Eye watering labour costs
Discussion
It has been an afternoon of main dealers getting right on my t*ts! To be fair, that's a normal afternoon for me.
The long and short of it is I telephoned my local Volvo dealer to book my MY2013 V40 in for a service. It's out of warranty now and is nudging 105,000 miles but it's a solid daily commute that I feel obliged to look after. Anyway, the booking was made, no questions asked, which I thought was odd because I'm supplying my own oil and required a loan car (Volvo's own website says alternative transport is included as part of its "Service Promise") plus I wasn't asked the current mileage.
I won't lie, I've been sat on it for a couple of weeks waiting for this Friday (it's booked slot) to roll round. £286 inc. VAT but after the oil is deducted that should bring it down to under the £200 mark. OK, I thought, I'll stomach it probably. After all, a loan car is included for the day.
Then, this afternoon, I get the courtesy call reminding me of the car's impending session with the Swedish-branded spanner...! After a conversation which resembled something like a tennis match, it became apparent that the amazing computer system designed to calculate current mileage since the last service isn't particularly accurate, and neither is the promise of a courtesy car. After some begging and pleading (from them I hasten to add), I agreed to rebook.
Service rebooked for Tuesday next week with the alteration made for the mileage from 99,000 to 105,000. Then the confirmation email came through. £465...£465?! "I've noted on the job card that you'll be supplying your own oil". So, wait! Is that £465 with me supplying my own oil? Well, I nearly chocked on my caviar and foie gras.
Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me so I asked for a comprehensive break down of the servicing cost. After all, even Volvo's website estimates a 112,500 service to be a mere £395.
After noting the £75 for "powertrain inspection" and "wear and tear inspection" plus an inner windscreen clean for the collision warning camera (side note: the car is currently sporting a Vauxhall Astra van-shaped dent in the bonnet where the camera clearly failed to warn of an imminent collision), the next thing to catch my eye was the labour charge. £150 PER HOUR. But that's OK because it's including VAT.
I'm pretty sure my local Aston Martin service department don't charge much more than that for labour, even though they're effectively working with the same parts.
I am still awaiting a call back from my local Volvo dealership to break the bad news to them that I'm going somewhere the labour costs are only £45 per hour. As it has now gone 6pm I have a feeling I'll be waiting until tomorrow. Oh, and Euro Car Parts is sporting a 37% sale, so that's £27 for a fuel filter and oil filter delivered to my front door.
The long and short of it is I telephoned my local Volvo dealer to book my MY2013 V40 in for a service. It's out of warranty now and is nudging 105,000 miles but it's a solid daily commute that I feel obliged to look after. Anyway, the booking was made, no questions asked, which I thought was odd because I'm supplying my own oil and required a loan car (Volvo's own website says alternative transport is included as part of its "Service Promise") plus I wasn't asked the current mileage.
I won't lie, I've been sat on it for a couple of weeks waiting for this Friday (it's booked slot) to roll round. £286 inc. VAT but after the oil is deducted that should bring it down to under the £200 mark. OK, I thought, I'll stomach it probably. After all, a loan car is included for the day.
Then, this afternoon, I get the courtesy call reminding me of the car's impending session with the Swedish-branded spanner...! After a conversation which resembled something like a tennis match, it became apparent that the amazing computer system designed to calculate current mileage since the last service isn't particularly accurate, and neither is the promise of a courtesy car. After some begging and pleading (from them I hasten to add), I agreed to rebook.
Service rebooked for Tuesday next week with the alteration made for the mileage from 99,000 to 105,000. Then the confirmation email came through. £465...£465?! "I've noted on the job card that you'll be supplying your own oil". So, wait! Is that £465 with me supplying my own oil? Well, I nearly chocked on my caviar and foie gras.
Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me so I asked for a comprehensive break down of the servicing cost. After all, even Volvo's website estimates a 112,500 service to be a mere £395.
After noting the £75 for "powertrain inspection" and "wear and tear inspection" plus an inner windscreen clean for the collision warning camera (side note: the car is currently sporting a Vauxhall Astra van-shaped dent in the bonnet where the camera clearly failed to warn of an imminent collision), the next thing to catch my eye was the labour charge. £150 PER HOUR. But that's OK because it's including VAT.
I'm pretty sure my local Aston Martin service department don't charge much more than that for labour, even though they're effectively working with the same parts.
I am still awaiting a call back from my local Volvo dealership to break the bad news to them that I'm going somewhere the labour costs are only £45 per hour. As it has now gone 6pm I have a feeling I'll be waiting until tomorrow. Oh, and Euro Car Parts is sporting a 37% sale, so that's £27 for a fuel filter and oil filter delivered to my front door.
Edited by XLR Motorsport on Thursday 28th September 08:43
Go to an indie
Full service
Replace front discs and pads
Replace streering rack inner ball hjoint
Change from 600.00
And a free car
Down side
The hire car is older than my 52 plate!!
No cup of teas in a shiny showroom
Up side
I get a nice drive to the country ( 60 miles 1 hr each way) its 25 mins to the main stealer 15 miles
My pocket is not lighter by 400.00 plus
It keeps the small guys (all ex Volvo) in business
You p
Full service
Replace front discs and pads
Replace streering rack inner ball hjoint
Change from 600.00
And a free car
Down side
The hire car is older than my 52 plate!!
No cup of teas in a shiny showroom
Up side
I get a nice drive to the country ( 60 miles 1 hr each way) its 25 mins to the main stealer 15 miles
My pocket is not lighter by 400.00 plus
It keeps the small guys (all ex Volvo) in business
You p
The car was serviced by the supplying dealer back in Feb as I cut a deal for a cost price cambelt change when I bought the car in May last year (not my local dealer). Therefore I have breakdown on it until February of next year. But full breakdown cover costs me £15 through work, and parts and labour for this service is costing me £97 from a reputable indie. Still a long way to go to get to £465.
