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My ford Ka is due for a 30k service, and as it is now out of warranty i don't really fancy paying 200 odd quid for the privilage, but i would still like the appropriate work done (as a student now 20k in debt i need to save all i can). so i phoned a couple of dealerships and their own fast fit chain, and was told on many occasions, that as the car is a ford they will not do anything unless its a dealership prices. GARGH!!!!! I even had one person tell me why i should go for a manufacturer's service over the "non branded service" due to the fact that you could not use any old oil. When i asked him if they kept a "specail cheap oil" for non manufacturer's service he said no! This is the sort of tripe that I HATE! (apologies for the rant, i am now going to lie down in a dark corner of my room!!!!!!!!!!!)
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I can't see why a Ka would need special oil, as its a pretty basic engine based on an ancient design. I would have thought just some standard mineral oil of the right viscosity would be adequate.
What do they actually do in a 30k service? Surely as a student a DIY service might be a better option, particularly as there's no warranty to keep up. An oil change, check plugs, brakes, coolant, air filter should be be most of it, and dead easy to do.
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There are two reasons why i am don't do the service on my own, even though it would be half the price and i would know that a good quality of work had been done. Firstly the car is only 3 years old, and i want to sell it as soon as I qualify in 2006, for this reason, the buying public and dealers like to see "stamps" in the service book and or bills for all the work done. And secondly I don't have the time.
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Get it down to the local Rapid Fit. I used to get all my work done there, they follow the service schedule, use the correct oil, get parts from the same warehouse as the main dealer and charge half the price. They also used to stamp my book and I had no problems selling my Fords with FSH - keep receipts as well as they detail the work done.
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by the "own fast fit" chain i meant rapid fit. I rang up the rapid fit departments of my dealerships, and in my area they either refused to service my car unless it was to the ford schedule since it was a ford, or the one delightful fellow who decided to try and tell me that I would be better if i paid them more money for the same job. I have contacted the AA and they are giving me a quote on a "manufacturers service" where genuine motorcraft parts are used. i also get a 20% discount with them as i am an AA member so i am just waiting.
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Just go to an AA / RAC Autocentre or similar, should cost less, but still a respected name for the service stamps.
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If it's been run on the Ford oil so far then you may as well keep it going on the stuff, it's very cheap.
As for the service, my local Rapidfit said they only wanted £79.95 to do a service on my Fiesta, I think quite a few people have been telling porkies to you!
Oh, and make sure you get the plugs changed!
Blue
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I tend to do an interim 6 month oil change at kwik-fit but using use a motorcraft filter that i take in, so the dealers don't know that i have done it, and hence can't mess me around with any warranty claims, should i have made any. (Local dealers refused to do a interim service under 70 quid).
I am only willing to travel a maximum of about 40 miles to get the car serviced, and i have phoned all the rapid fits around and got the same answer.I guessed that the Rapidfits were taking the mickie, but as i am around london, i am not hugely surprised.
The 5w30 that ford use is cheap only if the dealers want it to be cheap, which is not the case round me. The plugs are getting changed and with copper grease round the threads :). cheers
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If you want the proper oil, Asda sell it, badged Texaco (I think) - in any case it's the only 5W30 they do and is £14.99 for 5 litres, which isn't actually cheaper than all Ford dealers.
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