Expensive quote for car repairs

steveeeee

Hi all,

quick question re my wife's car service quote that she just had. She drives a 2001 VW Polo Match 1.4 and gets it serviced at Martins VW just North of Basingstoke. She knows they're expensive but she gets more peace of mind getting it done at a 'proper garage' :rolleyes:. Thing is, they've just quoted her the following:

Service - £260
New exhaust silencer - £150
Brake fluid - £65
Cam belt - £260

We've got a baby on the way and £750 is a lot of money to drop on the car just like that! :eek:

The service is already done, so we have to pay for that. Brake fluid and cam belt are on the service schedule and we can get away with not getting those done there while we shop around. There's an ATS near where I work (in Leatherhead) who told me to ignore what the service schedule said as far as the brake fluid is concerned and that it doesn't need changing unless it's degraded to the point that it's boiling too early and causing problems with braking. ATS quoted me about £40 for a fluid change and said they would test it first to be sure it actually needed doing. They also quoted me approx £120 to replace the silencer.

And there's another place a bit further up the road (Key Drive) who've quoted me £140 all in for the cam belt change.

The silencer is definitely gone as it's been sounding awful for a while, but I'm sure £150 is too expensive. They say it's failed the MOT though, so I guess we're stuck with that.

So, 2 questions:

1) Am I right in thinking that we wouldn't be allowed to drive the car at all until it's passed the MOT?

2) Anyone got any recommendations of good but cheap workshops in/around Basingstoke or Leatherhead?

TIA for any advice!

dook_2

You can drive the car to a place where you are having it repaired if it's just failed the MOT. That's as far as my knowledge goes I'm afraid!

epz_2

ill have to ask my mate how much he spent but he changed his exhaust by going to a scrappy and diying it, reconed it is only something like 3 bolts and a drop of sealant.

brakefluid also seems a bit much as halfords sell topups for £10 odds and you are probably only looking at unscrewing a cap to pour it in.

cambelt will be important, dont so it and they could snap and blow your engine.

service cost also seems a bit much but depends on what they are doing, if its just an oil plugs and filter change then you are probably looking about about £60 in parts maybie £10 for a strap rench and bingo.

in my experiance most garages arnt up to much, the tend to cut corners and bodge jobs. generaly they dont take the time and care i would if i were doing the job so i only let them do stuff on that needs lifting gear or a pit.

Poppy9

Try independent tyre companies for the exhaust. Local ones to me charge a fraction of the price of the big companies. Also cheaper for car batteries too.

steveeeee

Thanks for all your replies!

We've had the exhaust done at the stealership (heard that term on another forum recently and it's very appropriate!) as the price difference wasn't that much on the quotes I had. I'm doing a bit more shopping around and will get the cam belt done and the brakes checked somewhere independent.

As it happens, I bumped into my neighbour yesterday and he mentioned that he knows another parent at the local primary school who specialises in VW and Audi work, and who's in the process of starting up a local workshop. Which is interesting as there's already a Martins VW & Audi over on the A30 (where my wife goes) and a shiny new Audi dealership opened up just down the road from here. Could turn out to be quite handy, though.

plane_boy2000

Letting the dealer do the exhaust was the right thing at that price difference. They will have used a genuine one which will last longer, and be a better fit. I have used tyre and exhaust places before for exhausts, and the third party pattern parts they use are sometimes not very good at all and designed to fit loads of models. Some only last 12 months before they rot through - I guess VW will have given some warranty on their work.

Cam belt being done is really worth while as if it fails then it will be expensive. VW do not have a good reputation when it comes to premature failure.

Re brake fluid - yes get it done. As it ages it gathers water which can make it boil at high temperatures, and then in turn be less effective. Its in the service schedule for a reason!!! Where anything safety critical is concerned you cant take chances where your loved ones are concerned.

steveeeee

Quick update: We ended up waiting for our local guy to get his new workshop up and running and got the cam belt and brake fluid done by him. He collected the car first thing, and while he had the belt off he also replaced the water pump, then dropped the car off during the afternoon. Total cost: £180. Winner!

mr_accountant

just shows main stealers are a rip off, find a good indy as you did.

vw dealers seem to have a very bad reputation too

greyteam1959

Stealerships are now charging upwards of £80 / £90 per hour for labour.
Local garages will be charging around £30 / £40 per hour
So thats where most of the difference in pricing will be.
Who do you think pays for that fancy chrome and smoked glass stealership and all those good looking birds on reception ????
Yep thats right you do !!!!!!!!!

steveeeee

mervyn11 wrote: »

Who do you think pays for ... all those good looking birds on reception ????
Yep thats right you do !!!!!!!!!

Well, some things are worth paying for :rotfl:

But yeah, when I mentioned the quote I'd had to the guys I work with, one of them told me of a time when he was driving a Golf and needed something or other replaced. He asked for a price for just the parts from a VW dealership and thought it was too expensive. He then got a quote from a Seat dealership and it was lower. For the exact same parts! Would probably have been even cheaper if he had a local Skoda dealership as well!