Does my car really need a service?

BOWFER

Deleted_User said:

BOWFER said:

seatbeltnoob said:

why do people buy cars brand new but they can't afford a £300 annual service.

I don't think it's about that, really.
it's about not spending unnecessarily, and it's certainly annoying to be faced with manufacturers who stick with fixed yearly services when the likes of Covid may mean you've done very few miles since the last one.
People berate the likes of BMW as expensive, but their variable servicing can work in your favour.
I had one BMW for nearly three years and it only needed one service at a very reasonable price.
Our Evoque also doesn't need a service until 2 years or 20000 miles from new.

That could explain why they have such a terrible reliability record?

Are you aware of the specific issues the Evoque gets criticised for?
Most are non-mechanical, so the answer to your question is no.

born_again

BOWFER said:

Bigwheels1111 said:

I was lucky I had taken out a 5 year service plan in 2016 for £13.42 a month, £805.20 in total.

I had a long chat with a local independent garage, highly respected and he gets warranty work farmed out from the local BMW dealer.
He's totally against prepaid service plans, saying the dealers basically ignore cars on these in favour of cars that are paying now.
They've had your money, it's gone, they're not interested any more.

Maybe it's a BMW thing...
Of course he will be... As independent he won't be getting work from anyone with a service plan.

Mine is manufacture based, so dealer claims from them for the service. I know it get done just the same as any other paid for service.

Ibrahim5

Dealers are desperate for people to keep taking new cars for them to maintain the "Full Dealer Service History". So they use tactics such as saying only they have the expertise etc etc. They want people to come in, pay the extortionate fee and get the main dealer stamp or it's electronic equivalent. They don't seem to have any incentive to actually do the service. Only dealers can do warranty repairs which they are paid to do. If they service the cars well they should get less warranty repairs so it's not in their interest to service them well. Everyone has a smartphone these days. You should always take a close up photo of the dipstick with the engine stone cold to compare before and after a service. If they look exactly the same go and complain. You will be told that they have changed the oil but they will 'repeat' the change for you. Afterwards you will see a difference. That's only for people worried about the long term future of the car. Of course those who aren't will just get the all important stamp. Always gets me how independents can suddenly service cars once they are 4 years or older. However old a car is the drain plug is on the bottom of the engine and the oil filler cap on the top!

Tokmon

Ibrahim5 said:

Dealers are desperate for people to keep taking new cars for them to maintain the "Full Dealer Service History". So they use tactics such as saying only they have the expertise etc etc. They want people to come in, pay the extortionate fee and get the main dealer stamp or it's electronic equivalent. They don't seem to have any incentive to actually do the service. Only dealers can do warranty repairs which they are paid to do. If they service the cars well they should get less warranty repairs so it's not in their interest to service them well. Everyone has a smartphone these days. You should always take a close up photo of the dipstick with the engine stone cold to compare before and after a service. If they look exactly the same go and complain. You will be told that they have changed the oil but they will 'repeat' the change for you. Afterwards you will see a difference. That's only for people worried about the long term future of the car. Of course those who aren't will just get the all important stamp. Always gets me how independents can suddenly service cars once they are 4 years or older. However old a car is the drain plug is on the bottom of the engine and the oil filler cap on the top!

The incentive to do the service is that they are being paid to do the job and it's fraudulent to not do it. People seem to think there is some widespread conspiracy where dealers don't service cars when paid to do it but if that was the case the manufacturers would come down hard on them as they don't want their cars to be unreliable and have to pay out for warranty repairs. 

Also before someone else mentions it; some cars the drain plug isn't on the bottom of the engine as it doesn't have one at all! 

BOWFER

Tokmon said:

The incentive to do the service is that they are being paid to do the job and it's fraudulent to not do it. People seem to think there is some widespread conspiracy where dealers don't service cars when paid to do it but if that was the case the manufacturers would come down hard on them as they don't want their cars to be unreliable and have to pay out for warranty repairs. 

