ok just had the car serviced
one of the itemised charges is "brake cleaner" for a couple of quid
considering its the 1st service on a new car, the front disks were already nice and shiny, and the rear drums cannot be accessed easily (fairly certain they wont have had the drums off)
what exactly is this fantasy stuff they are charging for?
and if I went to halfords what would I buy? and where would I put it? spray it on the disks?
sounds dodgy to me
not really bothered, just wondered what its supposed to be
having changed lots of pads and discs myself over the years, and with mates, i dont recall anyone ever using "brake cleaner"
ah well do let me know
charged me for a gasket seperate to the oil filter too, when i bet it came in the same box!
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If I've been charged in the past for something I'd rather not have had, I merely specify when booking a service that I don't want any of that item.
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Brake Cleaner was on the bill for one of my cars and when I asked them to show me where it says "Clean brakes" on the service schedule, the service advisor looked at me earnestly and said something like "it's our mechanics opinion that the brakes should be cleaned as part of the operation to check the pad thicknesses". :shrug:
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Never ceases to amaze me the cheek of some of these large service depts.
Brake cleaner and screen wash and a drop of oil, grease and coppaslip are part of a service, the price of which will be upwards of £170 in most cases at a main dealer.
I would have thought the 30 bobs worth of odds and ends like that could be supplied as goodwill to valued customers, should such things appear on my bill it'll be the last visit i make.
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I would have thought the 30 bobs worth of odds and ends like that could be supplied as goodwill to valued customers should such things appear on my bill it'll be the last visit i make.
I take the view now that I don't care how they itemise the bill as long as the total is about the same as we've previously agreed on the 'phone.
I find it bizzare that it's rarely *exactly* the same as agreed, but I've bills for a bit less as well as those for a bit more.
What I find completely astonishing is that people will get their cars serviced and are then surprised by the bill presented. Why not just give the dealer a blank cheque?
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What I find completely astonishing is that people will get their cars serviced and are then surprised by the bill presented. Why not just give the dealer a blank cheque?
Agreed, the same one's who buy a lovely shiny new car because it looks pretty/wife likes the colour, then moan here over the cost of the servicing and faint at the cost of a cambelt change, failing dismally to enquire how much before buying the thing.
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yea the overall price was what we had agreed
just never seen brake cleaner listed on a service bill in 20 odd years of taking cars for a service, or ever used the stuff taking cars to bits and putting them back together myself, we either paint, clean or oil stuff, never use "brake cleaner"
ive done a quick search and note you can indeed buy the stuff, id be facinated to know what it is chemically - as spraying willy nilly on brake surfaces couldnt just be anything
likely its a lot of tosh as i already knew the brakes were ok by looking myself
the pleasures of needing a dealer stamp to keep the warranty eh
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I'd be fascinated to know what it is chemically
I've no idea what it is chemically, but sure as eggs it would be cheaper to get it that way, just like generic drugs (medicinal ones that is). It may even be the same as screenwash (isopropanol).
Edited by Andrew-T on 25/09/2009 at 00:12
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and if I went to halfords what would I buy?
Halford's Brake Cleaner, of course! tinyurl.com/yb63ucy
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I just don't get why they think they can get away. When I had my car serviced it cost £90 as agreed on the list:-
Sump torqued up to correct levels (it was leaking oil before)
Greased bits that are prone to rust
All fluids topped up
Oil changed
New plugs
New filter
I run my business in a similar way and if people have problems afterwards I don't charge them. This sometimes costs me money but as a result my business has just been featured in a very well known consumer magazine. I just give good old fashioned service.
If I started charging people for screws or blank DVDs etc I would be soon out of business.
I am amazed these dealers have not started charging customers of us of electricity.
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obviously non of you have ever fitted or checked brakes
if you had you would know that with modern materials the dust goes everywhere and apart from the fact your technician doesnt want to breath it in it also clogs up everything and next week there will be a thread on how your dealer did a service and now my brakes make a weird noise due to dust build up
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I think the point was the pettyness of itemising it. There are better ways of absorbing the hidden costs. Its like a lightbulb I would be quited offended if I saw a break light itemised for £5 as I know they cost 50p.
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its not cheap stuff though so i think itemising it is reasonable,if you use a propelant type can then you will easily use one can per service
using a 5 litre container to a pressurised gun isnt as good so i now only use aerosols and the best on the market works out at £3 a can trade
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I think the point was the pettyness of itemising it. There are better ways of absorbing the hidden costs. Its like a lightbulb I would be quited offended if I saw a break light itemised for £5 as I know they cost 50p.
Pettyness?
no... people today want to know where their money is going.
50p for a bulb? cheap and nasty ones maybe... decent ones will cost upwards of a quid...
as the old saying goes... ya get what you pay for!
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Brake cleaner is used as BB said to keep the brakes clean, and as a H & S issue.
all garages I know of have used it for many (20+) years.
Maybe you 'havent' been charged for it before, as it was added in to the overall price.
most garages these days try to be more transparent in their invoicing and show individual consumable prices.. that is a 2 edge sword as customers question their inclusion!
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Brake cleaner is used as BB said to keep the brakes clean and as a H & S issue.
Why can't they just spray some good old fashioned water at it instead? Wouldn't that be enough to stop brake dust from becoming airborne?
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Yeah, or oil to stop the discs rusting ;0)
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Nasty stuff brake/carb cleaner ? - maybe better off with the brake dust!
www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm
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