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Why does my local SEAT dealer insist on charging £300 for a cambelt change on my Arosa 1.7 diesel? I have looked at the access to this part and it is mounted under a flimsy plastic cover with clear access. Even the idler pulley is staring me in the face. The belt costs £38+VAT. I reckon this is no more than 1 hour's work of £50+vat. Is this another case of the "great dealer rip-off" or is there more work required than I think? Comments welcome!!
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Of course.The advent of the two year gaurentee instead of a hinderance to garages is a boon because you have to use their garage for another year for servicing.
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Daryl,
Not justifying but perhaps explaining it.
Belt - £38
Tensioner and guide bearing/rollers - £85
2.3hrs @ £50 - £115
VAT - £42
£280 near enough??
Go to an independent who should save 50% off the belt and labour costs. If the main dealer wasn't going to change the tensioner/guide bearings he is a bit steep.
David
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Daryl,
Not justifying but perhaps explaining it.
Belt - £38
Tensioner and guide bearing/rollers - £85
2.3hrs @ £50 - £115
VAT - £42
£280 near enough??
Go to an independent who should save 50% off the belt and labour costs. If the main dealer wasn't going to change the tensioner/guide bearings he is a bit steep.
David
Is is normal for most cars to have to change the tensioner as well?
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Why not see how much a VW garage charges for a Lupo with the same engine. If it's less then they definately are ripping you off. Sounds pricey to me though.
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Actually to paraphrase james S why not see what a Skoda dealer etc they all have the same computers.
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VW labour time:2.30hrs.......See David W comments
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I have had several cam-belt changes on various cars and never paid more than £70. As to tensioners, rollers, etc., how do we know they do get changed. Go independent unless you are tied in to a guarantee scam; Sorry, that should be scheme.
My Volvo 740 had a full main dealer service history when I bought it. I used a mobile mechanic whom I knew to do the next service and he showed me what he said was the original fuel filter, still in place. It had never been changed in over 40,000 miles. So much for trusting main dealers, though no doubt some are OK.
But how do we know which ones?
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You can't know which are the honest garages!! Anyway, they must be very few and far between.
Sad fact is that most people don't know what they're looking at under a bonnet and the garages know they can get away with charging for work not done because of this and the fact it would be very hard to prove anyway.
The previous owner of my car told me he once challenged a dealer over work that had definately not been done. They told him to "prove it if you can". No surprise then that this particular dealer no longer exists.
Try marking parts which are supposed to be replaced. Also ask for all old parts back! In the US its law that the customer must be offered his old bits for inspection.
Another main dealer scam: did you know that many main dealers add £2 to £5 to the bill to "dispose" of your old oil? They say they have to pay to have old oil taken away!! So even ask for your old oil back, then go to your local refuse tip and dispose of it for free in the oil collection point!
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How sad,'please can i have my old engine oil back,i want to save £2'.
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talking of garage scams, a friend of mine picked up his Mini from the gargae after a regular oil change and for some reason the mechanic had left a screwdriver in the engine bay, as he drove off it got caught in the fan, bending and breaking the blades and making a general mess of things. The garage tried to pretend it was the owners fault, he had left the scredriver there. After much haranging and arguing they agreed to repair the damage, but took 4 days in doing it.
I'd be happy to join a quick course in mechanics if anyone knows of one, what a relief to be free of garages and especially main dealers...
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> Also ask for all old parts back!
If I were unscrupulous as a dealer, I'm sure I could build up a stock of, say brake pads, so that when challenged as to whether I really changed them I could produce the goods.
Fortunately, I'm fantastically honest and not in the trade (wonder if those two are related? - JOKE!!! before I get flamed)
Vin
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Very true Vin - It isn't like if you demanded to see the old parts your average garage doesn't have god knows how many old oil filters/breakpads/cambelts kicking about the place.
I had a similar issue with an oil change on my Vectra whereby they did not change the oil in the car. This didn't become apparent until several weeks later. Dealer told me I "should've checked" at the time - I kicked up a stink on a Saturday when the dealership was full of prospective customers and asked the manager whether he thought it acceptable I should have to personally check everything I get told has been done by them.
Big apologies, grovelling and a free service but I was lucky there, they could quite easily have told me to sod off with little recourse...
I don't know about you lot but I find the small independents the most honest and helpful of all - it seems to be the big franchise lot (car franchises and "tyre and exhaust" franchises) who feel quite happy to take the p!ss... Only reason I am going is because of my warranty!
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Some years back my wife had her car serviced at the local Nissan dealer. When we were driving home we found the washer bottle had not been filled yet we had been charged for screen wash. Back we went. The Thick as Mince Service Manager got really snotty and tried to convince us that he could personally guarantee that everything else had been done and refused to redo the service. After some 'discussion' he was persuaded to redo the whole service.
I have also had some curious services done on my Passat recently such that I no longer trust main dealers. How can I find a good garage to service my car?
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Have you tried the 'Good Garages Guide' on this site?
regards
John
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the only time my astra has let me down (twice) was as a direct result of a main dealer service.
but the cost of an oil & fiilter change is £35, and a cam belt was £20 more than my local independant.
the only reason to go there is to keep the warrenty intact, after that find somebody else.
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Mike it's not just Vauxhall but my fathers 83(???) Cavalier died at about 3 weeks old cos it had it's Coolant replaced at the 1k (???) service with what appeared to be neat water.
Froze and when the temp gague indicated how hot it was there was nowhere to pull over in the snow drifts. Had to be driven 'till it died a few yards later.
Can't remember what happened to it. I guess the mill would have been rebuilt and the car returned to Pa.
See my thread form many moons ago about Dealer mistakes.
Having said all that there are some top guys from the trade on this site.
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Coming from one of the establishments kindly mentioned in the guide, It is disheartening to hear so many negative comments.
With regard to Vauxhall warranties, use a trusted independent - as long as Genuine parts are used then the manufacturer will honour the warranty
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May I just stand up for my friends at VAG?
I have a 10 year old VW and they actually reduce their hourly charge in relation to the cars age and, as a result, I can get the same labour charge as I would at a local independant (£25/hr) but get the prestigious VAG stamp and £10/hr cheaper than the Rover garage so conveniently located.
I still go to the independant but how many other dealer chains reduce their charges in line with the car's age?
How many have been charged for Washer Fluid when the washer bottle was full to the brim. . . . . . and how do you check to see if they've added the £10 injector cleaner?
It's all a big con.
Go to the small garage that relies on return trade and not company car owners.
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I submitted a recommendation for the good garage guide a couple of weeks ago, but it's not appeared yet. How do I get it listed on the site?
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You could try (NOT) a Fiat Coupe turbo.
Cambelt change is an engine-out job.
Estimate £1000.
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i have got my old tensioner in my garage and can see the new one on my 1989 GTi 8V fitted when i had my cam belt changed
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