$720 bill for service

[jaysevu]

thats way too much

[Justinxr6]

The new utecwill be serviced at ford, and laugh if u want but my previous baby was serviced at Kmart tyre and they always did a good job for reasonable prices.

[EDManual]

I really wonder if it is worth servicing cars to the book. I actually doubt it.

I have a new triton diesel, it has fixed servicing at something like 650 a service until 60k.

And without could be more like 800+, as they seem to want to adjust the valve clearences every 30k.

If I was to just change the oil and filter every 20k, and nothing else for what $100, and the car dies after 250k, I have saved, lets see 250K / 15k = 16.6 * 700 = $11660 that i would save! I doubt the car would be worth that then anyway.

I say dont bother servicing, and dump you car after a while at the wreckers. Better value.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by EDManual

I really wonder if it is worth servicing cars to the book. I actually doubt it.

I have a new triton diesel, it has fixed servicing at something like 650 a service until 60k.

And without could be more like 800+, as they seem to want to adjust the valve clearences every 30k.

If I was to just change the oil and filter every 20k, and nothing else for what $100, and the car dies after 250k, I have saved, lets see 250K / 15k = 16.6 * 700 = $11660 that i would save! I doubt the car would be worth that then anyway.

I say dont bother servicing, and dump you car after a while at the wreckers. Better value.

Of course if you suffer catastrophic engine failure at 61,000 KMs because the unmaintained valves and injection system failed and then your warranty claim was rejected because you did not maintain the vehicle correctly you can use all that money you saved to buy a bus ticket.

You, of course, can argue that as you are a qualified motor mechanic trained in the maintenance of diesel engined Tritons you used your intimate knowledge of the systems to keep the vehicle in a safe operating state.

You are a qualified motor mechanic who has been trained on diesel engined Tritons and actually has some idea what you are talking about aren't you?

[FGII-XR6]

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

That's why there is a "*" next to the cap price ... there are additional fees if they see the need to replace the coolant and/or brake fluid ... hence the additional costs.

60,000km is probably a major service interval ... and other things were probably found that needed doing (brake rotors/pads ... or other ancilliaries).

you are probably spot on there but they are not allowed to perform work not requested. immagine going to woolies and buying a leg of lamb and they also ring up everything you need to make a baked dinner because the belive you will need them. you didn't ask for the so you wouldn't pay would you? well the same applies here these extra items may well have been needed but all that they were contracted to do was a service

[new2ford]

We need to see the invoice. The Territory B service isn't even half that.

[MelsGolf]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

you are probably spot on there but they are not allowed to perform work not requested. immagine going to woolies and buying a leg of lamb and they also ring up everything you need to make a baked dinner because the belive you will need them. you didn't ask for the so you wouldn't pay would you? well the same applies here these extra items may well have been needed but all that they were contracted to do was a service

What about duty of care for safety items.
Brakepads? Fill low oil levels? Repair faulty or broken components to make the car safe and roadworthy? where do you draw the line?

[XRtowcar]

Only $760.
Go buy a Peugeot and find out about service costs when your car needs a timing belt and major service.
$1160 plus, was when i went back to servicing my cars myself.

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by MelsGolf

60,000k service on Golf $890.00, which included pollen filter, fluid flush treatment, disc machine and pads.

In my R32, the same service was $1500.

[kevino]

If it is a diesel $720 does not surprise. My focus diesel 60000km servcie was around $600 through a non Ford servcie franchise outfit. The price was okay compared to others via web inquiry.
60k is a big service.
On a petrol fiesta $720 is outrageous!

[xtremerus]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Hmm.. I requested a diff oil change at ford with LSD friction modifier. My service bill suddenly became $800. When I asked why, the bloke pointed to the $450 diff oil change on the invoice. Is this normal or was I taken for a ride? I'm hoping this 'special Ford diff oil' is better than the off the shelf stuff where I get diff chatter after 6000kms.

Taken for a ride, sorry
Dealer here, did the LSD diff oil change and charged $60 on top of the normal service.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by EDManual

And without could be more like 800+, as they seem to want to adjust the valve clearences every 30k.

Same thing with Honda, but at 40K intervals because they use the old school lifters because of their VTEC design. When I was there I asked one of the seasoned mechanics why they didn't use hydraulic lifters and the response was that its activated by oil pressure and it'd need to be extremely high to work with HLAs apparently.

[worm]

Yeah, a Holden Astra needs a new cam belt under servicing @ 60,000kms and it costs like $1000

[XR_6falcon]

Originally Posted by Cheech

Need to see the invoice before lynching dealer.

FYI try owning an Alfa. 120k service = $2200. And thats from an independant specialist.

I once priced up a set of coil's for a Alfa 159 selsespeed and almost fell over, $750 each! And thats trade price! $3000 for a set of genuine coils is insane!

