The engine will purr after that.This is all the bits to service our 2 cars, plus brakes and brake fluid on mine.
+ And air filter I had from last year but that's otherwise £235 for everything.
I won't use all that oil either sine some will be left over, I've probably got enough to do one left over from last year anyway but it doesn't go off
What's your main dealer charge for service in 2 cars, plus front brakes and brake fluid one 1?
£600?
More?
Car servicing
- Thread starter kakarott
- Start date
Money isn’t everything, there are more important things in life, such as your health.
Soldato
Gone are the days where the man of the house gets his tools out on the weekend and services the car.
Nearly everyone I know drives their own car, but only a few do their own maintenance and repairs.
I do my own but I'm in the minority.
Lots of people I know are into cars, but won't get their hands oily. Some would if they could, some can but would rather pay someone to do it, and many simply ignore any service and maintenance requirements and pray for a cheap MOT pass.
It's not for everyone.
Nearly everyone I know drives their own car, but only a few do their own maintenance and repairs.
I do my own but I'm in the minority.
Lots of people I know are into cars, but won't get their hands oily. Some would if they could, some can but would rather pay someone to do it, and many simply ignore any service and maintenance requirements and pray for a cheap MOT pass.
It's not for everyone.
My health is better for doing it myself as I don't have to get stressed over dodgy mechanics.
And I'm better off, win win!
Soldato
I do my own services, and jobs like change the discs and pads - I have found that the simple jobs can easily end up becoming more complicated like the boot came off the caliper when I was winding it back (with the correct tool that I had to buy) - couldnt for the life of me get the damn thing back on so I will eventually have to take it in to the dealer...the £145 labour charge for rear discs and pads now seems quite cheap (even with thier inflated parts costs)!
I have also done a top mount, that was significantly cheaper than taking it in, which I had to get them to do for an MOT last year on the other side, even with buying spring compressors.
Overall my view is if I can do it I'll try, overall it saves money, just sometimes it costs me more.....and I accept that as I enjoy the achievement of doing the job myself.
I have also done a top mount, that was significantly cheaper than taking it in, which I had to get them to do for an MOT last year on the other side, even with buying spring compressors.
Overall my view is if I can do it I'll try, overall it saves money, just sometimes it costs me more.....and I accept that as I enjoy the achievement of doing the job myself.
If I had a decent size garage/workshop, ideally a lift, and full set of tools, etc. I'd do most jobs myself, but I don't and just pay whoever will do a good job at my convenience even if it isn't the cheapest. (Aside from stuff like changing wipers, filters, etc. which aren't any effort).
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Man of Honour
You should be checking almost all of that list as the driver of a car semi regularly anyway. It definitely shouldn't just be checked at service time
I do my cars myself as well. Once a year service to keep it simple. Even my local Ford main dealer is useless. I've never really found a decent local garage that did good work at a reasonable price. I found 2 that did good work but were expensive....like uber expensive.
I do as much as I generally feel I can, but know my limits. Stuff that is a pig without a proper lift is usually a nope these days; exhaust work, major suspension work. I won't do cambelt, gearbox or clutch work. The older the car, the more confident I am I can fix it usually due to electronics typically being less complex and limiting.
I try to avoid starting any jobs on the cars where possible... I mean we don't need anymore rain!
I do as much as I generally feel I can, but know my limits. Stuff that is a pig without a proper lift is usually a nope these days; exhaust work, major suspension work. I won't do cambelt, gearbox or clutch work. The older the car, the more confident I am I can fix it usually due to electronics typically being less complex and limiting.
I try to avoid starting any jobs on the cars where possible... I mean we don't need anymore rain!
They have a reputation for being among the worst. Perhaps it's because they are nationwide chains which will have strict profit driven measures and practices like some of the other nationwide ones.
Halfords have a poor rep because people associate them with 17 year old youth that can't change a bulb. The actual Halfords service centre places...not sure what they're like. Going by the quality of some of the bicycles they sell having "checked" and/or "assembled" I would not hold much hope as to quality service.
Kwikfit have a rep for upselling and convincing you to get stuff you don't need as extras and being dishonest. They could be quite aggressive with it. They were more popular in the 90s and I think seen as speedy/efficient/trustworthy. I don't know how they still are going. They're always dead when I go by. I would think these type of places would be where you went as a mechanic if nowhere else took you, but then I don't know how much they pay.
Soldato
I do my cars myself as well. Once a year service to keep it simple. Even my local Ford main dealer is useless. I've never really found a decent local garage that did good work at a reasonable price. I found 2 that did good work but were expensive....like uber expensive.
I do as much as I generally feel I can, but know my limits. Stuff that is a pig without a proper lift is usually a nope these days; exhaust work, major suspension work. I won't do cambelt, gearbox or clutch work. The older the car, the more confident I am I can fix it usually due to electronics typically being less complex and limiting.
I try to avoid starting any jobs on the cars where possible... I mean we don't need anymore rain!
Yup I know my limits as well.
Local place disappointed me this year.
Coolant tank was cracked (which I knew about) and got replaced but somehow they ended up putting the old coolant tank cap on the new coolant tank.
