I just done a check on Menu Pricing and we come up at £223.90 inc Vat. So its about right when you add on their loan car + fuel treatment.

Personally I wouldnt pay £20 for a fuel treatment thats probably worth £5 to buy yourself

brake fluid change?! what have you been doing to need that?

Chris - cheers for that. Price is about right then, but chuff me it's a bit steep!

Jai - Driving it! Apparently Fiat say change the brake fluid every two years, so as mine is at 24,000 miles.... kerching!

Skyhook said:

Chris - cheers for that. Price is about right then, but chuff me it's a bit steep!

Jai - Driving it! Apparently Fiat say change the brake fluid every two years, so as mine is at 24,000 miles.... kerching!

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Yeah, same as in the 500 service schedule.

Jai said:

brake fluid change?! what have you been doing to need that?

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Isnt this meant to be done every two years.

One upside of doing low miles, i can get away with a low mileage service, 2nd year service was £150.

paul100hp said:

Isnt this meant to be done every two years.

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Yes, the reason being the fluid will absorb water over time. I wouldn't have thought the rate at which this happens changes much whether you drive the car or not.

I am positive that if you have your car serviced at another garage you wont be breaking any agreement and wont lose your guarantee. Thats as long as the garage you pick uses Fiat approved parts for the work. There was another post on here about it not long ago, its something to do with European law.

Has you car really done the miles to need a 'full' service? If not maybe a low mileage or oil change service will be sufficient?

All manufacturers seem to recommend a brake fluid change nowadays. 2 years is a bit excessive IMO, just think how often you changed the fluid on cars 10 years ago (when they had worse braking systems). This is nothing to do with ABS before anyone comments. IMO every 3-4 years should be sufficient (or if the brakes feel spongy - not a common Panda problem!).

I wouldn't bother with the fuel cleaner stuff, especially at that mileage. Also unless you're doing lots of short trips then you probably won't ever need a fuel additive.

I thought the break fluid change was part of the 2nd service anyway, so should be done to maintain the warranty etc? If the brake fluid isn't included in the £280 and it's supposed to be done (I haven't got my handbook here) then I would wonder what else they are missing from the service.

The brake fluid on my last car (11 years old) was exactly the same and needed changing every two years. My driving history doesn't go much before that though so I can't say much about the really old cars. Water is the real problem though, as well as spongy brakes, it can cause brake parts to corrode which can lead to sudden failure.

The need for frequent changes of brake fluid is, in part, related to ABS.
Brake fluid is hygroscopic, it attracts water from the atmosphere. As mentioned earlier in this thread, the presence of water in the brake fluid encourages corrosion of the brake system. ABS components are particularly susceptible to damage through this corrosion. Car manufacturers have become much more concerned about specifying renewal of brake fluid on a regular basis. The cost is relatively modest and it is both safety related and a way of preventing very expensive ABS failure in the future.
In addition, water in the brake fluid boils under heavy braking, becomes compressible and the brakes fail. I still remember, back in the late 70's, losing my brakes in a Triumph Herald on a long descent down a Welsh mountain, as a result of old brake fluid. An experience never forgotten that has left me a keen exponent of regular changes of brake fluid.
Having said that, brake fluid should be changed at time intervals rather than mileage intervals and in this case, 15 months was way too early. This car, if it keeps up its present mileage, will be back in for service in another 7-8 months and the brake fluid could have been changed at that point.

Cheers Doc, good explaination.

I had assumed fluid 'life' was based on mileage/use not time, so I think I'll decline the fluid change, especially as the maintenance schedule shown here - https://www.fiatforum.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=5192&ppuser=5972 says 36k miles or every two years.

Must admit though, the pedal has felt a bit long/soft recently - how long do the pads last in peoples experience?

Front brake pad life depends on driving style/conditions and the particular model of Panda.
My previous 4x4 Climbing needed new front pads and discs at 24,000 miles. I drove it hard on a lot of minor roads with lots of braking and also did some off road driving in very abrasive sandy water and mud. In addition, it was a relatively heavy version of the Panda.
My daughter has a relatively light 1.1 Active which she drives very carefully and with many motorway miles. After 36,500 miles the front pads are only half worn and the discs well within the specified wear limit.
I think these two examples give you the extremes of front brake use and wear.

Several comments here

Brake fluid - changing it is quick and not too expensive, and really should be done every two years, certainly must be done after three. Not changing it could lead to a much more expensive bill if the brakes don't work as they should.

Brake pads: my 4x4 also seems to do about 24k between changes on the front pads, and has needed the discs doing each time. Rears, also disc on 4x4 (and 100HP) have just had pads changed (second time since new) at 66k and rear discs themselves are still OK.

Disc brakes are in effect self adjusting, taking up the wear in the pads by not retracting the piston so far) so unless they have completely worn out, the pedal shouldn't feel any different as they wear. However, worn discs can lead to 'springiness' if they worn too thin. Not at your mileage though...

What do they 'leave out' on the low mileage' service to be able to charge less? 24k service changes oil and filter, spark plugs and a check and adjust if necessary of valve clearances. The rest is all 'visual inspections'. The service record book shows the time this should take, from which you can work out the hourly rate the garage plans to charge. Watford dealer comes in at over £100 per hour: I believe that to be a lot. You are free, under the terms of an EU ruling, to use any garage you like (I think they have to be VAT registered, which is make sure its a 'proper' business). You also don't have to use 'genuine' Fiat parts -- merely parts that meet the manufacturer's original spec. Fiat don't, for example, make their own spark plugs, brake pads or oil filters, so you can use these from anywhere as long as they meet the 'OEM' specs. And similarly the oil, so long as it meets the spec, it doesn't have to be the (very expensive) Selina oil (that Fiat do make, or at least a company they own does)

Don't get me wrong: dealers are good and have to earn their living. But choosing to use them is a bit like choosing a private dentist over an NHS one -- not necessarily any 'better', but maybe using newer tools and a high street location with cleaner environment, a nice reception area, and a courtesy car too. And as a result, higher cost overheads than a 'back street' workshop that they need to recover... from you.

recent eu laws mean that manufacturers warranty are no longer void if you service your car at another garage fiat approved or not.

although i beleive you do have to take it to a fiat garage for warranty repairs