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Charging £48 to change a light bulb?

89 replies

businessflop25 · 03/04/2025 11:04

Car went in for MOT yesterday. Needed headlight bulb changed but other than that it passed. Was charged £48 for labour, £25 for the light bulb and £54 for the MOT.
Took less than 5 mins to change the bulb (I was there when it was changed). AIBU to feel £48 labour is a bit steep for 5 mins work? Don’t think they are supposed to charge labour for the actual MOT? Didn’t quibble at the time as I don’t notice the charge until I got home and he didn’t actually tell me how much it was I just paid stupidly.

OP posts:
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Shade17 · 04/04/2025 07:52

businessflop25 · 03/04/2025 20:16

And? I never claimed they were anything else 🤷🏻‍♀️

From your posts you implied that they were factory fitted. When you talked about the “manufacturer recommendation” I thought you meant the car rather than the bulb.

These bulbs are not road legal and ironically are an MOT fail.

businessflop25 · 03/04/2025 20:16

And? I never claimed they were anything else 🤷🏻‍♀️

OP posts:
Shade17 · 03/04/2025 19:02

businessflop25 · 03/04/2025 18:03

these are the bulbs although I paid less tag this site

https://www.autobulbsdirect.co.uk/h7-twenty20-truefit-led.html

They’re just aftermarket LED bulbs though, designed to fit in a traditional H7 halogen headlight.

Bjorkdidit · 03/04/2025 18:03

luna2025 · 03/04/2025 17:21

Not sure why you quoted me? I work for the dealership… I know what it covers!

Sorry, I thought I was quoting notatidydancer post about the diagnostic fee being too high.

OP posts:
Shade17 · 03/04/2025 17:51

I’m still intrigued as to which car has replaceable LED bulbs.

CoffeeCakeAndALattePlease · 03/04/2025 17:24

That’s madness!
whenever I’ve had something really minor like that which takes a couple of minutes I’ve only been charged the price of the bulb…. a few quid at most.
obviously they need to pay for the part and if it involves labour time fair enough, but I’ve never been charged for stuff that only takes them a few mins.

luna2025 · 03/04/2025 17:21

Bjorkdidit · 03/04/2025 16:43

It's a set fee. It's not just to cover the small amount of time it takes the technician to plug in and read the display but it also has to account for hardware and software costs, training, people who get a diagnosis and seek advice but don't go on to get their car repaired, admin, marketing, ordering parts, bank costs etc etc.

Blame the car manufacturers who fill their cars with computers that need interrogation to determine what's wrong with them.

Not sure why you quoted me? I work for the dealership… I know what it covers!

Bjorkdidit · 03/04/2025 16:43

luna2025 · 03/04/2025 15:59

That’s for the first hour diagnostic

It's a set fee. It's not just to cover the small amount of time it takes the technician to plug in and read the display but it also has to account for hardware and software costs, training, people who get a diagnosis and seek advice but don't go on to get their car repaired, admin, marketing, ordering parts, bank costs etc etc.

Blame the car manufacturers who fill their cars with computers that need interrogation to determine what's wrong with them.

luna2025 · 03/04/2025 16:06

notatinydancer · 03/04/2025 16:00

Wow.

Expensive car brand…

PinkElephantsOnParade2025 · 03/04/2025 16:02

I watched YouTube. Did it myself.

notatinydancer · 03/04/2025 16:00

Wow.

luna2025 · 03/04/2025 15:59

notatinydancer · 03/04/2025 15:54

That seems high? How long does it take ?

That’s for the first hour diagnostic

notatinydancer · 03/04/2025 15:54

luna2025 · 03/04/2025 15:52

Think that’s fairly average now
We are £210 for diagnostic

That seems high? How long does it take ?

OldCottageGreenhouse · 03/04/2025 15:53

IainTorontoNSW · 03/04/2025 11:16

@businessflop25

Your car, almost any brand, comes with an owner's manual. Open it up, find the reference for changing bulbs, wipers, etc and follow that.

Take out the dodgy bulb at a budget/fair-priced spare parts shop. Let the counter-jumper look at the lettering/info on the side (or get it from the owner's manual).

Pay the price. Go out front to the car-park. Insert/install the new bulb. Test light(s).

Take away the stress of complaining about mechanics/plumbers/dentists paying themselves like millionaires with (what you consider to be) high hourly rates or large fee-for-service charges.

Lots of people come to me for my professional services and feign heart-attacks and apoplexy when I tell them that I start at $AUD77 per hour.

I also do not b1tch when my dentist wants $AUD425 for a moderately complex filling repair ... but I did not go to university for 6 or 7 years, and I do not have a $75000 treatment chair, a dental nurse, a hygienist, a receptionist, etc. It's all relative.

If you can't or won't do minor maintenance to your house or car, you pay the going rate or shop around.