Also before someone else mentions it; some cars the drain plug isn't on the bottom of the engine as it doesn't have one at all! 

There's plenty of stories out there showing services blatantly aren't done.
I've given one and it confirms my suspicions about pre-paid service plans, I'm convinced garages will absolutely push a pre-paid car to one side in favour of someone paying at the time and/or spend less time on it.
I've also heard of dashcam evidence where cars aren't touched until you hear the doors opening and a hoover being applied.
Funnily enough, they're usually main dealer stories.

ontheroad1970

BOWFER said:

Tokmon said:

The incentive to do the service is that they are being paid to do the job and it's fraudulent to not do it. People seem to think there is some widespread conspiracy where dealers don't service cars when paid to do it but if that was the case the manufacturers would come down hard on them as they don't want their cars to be unreliable and have to pay out for warranty repairs. 

Also before someone else mentions it; some cars the drain plug isn't on the bottom of the engine as it doesn't have one at all! 

There's plenty of stories out there showing services blatantly aren't done.
I've given one and it confirms my suspicions about pre-paid service plans, I'm convinced garages will absolutely push a pre-paid car to one side in favour of someone paying at the time and/or spend less time on it.
I've also heard of dashcam evidence where cars aren't touched until you hear the doors opening and a hoover being applied.
Funnily enough, they're usually main dealer stories.

Are you and Fred one and the same I wonder.  Just because there are reports of fraud doesn't mean that they are all up to it.  It's the same as saying all politicians are crooked.  They aren't.  It's an assumption that gives power to the crooked not any other way

BOWFER

ontheroad1970 said:

BOWFER said:

Tokmon said:

The incentive to do the service is that they are being paid to do the job and it's fraudulent to not do it. People seem to think there is some widespread conspiracy where dealers don't service cars when paid to do it but if that was the case the manufacturers would come down hard on them as they don't want their cars to be unreliable and have to pay out for warranty repairs. 

Also before someone else mentions it; some cars the drain plug isn't on the bottom of the engine as it doesn't have one at all! 

There's plenty of stories out there showing services blatantly aren't done.
I've given one and it confirms my suspicions about pre-paid service plans, I'm convinced garages will absolutely push a pre-paid car to one side in favour of someone paying at the time and/or spend less time on it.
I've also heard of dashcam evidence where cars aren't touched until you hear the doors opening and a hoover being applied.
Funnily enough, they're usually main dealer stories.

Are you and Fred one and the same I wonder.  Just because there are reports of fraud doesn't mean that they are all up to it.  It's the same as saying all politicians are crooked.  They aren't.  It's an assumption that gives power to the crooked not any other way

Haha, no.
I'm just very cynical about any pre-paid offers and the actual service received.
I'm cynical of pre-paid service plans, convinced your car (at best) gets a second rate/rushed service.
Just as cynical about restaurants taking vouchers etc. convinced you're getting a second rate meal.

peter3hg

BOWFER said:

ontheroad1970 said:

BOWFER said:

Tokmon said:

The incentive to do the service is that they are being paid to do the job and it's fraudulent to not do it. People seem to think there is some widespread conspiracy where dealers don't service cars when paid to do it but if that was the case the manufacturers would come down hard on them as they don't want their cars to be unreliable and have to pay out for warranty repairs. 

Also before someone else mentions it; some cars the drain plug isn't on the bottom of the engine as it doesn't have one at all! 

There's plenty of stories out there showing services blatantly aren't done.
I've given one and it confirms my suspicions about pre-paid service plans, I'm convinced garages will absolutely push a pre-paid car to one side in favour of someone paying at the time and/or spend less time on it.
I've also heard of dashcam evidence where cars aren't touched until you hear the doors opening and a hoover being applied.
Funnily enough, they're usually main dealer stories.

Are you and Fred one and the same I wonder.  Just because there are reports of fraud doesn't mean that they are all up to it.  It's the same as saying all politicians are crooked.  They aren't.  It's an assumption that gives power to the crooked not any other way

Haha, no.
I'm just very cynical about any pre-paid offers and the actual service received.
I'm cynical of pre-paid service plans, convinced your car (at best) gets a second rate/rushed service.
Just as cynical about restaurants taking vouchers etc. convinced you're getting a second rate meal.

