You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Car's due a service (Kia Carens 08 - 50,000 miles/6 years).
Main dealer is quoting £614 as they say it's a major service including an automatic gear box oil change. Car is now out of it's 5 year warranty so I won't have any warranty arguments if I go elsewhere. Seem a fair price?
Another Kia dealer has opened locally so i'll call them tomorrow for a second quote along with my local independent who i've used before. Was just after some estimates of what I roughly should be paying...
Why would you take it to a dealers? No advantage at all now it's out of warranty (not that it should affect it anyway).
A good local garage using the correct parts I would think should be half that at worst, assuming they don't find anything wrong.
And if you can fix a bike you can fix a lot of stuff yourself. Change spark plugs and filters yourself, checking brakes no more difficult than a bike's brakes. Changing pads is very easy, discs slightly more so but you don't need anything more than a socket set. I would get a garage to change the engine and gearbox oil as it's less faff than doing it at home.
Dealers stealers
Basic engine, diy or local small garage
Mine, a Toyota Corolla 1.6 auto, had a full service that came to around £678 plus which included:
1. Two ABS sensors replacement for front wheels (bloody expensive this at £125 a sensor)
2. All brake pads changed to new ones.
3. Two front disks (Mtec or something like that).
4. Engine oil changed and other top up.
5. Auto gear box oil changed as I wanted it done.
6. Two new front tyres (cheapo Event tyres).
7. Wipers changed.
8. Labour cost ...
If my mate was here I would have easily saved £350.
😀
[i]Basic engine, diy or local small garage [/i]
Including an auto fluid change?
Most will tell you it's pointless or outsource it or just 'have a go'.
I just wouldn't trust it to be done correctly. Just bought a 1 owner full service historied car and it's never had its oil filter changed!
It sounds a lot to me. I always had my Audi Quattro done at a main dealers in London/Surrey and never paid over £400, and that was when I had it on long life rather than fixed, more often only £200-£300 for the 12 month sevice, bar cambelt change.
Still say they saw you coming chewk
Auto fluid change isnt hard , its knowing where the filter is and the mag traps are on that car. Usually have to drop the sump, most non specialists will try and tell you auto boxes are sealed for life( on acount of usually lacking a sump plug) as they dont want to do it.
What robdob says is true for the carens , but many modern ( nee "prestige"german )cars want computers interface to rewind pads
trail_rat - MemberStill say they saw you coming chewk
Yes, I know they saw me coming ... (as in the sketch by Harry Enfield)
I don't know where to go to be honest as I need it done.
I don't even know if they changed the auto gear box oil at all as I have no way of checking.
In other part of the world I have many car mechanics mates (also boy racers after working hour) so I trust them to work on the car. Even normal mechanics would be happy for you to see they fix your car in front of you. Nothing like the secretive health and safety shite over here. I mean you don't even know if they have changed oil at all. You just have to take their words for it and if similar, "you cannot see I fix your car scenario", happens in the other part of the world you would have vegetable oil in your engine. 😆
Put it this way that is the only place I can at least trust a bit more at the moment. I did ask another two garages but they just gave me some funny answers because I look alien Johnny foreigner I guess. 😆 Over there if you drive a European car then the locals definitely see you coming ... 
I just wouldn't trust it to be done correctly
We are not all thieving lying cowboys, some of us do the job and do it properly. Out of interest what do you do?
Decent independent will have access to Autodata or some other data provider that will give the relevant information on changing the auto box oil/filter if they are unfamiliar with it on that marque/model.
Rear calipers with electronics are becoming more and more common, personally I like them, as it does away with cables, hate changing them as invariably you have to work in the cabin and interiors seem to come in as many light colours as they can make (technicians nightmare).
Indie oil and filter = 80quid.
Bank the 450ish for future repairs kitty.
"Indie oil and filter = 80quid."
That is not a service.
Do it yourself.
A very quick google implies it has a drain plug for the transmission fluid, so you can probably do the engine oil, filter, transmission fluid, air filter and whatever else needs doing in a morning, and save yourself maybe GBP 450.
http://www.kia-forums.com/kia-carens-rondo-forum/62331-automatic-transmission-fluid-change.html
That is not a service.
Eh. Do the pollen/air filters yourself.
I cant afford 500@year services sadly.
In 10yrs of secondhand cars @ av. Of 15-20k mileage Ive yet to have a car breakdown.
why are you paying an indie 80 quid to do a 40quid job then ? Doing oil is easier than doing fuel filters on most cars.
