Just had my XC90 back from it's first 'proper' service at 12k. This is the first experience I've had of main dealer servicing for many, many years, as the previous family cars have all been old and serviced at dependable but relatively cheap independants.
For what appears to be an oil/filter job, plus a once over, I'm hit for £325. My main point of interest is how they manage to arrive at a figure of £75 (excl. VAT) for diesel oil.
On the upside, cleaned inside 'n out with a tin of Volvo mint imperials sitting on the passenger seat for the kids to scoff over the weekend.
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My main point of interest is how they manage to arrive at a figure of £75 (excl. VAT) for diesel oil.
Probably long life stuff. Vauxhall's long life oil is twice as expensive as the normal stuff.
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Crikey I've just sold my Mark 2 Golf with another four or five years in it for that much!!
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On the upside, cleaned inside 'n out with a tin of Volvo mint imperials sitting on the passenger seat for the kids to scoff over the weekend.
Its amazing how £5 worth of labour and a £1 tin of mints can sweeten the rip-off!
£75 +VAT for oil is a total and utter rip-off. And I thought that Fuchs/Motul PAO/Ester stuff at £45 a gallon was a sting!
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Theres nothing stopping you using your independant for servicing. If your happy with them, then stick with em!
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Why not just ask the dealer for a breakdown of the costs, including time and hourly rate, and the make and quantity of the oil used? I'm surprised that you were not given a detailed receipt anyway. You may be surprised by the hourly rate but comparison with other similarly situated dealers may indicate that it is normal. Overheads can be surprisingly high. At the manufacturing company that I used to work for overheads were reckoned to be at least twice the employees wage.
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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We do get stung for oil here - I've just come back from the US and Mobil-1 Fully Synth is $23 in Walmart and that's for 4US Quarts (just under 5 Litres, rather than the 4 Litres we get here).
And car prices!!!! Rather than buy an XC90, how about a personal lease on a Lincoln Navigator for $369/mth?
I had a Dodge Durango on hire. It's a *massive* 7 seater SUV. I came out of the hotel one morning and there was an XC90 parked next to it - didn't quite make the XC90 look like a toy, bit not far off it. 11(US)MPG was a bit horrible though.
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I thought it was a well-accepted fact that main dealer servicing for all makes in the UK is a rip-off. AFAIK the Volvo D5 engine does not require special oil (unlike VW PD TDI engines) so maybe a word with your local Trading Standards office would be a starting point? OTOH if the servicing is by fixed-price "menu" then you can hardly complain. Did you enquire about servicing costs before buying the car? If not, why not?
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I walked into the XC90 purchase as a long term thing, in much the same way as we had our Saab 9000 for nine years. I expected higher running costs on fuel/tyres, etc, but it was probably my own fault for not asking about service tarrifs.
We packed in using Saab main dealers after the first experience we had with Saab(not the first owner, as it was a couple of years old on purchase); I have vague memory of being taken for a ridiculous amount for literally twenty minute's work on an engine warning sensor.
My point is that I don't mind paying over the odds for a main dealer's stamp in the book. What I do mind is the insulting mark-ups, almost akin to the 'wine in restaurants' rip-off.
If the hike was married to the labour charge with an explanation, it would be more palatable.
I think I'll be casting around for the next service; rumour has it you can save considerably by driving to some Volvo dealers Wales, even allowing for the fuel expended.
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Having also recently taken delivery of new Volvo I have yet to have a 'proper' service having only had the 3,000 mile freebie so cannot comment on the basic service costs.
However, I was suprised to find out that spare parts prices were often significantly less than the list price in the brochures.
I fitted a carrier bag holder rail into the boot of my S60 (really handy to stop stuff slipping about) and instead of paying the £100 in the brochure, it cost just £13.14 and took 5 mins to fit (once I had worked out the instructions!). Rubber floor mats (much more practical than the 'Luxury' carpet ones!)were listed as £75 for the set and actually cost less than £40.
The guys at MRG Chippenham said that this was a common situation and I am contemplating buying the mudflaps as well as they are almost cheap comnpared with list!
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My Ford dealer picks my car up from my house and delivers it back again when it's finished, for free! And I'm well pleased with their servicing charges. Clearly main dealers for some less humble makes aren't as generous. As with EVERY business they will charge what they think the market will stand.
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Did you enquire about servicing costs before buying the car? If not, why not?
The cost of servicing over a 3 year period, and the cost per mile, plus other running costs is given in What Car? magazine for all cars. I always look before I leap!
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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The reason for the hefty bill was because most main dealers' premises look like Buckingham Palace from the outside, and their businesses are extremely top heavy. Fleet companies don't seem to mind paying as it's not good for their company profiles to have their staff running around in old cars.
Main dealerships employ people who tell you where to park your car, someone who shakes your hand, coffee makers, receptionists, admin clerks and god knows who else so your paying about £70 per hour before your car's even gone into the workshop and been looked at. The technician probably gets paid around £10 per hour and he's the most important and skilled person in the dealership.
It stinks. Take it to a good independant who'll often do a better job and at a much better price....
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The reason for the hefty bill was because most main dealers' premises look like Buckingham Palace from the outside......
In that case they must have changed the frontage of Buckingham Palace since the last time I went past it! ;-)
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Come and look at the front of my local BMW dealer and you'll see what I mean.
Oh, and they charge £110 per hour for labour by the way....
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I have just been qouted £200 by BMW for oil change, oil filter change and pollen filter change. Include 45 mins labour and £80 of oil. The stamp in the book will be good but its crazy. Will probably bite the bullet this time but next time as the car gets older just use a local independent.
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Can't comment on spare parts for the XC90 to any extent (aside from the £100 rear light cluster crunched by SWMBO which I fitted myself), but accessories over here are way overpriced.
I was doing some work in the US recently. Ordering online and collecting over there meant I was paying almost half price for items like rear mats (£70 here, $65 there). I also got rid of the unnecessary rear cupholders and replaced it with a bin for the kids' apple cores.
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"I think I'll be casting around for the next service; rumour has it you can save considerably by driving to some Volvo dealers in Wales, even allowing for the fuel expended. "
Or - if you live in the South of England - try France, if recent press reports are to be believed. It seems that servicing costs are so much cheaper that it's worth the cost of the ferry. Presumably a better bet in the winter months.
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First I've heard of this; any cheap servicing near the Eurotunnel? A combined service/booze cruise springs to mind as a double saving.
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My first service at 12500 miles for my Mazda6 was £100.That was Mazda dealership with loan car for the day.I doubt my local garage would of matced that.There again £100 for a stamp in the service book is a lot.DIY after 3 years.
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