Manufacturers Service vs Bosch Service

DoubleCheese

DoubleCheese

DoubleCheese

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26 Jun 2005
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My 2006 Ford Focus 1.6TDCi is due a service and it's currently got 104,000 miles on the odometer. Just wanted to check if anyone knows the differences between a Ford Dealer service and a Bosch Gold service? They're about the same cost but just want to be sure I get the best value for money.

Cheers!
 
If the cost is largely the same, I would opt for the manufacturer over a 3rd party.

That said, you could probably get as good a service from a small independent for a lot less than Ford would want.

It's a 100k+ mileage Focus, not an exotic, that it's been serviced at all matters more to most future buyers of this type of car than by whom.
 
Do people still cherish a dealer service, i just go to my friends garage and give him the bits and get him to do the work. Keep a record a fail to see how its any less serviced than at a dealers.
 
robj20 said:
Why does it? Ive had all mine done by my friend or myself, Escort RS Turbo, XR2, Mazda RX8, and now my Focus.
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Because the value of a car is dictated by market perception. Rightly or wrongly market perception is such that if you are selling a 3 year old £25,000 Audi with all the services done at your mates garage, less people will want it so you'll need to sell it for less.

It is of course enormously less important if the car is a 10 year old Mondeo where very few buyers will care if it has a dealer history, or if the car is a 25 year old Ford XR2 where the reverse is the case and actually most buyers are enthusiasts who would respect a decent enthusiast service history to a Ford dealer.
 
Like it or not the dealers do have a list of standard checks that they (should) carry out on every service and will strictly follow the schedule for whatever level of inspection / service the car is actually due.

They have access to the latest tech bulletins and recalls for your car, will carry out anti corrosion inspections which you'll need should anything rust down the line and you want to claim, should the car still be in warranty you will also have the least hassle claiming when the manufacturer has carried out servicing on the car )regardless of whether oem parts were used or not).

Lots of people also buy servicing packs which can make the cost more reasonable. Any other recourse you need to take for work you aren't happy with or failures is much, much easier through a dealer network than it would be with anyone else

Last but not least exposure to your buying market can decrease significantly if you try to move on a newish car with no dealer history - or an old, very complicated very expensive car with no dealer history.

There are a whole host of reasons why you might not want to use the main dealer too - price being one of them, but to be honest I've found that I can get the dealer down to near as makes no difference a delta to an independent I trust on servicing.

If I buy a car that already has a full dealer history I'm inclined to keep it up even if it's ancient. If it's already been serviced elsewhere and is over circa 6or 7 years old I'll usually go to either a specialist or a friend in the trade
 
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Ford blue service, minor service is £125 and the major service is £190. Both include free Uk, European and home recovery service which can cost more than the service.
 
The Ford recovery service is excellent, it's provided by the AA, equivalent to their top level of cover.

MOT is discounted on the 4+ service scheme as well.

The only thing it doesn't include is a pollen filter change, but I think that's an optional item on Focus services anyway. It's easy to change yourself anyway.

Book your Ford service online and they'll show you the prices for multiple dealers so you can shop around.
 
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