2018 FFRR servicing .. go to local garage?

[Jonny TVR]

Fed up of paying for LR servicing at £177/ hour and large mark up on parts. Also no courtesy car or collection and nearest one is 30 minutes away

Its booked in for a service next week and really begrudge paying LR to do it. My Ferrari dealer is cheaper and they pick up the car for me by covered truck.

The LR warranty ends in April. Should I risk it and just get it serviced locally at a fraction of the cost? I think I know the answers!!

[Craig]

Yes - well that's what I'm going to do once out of warranty

It was bad enough this year getting fleeced but I only did it in case something major went wrong and I had dealer goodwill on my side

I thought all went well until I went to drive the car the day after collecting and noticed they hadn't reattached the lower front valance after the service so it was hanging down ready to be ripped off on a speed bump!!

[Jonny TVR]

Thanks Craig and thats not good.

If I got it serviced outside of the dealership does that invalidate the warranty?

[Osinjak]

Tricky really, the value of having your car serviced at a main dealer can be greater than the service itself, particularly with goodwill claims. I had an issue with mine (RRS) with a thing that needed replacing at a cost of £2250 but wasn't, in their view, a warranty item. I was not a happy bunny and dealer agreed to go into bat on my behalf with the warranty people for goodwill. One of the first questions they asked was if it was bought and serviced in the LR network as that would help with the case. Full goodwill was offered in the end but can't say for certain if the main dealer service history swung it or not, can't have hurt though.

[Louis Balfour]

Jonny TVR said:

Fed up of paying for LR servicing at £177/ hour and large mark up on parts. Also no courtesy car or collection and nearest one is 30 minutes away

Its booked in for a service next week and really begrudge paying LR to do it. My Ferrari dealer is cheaper and they pick up the car for me by covered truck.

The LR warranty ends in April. Should I risk it and just get it serviced locally at a fraction of the cost? I think I know the answers!!

To offer a spread of answers - NO! I would negotiate the price down and use a LR main dealer. I have cleaved 40% off service quotes before now.

If I were buying a used RR I would pay more for one main dealer serviced. In fact I would avoid one that wasn't, if it was less than 5 years old.

[Craig]

Jonny TVR said:

Thanks Craig and thats not good.

If I got it serviced outside of the dealership does that invalidate the warranty?

No - as long as they use official parts then the warranty is unaffected

I might add that my FFRR is now 5 years old so I can understand people buying your 2018 may still expect to see main dealer servicing

For me it’s not just about cost - it’s more about competence to do a decent job

[Jonny TVR]

Thanks guys. Going to go back to dealer and chip at the price to make me feel better. Is 177 an hour standard?

[Louis Balfour]

Jonny TVR said:

Thanks guys. Going to go back to dealer and chip at the price to make me feel better. Is 177 an hour standard?

Spend ten minutes phoning round the three nearest LR main dealers, assuming they aren't all the same group. Chances are you'll get a better price and then your local one will match it.

[anonymous-user]

I’ve always had my Land Rovers serviced at my local indie. They are always very busy with cars just out of warranty and generally I’ve found them much more knowledgeable than my local LR dealer who are a complete rip off.

Where are you based?

[Jonny TVR]

Based in East Devon. Unfortunately exeter and tainton are the same group

[Osinjak]

wormus said:

I’ve always had my Land Rovers serviced at my local indie. They are always very busy with cars just out of warranty and generally I’ve found them much more knowledgeable than my local LR dealer who are a complete rip off.

Where are you based?

I use my indie for things like brake pads, a squeaky seat that wasn't a warranty repair and a 'lost' parking sensor but had my 4 year service done at main dealer as I still have a warranty on it.

[AeroS]

Strictly speaking as long as you use a vat registered garage using genuine parts your warranty is in tact.

But as we all know the last thing you want is to be arguing in a small claims court and any area of grey will be used - so really is a question of risk.

I took the decision to use an independent on the basis that the independent in question is very good (amusingly LR sub con complex warranty work to them...) and they have the ability to update the LR service records directly. Similarly having had a couple of land rovers with all their issues I never had an issue related to a service item. Lol

[TarquinMX5]

Craig said:

No - as long as they use official parts then the warranty is unaffected

I might add that my FFRR is now 5 years old so I can understand people buying your 2018 may still expect to see main dealer servicing

For me it’s not just about cost - it’s more about competence to do a decent job

It isn't just using official parts, it needs to be 'as per manufacturer's schedule'. I don't think they can enforce an original parts requirement although any parts used would have to at least match, or exceed, the manufacturer's specifications. Of course, due to the difficulty in proving the latter, in reality it means genuine JLR parts.

It is an issue when various groups effectively have a monopoly in the general area. The reality is most (not JLR specific) of the early-year services are nothing more than oil & filter change, with pollen filter and brake fluid later on, all with a load of 'check this, check that' as well.

[Dixy]

Having exactly the same conundrum, live in West Somerset, FF coming up to 5th birthday, bought new and 8th Range Rover but far from impressed with the service department.

[Jonny TVR]

I suppose you have also got to think about how long you plan to keep it. If its for another 3 years and out of warranty then why not get serviced locally. With my Ferrari I get it serviced by the ferrari dealer and outside of that done by someone else so that I have the full dealer servicing when I come to sell it. However they don't charge £177 an hour, its £145 and I get great service from them. They also collect and drop back for free.

[cayman-black]

£177 per hour what thieving fkers they are. Its ao annoying that a main dealer service history is required as imo they do a st job anyway if they even do what they are meant to . If you trust someone local who do great work that would be my choice.

[CornishRob]

As long as it’s a local LR specialist and not a general spanner garage, you will probably get a better service with better workmanship.

I moved my D4 away from the LR dealership a few years ago.

I used to use an independent dealership (Guava Peasmarsh) but they got taken over by one of the big groups. It went to turd very quickly and they massively hiked their prices.

I went to an independent and haven’t looked back.