I do all my own servicing. Car only goes to the garage when its something i dont want to do or im away on business and somethings broken (although the more of an interest i take in how my cars are the less that seems to happen - more pre-emptive maintainance less reactive)
That seems a lot...makes the servicing on the BM's I've had seen cheap. The gearbox shouldn't add that much no eh. I was quoted about £200 for the box oil to be changed on my old 325.
I always DIY but the downside to this is you need a pretty extensive toolkit, space and light. Changing the oil can be messy. Also, you need time, the first time you do any job it takes 3 times longer than the second.
As is said above electronic handbrakes can be tricky. But there is a huge amount of info on owners forums to cover all subjects.
Ok not typing on a phone now.
When it comes to main dealer servicing I always ring 3-4 main dealers and ask for their best price on say 3 items sorting.
1-2 will invariably say 'we've done a safety report and your coolant, etc etc needs replacing shall we go ahead' NO. One interesting one was 'snail bushes shot'. Never heard of that one and they werent..
So- ring up and say 'gearbox oil change and oil/filter change' - how much for your best price inc VAT (always say 'inc vat').
Volvo, Subaru etc - for older cars- they always seem to be about £500 a year for main dealer servicing.. do they sit and discuss somewhere in a meeting?!
Its 5yrs old. It wont automatically fall apart at the seams. Put all the money you saved aside for when/if you ever need it. If you don't its a bloody big bonus.
I didn't even pay half that to get my wagon through its MOT and that was new bush, back pads, discs and caliper plus MOT fee. Big service parts come from ECP and won't break £50 using the decent brands.
Gearbox is easy, just case of sucking the oil out with a syringe from Machinemart or such then pushing the clean stuff back in. I manage to do everything myself bar brakes (because mine are inevitably goosed every time and I don't trust myself) and belts (because my engine bay is a PITA to work in) on the hard standing round from my house, oil is best drained into a 20l drum cut lengthways (no spillage ever unless you roll the car down on top of it).
"Gearbox is easy, just case of sucking the oil out with a syringe from Machinemart or such then pushing the clean stuff back in."
maybe on your ricewagon. but none of my cars are like that 😀
Time.
Thats what I'm paying for when I take a car in for service.
Much as I'd love to, I just dont get the time to crawl about under cars these days.
That £600 quote is just taking the pee though.
Indie garage.
Ask about, go speak to a few local indie garages.
There are a few shoddy ones about, as with everything, but many decent indie garages have really upped their game these days.
I wouldn't even dream of attempting a gearbox oil change on anything vaguely 'new' (i.e. break it its expensive). Indie and if they muck up - they pay.
My "ricewagon" engine and box are GM made (worth noting that OP is driving a ricer as well FWIW) 😉
How do your cars boxes work then?
Why would you take it to a dealers? No advantage at all
I asked In n Out (generally pretty good service-wise) what they did on their major service. They said that they didn't do major and minor services. The guy's words were 'we just change some fluids'.
The list of stuff checked and changed by VW on their major service is pretty long and thorough (as published in the Bentley manuals, not from VW marketing), but I'm not sure if it's worth £300.
Re the OP's Kia - if it's a dual clutch auto gearbox, the fluid could be expensive. £150 for my VW although I found some on ebay unopened for £50. VW charge a lot for the change too but it's actually not that hard and doesn't really require the special tools. It's just relatively fiddly for a garage task when they are pressed for time. You don't need the special tool if you are prepared to wait to let the oil run in under gravity.
We are not all thieving lying cowboys
I know benji but enough of them are to make it hard work finding someone.
There ARE good main dealer servicing depts and there are the 'others' run by maximum gain/soak up all costs rather than lose tyres to a outside business before the next service etc.
Toyota in Manchester told me I need loads of new stuff on my car (it had almost new Conti's on yet they were goosed apparently).
'But Sir they wont last another 12months to your next service date'.
etc.
Then there are decent main dealer service depts who value customers and treat them with intelligence.
Arnold Clark is on another level.
For my car - my last service was:
Plugs - £48 x6
Oil - £12
Oil Filter - £6
Air Filter - £19
Pollen Filter - £13
Fuel Filter - £9
Discs - £120 Pr
Pads - £40
Labour £120
Total £378inc VAT
I didn't think that was that bad for a service with front discs. I have a 06 Porsche Cayman. Mine was done by an "all makes" garage in Twickenham
The Renault Megane we also have was £130 all in from there
Shop about 🙂
I just had a really good main dealer experience, the first I've ever had with cars. Ford, too. I feel quite bad for having slated them endlessly 😳
A good garage is a thing to treasure. I love my regular guys. Took the last car in for a wheel bearing at the most local garage, they produced a wishlist of jobs that "needed" done that ran to over a grand, some of which were blatant lies. Took it to my normal dudes, it turned out it needed... a wheel bearing.
