Advice on engine malfunction

System

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Diagnostic check on my car by main dealer (Chrysler/Jeep) in Germany... 30 Euro

Diagnostic checks are a rip off in this country.

It has happened due to an increase in the number of people who would go to a main dealer for a diagnosis which was usually done without any charge and then go elsewhere to get it fixed or do it themselves. As a result dealers and many other garages now charge an hour labour for diagnostic work they would have once done for free.

mrmechanic

Tarambor wrote: »

It has happened due to an increase in the number of people who would go to a main dealer for a diagnosis which was usually done without any charge and then go elsewhere to get it fixed or do it themselves. As a result dealers and many other garages now charge an hour labour for diagnostic work they would have once done for free.

And you also have to take into account the cost of the diagnostic gear, most individual scan tools will cost thousands of pounds each and most garages will have around 5 or 6 to be able to cover the majority of vehicles they will see.
Then add in the yearly updates per tool costing between £500 to around £800 each in order for them to be able to handle the various systems in modern cars.
This is all before the garages invest in the technical data to be able to understand and diagnose the faults, also payable on a yearly basis, (up to £1000), then the extra training to be able to keep up and understand changing technology,also costing hundreds yearly.

Then we have the " Diagnostic checks are a rip off in this country."

Guess it is easiest buying £15 reader of ebay and saving a fortune by doing yourself.

Or going to Germany for a 30 euro check.

Gloomendoom

mrmechanic wrote: »

And you also have to take into account the cost of the diagnostic gear, most individual scan tools will cost thousands of pounds each and most garages will have around 5 or 6 to be able to cover the majority of vehicles they will see.

Ramps aren't cheap and most decent garages have more than one. I've yet to see a garage charge extra when they are used.

Diagnostic gear and the training to use it is an overhead, just like ramps, spanners, rent, rates, wages and other staff training etc. I'm not for a minute suggesting that it should be done for free. It should be charged for pro rata at the going hourly labour rate.

david_a

Battery’s on cars with Stop/Start are twice the price of conventional ones.

Iceweasel

david_a wrote: »

Battery’s on cars with Stop/Start are twice the price of conventional ones.

and .....?

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

david_a wrote: »

Battery’s on cars with Stop/Start are twice the price of conventional ones.

Hmm. Always had a high capacity battery on a Merc due to all the gizmos - e.g running heating for 40 minutes on residual heat. Stop start version on newer Merc about £100 which I doubt is twice as much as a battery for a non-stop start version. I think the only difference was a 20% increase in starting capacity (can't remember which magic number that was).

thescouselander

I'd definitely kick up a fuss about this. Yes the main dealer is expensive but in return you'd expect the best diagnostic kit and we'll trained expert mechanics. It's not on to be guessing what the fault is and then changing all sorts of parts at the customers expense until they hit the jackpot.

Might be best to raise a complaint with the Ford's head office.

facade

IanMSpencer wrote: »

Hmm. Always had a high capacity battery on a Merc due to all the gizmos - e.g running heating for 40 minutes on residual heat. Stop start version on newer Merc about £100 which I doubt is twice as much as a battery for a non-stop start version. I think the only difference was a 20% increase in starting capacity (can't remember which magic number that was).

A genuine stop-start battery is designed to be discharged down to 50% capacity a couple of hundred times. They are really heavy compared to a standard starter duty battery, as they are made with lead plates, rather than whatever thin cheap alloy they get away with in standard ones .
So they cost about £200 if you want a make you have heard of.

A standard duty starter battery will fail in a couple of month tops in a stop-start scenario.

brek01

Useful info, which I can verify, lol, battery in my 58 1 series had failed, so I stuck a new one in 10% down in amp hours and not for stop start cars (I got it free as warranty replacement from previous car), it has completely failed, although not in two months, I think I got a year out of it. So stop start batteries sound like they are made the same way as leisure batteries. So I shall now buy a proper battery. As for the OP, you got burned my friend, this standard of incompetence is all to common at main dealers, the art of diagnosis is dead, stick on the machine and do what it thinks is best. I used a multi meter to verify that one, my alternator is not the culprit, and you, my friend have helped me diagnose that the battery is, which I was at a loss for to be honest. Result! I came here as I also verified my MAF is shot. I googled !!!!!! are maf sensors so expensive if any one can explain I would apprciate the info.

Mercdriver

Perhaps the solution is that the dealer credits the account of the customer for the diagnosis check if the work is done at the dealership.