Hi all,just had my 18000 mile service carried out on my 1.4 Petrol at my main dealer. £351. This was the first time anything has been changed/replaced etc as the first service at 9000miles were just checks. Everything was fine but it was noted the front tyres were down to 3mm tread. As a result of the service it came with another years free breakdown recovery. Considering it was free I suppose the service price was ok.

No, Fiat servicing is a rip off. But if we keep telling ourselves that it's OK really, they'll keep screwing us over. I get free breakdown recovery insurance with my bank account (a better policy than Fiat's too). It costs Fiat next to nothing to extend the coverage, but they use that freebie to justify absurdly high servicing costs. Go independent - you'll probably get a much better service (they might even take your wheels off) and if enough of us do it, Fiat dealers might even reduce their service charges.

Whilst I don't approve of high service charges most if not all Fiat dealers have hourly rates lower than those of VW, BMW, Mercedes and Ford.

You can have your vehicle independently serviced by a VAT registered garage but if I remember correctly that garage would have to use manufacturer's approved service parts for the warranty to be maintained.

For an 18K service the following parts will be required:

Oil, Oil Filter, Air Filter, Pollen/Cabin Filter, Spark plugs. These alone with Fiat or any manufacturer will clock up quite a few pounds. Probably 2+ hours labour plus VAT and it all adds up.

When my vehicles are out of warranty I do all the servicing and repairs myself and use quality parts I get at trade price. Still costs me a tidy sum as I don't cut corners.

Also in fairness to Fiat their multi year service packages are generally cheaper than multiple one off visits to the dealer.

Still a rip off. The best part of £100 for a 9000 inspection where they do b*gger all, not even an oil change, then another £350 for the 18000 job? And we just pay up, like sheep.

My first service was £50.

Always a firm believer in shopping around for quotations for a Dealer service, like you would do with car insurance. There always some differences for the same service,

I agree, you need to shop around. I got a three year service plan for my 500X, from the main dealer, for £330 (reduced from £400). To pay more than that for the second year service alone is insane.

Try shopping around in East Anglia, where the dealer network comprises two firms, both with sites in multiple locations, both quoting inflated service prices within £10 of the other.

It's competition, Jim, but not as we know it.

Weird. Mine is from Wessex in Cardiff, who are the only Fiat dealer in the area and are the main ones across the region. I could travel an hour and a bit to Swansea for a competitor, but no thanks!

Ardderchog!

Dai iawn hefydd.

For warranty, there's no choice but tyo have it serviced at an official Fiat dealer.
Btw, 18000mls is WAY to long for an oil change.
If you want the MultiAir to function properly in the long run, 6000-7000mls between oilchanges is max....!!
And do use oil with the correct Fiat specs for your engine...

Peter Pick-Up said:

For warranty, there's no choice but tyo have it serviced at an official Fiat dealer.

Click to expand...

No. This is completely wrong. Stop misleading people.

The warranty remains valid even if the car is serviced outside the franchised dealer network, provided the work is done in accordance with the manufacturer's specification and genuine parts are used. It's misinformation like this that keeps the dealer servicing costs so high, because there's no effective competition if customers believe they have to use an official Fiat dealer for their servicing. Warranty work is of course different, and you will probably lose any chance of a goodwill out-of-warranty contribution from Fiat, but how often does that happen?!!

Personally, I'll carry on supporting a very good independent garage that actually does a thorough job, while charging me a solid wedge less than Fiat.

Postscript: I see that you are in Holland. The rules will be the same there - it's not a UK thing - because the competition laws involved derive from EU law (the EU Block Exemption rules). So that's another thing that the Great British Motoring Public have cause to be grateful to the EU for.

*ducks for cover*

gar074 said:

*ducks for cover*

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No need to duck - well not from me

Out of warranty I do it all myself and if there is something I can't handle, I have a preferred and trusted quality independent option.

You are right, as I mentioned in a pervious post, that Fiat franchised dealer/service agent servicing is not a requirement for maintaining the warranty.

Leaving cost aside, one reason people may prefer to use a Fiat outlet is that at the same time as the service they will apply any outstanding "Service Campaigns" relevant.

Most Service Campaigns, unlike Safety recalls, are only listed and tracked on the Fiat SIGI system and not sent/notified to customers. It would not surprise me that if you have had you car serviced outside of the Fiat system then just turning up at the Fiat dealer and asking then to check and apply any outstanding service campaigns they would want to charge you.

I have had two Fiat 500's and now have an 11 month old 500X bought last month from Arnold Clark.

I had my first 500 - bought in 2008 - serviced by Fiat dealers until it was out of warranty, after which I had it serviced by my very good local independent garage.

My second 500 - bought in 2012 - was serviced by the independent from day one.

The trade in value of both 500's was not affected in the slightest by the fact that they had been serviced by an independent rather than by a Fiat dealer.

Which leads me to wonder why on earth anyone would pay over the odds just to get a Fiat stamp in the book.

I think my local Fiat dealer quoted a similar figure to this - £350 - for the four year service for my second 500 (therefore including the change of brake fluid etc). My trusted local independent did the same full service for less than £200.

Because I have just bought the 500X I am taking it to the local Fiat dealer for the first year inspection next month - to get any service updates - but am then taking it to my independent to do the oil and filter change which is not a strict requirement but which I want to have done every year.

One of the reasons the Fiat dealers charge so much is that they charge the full cost for spares - the local dealer wanted me to pay £30 inc VAT for an oil filter that I bought from shop4spares for £17. The special Selenia oil is available at a similar discount, if not more.

After the first year inspection it will be back to the independent from then on


Cheers
Cliff

gar074 said:

No. This is completely wrong. Stop misleading people.

The warranty remains valid even if the car is serviced outside the franchised dealer network, provided the work is done in accordance with the manufacturer's specification and genuine parts are used. It's misinformation like this that keeps the dealer servicing costs so high, because there's no effective competition if customers believe they have to use an official Fiat dealer for their servicing. Warranty work is of course different, and you will probably lose any chance of a goodwill out-of-warranty contribution from Fiat, but how often does that happen?!!

Personally, I'll carry on supporting a very good independent garage that actually does a thorough job, while charging me a solid wedge less than Fiat.

Postscript: I see that you are in Holland. The rules will be the same there - it's not a UK thing - because the competition laws involved derive from EU law (the EU Block Exemption rules). So that's another thing that the Great British Motoring Public have cause to be grateful to the EU for.

*ducks for cover*

Click to expand...

I challenge you to buy any new product,f.i. a car, have it serviced from day one by a non brand workshop, and claim something ( big....) under warranty at the manufacturer....:bang:

We just bought a brandnew Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 Turbo MultiAir, and the first two years it will be serviced at an official Alfa dealer, after that period, I'll do it myself, as always

OK all

I'm not a moderator but would suggest that we have come full circle on this one.

I'll summarise

a) If you want to go main dealer that is your choice and you are not daft or stupid
b) If you want to go independent that is your choice and you are not daft or stupid
c) Fiat UK will not care if you go a) or b) because their margins are in new car sales. Yes they have to be competitive with servicing/after sales but remember ONLY competitive with other manufacturer servicing costs not the independent.
D) If you are upset with Fiat Dealer servicing costs then complain to Fiat and ask for an all inclusive Service Plan for the first two/three years. If thousands of people do this then maybe it will happen and then the other manufacturers will have to follow as well (hopefully).

Finally if I were going independent whilst still under manufacturer's warranty it would make sense to ask the independent if as a part of their paid for service they would pursue and warranty claims as part of their service.

All just common sense to me.