Hi guys. I don't normally post much on here-normally a lurker but I just had to let you know about this!

A Subaru dealer on the Isle of Man just quoted me £230-£240 for an oil and filter change! I asked him to clarify what filters and oil that would include and apparently this is literally for engine oil and oil filter!!!!

Safe to say I wont be taking my car there!

I'd be interested in seeing what sort of stupid prices you guys have been quoted for servicing as I suspect that this is quite a common problem with dealers.

 

So they are working on £60 for Oil and the filter I reckon. which leaves £170 so around 1-2 hours labour? Wow didn't know it took so long. I'm guessing there are loads of 'checks' they do in the service as well.

 

Well that's it, there wasn't any mention of further 'checks' so that makes it even worse really! Dilema I have now is that the car was bought from this dealer (decent price) and to keep up my warranty for the next six months, I was told that I had to have a service done by them. I'm not entirely sure if this is enforcable but at those prices I'm thinking that a, it's extortionate and b, how else will they rip me off-poor oil and filter, no checks etc.

I've been getting quotes from other places this morning and approx £200 would get me:

oil
filters
plugs
topping up fluid levels
45 point check

Feeling quite let-down that my warranty has been reduced to six months on the strength of their quote!

 

I was lead to beleive that as long as you used genuine parts then any garage can fit them and this does not affect the warranty.

 

I know with a manufacturer's warrenty these days they can't void it as long as you go to an approved garage that uses approved parts. Not sure if you bought a secondhand motor and the dealer offered a warrenty how that works

Is it a full warrenty or one of them insurance ones? They often aren't worth the paper their written on!

EDIT-just noticed it was a subaru dealer, is it still in the 3 year subaru warrenty? Should be ok I would think if so? Unless theres some Isle of Man loophole or something?

 

Do it yourself!

 

It's an EUDM 2006 Hawkeye WRX so it's the warranty that's provided by the dealer rather than Subaru I'm affraid. I believe it may be one of the insurance type as I'm sure I read in it that it was up to the value of £750-going off memory here so not totally sure.

I would love to do it myself but I'm after a full service now which sadly, I have niether the time or knowlege to do! Plus I want a stamp in the book.

Choice is:

Full service @ £200 with an independent and probably a good job as I know the mechanic

Oil & filter @ £240 with dealer and worst case, car blows up and I have to meet the costs of fixing it over the £750 warranty, unless it blows up after 6 months and then I'm totally screwed!

 

Have you read the small print on the warranty? What does that say, it may contradict what the dealer is saying

 

I'll be checking that out tonight to see if it 'has' to be done by the supplying dealer.

I'd be interested in getting your opinions on it though-if it has to be serviced by the dealer would you pay the quoted price for a very basic service just to keep the warranty?

A bit more background on the car-bought in March with FSH. Oil + filter and rear suspension changed when bought. Came with a Powerflow back box which I'm thinking of changing as I suspect it has a hole in it due to ticking betwen 2300 and 3000 revs. Other than that, the car is standard

 

Are you sure it's just an oil change they are quoting you for?
Most if not all Subaru services need something changed, if this is the case then there not meeting manufacture specification which would make the warranty pointless anyway!

 

£1500.76p for a Lancer a few years ago, and they charged me the 76p

 

if its a service they should be checking all other bits on car, plus theyll be wanting to bump your bill up with add-ons.

if its just and oil and filter change, then thats not a service - its an oil and filter chage.

in my day a service was, plugs, air filter, oil/filter, check/top up gerabox oil, remove all wheels, check and clean clean brakes, grease up hinges, top up washer bottle , and check rad level, tyres, tyre pressures, wiper blades. and note as you go play in everything suspension bushes, track rod ends, wheel beraings, springs. the good old days lol

if its a service ask to see the service checklist

 

Yes definitely sure-I asked him to clarify what he meant by oil and filter, fully expecting him to say all oils and all filters but nope, just engine oil and oil filter.

Wow! Was that a 'rebuild' service?!

 

lol no mate that was every single service, adjust rear brakes ect too.

like i say , a while ago now lol.

what you have been offered is an oil and filter change. not a service in anyway shape or form, not even an engine service.

 

Sorry, was replying to the Evo service @ £1500 with the rebuild comment lol!

Although I have to agree that your idea of a service is spot on-I had a similar service done to my old car with a check list given to me on the things that were checked. Was superb and the decision is between the dealer I bought the car from and the above garage that serviced my old car.

I'm astounded that they think they can do the very bare minimum and get away with stamping the service book. This is another reason why I'm thinking of having a complete service done as I now know what their idea of a 'service' is!

 

dealer labour cost is £100/hr. 1.5 hours to do oil an filter. £50 for oil £10 for filter. that's £210 + 42VAT is about 250 quid.

 

1.5 hours for an oil and filter?

book time i take it?

lol more like 15mins

but suppose if you wants that stamp, you pays the money.

 

I'd rather have an independent stamp from a garage that I trust to do full service for the same amount of money than a dealer that I'm losing faith in.

Funnily enough, they actually did say it would be 1.5 hours!

Suppose my question is really 'would you pay for the dealer stamp or a decent service?'

 

yep. book time is 1.5 hours. rip off i know. and a lot of people will pay the dealer price because
1. they dont know any better
2. they want a dealer stamp
3. they think the dealer will always do the job right.

you know and i know. it's a 30 minute job tops. the dealer will get a monkey boy apprentice who doesnt give a **** about your car to do the job @ minimum wage. they will not pre fill the filter, they will crank the car until your battery is flat, will jump into the car with oily overalls, and given half a chance will rake the $hite out of your car on his fish supper run at lunch time.

 

find yourself a subaru technician who has a passion for the car, has worked on them for a while, knows all the wee tricks. they are very hard to find but when you do they are worth their weight in gold.

 

I'm leaning towards using my regular guy-he knows his stuff and has worked on my cars before. They will do a proper service and should be worth it in the long run.

Thanks for everyone's help