Help in understanding recommended repairs for car

scheming_gypsy

mouche wrote: »

Thank you all. Looks like we've been ripped off with the 'service' (cost £179.99) and have narrowly escaped being ripped off for the repairs. I really, really appreciate your taking the time to reply.

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and they didn't even change a £20 fuel filter.

colino

Seriously, never set foot in that place again. Instead of analysing all of their recommendations (on a car that a trained chimp could cheaply maintain) my favourite is item 8. If core plugs are mild steel, they begin to rust the second they are manufactured, in fact the internal side may actually be in better condition because of the coolant. Most blatant attempt at generating unnecessary, over-priced work that I've seen in a long time (Unless you have a Mitsubishi Pick Up with a 5 year warranty).
Find yourself a local, recommended independent garage and have it reviewed properly.

closed

when was the mot done

do the wipers smear, and the front pads have 4mm left?

OddballJamie

Found this on the Ford site
http://www.ford.co.uk/OwnerServices/VehicleServiceandRepair/MotorcraftFourPlus/tabid=tab3

Gets interesting when you look at the quoted prices for repairs.

Name, shame and report this rogue main dealer.

AdrianC

mouche wrote: »

1. Front and rear wipers smeary
5. Belts & levels - cambelt overdue no record of change in svc book; must replace
9. Engine - fuel filter advise replace
10. Brake fluid - Sp Dot 4 - 198C>Less than 2% green
12. Brakes visual - Front pad 4mm remaining
13. Brakes visual - Front discs at 20mm min req 20mm
14. Brakes visual - rear clean and adjust as high handbrake travel

These are all perfectly normal routine maintenance.

6. Engine - advise change aux belt with cam belt
11. Coolant - Advise water pump change with cambelt

Not doing these at the same time as 5 would be a real short-cut. If the cambelt breaks, then the engine's scrap.

3. Transmission clutch bite high may possibly be slipping when hot and under load; advise new clutch and slave; this could be customer complaint of sluggish car

When you accelerate, does the engine sound as if it's revving but the car doesn't go quicker? If so, then this is definitely the cause.

7. Engine - reqs id code read for eml on intermittently

I really would expect fault codes as a matter of routine during a service, tbh. ESPECIALLY at a dealer.

8. Engine - core plugs in cylinder head rusty may start leaking soon

If the core plug fails, your engine will lose all the coolant - killing the engine.

4. A/c service

Again, routine - but kinda optional. If you're happy to lose the aircon, then it can certainly be skipped. Remember, aircon is _most_ useful in the UK through winter, as it demists windows very quickly. It also tends to fail if not used regularly.

2. Transmission n/s driveshaft oil seal weeping

Entirely possible. If you lose enough of the gearbox oil, then the gearbox will die.

I've deliberately removed the prices. Some of them are fairly unsurprising for a main dealer.

The wipers (1), you could do yourself for a tenner in about two minutes (I've never understood why people put up with shagged wiper blades...)

Others, otoh, are a bit of a michael-take. It almost looks as if they've taken the book time for doing a job alone, rather than combining it with one of the others. Yes, the clutch change (3) is a big job - but to change that gearbox seal (2) at the same time will cost a couple of quid and about a minute. It'd be daft to put the old aux belt (6) back on after doing the cambelt (5). Again, a few quid - and, literally, no extra work. Changing the water pump (11) at the same time as the belt is a basic precaution, and would maybe take an extra ten minutes. Whilst the front pads (12) aren't desperate quite yet, they're close - and if the discs (13) need doing anyway, they should be done as a pair.

The only other comment is to agree with everybody asking why on earth you're taking it to a franchise dealer? Labour prices are FAR higher than a reputable local garage, parts prices are likely to be higher, and for a job like this on a car like yours, you'll get the most junior member of service staff.

jbainbridge

I'd consider getting the front pads done at some point. A local indy should do that for ~£80. The disk minimum is for fresh pads so the disks may not need replacing. That said disks and pads should be about £180.

Not sure what the cam belt interval is. I'd expect the cost for that to be no more than £350 with the water pump.

Never go back to them again!

Ebe_Scrooge

These prices sound plain ridiculous. £130 for front brake pads ????? You'll be looking at around the £30 mark from Halfords, who aren't renowned for being cheap, probably a lot less from a local factor. A dead easy DIY job, or no more than 1/2 an hour's labour for a professional. They seriously are taking the wotsit !!

forgotmyname

Get the cambelt done ASAP... Worry about the rest later.

Get some wiperblades yourself.. wiperblades.co.uk or their ebay shop, You can get post flat ones for a fraction of the ford prices and easy peasy to fit.

£57 to read the fault codes? takes less than 5 minutes and you can buy your own reader for under £20.

Dexternkk

Well as described, some of those would have been aspect of a conventional support But you did not pay for a conventional, support Oil, plugs and air filter modify and little else.

spacey2012

Looks like they spotted what they thought was a mug.