30k service

dealer in exeter (1 mile) £406
dealer in plymouth (45 miles) £320
dealer in ashburton £280 (15 miles) :)

guess where I am going...

RTCii

scoobynet has 'lost' my profile again!!

presume its all down to labour rates at different dealers, as the parts cost the same

When I had my 30K service ;
Plymouth = £406 (menu price)
Ashburton = £263.66 + a curtesey car to get back to Plymouth.

Dealer in Plymouth (looks like the same in Exeter) charge the max for labour. Where as Ashburton charge for the time it actually takes them to do the job. Speak to Merv, he is the man at Ashburton.
When I went into the Plymouth dealer, they were a new franchise and only had one officially trained Subaru mechanic, the others were learning on the job from what I could gather. They weren't learning on my car and charging me £406 for the privalege :D

PS If you fancy going to a meet this weekend have a look in the southern section, we are heading up for a run on Exmoor with some of the Bristol guys.




[Edited by springbok - 11/28/2002 9:49:10 PM]

Hmm might have to try Ashburton for my next service whilst down visiting the parents in Cornwall. Would be a big saving seeing as my 30K service at Welch's in Cambridge cost £450!!!!!!

What's reasonable labour rate for a dealer to charge ?

My local specialist charges around 30-40; being particularly
eager to point out that the nearest official dealer charges
70/hour.

Tileys in Bristol charge £60 p/hr.:eek:
It really annoying when staff stood around sometimes chatting when supposedly working on your car.

Had my 90k service done in Forres (ex. Scooby dealer) and it cost £370-ish. Think they charge about £25+VAT, local scooby dealer in Aberdeen is over £50+VAT so I tend to head North when it needs done ;)

Wonder why I dont go to Tileys anymore ?
When I mentioned to the Service manager that I
was paying for them to chat and lark about when they were servicing my car, he gave me the distinct impression that I should take my custom elsewhere if I wasnt happy (I did).

Ade

Mine is just about due.


Lancaster (Sevenoaks) £500.
Spring Park (Shirley) £425.

The South East way more expensive. I might have to consider a weekend break with my better half.

P1Fanatic,

LOL welch's, Bought my scoob from them 3 years ago had 2 services and that was enough.

First of all some bird was doing the service,lets just say i was not impressed when i lifted my bonnet and also she was smoking while fiddling under the bonnet.

Sqeezed the car in between 2 others when finished and yes small mark on door when i get it back.

Never been back.

Having worked in the motor trade (for large dealerships) it is safe to say that I would never take a car to them for servicing - the only thing you can be sure of is that the servicing will not be done by the most experienced mechanic - chances are it will be done by an apprentice. Which is fine if you are paying for an apprentice's time however that's not the way it works.

I have bought many new cars - I have always had them serviced either by myself or a trusted "backstreet" mechanic - never had anything go wrong! Coincidence? maybe!!!

Just follow the service schedule - regular oil changes (more regular than manufacturer recommends) - use good quality oil and follow advice from genuine experts (which incidentally are rarely found in franchised dealerships).

Mechanics are underpaid by them - which means they are usually not the best available - and they grossly overcharge you because of the cost of their large premises.

Support your local specialist mechanic :-)