Engine tried to melt itself doing a long drive on the hot sunday we just had cos the cap didn't seal and every bit of coolant was boiled out of there. Managed to dodge being a summer idiot stuck at the side of the road with the hood popped and a smoking engine but was obliged to buy out the coolant stocks of a small petrol station at the bargain price of that or nothing.
I'll still probably keep going there because it's just down the road but it seems they were greedy or careless
Coolant tank was cracked (which I knew about) and got replaced but somehow they ended up putting the old coolant tank cap on the new coolant tank.
Engine tried to melt itself doing a long drive on the hot sunday we just had cos the cap didn't seal and every bit of coolant was boiled out of there. Managed to dodge being a summer idiot stuck at the side of the road with the hood popped and a smoking engine but was obliged to buy out the coolant stocks of a small petrol station at the bargain price of that or nothing.
I'll still probably keep going there because it's just down the road but it seems they were greedy or careless
Local place disappointed me this year.
Coolant tank was cracked (which I knew about) and got replaced but somehow they ended up putting the old coolant tank cap on the new coolant tank.
Engine tried to melt itself doing a long drive on the hot sunday we just had cos the cap didn't seal and every bit of coolant was boiled out of there. Managed to dodge being a summer idiot stuck at the side of the road with the hood popped and a smoking engine but was obliged to buy out the coolant stocks of a small petrol station at the bargain price of that or nothing.
I'll still probably keep going there because it's just down the road but it seems they were greedy or careless
Probably more of an over sight. However it's odd the new header tank didn't come with a new cap anyway.
I use a local good garage, it's cheap enough to warrant me not bothering to service the cars myself.
I used to do all the servicing, but as cars have become more complicated and more and more plastic crap wrapped around everything, I just no longer enjoy it.
Our Audi requires me to remove the whole under tray (it doesn't come off in sections) to get access to the oil filter and sump. The oil filter needs a special drain tool to not spill oil everywhere (I've got it and it works well) the socket required to use on the plastic filter housing only just goes on the nut such is the tight fit, and then there is only just room to enable movement. I then need to get out from under the car and tap the socket to get it off the filter housing, then put everything back, for me on my backside on the driveway which is heavily worn concrete, jumping up and down under the car with minimal room usually takes me an hour to hour and half, take it to a garage, goes on their ramp, it's done and dusted in 30 minutes and charges me £50 amd he goes round and gives the car a quick glance over. For £135 I get the full service.
The Kia, is a similar story
The tank was on the receipt and listed separately was a cap so I was charged for it.
Inclined to give the benefit of the doubt. But it could have been very awkward. There were suspicious smells from the engine in the last half mile before the petrol station
Soldato
Local place disappointed me this year.
Coolant tank was cracked (which I knew about) and got replaced but somehow they ended up putting the old coolant tank cap on the new coolant tank.
Engine tried to melt itself doing a long drive on the hot sunday we just had cos the cap didn't seal and every bit of coolant was boiled out of there. Managed to dodge being a summer idiot stuck at the side of the road with the hood popped and a smoking engine but was obliged to buy out the coolant stocks of a small petrol station at the bargain price of that or nothing.
I'll still probably keep going there because it's just down the road but it seems they were greedy or careless
You could have just stuck water in short term.
Granted though, some garages are murder for leaving lids off, not putting locking wheels nut sockets back after use etc.
This basic stuff that anyone with a bit of pride in their work could do properly.
Soldato
This be fair, I've done an oil change, driven off, come back home to see the oil filler cap still on the drive.
Car was fine and I sorted it out, but man, what a mess under the bonnet.
I've also driven off without torquing my wheel bolts, again got away with it
To be fair, I've only done those things once .
That's actually really good, not many places these days you'd get it done for anywhere near that.
Soldato
Do you really think that the mechanic takes this list, and as they are working through it says to him/herself: "Right, let's check all the hinges and locks on this car"?
They might, but I suspect they'll change the oil and filter, glance at the fluid levels, top up the screen wash and tick off all the boxes on the sheet.
I reckon they'd interpret that "A service" as "An oil change"
What are the consequences?
If the horn wasn't working, the customer would tell the garage when they bring it in.
If something breaks after the A service that was not checked and should have been, it could have broken after the service even if it was checked.
I guess that the only way to find out if a chosen garage sticks to the service jobs would be to take the car in with some known faults, such as a dodgy rear passenger door hinge or a non working horn, and see if they pick it up.
Hah, last full service on the Navara was lets just say a lot more than that.
They do a pretty comprehensive checklist where I usually go of everything done, don't think things like door hinges have ever been on there neither is it something I'd bother with on a service.
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I've seen people going into a supermarket, buying a jumbo pack of bottled water and pouring the lot into their engine. But I'm not 100% on any problems that might cause.
Thats the difference between a cheap shoddy garage and an expensive one that carries out the work thoroughly as per the A service schedule which I have posted.
In my experience even expensive main dealers fail to do half the items they say they don't their list.
But there are some good garages that do follow their procedures