EV Servicing Cost

Author
Discussion

LordGrover

Original Poster:

33,644 posts

217 months

Wednesday 21st June 2023
quotequote all
BMW are a proper rip-off!
Where can I get blinker fluid and horn oil at a reasonable price?



TheDeuce

24,249 posts

71 months

Wednesday 21st June 2023
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Don't forget to top up the indicators with tic-tac's too.

Tics for the left, tacs for the right.

Have you checked there's enough cool air in the AC hopper?

dvs_dave

8,948 posts

230 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Watch the shysters start putting proprietary “licensed” cabin air filters in that cost 300 quid to change every 6000 miles.

andy43

10,163 posts

259 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Does anybody know if this’ll fit my new E scooter?

R32

390 posts

257 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Vauxhall are the same. Seem to charge exactly the same price for servicing for EVs and ICE cars.

My first 'service' after 1 year was just a 'visual inspection' and cost £90.
The second service due at 2 years is a normal service, which I'm guessing covers a 'visual inspection' and a pollen filter. However this time costs £250.

When I took my car for the first inspection service they even tried charging me a £15 disposal fee. For what I asked. The oil sir. Hmm....

Icehanger

399 posts

227 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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at 2 years Cupra want to charge for changing the brake fluid, they don't check it needs changing they just change it....with re gen braking the brakes get hardly used, pads and disks still look newlaugh

Zero Fuchs

1,259 posts

23 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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BMW tried to sell me their 'special formula' washer fluid for a premium price after a service.

"Your washer jets are blocked because you've been using non BMW fluid mate"

I turned them down and subsequently found a blob of tree sap had fallen on the washer nozzle. A quick wipe and all was working again!

Rough101

2,099 posts

80 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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This is not a reflection on them ripping off EV drivers, more of a reflection on how little they do to an ICE on a minor service.

In reality what needs done?
Same inspections as an ICE including for leaks and brakes
24 month brake fluid change
Cabin filter
Check on coolant properties - I believe this is contentious though

All an ice has on top of a minor is oil and filter, air filters tend to be every second year these days.

Dynion Araf Uchaf

4,625 posts

228 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Dealer and the auto industry are crapping themselves.
Profits from parts and service can fund almost the entire cost of a dealership, and for some manufacturers ( mostly Japanese) the cost of selling a car is more than the profit they make from it, so again parts make the OEM profitable.

So price gouging is happening at a dealer, and OEM's are building in more components to change, I think one vehicle ( might have been Porsche Taycan) has two very expensive cabin filters, placed back to back. Clearly a way of selling more parts.

Obviously people will be worried about their warranty, and a FSH is always is a requirement, but if you are having battery or other electrical trouble I can't see how a missed brake fluid change would impact on it.

In the fullness of time. I expect to see warranty limited to mechanical components ( and you buy cover for electrical components) or many OEM's going bust.

witten

226 posts

53 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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When I bought my Tesla M3LR it was the last EV I tested. All the other brands sales staff threw lots of "well we can talk about free servicing for the first 2 years which might help with the cost" type conversations. I asked the Tesla guy about service costs and they stared at me with a confused look then said "why does it need servicing? Just check the tyres yourself and change the wiper blades at some point but no need for a service as it won't ever use the brakes and there is no engine oil to change".

It was so refreshing to not have a dealer trying to upsell me. It makes me never want to do the dealership thing ever again (and I say that as the son of a car dealer), even though it was a tiny bit like buying a washing machine.

sparkymark75

130 posts

110 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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It was one of the reasons I went for a Tesla over other vehicles as they still wanted you to bring the car in every year and charge you a fortune for nothing.

Pica-Pica

14,353 posts

89 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
Dealer and the auto industry are crapping themselves.
Profits from parts and service can fund almost the entire cost of a dealership, and for some manufacturers ( mostly Japanese) the cost of selling a car is more than the profit they make from it, so again parts make the OEM profitable..
Not really. Many cars are going the subscription route. Build everything electronic into the car (it is mostly a cost reduction to the manufacturer, owing to inventory reduction), then offer an annual subscription as the customer picks what options they want to activate.

DMZ

1,514 posts

165 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Granted this is from the grapevine so happy to be corrected, but it seems that if you do actually need something done to the car then Tesla is very difficult to deal with. Can't get parts, off the road for a long time, ... Well maybe Taycan owners recognise this also but generally speaking the traditional brands are quite good at the after sales support when you need it.

Dynion Araf Uchaf

4,625 posts

228 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
quotequote all
Pica-Pica said:
Not really. Many cars are going the subscription route. Build everything electronic into the car (it is mostly a cost reduction to the manufacturer, owing to inventory reduction), then offer an annual subscription as the customer picks what options they want to activate.
what's that got to do with servicing. How does a dealer remain afloat? Coupled with the agency model and a dealers lot ( pun intended) is not a happy one.

Pica-Pica

14,353 posts

89 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
quotequote all
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
Pica-Pica said:
Not really. Many cars are going the subscription route. Build everything electronic into the car (it is mostly a cost reduction to the manufacturer, owing to inventory reduction), then offer an annual subscription as the customer picks what options they want to activate.
what's that got to do with servicing. How does a dealer remain afloat? Coupled with the agency model and a dealers lot ( pun intended) is not a happy one.
It was a response to ‘Auto Industry crapping themselves’. Remember? You wrote it!

TheDeuce

24,249 posts

71 months

Thursday 22nd June 2023
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Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
Pica-Pica said:
Not really. Many cars are going the subscription route. Build everything electronic into the car (it is mostly a cost reduction to the manufacturer, owing to inventory reduction), then offer an annual subscription as the customer picks what options they want to activate.
what's that got to do with servicing. How does a dealer remain afloat? Coupled with the agency model and a dealers lot ( pun intended) is not a happy one.
As cars need servicing less, break down less, more manufacturers are looking to follow the Tesla model of mostly online dealings and 'shops' to see the cars.

You want a test drive? Pop into the shop or go online and book one.

In 10 years time, we could easily be seeing the mass exit of the traditional dealership model/network.

In the meantime, of course EV's don't need as much doing/checking as ICE cars, but the service side of the dealership has the same costs so... We pay the same, get ripped off. It's not evil, it's just the reality of the cost of having all those service centres. The model is out of date and likely won't last.