Also $720 is abit high (unless extra's are included) even for a deisel one. I work for a ford dealer (flame suit on) and a B serivce on a deisel fiesta is roughly $600 odd from memory.

[Madaya]

Hey GTENVY, where is the invoice? Just about anywhere you go these days, a 'lube' is about $100 minimum. When you get down to changing Coolant, Brake Fluid, plugs, wheel rotation, wiper blades, other bits and etc, it can quickly add up.
Bottom line is this, when you get your motor back from the service department, mechanically it should fulfill all the criteria i.e. safety/performance/reliabilty, that the manufacturer specified in the delivery book. If not, in most cases, it is a warranty claim.
Sure, I could save money on services and do it myself (I actually do change the engine oil, 'inbetweens'- its the old fella in me), but Ford pretty much guarantee that they will fix things up if something goes !bang! in the warranty period.
As much as I'd like to get headers and a tuned exhaust (I reckon the FG ute will fly), I've only done 26000k, and I'll stick with the dealer for now, and leave it just as Henry spec'd it. Busselton Ford, you guys are champs.

[Elks]

A mate of mine took his 120i into BMW sydney, Water in an ECM $3000. Labour charged at $240 per hour.

T

PS: I know, If he's in a 120, somewhere there is a hairdresser catching a bus.

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by xtremerus

Taken for a ride, sorry
Dealer here, did the LSD diff oil change and charged $60 on top of the normal service.

Well bugger, pity the said dealer is a forum sponsor.

[Sizey]

Originally Posted by 05_ENFORCER

BMW 5 series services hurt too

As a mechanic I have found the general rule of thumb.....Euro=wallet open

[ozpacman]

It wouldn't surprise me at all. We recently had my wife's Hyundai i30 diesel in for it's 60,000 service and it was $740 or so. It wasn't a huge shock as I'd been quoted $750 when I booked it in, so that's obviously the scheduled cost. The 60K is a major one but man - it hurts paying that sort of dough for a service!

Cheers,

Russ

[Whiskeyonesix]

Yeah, servicing costs can hurt,
Shelled out $1400 for 200k service on the AU plus new front and rear disc/pads recently. I thought it was a lot, but judging by the post here, it seems I got off lightly!

With Euro stuff you'll always pay more it seems, was quoted just under a grand for a recon rad for my old Ovlov 360, and to do the brakes as well, it wasnt far off that either...

I always question high charges on bills, but you'll always pay through the nose - i had to get a mechanic to do the brakes on the AU instead of doing them myself ( cos of the warranty - which isnt worth the paper its printed on - but thats another story)

[Bucknaked]

Technology makes everything more expensive. I think its just a fact of life.

[wrongwaynorris]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

Hmm.. I requested a diff oil change at ford with LSD friction modifier. My service bill suddenly became $800. When I asked why, the bloke pointed to the $450 diff oil change on the invoice. Is this normal or was I taken for a ride? I'm hoping this 'special Ford diff oil' is better than the off the shelf stuff where I get diff chatter after 6000kms.

Sorry M8 you got ripped off big time , I do my own services and a good quality diff oil ( all 1.7 litres of it ) and penrite LSD additive should cost no more than $30.00 . So they charged you $420.00 labour to remove the drain plug and fill plug fill the diff and then replace both plugs .

[wrongwaynorris]

Just bought the missus a 1996 Lexus LS 400 with 197,000 K's on it . As it was due for another timing belt at 200,000 and the fact we only just bought it and I do a major on every second hand car we have ever bought decided to do a major service . Did the timing belt with a Gates Kevlar belt ( 150,000 k replacement versus the standard belts 100,000 k ) genuine Toyota water pump as once you have removed all the front covers off the engine and removed the radiator it was stupid with a car with this mileage to put it all back without replacing the water pump . 8 Iridium spark plugs , 3 plug leads as three were slightly suspect , oil , diff oil , transmission oil change , full coolant replacement , oil filter , fuel filter , K&N air filter , checked pads and rotors and all suspension joints , ball joints etc and had change from $800.00 , even if I had charged myself labour at $100.00 an hour it still would have cost less than $1,300.00 . Gee those franchises sure must have some horrendous overheads to cover because everyone knows they would never rip us off , dont we children !!!!!!!!!!!

[new2ford]

Some of the above figures show why the Australian Fords are a good buy because of the whole-of-life costs. Buyers make very shallow decisions up-front based on fuel consumption, diesel, the look of the car etc but don't consider service, parts, insurance, together with fuel (which is in fact a minority factor in the whole operating cost figure).

It's not just Euros. The RAC/NRMA operating (WOL) costs survey shows the Toyota Prius has the same WOL cost as a RWD TX Territory. So much for the hybrid fuel economy - cancelled out by other costs!

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by wrongwaynorris

Gee those franchises sure must have some horrendous overheads to cover because everyone knows they would never rip us off , dont we children !!!!!!!!!!!

