle out of it. A neighbour had one that the local backyard lad serviced, when the engine went bang a few years later he had no comeback on it with Toyota. It was a dear way of saving a few quid.
I'm more bangernomics so no panic if mine goes but with a fresh yoke is definitely be getting the oil done n healthvcheck in main dealer .

GTE

I had the opposite experience with a health check from a VW main dealer in Laois. They marked my brakes as safe for the next 10,000 mile service interval. I do not have the pictures I took. Just imagine the silver contact patch being half the width again, and the rust everywhere else being more severe.

I only caught it as I got new tyres fitted the next day and the mechanic warned me that they were in bad shape.

I brought it as high as VW Europe who must have done something as out of no where the dealer were treating me like I owned a supercar, and not a paddy spec Golf.

ek motor

ba_barabus wrote: »

Yep I'm the same.

My 2013 Avensis with 195k km still has a full service history with the main dealer and a stamp in the book bang on every 15k km from new and a folder of receipts to back it up. I've always run the bills passed a few mates in other dealerships and they can never get over how cheap Toyota servicing is. For this reason I've never bothered with an Independent. They've done the health check at every service and nothing has ever shown up apart from tyre advisories.

I'll second this. Main Toyota dealers in Galway city charge same as local indy garages. Vehicle health check is comprehensive and bang on in my experience, and they're not cowboys which always helps.

Water2626262

I’ve calmed slightly now and rationalised it a bit. Just wasn’t expecting a 4K list of jobs at 80km mileage. Timing belt can wait another year given the mileage. Tires can wait a few months more and then be replaced at a few hundred less than they quoted. Key fob battery was replaced for 2 quid rather than 13 then quoted. Have it booked into a reputable Indy to go through rest of the list.