My C-Max went in for its first service yesterday, at the main dealer where I originally bought the car.
A nice aspect of the service was the fact they collected the car and dropped it off for me, which saved loads of hassle, but considering it's basically a glorified oil and filter change, the cost was a somewhat high £140.
I'd deliberately refilled the window washer beforehand, knowing that they tend to charge a fortune for doing this. When I got the car back I found they'd charged me £1.75 for a bottle of window washer concentrate, which they'd thoughtfully given to me because I had no need for it to be put in the car. I queried this on the phone that it was a standard service item and that I would have had to pay for the labour for filling the car if it had needed it, but as it was already full they just gave me the bottle instead. Yes, I'm still confused.
I'd also asked for some minor warranty items to be looked at, but there was no info on the paperwork to show that they'd checked any of it. I had to ring them up to find out, and apparently they couldn't find any of the faults. One of the problems was a squeaky rattle from the rear that only occurs when three or more people are in the car. They said their driver didn't hear it, but of course, he was the only person in the car!
So not terribly impressed, both with the communication, and the amount of effort put in to address my concerns.
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Bear in mind the inflated price of a few parts including oil sold in half litre units and probably a pollen filter for the aircon. Labour at a franchised dealer here in Northampton is around £80/hr.
I'd have regarded £140 as a result.
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sounds alright to me
my a ford main dealer i got charged £35 for re-gassing the air con
quite funny when I pointed out the car doesn't have a/c...........
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When my new van went in for its first service a mechanic was backing it out of the workshop to bring it back around to me when he scraped the nearside door and rear panel, thus making sure that side needed a full respray.
They were extreamly apologetic about it and obviously undertook to repair the damage at their own expense.>> sounds alright to me
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he was the only person in the car!
you *really* expect them to find three people to put in the car for an hour?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Labour at a franchised dealer here in Northampton is around £80/hr. I'd have regarded £140 as a result.
Me too. And don't forget that the labour charge would have had to include the collection/delivery time.
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L\'escargot.
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I'd imagine the service was menu priced therefore included the screenwash. If that was the case you should be glad they gave you the unused bottle.
Alternatively, they could have just pretended they had filled it up -THEN you'd have been annoyed!
Did they sort the rest of your warranty issues out?
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They couldn't reproduce any of the warranty issues. They're not major problems, just niggles really.
One of them was the air-con not getting very cold. They said it was well within tolerance, but it seems like I have to have it constantly on full to make any difference and the cabin never gets very cool, unlike my colleagues cars. It may be because of the cabin size on the C-Max, and the large window sizes making it more difficult to cool.
The squeaky rattle happens instantly - just drive down the road at 30mph with 3 people in the car and you get a very annoying squeaky rattle.
Another problem is that the clutch is biting very high - almost right at the top of the pedal reach, but they said their driver had no problems.
Also asked them to look into the power steering failure I had the other day. They said they couldn't reproduce it, but I'm not sure if they've even investigated it properly. I presume that any faults would be logged in the ecu.
Another problem is the boot lock jamming occasionally - again, they couldn't reproduce it.
None of these are major problems, but the poor communications I got from them made it seem like they hadn't been looked at.
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>>None of these are major problems
True, but I would consider that appalling on a new car.
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Top tip is to phone around. The servicing charges at Ford dealers even a few miles apart can be staggering. Either you'll get a cheaper price or a warm feeling that you're getting the best price in the area: A result either way.
V
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My Focus 1.6 was serviced by my local Ford dealer this Monday for £204. I ask if there was any difference between the 1st & 2nd service schedules and was informed there was not, although the 3rd (37500) will be about £300 involving additional work (proberley the changing of the spark plugs). The invoice detailed 1.5 hrs labour at £85 per hour, a pollen filter at £13, 5 litres of engine oil (the handbook states a 4.1 ltr capacity including filter!) and some engine flush. Luckliy there were no warranty issues. They did try and sell me a tyre as one on the front is down to 3mm in the centre and a brake fluid change at £48, both these were declined. I think the price you paid was fair in this day and age, although not sorting out your complaints was not good service.
Does anyone out there know where the pollen filter is located on a MK2 Focus as I would like to check if it has been changed?
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Does anyone out there know where the pollen filter is located on a MK2 Focus
Is it in this list?
www.puravent.co.uk/filters/dispmodel.pl?make=FORD
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Thanks DD, the instructions and photos are for a MK1 model but under the bonnet things look very similar. Mine does not have a cover which unscrews to reveal another one held together by clips. The clips on mine look as if they have not been touched, further investigation I think!
Just hope they have used 5/30 oil, nothing to that effect on the invoice.
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Update; Ford have changed the location, it is now located above the fuse box in the front passenger footwell. A devil to get at, much easier to change on a MK1 Focus and even easier on SWMBO's MK4 Fiesta. Many thanks again.
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SNIP!
I do wish people wouldn't quote the WHOLE of the post in which they are replying to! The sticky message at the top of the page (called Responding to posts) isn't just there for decoration
Sounds no better or worse than my experiences with my first variable VW service at my main dealer except that mine included a 'compulsory' brake fluid change and a bill for about £280!!
You've got to pay for all those salaried suits and overheads at these glass palaces.
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The sticky message at the top of the page (called Responding to posts) isn't just there for decoration
Ooooh! I don't know, I thought that it was. Anyway, there are many that are guilty of this 'sin'. Of which have also received similar reminders either here, or by email, or both - webmaster
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When I got the car back I found they'd charged me £1.75 for a bottle of window washer concentrate which they'd thoughtfully given to me because I had no need for it to be put in the car.
I just specify to my (Ford) dealer "No screenwash, thank you." at the time of booking and they always comply ~ and they don't charge either.
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L\'escargot.
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Doesn't your Ford main dealer displace the prices of servicing, I know ours do.
They charge a fixed rate for 2 typres of service, interim and full.
It's worth asking for a quote before having a car serviced. You'll find your next C-Max service will need the break fluid changing (every 2 years, cost £30) but that's classified as an extra item and is not included in the displayed prices, hence it's worth checking the total cost beforehand.
£140 sounds about par for the course, typical cost at our Ford dealer is around £159 for a similar service although they throw in a car wash and leather as well.
If you go to collect your serviced car early you could probably get a free coffee or tea out of them, kind of helps with the feel good factor, and/or annoy a car salesman by reading the new car colour mag. My local sales manager beat his previous record (inside 30 secs) by asking me if I'd like any help as soon as I had picked up a mag, quick as a flash I responded - oh yeah sure how about a free complementary holiday, a fruit basket and free chocolate for life, and just when he was about to start negotiating regarding the fruit basket he got distracted by another customer, oh well maybe next time !
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