Overcharged by Mini specialist?
Discussion
Wifes Mini Cooper S is out of warranty so took it to a specialist nearby to look at it as it needed some work doing to the exhaust. Also got the brake pads and disks changed on the rear at the same time.
Anyway, the Wife picked up the car and settled the bill, and when she got home I noticed in the breakdown of the invoice that the garage charged a £150 'diagnostic fee' regarding the exhaust, which lists the exact problem that I went there for in the first place! i.e. I told them what the problem was! There was no diagnosis to be done. Is this a standard money grab that garages do these days or do I have recourse to reclaim that from them? They already loaded the bill much higher than was discussed verbally so this extra £150 seems a kick in the teeth to me. If it's standard these days then I'll suck it up as part of owning the car, just thought I would ask on here for an opinion. I haven't had a car serviced outside of a dealership for donkey's years.
Anyway, the Wife picked up the car and settled the bill, and when she got home I noticed in the breakdown of the invoice that the garage charged a £150 'diagnostic fee' regarding the exhaust, which lists the exact problem that I went there for in the first place! i.e. I told them what the problem was! There was no diagnosis to be done. Is this a standard money grab that garages do these days or do I have recourse to reclaim that from them? They already loaded the bill much higher than was discussed verbally so this extra £150 seems a kick in the teeth to me. If it's standard these days then I'll suck it up as part of owning the car, just thought I would ask on here for an opinion. I haven't had a car serviced outside of a dealership for donkey's years.
First job any specialist is likely to do is exactly what you said, they will check all the ECUs & update the software on any that are not the latest revision, they will also make sure you have no "impending issues" so to say.
Having said that, they should have told you this before hand rather than expect you to pay for something that you weren't expecting, so have a word & you may get something back.
Having said that, they should have told you this before hand rather than expect you to pay for something that you weren't expecting, so have a word & you may get something back.
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