Dealership servicing worth the extra?

cupofjava

cupofjava

cupofjava

Associate
Joined
22 Jan 2012
Posts
73
I was just wondering what peoples opinions were on paying (in some cases) 2-3x more money for dealership servicing, is it really worth it? particularly so on older cars? I've got a 2007 MINI Cooper S, that has had MINI servicing all the way along up until now (from its previous owner) and i'm torn between whether to continue it, or just take it to a local garage that i know to be fairly good, but charge probably 1/3 of the price. Are there any advantages to me paying the extra? particularly now that the car is out of warranty and 6 years old!

To service at the dealership they want a minimum of £180 (most were charging £220+), whereas I'm sure the local garage would do it for about £80-£100 tops.
 
It all depends how much value a full dealer service history will add to the car when you come to sell it on.

With regards to actual quality of work, I doubt there's a difference - assuming the indy is a reputable one.
 
So you don't actually know for a fact what your local would charge? Is that a generic grage or a specialist?

I've found the gap between Indy prices and dealer prices narrowing further and further.

My Lexus dealer charges £99 for an equivalent Insp 1. Indy wouldn't even bother at that price.
 
I had a similar dilemma, but after calling around the dealership actually turned out to be pretty much the same price as various other garages for a comparable service. Plus as a bonus the dealer included free roadside cover including home start and when they discovered the reason for my airconditioning not working was that the condenser had corroded they replaced it free of charge even though it was out of warranty! (apparently it's a common fault on Volvo V50s).

So call around and ask what the local garages actually do for that £80-100.
 
bunnox said:
i am fed up with mechanics in my area.

are there any decent ones left that actually give a damm.
Click to expand...

I think i have been fortunate and found a really good VW/AUDI specialist for my Octavia VRS in the area i have just moved to. Very reasonable price wise,will fit supplied parts for cash, nice guys, and clearly not out to take your money.

I was worried, because as you say, it can be a nightmare to find a decent garage sometimes.
 
Haze said:
just take it to a specialist instead of a dealer
Click to expand...

Whats a specialist? These days it seems to be that most 'specialists' are just regular garages that realise they can charge more if they put 'specialist' in the name.

MINI servicing is hardly expensive anyway, so on a 2007 Cooper S I'm not sure its worth the faff of trying to find which of the specialists actually are specialists and which are not.
 
Also, what local garage will service it for £80 and what would that include? Seems very cheap!
 
As above it depends on price and reputation really. I have a local Honda specialist with an excellent reputation so my car goes to him. I don't save a massive amount by doing so on routine e servicing (in the region of about 250 instead of 330 for my last service) but if there was any repair work needing doing Honda charge an absolute fortune whereas he doesn't.

If they were closer in price overall I would probably go to Honda tbh, that's something that certain "specialists" overlook on occasion
 
Jono8 said:
I think i have been fortunate and found a really good VW/AUDI specialist for my Octavia VRS in the area i have just moved to. Very reasonable price wise,will fit supplied parts for cash, nice guys, and clearly not out to take your money.

I was worried, because as you say, it can be a nightmare to find a decent garage sometimes.
Click to expand...

whether they actually carry out the work they have been requested to do is another matter.
 
bunnox said:
whether they actually carry out the work they have been requested to do is another matter.
Click to expand...

Well i have only had them tighten a sump nut and fit new rear brakes and pads that i supplied so far. Both of which I'm pretty sure they have done :p

I am a bit neurotic when it comes to cars so i often make up problems in my head i think. I have taken it to them with a few worries and given them plenty of opportunities to take money off me, but they have always said it is fine.
 
jamoor said:
The dealer mechanics will be trained upto a certain standard.
Click to expand...

'This is how you connect the diagnostic machine. The car then talks to the machine when you press this button so you don't even need to put any details in. Then when it's finished you click on the fault codes and it tells you what they mean. Then it tells you what to replace and how to do it'?

Gone are the days of a genuine mechanic in every dealership. Most of them are fitters of parts on instruction of the computer system. There are a few out there but they're becoming very rare. My local mechanic has been in the business for years. I witnessed them collectively scratching their heads over a 2009 Passat diesel with an ignition problem on one cylinder and they really didn't know what was wrong because they didn't have the facility to plug it in. Eventually regular mechanics will only do 'mechanical' stuff. Anything electrical or systems related will need to go to the dealer as cars become ever more complex.
 
MissChief said:
'This is how you connect the diagnostic machine. The car then talks to the machine when you press this button so you don't even need to put any details in. Then when it's finished you click on the fault codes and it tells you what they mean. Then it tells you what to replace and how to do it'?

Gone are the days of a genuine mechanic in every dealership. Most of them are fitters of parts on instruction of the computer system. There are a few out there but they're becoming very rare. My local mechanic has been in the business for years. I witnessed them collectively scratching their heads over a 2009 Passat diesel with an ignition problem on one cylinder and they really didn't know what was wrong because they didn't have the facility to plug it in. Eventually regular mechanics will only do 'mechanical' stuff. Anything electrical or systems related will need to go to the dealer as cars become ever more complex.
Click to expand...

Whats your point exactly?

You're opening paragraph proves that you know nothing about what goes on in the training seminars for dealer mechanics.

You think the mechanics just magically know what the live data is supposed to look like? You think they have a diagnostic machine for the suspension? You think they have a diagnostic machine for random power losses that don't throw up codes?

Come off it.
 
pepsilol said:
You think the mechanics just magically know what the live data is supposed to look like?
Click to expand...

IME "trained" dealer mechanics don't know either. They are trained to use the equipment, but actually applying common sense and technical knowledge to aid diagnosis is a rare skill.
 
I used to take my cars to a local garage but since I got my Audi I've taken it to them for everything. I do pay more but the service is awesome, they give me free courtesy cars, free car wash and even a free MOT once. The main thing i get for the extra cost is I actually trust them, they've not put a foot wrong in 2 years.

MW
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom