I won't mention the dealer / brand as this may be an honest mistake.
Two charges made to a non-technically minded friend...
I noticed this first - trivial but cheeky - a £5 charge for the plastic sheet covers that the mechanic uses when they service the car.
I thought the sparkplugs were expensive at £35 each. Then I realise the car is a diesel!!!
Service didn't include oil, oil filter etc. and these were charged extra. Is this normal? - I have a service plan and it's all included. Mrs Z takes her car to F1 and it's all included.
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Yeah I'd be going back to the dealer, they are having you on.
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Spark plugs - must be a try-on ! Surely they didn't mean glow-plugs ?
Mechanic's cover-sheets - if that is a charge to defray their cost, then instead of leaving them in the car as a gift to the customer, remove them and re-use.
Disgraceful.
Last edited by: Andrew-T on Wed 22 Apr 26 at 14:59
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and they cost about a penny
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Didnt see any environmental & disposal charges in there?
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There are waste oil recycling firms all over the UK.
The garage, that charges you some £8 to £10 for disposal of oil, is paid for the used oil.
In the case of my Indie he burned the old oil in the workshop boiler. New premises in the last year so will now get paid for waste oil rather than burning it!
The Indie had been in the same premises for roughly 40 years. A lot of his business was MoTs and fixing the failures. Having move 800 metres he needs a new MoT Certification for the building / ramps etc etc - 12 month wait due to backlogs in the approval process.
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>> and they cost about a penny
>>
Don’t exaggerate - They cost £13.99 for a 100 :-)
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<< Don't exaggerate - They cost £13.99 for a 100 :-) >>
So 14p each ? :-(
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Yep all of my service plans include an oil & filter each year, cabin filter every two and spark plugs every four years - even get the seat covers thrown if they forget to take them off.
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>> Yep all of my service plans include an oil & filter each year, cabin filter
>> every two and spark plugs every four years - even get the seat covers thrown
>> if they forget to take them off.
>>
That sounds the same as the VW Group plans - so imagine my surprise to be told, on my wife's Approved Used SKoda Karoq, that spark plugs were needed and weren't covered by the Approved Used service plan. Dealer wanted £175 to change them.
I refused, and it's now on their All In plan, which does include them. It's back in for service soon but I wouldn't be at all surprised is they refuse them and as they should have been done last service.
It also annoys me that none of the VW plans cover brake fluid change yet the dealers will tell you it's mandatory every 2yrs. Some of them are now charging insane prices for that - Skoda dealer lists it at £120. Mind you, they also do an a/c service for the same price that doesn't include regassing!
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Yes it was an all-in plan, mine has just finished and as my car is over six years old I can't take out another one - I'm going for the standard+ plan which gives me the same but without the warranty and breakdown cover - I've taken out VW breakdown cover separately - the standard+ plan will include spark plugs which I'll need next year in year eight.
I had my 2 year brake fluid done in March and it was only £85 at my VW dealer.
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I thought the labour charges of £150 per hour were there to cover overheads, they certainly don't pay that to the 'technicians'.
My brother has just had a real blow up with a main dealer. In short, he ended up with a full refund and the service done again properly on one of the family cars. They only use the main dealer because it's a Vauxhall with a known epidemic timing chain problem which the manufacturer now covers for 10 years/100,000 miles provided the car has dealer servicing. He has had problems with them previously.
He started by questioning the charge for washer fluid which was neither left in the car, nor could it have been added to the washer bottle which had been full in the first place. They dealt with this so badly that he decided to go through everything.
They had charged for supplying and fitting a pollen filter and fuel filter that had simply not been changed, and for about 1.5 litres more oil than is actually needed for an oil change. They had also inflated the oil cost per 'unit' of 0.5l. and could provide no evidence that it was the correct unit rate which it clearly wasn't. They simply offered to correct the work and the invoice. He said "I think you should give us a full refund" to which the service adviser replied "I agree".
They weren't very efficient in actually doing the refund but he has now got it, and the necessary digital service record.
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Manatee thats scary! I simply don't have the mechanical knowledge to know if I am being conned or not though I would maybe have been able to work my way through that invoice. Leaves a bitter taste though - but would you trust them to do the service properly again?
I mind having my Seat Altea faithfully serviced at Arnold Clark to keep the service record. On one occasion it got a new steering rack replaced under warranty and something else at same time.
