My car is coming up for 8 yrs old next month - to date zero repairs - only servicing, pads, wipers & tyres.
Minor Service & MoT was booked - car was fine IMHO
Horror of horrors my car failed - a broken pig-tail on the N/S front - pot holes probably to blame.
Drop link on anti-roll bar wear noted + corroded flange on exhaust back box & mid-pipe - advisory only.
No local availability of a spring - 2 Honda Franchises he uses did not have the spring BUT did have a complete spring/shock absorber unit at about £300.
Spring sourced from OEM supplier, drop link bushes replaced and flange cut-off and new flange welded on. £65+VAT for repair parts.
3 hours labour @ £45, oil/filter, repair parts, MoT + VAT the bill came to under £340.
Value for money compared to main dealer. I have been using the Indie for 25 years - I deal with the son as his dad, who started the business 40 years ago, is 70 & only part-time.
|
FRV goes for its MOT on Monday at my Indie.
Similar story though they're on their third generation of mechanics.
|
>>
>> 3 hours labour @ £45,
>>
That's the bit I like the sound of!
|
Not 3 hours for £45
but 3 hours @ £45 = £135 +vat
|
|
Still seems like a decent labour rate. Absurd labour costs are what make main dealers so overpriced.
|
|
Dirt cheap, here in The Deep South.
|
The service team from one of the local (Chester) closed Honda dealers set up their own place and I used them for service on daughter's Jazz a couple of weeks ago. Car had been on 5yr service service plan but I've had multiple problems with the new dealer.
I was happy with the work the indie did and got a sensible report on brakes and tyres. They cleaned the brakes which the dealer refused to do as "it's not part of the schedule'. Hondas are notorious for sticking pads/calipers.
Just pulled the invoice out and the service labour works out at £66/hr plus VAT.
It might seem that dealers would be much more expensive but a lot of work is done on a fixed price basis. I've long used indie's for our Merc and VW and I've noticed they keep their prices just under where the dealers are so on things like service, brakes, cambelt etc, there's nothing in it.
Last edited by: Bill Payer on Thu 10 Sep 20 at 10:16
|
SWMBO's A3 convertible says it needs an oil change (after 15 months from new and 6,000 miles). Yeovil Audi quoted £282. just for the oil change. There's a VAG specialist much nearer home: M-Tech of West Stour, who have quoted £145. And they use genuine Audi parts, which shouldn't be needed on this occasion, and they are able to reset the service indicator.
It may be fixed-price servicing at the main dealer: it's also labour rates and labour hours. Yeovil Audi said it would take 2.5 hours, M-Tech just one hour.
I haven't used an indie for a new car before now, but the price difference is too great to ignore.
|
>> Yeovil Audi said it would take 2.5 hours, M-Tech just one hour.
>>
>> I haven't used an indie for a new car before now, but the price difference
>> is too great to ignore.
>>
You see lots of comments about Audi dealers price matching - someone on Pistonheads got them to price match Halfords!
VAG variable servicing is complicated and rarely understood, which presents a great oportunity for dealers to to rip customers off. The oil change service is almost literally just that, plus some very basic safety checks. What the dealer is likely doing is adding in the first Inspection too, but that's not due until 2yrs old.
I waited while daughter's Golf had its first oil change service done, and the car was in the workshop 20 mins. It was on a VWFS service contract and of course they can't rip them off with extra work. The dealer accidentally gave me the invoice - £68 inc parts, labour and VAT.
|
|
I bought my company Merc earlier this year, and although it has always been serviced at an MB dealer while it was a company car, I'll be taking it to our local independent from now on. He has "looked after" all our personal cars for 18 years and has always done a good job at fair prices. Even loans us an old banger if he needs to keep one of ours in for more than a day.
|
Following 2,700 miles in two and half weeks, mines due its first service shortly.. MB Chichester have quoted £550 for an A service, which even I think is pricey! Time to make some phone calls tomorrow... The BMW, and MINI for that matter, only need servicing every 2 years / 18k miles or so, and the first one is an oil service at ‘just’ £280. The Merc is annual, though it’s only done 10,700 miles, and so it’s even worse... if that’s the going rate it’ll be not far off three times as much to service as a BMW. I don’t remember A services being that much with Mercedes before!
|
Yeah, the convertibles cost more to service, there's a surcharge for them. No real reason other than it seems appropriate to charge the sort of people who can afford them a bit more...
;-))
|
>> Yeah, the convertibles cost more to service, there's a surcharge for them. No real reason
>> other than it seems appropriate to charge the sort of people who can afford them
>> a bit more...