Yup, been there. Took the Civic into the local garage after hearing an odd whistling noise, suggested it may be a leak in the induction. Got it back, claimed it was cured and that the problem was the blanking plate I'd inserted into my EGR causing a pressure buildup (wtf?) and that I was lucky I hadn't blown my engine up (wtaf?). Arseholes even threw away the plate.
Anyway, took it to my usual guy up in Glasgow when the alternator blew up who quickly diagnosed it as a hole in the intercooler, £20 weld later and it was fine. Seems the vac test the first lot supposedly did can't have been very good not to mention the skills of their "mechanic". Won't even give them motor factor trade any more, I figure if they are that bad they deserve ECP taking their business.
Plate-less EGR has, incidentally, been nothing but an utter b*stard since, turbo vanes getting clogged up nicely...
Slight thread hijack, but I just got my 10 year old Astravan serviced, 100,000 miles so need a cambelt change. Cheapest place was the dealership (arnold clark, dundee) so got a 'major service' while it was in.
Came back with quite a few extra things wrong that I hadn't known about and something I did know about not mentioned.
Apparently (and I'm trying to remember exactly what it was, but struggling a little) the silencer needs replaced due to noise, one of the suspension struts needs replaced and my windscreen wipers don't work on intermittent (knew about this). To fix all of that including a 25% Masterfit discount was going to be in excess of £900?! To me that seems excessive, but I'm not an expert. I opted not to get any of that work done as the price seemed too high.
They also didn't reset the service indicator on the dash, tighten the handbrake (which i've had done for free plenty of times) or (and this is very minor) do the wash and vac that is meant to be included. What do we think, excessive prices or about right? And should I be worried about anything else they should done, but haven't, that isn't immediately obvious?
See my comment on Arnold Clark.
They would have gone through your car with a fine tooth comb to find as man things as possible to pick up work on. Alot will be wear items but they'll overstate that they are urgent.
Go to an indie.one of the suspension struts
On a 2004/100k+ van why spend a large chunk when its worn but works? Its bound to have niggles with age.
i wouldnt buy a car from arnold clark never mind getting them to work on it.
infact when arnold clark took over the local merc dealership my dad stopped buying mercedes - with his last three having been new from the dealer.
my gear boxes - you undo the fill/level plug and then drain it from the sump plug.
the one auto box i have you have to drop the sump to drain it and change the filter and gasket. sucking the fluid out with a pump is how the cowboys do it.
infact when arnold clark took over the local merc dealership my dad stopped buying mercedes - with his last three having been new from the dealer.
I bought a Honda from a AC Honda franchise main dealer- I had a stand up nose to nose argument with their bigger than me Scottish salesmanager in the showroom.
I won. I still smile over that one. 'oh and dont consider that thought of a headbutt fella/yes I saw the look in your eyes' 😆
They also claimed I ripped them off over my part exchange. Funnily I bumped into the new owner of my PX a couple of years later who said they charged her 3k more for it than I px'd it for..even though they overpaid by 1k on it to me.
They lost that franchise about a year or so later it seems.
Jaguar themselves undercut every indie round here:
[url= http://www.jaguar.co.uk/quality-section/owners/fixed-price-servicing.html ]http://www.jaguar.co.uk/quality-section/owners/fixed-price-servicing.html[/url]
I'll quite happily pay £329 for my next service. Cheaper than the Mondeo used to be. And front discs, pads, and sensors for £325 isn't far off the price a normal punter can get the bits for.
Well technially speaking all Jaguars are Mondeo's in posh frocks and LED lights glued on..
hora - Member
Well technially speaking all Jaguars are Mondeo's in posh frocks and LED lights glued on..
You appear to be stuck 10 years ago.
X-Type was related to Mondeo Mk3 due to the Ford relationship at the time.
XF was an evolution of S-Type which was original.
New JX is completely new, as will XE and new XF, and the SUV.
I use a main dealer/franchise for my servicing (subaru) and they're great. Always helpful, plenty of courtesy cars, price seems decent and always happy to do 'extras' (not like that!) i.e. swap summer/winter tyres over for free, pot of touch up paint for free as needed, well valeted whenever it's in etc.
See my comment on Arnold Clark.They would have gone through your car with a fine tooth comb to find as man things as possible to pick up work on. Alot will be wear items but they'll overstate that they are urgent.
one of the suspension struts
Go to an indie.
On a 2004/100k+ van why spend a large chunk when its worn but works? Its bound to have niggles with age.