The car had only ever been to AC but 6 months later the gearbox went bang, got it recovered to the house and a neighbour who is an indie had a look at it (to give me the ammunition before it went to AC as it was now out of warranty) and basically turned out that a bolt holding the gearbox had been sheared and the gearbox damaged but the mechanic had siliconed the head of the bolt into the bracket to make it look that it was in place but in reality was holding nothing.
Of course AC denied everything even though I knew no one had been near it apart from them.
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And I didnt realise VX now guaranteed the wet belt for 10 years / 100k miles - is that the original wet belt or do they guarantee it for that as long as it is changed at x years?
And is it all Stellantis?
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MG servicing can be a bit annoying. Daughter's old XS(?) had a "known problem" which was that in freezing conditions the pipe to the rear wash wipe popped apart at a join. Try as we might, our fat fingers could reach the pipe but not with enough grip to be able to refit it. It's a well known and documented problem on the forums.
She contacted the dealers who said £90 to diagnose then whatever it cost to fix (probably 2 minutes but I expect they have a minimum half hour). They wouldn't budge on t. Eventually a friend looked at it and managed to do it.
My newer MG5 had the exact same problem over the winter, again well documented and the offending connection is in the A pillar. So I popped off the cover but couldn't even see the pipe let alone fix it. So I booked it n 0 no diagnostic cost suggested but they said it would necessarily be a warranty cover, that they'd have to check on the day, and if I wanted them to do it while I wait then I'd have to pay the £100 or whatever if warranty was refused. Though I was confident it would be warranty I didn't want to risk it, so they wanted the car for the whole day which involved SWMBO taking me there and back (about 15 minutes each way each time in time plus fuel cost).
The chappie said when I picked it up oh we get a lot of those, it's just a pipe in the A column, which I'd already told them (you could hear the noise from there and others have reported damp footwell). I asked if they used a cable tie or something to help secure it. He didn't seem sure so I said I'll see you next year then...
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£100 to take a peek is pretty much universal even if the owner knows exactly what the fault is.
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From.mort Bobby it's a chain. The story goes that they used a 7mm chain that was not man enough so it would fail. They now is an 8mm chain. The oil spec has been changed several times too and the right oil has to be used.
I believe it's a Vauxhall Grandland.
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>> They weren't very efficient in actually doing the refund but he has now got it,
>> and the necessary digital service record.
>>
I would ask why they bought a Vauxhall in the first place?
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>> I would ask why they bought a Vauxhall in the first place?
>>
What a strange question. Respect other peoples' choices please.
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Garages are like airlines. They want the lowest headline price to get punters in, and then charge for every conceivable "extra".
It costs more to put a suitcase in the hold than for the customer to sit on a seat - perhaps bags get better handling. Speedy boarding doesn't make the plane leave any earlier. Meal deals are a bit less costly for still rubbish food. Duty frees are often cheaper in Tescos. Etc Etc Etc.
For garages as with airlines it is a largely dishonest practice. If oil is replaced the old always needs disposal. If spark plugs need changing they are never free. Charging £5-10 for 5-10p of washer fluid is a rip-off.
The trouble is that we (the public) too often give in to them. Often it is they who have the car and keys, and the sums involved are too small (typically) to waste a lot of time and emotion trying to recover.
I dislike, and often walk away from, shops which impose delivery charges for large household goods. Few have a vehicle large enough to hold (say) a mettress or fridge freezer. Delivery should be included in the total price with a discount offered for the few who may collect from store.
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<< Often it is they who have the car and keys,... >>
And do you always record the mileage when you deliver the car, so you can tell whether it has been for a test drive ?
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>> What a strange question. Respect other peoples' choices please.
>>
I don't think it is strange at all. (But then, I suppose I wouldn't, would I?)
You/I/we are thinking of buying a car.
We have given due consideration to all the makes on the market and you decide to buy a... Vauxhall!
I do not consider to be disrespectful to say - Why?
In which particular sphere does a Vauxhall outperform every other make of car on the market?
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>> In which particular sphere does a Vauxhall outperform every other make of car on the
>> market?
Do most buyers think like that?
Outperform in what way?
A lot of us attach ourselves to a brand. I did it with Peugeot Citroen to the extent that from 1989 until 2025 we had a least one Citroen and for an extended period either two Citroens or one plus a Peugeot in the domestic fleet.
Since then I've had three Skodas.