The car is over 4 years old now. Volvo can't be that interested in my business and I have no customer relationship with them like I do with Audi.
The car is over 4 years old now. Volvo can't be that interested in my business and I have no customer relationship with them like I do with Audi.
Edited by XLR Motorsport on Thursday 28th September 08:45
silverfoxcc said:
Go to an indie
Full service
Replace front discs and pads
Replace streering rack inner ball hjoint
Change from 600.00
And a free car
Down side
The hire car is older than my 52 plate!!
No cup of teas in a shiny showroom
Up side
I get a nice drive to the country ( 60 miles 1 hr each way) its 25 mins to the main stealer 15 miles
My pocket is not lighter by 400.00 plus
It keeps the small guys (all ex Volvo) in business
You p
That sounds like my Volvo indy in the new forest, last time I had a 285,000 mile V70 as a courtesy car but a bill that was around 60% of the local Volvo dealer's, they're all ex Volvo techs too...Full service
Replace front discs and pads
Replace streering rack inner ball hjoint
Change from 600.00
And a free car
Down side
The hire car is older than my 52 plate!!
No cup of teas in a shiny showroom
Up side
I get a nice drive to the country ( 60 miles 1 hr each way) its 25 mins to the main stealer 15 miles
My pocket is not lighter by 400.00 plus
It keeps the small guys (all ex Volvo) in business
You p
Think yourself lucky its not a 1 ltr Skoda needing an oil change ( 3.5ltrs) and a pollen filter. Marshalls in Newbury want £260 for the privilege. Their Oxford branch want £280 for the same thing !!. No courtesy car offered. I did the pollen filter myself for £8 for a Mann one and my local garage is doing the oil and filter, as needs to be VAT registered for its warranty etc. I emailed them to ask for a cost breakdown and nothing, not interested in people like me daring to ask the service costs !!
We used to have fixed priced servicing on our old XC60 at £250 a hit. Was for oil, filters , updates, recovery ( needed it !!) and a full underbody inspection etc. Latest car is all inclusive servicing, so not to worry now.
We used to have fixed priced servicing on our old XC60 at £250 a hit. Was for oil, filters , updates, recovery ( needed it !!) and a full underbody inspection etc. Latest car is all inclusive servicing, so not to worry now.
i know you pay more for a main dealer....but....My local "Indi" volvo place in the new forest tried to charge me about £150 more than the main dealer for some work.....I had been a customer of his for a few years, and thought I could trust him to be honest and cheaper than a main dealer.....
I went to the other New Forest indi to see how they could look after my car....and was most unimpressed and considering I was potentially a new customer, their customer service was crap.....so back I went to the main dealer
The main dealer has also on a quote from a non specialist garage dropped their price several hundred pounds to sort out a major oil leak. They gave me a new V40 for the 2 days they said it would take....it ended out taking 12 days....same price as original quote.
My 18.5 year old Volvo would not get break down cover from AA/RAC to go abroad, but the Volvo "assist" does....a no brainer.....we had our first break down in the 18 years we have had it a few weeks ago, they turned up , couldn't get it going as fuel pump pulley shredded, so it went on a flat bed to Southampton, parts had to come from Sweden, and back on the road 4 days later (we turned down the loan of a car as we had a spare)......yes we might have paid a little more.....but oh so easy.....and well worth the few extra pounds we paid for the service giving us a years worth of break down cover.
You can ask for a discount...I always do and they always knock some off....I have no shame
I went to the other New Forest indi to see how they could look after my car....and was most unimpressed and considering I was potentially a new customer, their customer service was crap.....so back I went to the main dealer
The main dealer has also on a quote from a non specialist garage dropped their price several hundred pounds to sort out a major oil leak. They gave me a new V40 for the 2 days they said it would take....it ended out taking 12 days....same price as original quote.
My 18.5 year old Volvo would not get break down cover from AA/RAC to go abroad, but the Volvo "assist" does....a no brainer.....we had our first break down in the 18 years we have had it a few weeks ago, they turned up , couldn't get it going as fuel pump pulley shredded, so it went on a flat bed to Southampton, parts had to come from Sweden, and back on the road 4 days later (we turned down the loan of a car as we had a spare)......yes we might have paid a little more.....but oh so easy.....and well worth the few extra pounds we paid for the service giving us a years worth of break down cover.
You can ask for a discount...I always do and they always knock some off....I have no shame
The indifferent one...they also were not very cheap.....Try the dealership in Southampton, and ASK for a discount if an "Indi" gives you a price, the price is not as much different as you imagine, and you get genuine parts....i have found them very reasonable, therefore they get my custom. I am rather hoping i don't have to go back until the next service!
^ Jim at Nomansland is a very busy guy.... I can understand why you thought the service was poor.
I often e-mail him to arrange a service and ask for a loan car, I wait about a week and e-mail him again (as I don't get a reply...). He then only says things like 'no problem' in the e-mail without actually answering any of my questions!
Anyway, I'll have a think about Southampton, I'm nearer Salisbury and the franchised dealer there is poor.
I often e-mail him to arrange a service and ask for a loan car, I wait about a week and e-mail him again (as I don't get a reply...). He then only says things like 'no problem' in the e-mail without actually answering any of my questions!
Anyway, I'll have a think about Southampton, I'm nearer Salisbury and the franchised dealer there is poor.
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