Exactly, I asked if it would likely pass an MOT and they said no, but I'm not sure I really believe them tbh. Will find out next month anyway.
I'd heard a few people saying they'd never let AC touch their cars, but the service was the same price as anywhere else and cambelt change was over £100 cheaper than anywhere I could find. Back to the local garage for future work it seems!
Plate-less EGR has, incidentally, been nothing but an utter b*stard since, turbo vanes getting clogged up nicely...
I would guess that's a symptom of an underlying problem.
Since we are talking about main dealers, Sinclair VW of Cardiff have been great, so far 🙂
my gear boxes - you undo the fill/level plug and then drain it from the sump plug
Yeah same-ish only my sump drain is just about one bolt hole lower than the fill plug hence the necessity of a syringe if you want to change any meaningful amount of oil.
I would guess that's a symptom of an underlying problem.
Yup, it's a design defect in that Honda/Isuzu sepecced it for reasons best known to themselves despite it being suited to 1.9/2.0 engines rather than my 1.7. Well known fault on these cars hence why a new turbo is the same price as a refurb!
Whatnobeer , ifour willing to travel to arbroath i can recomend a great guy with good pricing.I travel from aberdeen to use him when i need work done as aberdeen garages aint interested in cars as old as mine.
Drop me an email
Underlying problem is the egr.
Its widely known that they are a bodge for emissions ..... Not good for your engines longevity.
But some people's egr are ok..
EGRs a bodge? Eh
Ah crap, I forgot to add the word 'turbo'.
Yeah, the EGR is the root cause but it's exacerbated by the higher spec turbo which grannies along most of the time sucking half combusted diesel.
EGR's may work but how many folk have trouble with their necessary cousin the DPF. If you didn't have an EGR you wouldn't need a DPF (unless you have an older spec car without one like mine) which in turn wouldn't need trips to the stealers to regenerate the buggers after not being bothered driving an extra 40 miles on your commute to do it yourself.
Quite how anyone thought diluting air with exhaust gas would be a good idea is beyond me, I understand the whole argument for NOx generation but there are easier and cleaner ways to reduce combustion temperatures than that (methanol/water injection for one). As trail_rat said it's a quick and easy bodge that increases likelihood of dealer intervention if/when it goes wrong rather than just cooling the damn cylinder.
you have cleaned out an egr havnt you molgrips.....
All that lovely black gunk , the thick sticky stuff and the gritty powder.
Thats what your sticking into your bores with the egr......
I understand why we have em , but at sk points out , there are better ways to achieve lower combustion temps to keep nox formation down, but they cost more and require effort.
Egrs on petrol is a different story as they dont produce nearly as much soot to pump back into your engine.
Egr delete on my engine and it now returns 10 more mpg ( deleted in the form of a bolt into the activation vac hose and a plate over the hole in the inlet manifold. , actuator no longer moves and the gunge doesnt get into my bores.
Cheers trail_rat, will drop you a message 🙂
you have cleaned out an egr havnt you molgrips
Yes, there was nothing in mine, just a grimy film on the parts. Since the ECU fix and consequent egr function restoration I've lost maybe 1-2 mpg.
And you would still produce particulates without egr.
The alternative is catalytic NOx reduction which took VW a decade or so to introduce to the US market so I doubt it's very simple.
Anyone in the GeordieLand that knows a trusted reliable garage that I can go to?
Not too far from the Toon please.
😀
I feel a Top Gear top tip coming on....
Buy a Porsche its cheaper to service than a Kia !!!
You would produce particles, yes, but not nearly as much as with one. They cause far more issues than they solve, you would actually be cleaner doing away with them altogether.
Except for NOx. Which is not nice stuff.
double edged sword - that one - FWIW both cause similar effects on your body.
its all very well saying fir EGRs and DPFs ...
your producing more particulates - but your capturing them - great.
then you go out onto the motorway and burn them off - distributing them about the motorway - YAY .... unfortunantly the air on the motorway still becomes air you or I breath one day. - Hence BODGE
bensales I was only trolling. A very old and tired joke 🙂
then you go out onto the motorway and burn them off - distributing them about the motorway
Well no, they don't just get emptied out, the soot gets burned ie converted into CO2.
Which is another pollutant.
The only way you can get round this whole expensive mess is by just cooling your combustion in the first place with water injection. Ships do it for this exact reason (along with common rail and all the other toys that are old news out there) in order to comply with MARPOL regs. Cooler combustion, lower NOX emissions, low sulphur fuel so no corrosion, bish bash bosh, job done.
Want better results, speak to Koenigsegg and get their camshaftless engine for on the fly timing correction.