How many people's first car is the same make/model they learned on. There's a reason driving schools can lease cars at very competitive rates.
If the Corsa, perhaps with finance in the mix, is a lot cheaper then a Jazz or whichever Toyota is in the same niche and money's tight you might well go for the Vx.
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>> In which particular sphere does a Vauxhall outperform every other make of car on the
>> market?
>>
I have no need for a small hatchback or SUV, but I reckon the latest Mokka is better looking than all of its competitors, as is the Astra. Even the Corsa is a smart design - and it’s not as if you can buy a Fiesta anymore. If I needed a car like that then I’d buy one over a competitor just because of the way they look. After all, the days of some cars being shockers and some being outstanding have long gone, especially at the lower end of the market where, despite there being loads of makes and models you could probably link them back to a handful of platforms / designs. So you might as well go for the one you like the look of at the lowest price :)
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Very slight thread drift.. I think the Dacia Striker is quite nice to look at. see other thread...
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>> >> They weren't very efficient in actually doing the refund but he has now got
>> it,
>> >> and the necessary digital service record.
>> >>
>>
>> I would ask why they bought a Vauxhall in the first place?
Because it's a Peugeot. It's a decent enough car in most respects and the price was right, and they were aware of the conditions on the chain warranty which is actually to 150,000/10 yrs. It's essentially a Peugeot 3008 with the 1.5 Blue HDI. It's very economical. Just a shame about the dealer workshop staff being bent. I'm sure it will be going elsewhere in future.
It gets the correct oil, there's a warranty, and on that basis they are happy.
They must get Total Quartz INEO RCP oil - "Robust Chain Protection".
Practically all cars have been financial time bombs for a while now. Choose with your eyes open.
My own approach is to prefer e.g. Mazda/Toyota/Honda/Suzuki. And my 10 year old Mitsubishi Outlander has been OK.
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<< I thought the labour charges of £150 per hour were there to cover overheads, ...
... They had charged for supplying and fitting a pollen filter and fuel filter that had simply not been changed, and for about 1.5 litres more oil than is actually needed for an oil change. >>
Good grief - £150 per hour - I can still get away with half that rate, maybe a bit less, round here.
But in these computerised days, it seems possible that if a car is put in for a standard service, the standard consumables are invoiced without human intervention ?
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My tales of total rip offs bordering on criminality at Kia dealers have been aired by me on several occasions over the years.
Brake fluid changes, or lack of, was commonplace with several shop floor arguments with Service Managers who insisted the work had been completed despite clear visual evidence that it had not.
One case of an oil change not completed where I had to have a sample of oil professionally analysed. In tank fuel filters not changed.
The industry is awash with what is basically theft. I consider I have a good knowledge of vehicles and mechanics to the level of proving offences in Law Courts. For the average member of the public they really are cannon fodder.
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>> The industry is awash with what is basically theft. I consider I have a good
>> knowledge of vehicles and mechanics to the level of proving offences in Law Courts. For
>> the average member of the public they really are cannon fodder.
I've serviced my own for the last half-a dozen years, after being ripped off. Think I may be able to once more (due to increasing age), but what's the alternative? Buses, trains?
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For a new car its the warranty side of things. Yes you do not have to have a vehicle dealer serviced but you can bet your bottom dollar they will look at every avenue to get out of a warranty commitment. So its just easier to get a dealer stamp and invoice.
And to some extent that's the root cause of being taken for a ride by dealers.
Short cuts in servicing may not have an impact until well after a warranty has expired.
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My Honda is on-line service that cannot be seen by the owner. You can buy a service book £25??? and have it stamped.
I have a Honda Service "tick sheet" for the 3 services 1) Dated 2) Reg Number 3) Ticks
I have a Credit Card Receipt but it could of course no reg number on the CC Slip.
A son's BMW he can pull up loads of info on his screen in the car and phone.
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>>But in these computerised days, it seems possible that if a car is put in for a standard service, the standard consumables are invoiced without human intervention ?
It was a fixed price service as published on the web. They seem to have had trouble getting the total to come out at the fixed price and it seems they started adjusting lines to make it balance and tied themselves in knots, hence the oil cost and quantity. The actual total wasn't the issue. Brother has been in the trade himself and when he discovered they had omitted doing various things and they started making prices up he went to town. I suspect he was enjoying himself.
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Service Charge Add-Ons Main Dealer - sooty123
