[Closed] Car Servicing / MOT

Have you still got manuf warranty? If so, the small print tends to stipulate using main stealer or approved centre for any kind of work. If not, then I'd still go main stealer for something like £250 on a 3-4 yr old car - and then work towards indie specialist if I was keeping for a while.

Depends on the car, diesel service is less involved than petrol I think.
MOT is £50 and I just had an oil/filter changer done by national tyres for £47 using Catol Edge and that's cheaper than I could buy 6.5l of oil for!
Not sure I'd trust them with a service though.

For a full service I wouldn't pay more than £125. Is that a dealer price?

For a full service I wouldn't pay more than £125. Is that a dealer price?

Not many 3-4 yr old cars are going to be serviceable for that price - small ones maybe, but at main stealers?

It wasn't a dealer, it was a local independent that collects the car from work and drops it back afterwards, so it's convenient. The £250 included £54 for the MOT (passed), so no other costs associated with that.

This is the first service /MOT I've had on this car, and I got it from a trusted source (my dad), but I'm not sure any of the recent services have been with Citroen.

Sharkbait - I've used national tyres before and they have messed up three times. Worst one was not reconnecting my handbrake cable properly.

Always worth findng a trusty garage and sticking to them. I trust mine, I know the price of parts and roughly how much it should cost so that helps a little. Anything else and I ask here! Wouldn't trust kwikfit but over a garage the have one major pro - they tend to onlyspecialise in certain aspects so are less likely to nail you during service / mot

If so, the small print tends to stipulate using main stealer or approved centre for any kind of work.

OP, £250 is a pretty reasonable price for a full service & mot on your Citroen.

I personaly wouldn't go near KwikFit, as you "may" take the car in for a cheap service and be told it has failed it's mot on brakes, shockers etc.

Best advise, find a garage you can trust and stick with them.

Yes well national managed to not mess up the oil change and it was proper cheap, but that's as much as I'd use he likes of them for.

This is incorrect, you can have your vehicle serviced at any vat registered garage so long as oem or equivalent parts are used.

Not with every manuf. Both BMW and Land Rover warranties made it clear we could not use any VAT registerd garage and OEM parts etc. That was up until about 2 yrs ago - so maybe things have lightened up since?

Hijacking my own thread. For a 2008 diesel, how often would you get the oil changed?

I want to keep the car as long as possible. Is once a year with the service enough, or would it be worth just dropping by national or kwik-fit between services for an oil change?

I've used KwikFit over last 2 years and been impressed - but guess it depends on the individual garage. Helpful, easy booking, not been suggested to do things that not necessary.

It depends. For example my old mans old gt tdi had a service interval of 10k which equated to a yearly service for him. We would also change the oil every 5k. His new one is 20k so does the oil every 10k. Oils are much better nowadays but lose viscosity over time so he and I feel it's better to change the oil out half way through so as to keep the engine tip top.

Spacemonkey, it's all about block exemption 😉

Previously, motorists were required to have their vehicle servicing and repairs at the main dealer so as not to risk invalidating the vehicle's warranty. The EC Block Exemption Regulation 1400/2002 (October 2003) allows motorists more flexibility in selecting where they can get their car serviced.

Thanks to this legislation, maintenance and service work does not have to be done by the main dealer as long as the garage uses Original Equipment 'Matching Quality' parts, and are recorded as such, and the garage follow the manufacturer's service schedules

Kwikfit near my work are very helpful and got me out of sticky situations battery and exhaust wise. Only this week have I been disappointed with them as my back box was blowing and they wouldn't change it on its own. They want to change the mid section too which was rusty (surface) but sound. Wouldn't change it as they knew exhausts!

I suppose I do about 12k a year, so an interim oil change at 6k wouldn't hurt I suppose.

Just use the same garage for the half-yearly oil/filter, repeat business will get you to the front of a queue if you've an urgent problem.

I half-interval ours with oil/filters too.

Just use the same garage for the half-yearly oil/filter, repeat business will get you to the front of a queue if you've an urgent problem.

Yup, like me yesterday. My garage was well busy and fully booked yet they still slotted me in to sort my brakes out even though they didn't finish until gone 6...

wouldnt consider kwikfit for 2 reasons

1 - when getting 2 tires ASAP before driving to ae after being a bit lax and not notice them being very close to the limit - we will fit them but your car needs 2 shock absorbers and a front brake pads

oddly the car passed 2 futher mots without said items before being scrapped (at 230k on the clock)

2- my van needed a new back box - kwikfit round the corner from work , called them up - aye thatll be 300 quid as you need a whole system including the cat as they dont come in parts.

turns out after a quick google that the exhaust is prone to rotting through due to condensation and peugeot released a repair kit as usually the cat in the mid section is fine. part cost 30 quid and my mechanic back home welded it in for 25 quid ....

they are not mechanics - they are part fitters. a true mechanic is a dying breed - find one and treat him well ....