Car service cost

edde

fred246 wrote: »

As I say ludicrous hourly rate. £80 of adblue that would really be taking the pee (that's a joke by the way). Google it if you don't understand. Should never be more than £10. Halfords charge £20 inc labour.

I pay roughly £30 minor service £50 major service £50 cambelt. That's doing it myself. If people pay silly prices in some ways it just makes me feel better that I don't. I always have the re-assurance that the job has actually been done.

Our employer used to charge employees for car parking. I never paid as I cycled to work. Whenever they put the price up I felt sorry for everyone who paid it but it made me happier that I was saving more.

DIY is the best value and best way to service the car but labour rates at garages both small and large don't make the profits that people think they do.

SandraX

edde wrote: »

DIY is the best value and best way to service the car but labour rates at garages both small and large don't make the profits that people think they do.

Not 100% cert by the local MB garage is 190 aacording to hubby, this incs vat I think.

It was 180 a few years ago and that I'm certain of as I recall the MB telling us as we piad for our invoice.

Farmer_Johnson

fred246 wrote: »

Someone comes to my address. They see a garage full of tools and meet a very knowledgeable person. There are loads of receipts which bear my address and the registration number of the car for sale. I show them an MOT record of pass after pass with no advisories. What is there not to like? First person to see will buy.

That’s possibly true, but lots of people, such as me, would not get as far as seeing it as it has no official service history.

When I come to sell on, do do you think that the next buyer will take my word for it that the previous seller knew their stuff?

fred246

Farmer_Johnson wrote: »

That’s possibly true, but lots of people, such as me, would not get as far as seeing it as it has no official service history.

When I come to sell on, do do you think that the next buyer will take my word for it that the previous seller knew their stuff?

It's up to you what you regard as 'official history'. I can always buy a stamp off ebay and stamp the book if that makes it 'official'. I don't actually believe there is any way of knowing if a car has actually been serviced. Most people seem to make the mistake of thinking that if a garage stamps the book that it has been serviced. It only means the book has been stamped.

I don't think dealers are that bothered because they will always find a buyer who will accept that the service history will be sent in the post etc Buyers would rather have a car that works because it has actually been serviced than a car that doesn't work even though it has a service history full of stamps where the owner thought it had been serviced but nothing had actually been done.

dont_use_vistaprint

fred246 wrote: »

It's up to you what you regard as 'official history'. I can always buy a stamp off ebay and stamp the book if that makes it 'official'. I don't actually believe there is any way of knowing if a car has actually been serviced. Most people seem to make the mistake of thinking that if a garage stamps the book that it has been serviced. It only means the book has been stamped.

That's quite outdated now. Most service history is electronic and a serious buyer would look at stamps if available but the real evidence is the receipts and the story they tell, much harder to fake. Receipts showing service and repairs show you accurately both how a car has been looked after , but also what known issues have already been dealt with like CAM belt, clutch, handbrake etc. The also help understand when the miles were done, by who and what type of miles. Servicing at a local independent is fine if a car is being looked after, within a warranty its not usually done, but unless its repairs or you need to action a warranty (rare) its not really a big issue. All that really matters is how the car is being looked after.

I can pretty accurately tell the state of a car body, and wear on the gear stick and pedals by looking at service history receipts ! And I would spot a fake stamp a mile away. I would know even before you you showed it me by your body language and what you were saying. Good servicing = good drivers and reduces depreciation. For each one of your Ebay stamps deduct £1000 in value