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My local Volvo dealer charge £153 per hour labour (inc VAT) and charge £90 for a 5 minute plug in to read codes 
Up there with the German prices now.
Up there with the German prices now.
Main Dealer labour rates
- Thread starter MatteH Oxford
- Start date
We run a fleet of 40 company cars, which are all leased through the likes of Arval , Ald automotive etc.
To be fair we've been doing this awhile , and they have never once mentioned that they should be serviced by a main dealer garage. We have returned vehicles to them , and they have never said to us it wasn't maintained properly. How the lease companies work is once the contract is ended , they immediately send it to the nearest BCA for them to be auctioned off at the soonest possible date. This only applies so long fair wear standards have been met, otherwise they would send me a massive bill for repair costs.
There's a myth in motor trade that all company cars are well looked after, but this isn't true as a lot of companies want to cut costs to improve profitability, in effect running a fleet of company cars is a massive expense and if not managed properly can easily dig into profits just by using main dealer servicing and repairs.
So just a word of caution , for those that are looking to buy an ex company car/fleet car.
I have even gone as far as asking our Arval/Ald automotive account manager and they said it's not a requirement to get servicing done at the main dealer.
Of course it would be a different story if I had paid 50k for my own Audi A6, I'd most likely get it serviced by the main dealership with the hope that it holds the resale value better when I come to sell it.
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I used to service cars on my own @ 16 working for a Mercedes Benz main dealer (Rybrook, Kidlington), I bet that kind of history really added value to the car.
What you're failing to comprehend is book time versus time to actually do the job. They are both very different things, and can vary quite a bit.
Book time is what the manufacturer will advise as the time it takes to replace the component, plus removal and replacement of any parts that are in the way, along with replenishing of any liquids, plus testing the part.
How long it takes the mechanic is obviously down to them, if it takes them longer than the 3 hour quoted book time, then he'll be costing the business money. If it takes less, then in theory they make a bit more money.
What you've got no idea about, is that just because the mechanic fitted your EGR valve in under an hour, that he likely billed the warranty company 3 hours for the job.
I thought it was pretty common knowledge that ex-company cars are the worst to buy. When people don't own said vehicle, and know that the vehicle will have to be returned in 3-4 years, it kinda gives people the mindset of not really bothering with it.
I mean you wouldn't go and splash out on some autoglym valeting kit for a car you're never going to own.
Soldato
Love how some pay a fortune for a car then expect it to be maintained for peanuts. Cars are more complex now than ever and techs have to be electrically and mechanically trained. Not to mention the cost of manufacture special tools for the garage.
Total rip off isn’t it, it’s why I just buy the genuine parts. A necessary evil for situations where you wish to maintain genuine main dealer history though.
Just because a vehicle hasn't been washed every weekend using autoglym valeting kit doesn't mean it's not well maintained. What your talking about is cosmetic and has no bearing on if an engine is well maintained.
You said "well looked after" not "well maintained". I, and I'm sure many others on here would say for a car to be 'well looked after' it would be washed reasonably regularly with decent kit.
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- 26 Aug 2011
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- 184
Audi wanted £200 to do an oil change but even a local "independent" garage quoted £150. What's going on? It's such a simple job and oil isn't that bloody expensive (£35 - surely cheaper at trade cost).
Similar story with Ford. If I had a non-sloping driveway I'd do it myself.
Can I rent a 2 post lift somewhere?
Similar story with Ford. If I had a non-sloping driveway I'd do it myself.
Can I rent a 2 post lift somewhere?
Have to say I haven't encountered these prices - though my experience is with Nissan and VW main dealers.
The invoiced amounts for labour on the last 3 lots are £178.60 (was almost 3 hours work), £45.00 (1 hour), £79.95 (not sure how long it took but it was over an hour).
EDIT: Looking back at older stuff looks like ~£75-79/h is average though seems to vary depending on a number of factors.
EDIT2: The Navara has some kind of 5 year care plan or something on it though (I've not really troubled myself with the details) that probably reduces the cost of maintenance on it at the main dealer.
The invoiced amounts for labour on the last 3 lots are £178.60 (was almost 3 hours work), £45.00 (1 hour), £79.95 (not sure how long it took but it was over an hour).
EDIT: Looking back at older stuff looks like ~£75-79/h is average though seems to vary depending on a number of factors.
EDIT2: The Navara has some kind of 5 year care plan or something on it though (I've not really troubled myself with the details) that probably reduces the cost of maintenance on it at the main dealer.
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Hi Finglonga,
Would you be able to share your contact?
Long story short my mechanic most likely ****** something changing the front left drive shaft gaiter and now either the drive shaft itself or the transmission has an issue. I'm looking for a more trustful mechanic that could make me a diagnostic at a more reasonable price than my main dealer.
If you could help me on this one would be much appreciated.
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A lot depends on your location & how much they think they can get away with as well! Here in London they go for the highest rate & see what reaction you give!
Got silly quotes for simple things I can easily do myself. At the end of the day modern cars are way more complex than ever before so sometimes the high cost is justified a lot depends on the job if its a mess it up & cause lots of £££ damage (cam belts, water pumps, t-chain, clutch, gearbox etc etc) then you are better getting the main dealer to do it just in case but for many basic things then forums, DIY videos from other owners & Haynes are good enough some of the time!
Got silly quotes for simple things I can easily do myself. At the end of the day modern cars are way more complex than ever before so sometimes the high cost is justified a lot depends on the job if its a mess it up & cause lots of £££ damage (cam belts, water pumps, t-chain, clutch, gearbox etc etc) then you are better getting the main dealer to do it just in case but for many basic things then forums, DIY videos from other owners & Haynes are good enough some of the time!
A lot depends on your location & how much they think they can get away with as well! Here in London they go for the highest rate & see what reaction you give!
Got silly quotes for simple things I can easily do myself. At the end of the day modern cars are way more complex than ever before so sometimes the high cost is justified a lot depends on the job if its a mess it up & cause lots of £££ damage (cam belts, water pumps, t-chain, clutch, gearbox etc etc) then you are better getting the main dealer to do it just in case but for many basic things then forums, DIY videos from other owners & Haynes are good enough some of the time!
Got silly quotes for simple things I can easily do myself. At the end of the day modern cars are way more complex than ever before so sometimes the high cost is justified a lot depends on the job if its a mess it up & cause lots of £££ damage (cam belts, water pumps, t-chain, clutch, gearbox etc etc) then you are better getting the main dealer to do it just in case but for many basic things then forums, DIY videos from other owners & Haynes are good enough some of the time!
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Just lol if you think that it being done by a main dealer has any bearing on whether it's been done well or not.
As evidenced by the guy 3 posts up from you who was servicing cars unsupervised at the age of 16 at a main dealer.
You're not paying the extra for the expertise. You're paying the extra for the incredibly expensive stainless steel and glass showroom the service bay is attached to.
Soldato
Main dealer labour rates are terrible value. Since when is £130+ ok when independents are half of that.
My ford dealer rate was £75 PH last year
£130+ PH for BMW/ Audi/ Volvo/ Etc dealers just makes me think of "A fool and his money is easily parted"
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