£186 / hour rate at Mini dealership

powerful_Rogue

Phossy said:

I was charged £186 / hour ( min 1 hour) for fault diagnosis today at my local Mini dealership. I feel as though I am being fleeced. That's it - just needed to say it.

Why couldn't you have gone elsewhere?

Phossy

Fair question. I've always used them for the Mini (my wife's car), though always under warranty (original and then extended) and they have done a good job, so there is a level of trust there. I just booked it in, dropped the car off and only when I'd handed the keys over was I asked to sign off on the amount. I guess I could have pulled at that point but I went through with it in the moment. It was a power steering fault that they diagnosed as possibly being fixable by installing a new battery (for £365). They wouldn't guarantee that was the problem (so much for their expertise and specialist equipment)  and so if it didn't fix it then it would back in for £186/ hour.  I have booked the battery replacement to be done at an independent garage (which I trust and use for my own car) to save £120. If it doesn't fix the fault then I will ask the independent garage to look at it.

molerat

PHK said:

Phossy said:

I was charged £186 / hour ( min 1 hour) for fault diagnosis today at my local Mini dealership. I feel as though I am being fleeced. That's it - just needed to say it.

I don't think that's unusual when you consider the skill,training and equipment needed. 

Wait till you find out how much solicitors charge!

Yep, you could go elsewhere to a less trained and skilled garage and get the wrong oil put in the engine or get interior trim ripped off because they couldn't figure out how to release it properly or fail to tighten the clutch hose so the pedal hit the floor on driving off ....... oh, wait a minute, that was at a main dealer

user1977

PHK said:

Phossy said:

I was charged £186 / hour ( min 1 hour) for fault diagnosis today at my local Mini dealership. I feel as though I am being fleeced. That's it - just needed to say it.

I don't think that's unusual when you consider the skill,training and equipment needed. 

Wait till you find out how much solicitors charge!

Many solicitors would be happy to charge as much as that per hour!