I'm very cynical about independent garages telling tales about the big bad main dealers.

I know somebody who manages a BMW franchised dealer and they are incredibly closely monitored in terms of the use of consumables, customer complaints and the warranty rate for cars they have been servicing.
BMW have in the past stripped franchises from companies who consistently fall below their standards and I'm sure all manufacturers are the same.

The tech performing the service also couldn't care less how the service has been paid for, it means nothing to them.
With BMW the service plan is with BMW, not the dealer. The dealer gets paid for that service at the time as with any other service.

Inevitably there will be good and bad dealers, as there are good and bad independents, but I've never seen anything to suggest widespread failures to perform service requirements at main dealers.

BOWFER

peter3hg said:

BOWFER said:

ontheroad1970 said:

BOWFER said:

Tokmon said:

The incentive to do the service is that they are being paid to do the job and it's fraudulent to not do it. People seem to think there is some widespread conspiracy where dealers don't service cars when paid to do it but if that was the case the manufacturers would come down hard on them as they don't want their cars to be unreliable and have to pay out for warranty repairs. 

Also before someone else mentions it; some cars the drain plug isn't on the bottom of the engine as it doesn't have one at all! 

There's plenty of stories out there showing services blatantly aren't done.
I've given one and it confirms my suspicions about pre-paid service plans, I'm convinced garages will absolutely push a pre-paid car to one side in favour of someone paying at the time and/or spend less time on it.
I've also heard of dashcam evidence where cars aren't touched until you hear the doors opening and a hoover being applied.
Funnily enough, they're usually main dealer stories.

Are you and Fred one and the same I wonder.  Just because there are reports of fraud doesn't mean that they are all up to it.  It's the same as saying all politicians are crooked.  They aren't.  It's an assumption that gives power to the crooked not any other way

Haha, no.
I'm just very cynical about any pre-paid offers and the actual service received.
I'm cynical of pre-paid service plans, convinced your car (at best) gets a second rate/rushed service.
Just as cynical about restaurants taking vouchers etc. convinced you're getting a second rate meal.

I'm very cynical about independent garages telling tales about the big bad main dealers.

I know somebody who manages a BMW franchised dealer and they are incredibly closely monitored in terms of the use of consumables, customer complaints and the warranty rate for cars they have been servicing.
BMW have in the past stripped franchises from companies who consistently fall below their standards and I'm sure all manufacturers are the same.

The tech performing the service also couldn't care less how the service has been paid for, it means nothing to them.
With BMW the service plan is with BMW, not the dealer. The dealer gets paid for that service at the time as with any other service.

Inevitably there will be good and bad dealers, as there are good and bad independents, but I've never seen anything to suggest widespread failures to perform service requirements at main dealers.

Fair enough
I did see the nearly new BMW M4 on his ramp though.
So I've no reason to doubt he's getting warranty work farmed out to him by the local dealer, and therefore no reason to doubt his story that the turbo failure is down to oil not getting changed.

seatbeltnoob

Deleted_User said:

BOWFER said:

seatbeltnoob said:

why do people buy cars brand new but they can't afford a £300 annual service.

I don't think it's about that, really.
it's about not spending unnecessarily, and it's certainly annoying to be faced with manufacturers who stick with fixed yearly services when the likes of Covid may mean you've done very few miles since the last one.
People berate the likes of BMW as expensive, but their variable servicing can work in your favour.
I had one BMW for nearly three years and it only needed one service at a very reasonable price.
Our Evoque also doesn't need a service until 2 years or 20000 miles from new.

That could explain why they have such a terrible reliability record?

HAHA I drove to norwich form London this week, 2 round trips on my 2002 golf.

Saw a 2018 evoque on the hard shoulder on the way there. I think there were a few but this one really stick out to me because it's so new.