Bloody hell! Calm down! Also this is in the UK not Australia

luna2025 · 03/04/2025 15:52

notatinydancer · 03/04/2025 15:43

My car dealer ( for my not fancy make) wanted £150 just to plug it in for a diagnostic check. Which you can’t do yourself.

Think that’s fairly average now
We are £210 for diagnostic

notatinydancer · 03/04/2025 15:43

My car dealer ( for my not fancy make) wanted £150 just to plug it in for a diagnostic check. Which you can’t do yourself.

Ledwood85 · 03/04/2025 15:25

Ah just saw that it was indeed a 5 min job in your OP. Ignore my first para!

Ledwood85 · 03/04/2025 15:17

As someone else stated, is it a truly a 5 min job or more than that?

I remember on my first cars in the 90s, it was literally pop off the rubber cover on the back of the light, twist the bulb housing out, remove, replace, put back together. Two minutes max. Today with some cars you may have to go as far as to jack it up, take the wheel off, wheel liner out, remove bumper, remove headlight... you get the idea. Sadly one of mine is like this. Hours of work. It's an extreme example but want to make the point your car could be a little more complex than the way things used to be (5mins).

Anyway, £48 sounds like about half an hour of a garages standard labour time. Looks like they charged that, which may well be their minimum for all/any services. Other garages may do it for less or have a set fee for bulbs, others may do it for free since they have a relationship/ongoing business with you.

What I would do? Check to see if yours is indeed a 5min job. If it is, maybe ask them if they could refund it. Nothing to lose. If they stand their ground, politely inform them that's a shame and that you won't be returning to them.

Like most things in life, some businesses will let the little things slide for the sake of ongoing repeat business and reputation, others will want to nail you on every little thing. Choose who you want to do business with based on that.

RhiWrites · 03/04/2025 15:04

My garage did it for free when I had a bulb registering as out due to a wiring issue. They fixed the wire and didn’t charge me anything. (I already had the spare bulb.)

businessflop25 · 03/04/2025 14:55

Sweetpeasaremadeforbees · 03/04/2025 14:21

Now to pass the mot the drivers side one had to be replaced to match the passenger side.

That would piss me off TBH. Whoever fixed the broken light should have told you to replace the other one at the same time. Presumably technically you've been driving round in a car that was considered unsafe (absolutely not your fault but who knows how an insurance company would have viewed it).

Edited

They told us it would probably have to be replaced but the insurance company wouldn’t cover that at the time. The vehicle in question is used primarily off road as a farm runabout. We use it for towing when we need to but mainly for driving between units up and down our track. So it’s not been a high priority until now especially as having bright lights is blooming useful at times. Only a few days ago we were repairing fences in the dark using it as a work light 😂

OP posts:
B1indEye · 03/04/2025 14:45

Shade17 · 03/04/2025 14:22

I’d be interested to know the exact wording of the MOT fail as well.

I had to look it up, head light too bright is a fail so I'd guess thats what the wording was

Shade17 · 03/04/2025 14:22

Sweetpeasaremadeforbees · 03/04/2025 14:21

Now to pass the mot the drivers side one had to be replaced to match the passenger side.

That would piss me off TBH. Whoever fixed the broken light should have told you to replace the other one at the same time. Presumably technically you've been driving round in a car that was considered unsafe (absolutely not your fault but who knows how an insurance company would have viewed it).

Edited

I’d be interested to know the exact wording of the MOT fail as well.

Sweetpeasaremadeforbees · 03/04/2025 14:21

Now to pass the mot the drivers side one had to be replaced to match the passenger side.

That would piss me off TBH. Whoever fixed the broken light should have told you to replace the other one at the same time. Presumably technically you've been driving round in a car that was considered unsafe (absolutely not your fault but who knows how an insurance company would have viewed it).

CautiousLurker01 · 03/04/2025 14:07

IainTorontoNSW · 03/04/2025 11:16

@businessflop25

Your car, almost any brand, comes with an owner's manual. Open it up, find the reference for changing bulbs, wipers, etc and follow that.

Take out the dodgy bulb at a budget/fair-priced spare parts shop. Let the counter-jumper look at the lettering/info on the side (or get it from the owner's manual).

Pay the price. Go out front to the car-park. Insert/install the new bulb. Test light(s).

Take away the stress of complaining about mechanics/plumbers/dentists paying themselves like millionaires with (what you consider to be) high hourly rates or large fee-for-service charges.

Lots of people come to me for my professional services and feign heart-attacks and apoplexy when I tell them that I start at $AUD77 per hour.

I also do not b1tch when my dentist wants $AUD425 for a moderately complex filling repair ... but I did not go to university for 6 or 7 years, and I do not have a $75000 treatment chair, a dental nurse, a hygienist, a receptionist, etc. It's all relative.

If you can't or won't do minor maintenance to your house or car, you pay the going rate or shop around.

Going to guess the Op wasn’t offered this option - that they changed it because it would not have pass the MOT without a light.

Patronising her with a description of how to change the bulb was uncalled for.

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