Car Service and cost!

Carpi10

Hello,

I am in need of some advice, i bought a Vauxhall Insignia in September 2009 and have done 14,000 miles. I am now at my 2 year point and a service is due. I have just phoned Vauxhall and they are wanting £295! :eek:

I have also looked at Halfords and they are quoting £225.

Is there much difference between the work they do?

Any recommendations please?

Thanks

McKneff

You can take your car to any approved MOT garage, take it to one of the smaller independant garages and get it done for half the price.
My car has had 2 services from new and never at a 'biggie' my last service was around £150

Trebor16

It's worth trying a few Vauxhall dealers as the costs will vary. With a difference of £75 between Halfords and Vauxhall I would take it to Vauxhall every time.

Have you asked them exactly what they will be doing during the service? Are they changing engine oil and filter. air filter, spark plugs, pollen filters, fuel filters?

Trebor16

McKneff wrote: »

You can take your car to any approved MOT garage, take it to one of the smaller independant garages and get it done for half the price.
My car has had 2 services from new and never at a 'biggie' my last service was around £150

As long as the garage uses parts that are approved by the manufacturer (not comparable quality, they have to be manufacturer approved) and the proper service schedule is followed then an independent is another option.

Carpi10

Well it will be a Vauxhall Major Service, I am trying to find a list but having no luck at this time.

I have only done 14,000 miles, is a Major Service really needed!?

mikey72

If it's two years old, take it to a vauxhall garage.
Preserve the warranty, and goodwill.

McKneff

If you follow posts 2 and 4 the warranty is not affected.

Good will :rotfl::rotfl:

As long as they are charging well over what the independants are paying and you are willing to pay them of course they will keep smiling at you. Thats as far as the good will will go.

vikingaero

mikey72 wrote: »

If it's two years old, take it to a vauxhall garage.
Preserve the warranty, and goodwill.

Spot on. You can service the car elsewhere but will lose goodwill. Also on a newer car Halfords won't have access to any software updates and won't perform any (non-urgent) recall work.

oscarward

If you use a none franchised garage to service it will be cheaper.

But...

If you have a warranty claim which is slightly outside the 'norm' then the manufacturer will refuse.

e.g.

as I read the other day someone had a Jag Xf with engine failure but was over the service interval by 2k miles which effectivley invalidated the warranty. manufacturer covered it whereas if they had an independant service previously they wouldn't have. Saved £5k costs of new engine.

LandyAndy

I'm also with those who say use the franchised dealer in the warranty period. You've spent many thousands of pounds and you want to give the manufacturer a chance to dodge warranty issues for the sake of a hundred quid. Crazy.

oldagetraveller

"As long as they are charging well over what the independants are paying and you are willing to pay them of course they will keep smiling at you."
Toyota Yaris, 1st service. Local independents £164 and £152. Toyota main dealer £139. Guess where it went?
My daughter's Vx Meriva interim service, local independent £154, Vx main dealer £114.
It doesn't always pay to use an independent.
However, compare a few in your area both independent and franchised dealers.