The difference is you don't have a workshop with 15 mechanics and a few apprentices, 15 hoists, a lot of specialist tools required for odd jobs, workshop manuals going back from the 80s to 2011 on every model car you sold, A few thousand liters of 10W-30 fully synthetic oil on pumps, tapped all over the workshop, a service counter staffed with 5 people, people who ring up others to remind them about their service is due, or remind them its booked in, a spare parts division, a $7000 coffee machine which when you press a button can make you all sorts of coffee, a 55" TV for customers waiting around for their cars, a show room with 10 brand new cars sitting on the floor, plus the 30+ other new ones outside, the other 30 or 40 staff in different divisions around the dealership who work behind the scenes.

While I don't agree with how much they do rip people off for everything, unfortunately like any business they want to turn over a profit, and if you look into a dealership and see what they have to pay for to keep the place running, you'll understand.

It seems everyone has an issue with mechanics ripping people off, it cost me $380 for a plumber to change three pipes on my bathroom sink which he worked on for less than an hour and he used the stuff I supplied.

[ratter]

Go rent a small factory in a back st and see what it cost a month and then picture that a dealership in probably on a block more than 20 times the size and normally on prime real estate, these cost have to be met.

[EDManual]

I find it a real joke that they make out "qualified mechanics" need to work on cars. Its not true for 90% of jobs. Any one can do it.

I deliberately missed a few Mitsubishi Triton diesel valve clearance services on my last triton (still was the latest 2.5DID) as they werent noisy, even though it was still in warranty. Didnt hurt for the time I had it.

Will do the same with this one. anyway all its going to do is get noisier and wear a bit more till its done. Who cares... Only has warranty till 160k anyway on the drivetrain (1.5 - 2 years driving for me)

I'll just dump it after 3 to 3.5 years anyway for near nothing. (I do near 90k a year).

Also I dont know why you would bother changing timing belts on cars like peogeot 206's HDi when they get to 160k or whatever when it cost $1600+ (wifes mum has one) when the cars only worth $4 or 5k! Its still pretty sure to last another 50% and get to 200k-250k + (I have gone over these services by up to 100% on some cars) when its worth nothing anyway and I would not want it anyway after these kms so dont care if it dies.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Donny

Anyone who takes their Fords to a Ford dealership for servicing that dosent have to (aka for leases, fleet or even warranty) gets what they deserve.

generalise much?

my local offers me excellent service and fantastic prices. sometimes i offer to pay more. he has also done freebies for me (machine discs) so to tar all dealers with the same brush is extremely unfair.


to the OP, if you have issues with your bill, bring it up with the service dealer principal when you pick up your car. you do go through the bill before leaving don't you?

[kruptor]

Originally Posted by EDManual

I find it a real joke that they make out "qualified mechanics" need to work on cars. Its not true for 90% of jobs. Any one can do it.

I deliberately missed a few Mitsubishi Triton diesel valve clearance services on my last triton (still was the latest 2.5DID) as they werent noisy, even though it was still in warranty. Didnt hurt for the time I had it.

Will do the same with this one. anyway all its going to do is get noisier and wear a bit more till its done. Who cares... Only has warranty till 160k anyway on the drivetrain (1.5 - 2 years driving for me)

I'll just dump it after 3 to 3.5 years anyway for near nothing. (I do near 90k a year).

Also I dont know why you would bother changing timing belts on cars like peogeot 206's HDi when they get to 160k or whatever when it cost $1600+ (wifes mum has one) when the cars only worth $4 or 5k! Its still pretty sure to last another 50% and get to 200k-250k + (I have gone over these services by up to 100% on some cars) when its worth nothing anyway and I would not want it anyway after these kms so dont care if it dies.

90% lmfao. Been in the trade 12yrs and hear from people like you all the time. And you know what you are the ones who end up bringing there cars into our shops for us to fix your stuff up's haahahahahaaa.

I dont work at a dealership i work in a small garage. I use to work in a dealership a very long time ago when i first started my apprenticeship.
So you say anyone can fix there on cars up to 90% of the repairs/servicing?????

Ok do a timing belt on any HONDA vehicle, I'd like to see how you get one of there crank bolts undone as the FT!!!

How about resealing a sump gasket on a zd30t 08 patrol wagon engine lol.You got remove the engine or remove th gearbox to get to the 3 bolts inside the bellhousing....

What about just a simple adjusting valves properly. Can you do that??? How about rekitting a carby and resseting the air fuel mixtures???

What about diagnosing faults with engine/abs/airbag codes??? Can you do that??

Obviously i can keep going on and on and on.

In the end its up to the owners of the vehicle where they take there cars to be repaired or serviced. Dealerships for sometime now charge through the nose and dont provide a good service. I've been working almost 10yrs now in the small mechanical repair business and we have had no complaints we offer a good service and have won a couple of business rewards over the years.

[flappist]

Guys keep it civil, on topic and no personal attacks please.