Aygo MMT 'advisories'

LadyDee

Hi, when I had my 2010 Aygo service and MOT a couple of weeks ago by Toyota everything was fine and it passed, but I was advised it would be a good idea to have the gearbox recalibrated, air con serviced, brake fluid change and transmission oil service. They quoted me a total of £210 plus VAT.

I really can't afford this at the moment. I know I could ring around for quotes but are these things (especially the recalibration) best carried out by Toyota or would I be OK going to a garage that a friend has recommended?

twhitehousescat

but I was advised it would be a good idea to have the gearbox recalibrated, air con serviced, brake fluid change and transmission oil service.

non of those items are mot points merely "upsells" from the workshop

where they marked as adviseries on the MOT?

martinthebandit

For a 7 year old car?

You should never be paying main dealer prices.

Take it to the garage your friend recommended and ask them their advice before committing to anything.

LadyDee

twhitehousescat wrote: »

but I was advised it would be a good idea to have the gearbox recalibrated, air con serviced, brake fluid change and transmission oil service.

non of those items are mot points merely "upsells" from the workshop

where they marked as adviseries on the MOT?

No there was nothing on the MOT report - just on the Visual Safety Report Estimate.

I'm keen to keep the car as well looked after as possible as I need to sell it early next year, and thought it would be a good selling point to show that these things had all been done. I've only done 15,250 miles and will be hoping to get as good a price as I can.

BeenThroughItAll

LadyDee wrote: »

No there was nothing on the MOT report - just on the Visual Safety Report Estimate.

I'm keen to keep the car as well looked after as possible as I need to sell it early next year, and thought it would be a good selling point to show that these things had all been done. I've only done 15,250 miles and will be hoping to get as good a price as I can.

'Visual Safety Report Estimate'. Well, there's a thing. None of the things you've mentioned have any bearing on safety; so it's just scaremongering language to upsell services you probably don't need.

When you come to sell your (then) 8 year old Aygo, whether the stamps in the book are from a main dealer or an independent isn't likely to be a showstopper or indeed reduce the value hugely.

For a start, AC shouldn't need 'servicing', as long as it's used regularly. If it works, then leave it alone.

Same story with the gearbox. Is it broken? Have you noticed a problem? If not, then leave it alone.

Changing the gearbox oil might be recommended based on its age, but realistically with <30K miles on, I'd leave it alone unless, again, you've noticed something wrong.

AdrianC

There's certainly no reason why any of it should be dealer-only. But, equally, it should all be part of a proper maintenance schedule.

Do you know when the brake fluid was last changed? It should be done every two years or so. If it's the original, you're starting to head towards bills to replace a chunk of the brake hydraulics through water damage.

The transmission fluid change would also be advisable if you have no idea when it was last done. A lot of modern boxes are billed as "sealed for life" - a life which is a lot shorter than it would be if fluids were changed regularly...

The transmission "recalibration" - are there problems with the shifting?
The aircon service - does it work? Do you use it regularly throughout the year? Are there smells from it?

15,000 miles from new on a 7yo car. Poor thing. Has it ever been used properly?

LadyDee

Thanks everybody - I'll cross off air con as it does appear to work OK (I actually run it most of time).

I will have the brake fluid done though.

I've just noticed that they did actually did do the transmission oil service as I'd authorised work up to £50, I have felt a bit of reluctance to shift up a gear now and again so maybe that'll smooth things along a bit, or perhaps that's where the "calibration" comes in? Even though I've mainly driven automatic cars I've never heard of calibration - is that due to the type of gearbox the Aygo has?

Oh, and I know it would benefit from a few long journeys - anticipating doing a couple in the summer :-)

AdrianC

LadyDee wrote: »

I have felt a bit of reluctance to shift up a gear now and again so maybe that'll smooth things along a bit, or perhaps that's where the "calibration" comes in? Even though I've mainly driven automatic cars I've never heard of calibration - is that due to the type of gearbox the Aygo has?

Yes. MMT means "multi-mode manual transmission". It's actually a manual gearbox controlled by computer, rather than what's usually meant by "automatic". It might be simply driving style - if you ease off the throttle when it changes, as you would in a manual, you'll find it smoother. But "recalibrating" simply means taking the computer back to the factory settings, and letting it re-learn your driving style.

DoaM

I presumed MMT in the thread title was a typo and was intended to be MOT <shrug>

Strider590

martinthebandit wrote: »

For a 7 year old car?

You should never be paying main dealer prices.

Take it to the garage your friend recommended and ask them their advice before committing to anything.

I'd echo this, taking old cars to main dealers is not such a good idea.

The technicians work on brand new cars all day long, nice easy work, no seized screws/nuts/bolts, do you expect them to give any respect to a 7 year old car?
You'll be lucky if they even bother to put it up on ramps.

I'm not having a pop at the technicians either, it's the management that are the problem (they're always from a sales background, not technical), with unreasonable job times, that are based on one man doing a job on a brand new car, without any hiccups or delays, with all tools in the right place and working as fast as he is physically able.

gilbert_and_sullivan

As above i would get the brake fluid and gearbox oil changed, both are sensible preventative maintenance items.

Gearbox shouldn't need any updates unless you are experiencing any gearchange problems.

A good competent indy mechanic (not a fast fit joint) should give you change from £100 for these two jobs, and worth getting that mechanic to clean and lube up ''properly'' the front brakes whilst he's there, the rears are drums and should be as new at that mileage.