Have i been done?

[Lukas]

Ive just had a service on my 1.8 HLX, which was a little pricey, but im not sure if ive been done or if things are just more expensive these days...

4 spark plugs £50
Cambelt kit £95
Labour £40 per hour

These were the three things that stood out on the receipt. Prices exclude VAT. This was at a Fiat specialist not a main dealer.

Can anyone comment?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Cambelt 'kit' - consisting of belt tensioners and aux belt can be bought online, inc vat + del. for 100

Spark plugs - im sure that when I got mine they were under 30 inc del. from ebay. not sure though

labour is about average

 

[Anonymous]

ok thanks. Not too bad then. After all the talk about cambelts its a bit of an anticlimax having it done - car sounds/runs/feels just the same as this morning. Good to have the piece of mind now though i suppose.

 

[julian]

plugs sound expensive , what make did they fit ?

 

[Anonymous]

not sure, i'll have a look. They did seem a bit pricey but even if theyd been half that it wouldnt have made much difference to the bottom line.

 

[julian]

worth checking , standard plugs at a motor factor should be about £3 each plus vat , even denso iridiums should only cost approx £10 to £12 each ! , £50 plus vat sounds rather steep !

 

[BGR]

How much were the plugs - bloody hell!

I think that £40 per hour is savage from a none-franchise. I wouldn't pay it.

 

[Lukas]

It was a case of finding a local non-franchised fiat specialist to do the cambelt. Now thats out of the way i dont think i'll be going back there again.
Apart from this afternoon that is - to get the rear wiper blade housing replaced which they broke during the MoT.

 

[Buzz]

dude, what was the total you paid?

was it a COMPLETE service (all the filters and fluids, coolant, fuel filter etc) or just a normal oil, oil filter sparks etc that you had done?

Buzz (formerly LightWarrior)
The champion of the Bravo 1.4
Owner of the Bravo 1.8
Member Page

 

[Anonymous]

Just a normal service, but the car was also in for cambelt change and Mot. Total price about £550, but that did include a few brake pipes that needed changing. I know from past experience that they can bump up the labour cost if theyre tricky to get to.
I dont think ive been robbed blind or anything, just wasnt quite the cheap and cheerful service i was expecting from an independant. Having to go back about the wiper's pissed me off a bit too!
A good garage really is hard to find... my family has rejected our local little garage after they didnt close my sisters bonnet properly after a service. It flipped up on the way home and smashed her windscreen!

 

[Buzz]

I'm goin for a service and timing belt change next month. £200. brake pipes are about a tenner and fitting an hour. so i cant see why it was £550 ?

Buzz (formerly LightWarrior)
The champion of the Bravo 1.4
Owner of the Bravo 1.8
Member Page

 

[BGR]

£550 - that is ridiculous!

Get an itemised bill!

 

[Ash]

£13 spark plugs
£45 Cambelt kit

2-3hours labour

then
£14 brake pipes

1hours labour

oil and filter £25
air filter £5
1 hours labour

so that equals £262 and thats being generous on the labour!

you have been had basically

just say trading standards and they will soon revise the invoice


Im Driven to Earn, and I Earn to Drive......

 

[Buzz]

thats about what i'd have expected. £200 for service inc cambelt, and then the extra for the brake pipes. I'd go have a word. dont let them talk you out of it, what they'll say will sound reasonable at the time, but its just talk.... be strong, because if you come away without a satisfactory conclusion, you'll probably be too embarrased to go back AGAIN... i've been there, and learned that lesson once already...

Buzz (formerly LightWarrior)
The champion of the Bravo 1.4
Owner of the Bravo 1.8
Member Page

 

[Lukas]

Ok thanks for the replies guys. I just want to be sure what im talking about when i go see them. I havent been able to find a price for the cambelt kit on the internet. The first person to reply to this thread reckoned about £100, you think more like £50 Ash? Do you know where i could call to get a definate price for the cambelt kit?
As for the spark plugs... yeah £50 is rediculous. Im gonna ask whats going on there.
Thanks again for the info.

 

[BGR]

If it's any consolation, I got a cambelt and tensioner change, plus a full service on a 155 HGT for £625 all in (admittedly, no brake pipes), so it begs the question of how they arrived at thaat figure.

My wife recently bought a 145 Cloverleaf and we has a few problems with it, which were quickly done under a warranty claim.

To cut a long story short, it had an oil and filter change (Magmatec) for £25 and it got fully serviced last week by an independant "specialist" for £160, again, no cambelt (already done), so I cant see how you've been handed a bill like that.

Like our learned friend says, go back to them, dont be aggressive, but be very firm and tell them that you're not happy with this price and want justification as to where the £ has been arrivd at. If you dont get satisfaction, mention the Trading Standars and/or local rag. Happened to me once and they admitted "making a mistake".

It's also a good idea to NAME AND SHAME.

I do.

Veg Rardy wanted £125 to change the oil and filter!!!!! Quickfit did it for £25, so why the £100 difference?

 

[Lukas]

The garage didnt move an inch when i asked about the cost of the spark plugs, even when i mentioned that i checked with another garage on the way across and they wanted £19.50 for 4 plugs incl.vat.

So if you live near york you might want to think twice about using Alwyn Kershaws, unless you think almost £50 /hour labour and 60 quid for 4 plugs is reasonable. This annoys me because i know a few others on the forum seem happy with Kershaws, but in my case i think the figures speak for themselves.