>> ;-))
>>
:-p
|
>>No real reason
>> other than it seems appropriate to charge the sort of people who can afford them
>> a bit more...
>>
....is that because they have less overheads....?
|
>> MB Chichester have quoted £550 for an A service,
>>
Even at MB prices, there must be more to that than just the A service (which is basically just an oil change). What additional work is being called for, and is it correct? It can get messed up if mileage is much higher or lower than average.
You can look it up either on MyService www.mymercedesservice.co.uk or go directly to the Electronic Service Sheet: lite.servicemercedes.co.uk/ess/pc/
|
|
Thanks...will take a look. They haven’t even seen the car yet, so I can’t think what else they’d be including. It’s done under 11k miles in a year, so fairly average I’d have thought. Maybe they’ve quoted for a B service by mistake!
|
|
How old is it and what mileage? I use an indie for mine but if you do want to stay with the MB network it can be worth looking at ServiceCare, especially if you catch a couple of the more extensive services, such as ATF change or even plugs on some of the petrols as they have loads of them!
|
The second link is very interesting, though the scope seems to be just an oil change, as I thought, plus a whole heap of ‘checks’, so their quote must be wrong! The first link gives up and asks me to phone a dealer...
But this is what it needs apparently:
Service Information
ESS CODE: A238485264920/R112MB111000
This code is only valid based on the mileage entered and current age of the vehicle.
Mileage: 11,000 miles
Age: 12 months
Oil Type: MB 229.52 (A 000 989 55 04 11 FMEE)
Oil Quantity: 6.6 litres
Service Sheet: Service A
Model: E-Class (238) Cabriolet - E 350 (FIS)
Your nearest Mercedes-Benz Retailer
Additional Operations Submit
For every service (Equipment specific)
Check ex factory driving aids (Vehicles with ex-factory driving aids)
Fill up or replace vial of perfume atomizer – After consultation with customer – With CODE P21 ( Air quality package )
Replace battery for KEYLESS-GO key – After consultation with customer – with code 889 ( KEYLESS-GO )
Replace battery for KEYLESS-GO key – After consultation with customer – with code 893 ( KEYLESS-GO start function )
AdBlue tank: Fill up fluid level – After consultation with customer (With CODE U77 ( BlueTEC (SCR) diesel exhaust treatment ) or with code U79 (BlueTEC (SCR) diesel exhaust treatment, generation 3)
Service 3 - At every service
Engine: Change oil and oil filter
Service A Submit
Underside
Check all visible parts of the vehicle underside for damage and leakage - The country-specific rules for mobility and body shell complaints apply.
Check condition of steering and tie rods
Check condition of front axle and front axle ball joints
Check condition of propeller shaft and flex disks
Check condition of rear axle and rear axle ball joints
Check condition of suspension struts or shock absorbers and springs
Engine
Brake system: Check fluid level
Check all visible parts in engine compartment for damage and leaks
Check visible area of poly-V belt for wear
Plus Package Submit
Interior
Check lamps in the instrument cluster and interior illumination for proper operation
Wheels
Check and correct tyre pressure and enter set tyre pressure in the table
Boot
Vehicles with spare tyre: Check spare wheel tyre pressure, correct and enter set tyre pressure in the table
Vehicles fitted with TIREFIT Check TIREFIT tyre sealant (enter TIREFIT expiration date here: when TIREFIT expiration date is reached: Replace TIREFIT and invoice as additional operation )
Check first aid bag: ( Enter first aid bag expiration date here: When the expiration date of first aid bag is reached: Replace first-aid bag, invoice as an additional operation. )
Check luggage compartment illumination for proper operation
Engine
Windshield washer system: check/correct fluid level (When using cleaning compounds for summer/winter, and depending on the ambient temperature, observe the mixing ratio.) – Use Mercedes-Benz approved concentrate
|
>>due its first service shortly.. MB Chichester have quoted £550 for an A service, which even I think is pricey!
Doesn't the service contract thing work out to be a better proposition? It does for me.
|
|
When I bought the Jaguar S-Type I searched for, and found, a local indie in Darlington who fitted a removeable towbar, serviced the car and did some other work. All well until I took the car along to report slight oil fumes in the cabin. Oil seal gone, not in stock, it would be a few days. The days became weeks and I got fed up of ringing his answer machine, so paid him a visit. Receivers were in counting his stock and the owner was going to join another garage. Alas that hasn't happened so I'm searching again.
|
Honda CR-V III - The value of a good "Indie" - Lygonos
