To think £300 to service a car is really high? Mumsnet decides

[Elllimam]

Sorry I am posting here for fast replies. Our 4 yo car went in for MOT and service this morning and it's £110 for MOT and £300 for service. I think we should just MOT it, my husband thinks it needs a service (coming up to 50,000 miles). He has agreed to abide by mumsnet. We have 30 mins to decide. Help! (We only bought it last year)

Sounds like a major service - are you at a main dealer for the brand? It wont affect yor warrenty but I do stick to the service plan for resale value and to prevent parts failing more expensively down the line.

define 'service'?

if this is cambelt change etc then it is not unreasonable. What do the manufacturer schedules say?

if it is just oil then tell them to get lost and pay National Auto or similar 30 to do it.

Depends when it was last serviced? if its been a while and you have the money better to get it done.

We just had ours done. I was at the £259 cost, but ours is also 4 years old and this is when a full service is req which costs more (yearly ones have cost around £130). I definitely think it's worth it, they check everything and ours even chucked in a valet. For peace of mind at least. Also if you want to sell in future, having had the full service is a real selling point.

Definitely service it with a proper dealer - it will keep its value much better.

They have said they are changing filters? Oil, air conditioning filter. It just seems a lot of cash.

It depends on the car.

When I had a car with a very big engine, I'd have loved a bill that small. It's still less than I pay now (slightly more sensible engine).

For a small hatchback, it's quite high.

The MOT though is very expensive - kwik fit charge £30

£160 for my usual service and mot combined

piece of string...

I think you get what you pay for at service.

We've started going somewhere where he says the cheap offer services wont be thorough and they simply can't be doing everything he would do. I believe him. Stands to reason, really. He also says we don't need a full service every year, a smaller interim will do in between.

Sorry that is no help is it? Probably also depends on the car and what other work/its had. For eg has it ever had a service.

Does sound pricey, but does depend what you're getting for that, as there are different levels of "service" depending on what's checked.

£110 for MOT is high, they must include other stuff in that figure no? It's usually around £50, though may be more at main dealer.

So you're one of those people who just get a car MOT'd rather than serviced. No £300 is not massively expensive for a big service. I would expect it to be more if the cambelt needed to be changed. Please say this isn't the car's first service? Also at 4 years old switching from main dealer to an independent for servicing is likely to make a negligible impact on resale value. Just be glad you don't own something like a BMW M3 - an inspection 2 service at this age/mileage would be well into 4 figures. So yes YABU - if you don't understand enough about cars to realise the benefits of getting it serviced then you really shouldn't be the one making the decision.

Oil & filter service is £60. Oil and filter and rear brakes stripped and cleaned is £120 and all filters and both front and rear brakes stripped and cleaned is £175. That's where I work, diesels cost a bit more, these just for cars aged over three years out of warranty though.
Proper manufacturer services are sadly a lot more!!!

We had ours serviced earlier this year - major service cost 105, MOT cost 39.

Fantastic mechanic and given a form with comments on all the items checked in the service along with time frame for replacement or repairs needed.

I get my discovery serviced every year at a local garage, usually costs around £150 includes oil filters etc but excludes any major part. Mot cost £50.

My MOT for my BMW costs £30 at the main dealer so £110 is a lot.
Basic service is about £140 I think

Is your car diesel or petrol. Diesel cars cost more to service.

Getting a car serviced is essential, but as the car gets older using an independent garage to do the service affects resale value less.

£110 for MOT is high, they must include other stuff in that figure no? It's usually around £50, though may be more at main dealer

Max MOT test fee is £54.85 although you can charge less.

Mine's a petrol Volvo and the standard service without MOT is £450.00. I always hope the final bill will be less than £1,000.00.

Thanks all will go for the service :) ramrod it isn't the cambelt it was filters needing replaced xx

That MOT is a lot of money. Is it being taken to a dealership? If so, don't bother. Go to a local mechanic.
I paid about £40 for an MOT.

Also Ramrod I mentioned we just got it last year so this is the first time we have got it mot'd or serviced.

Some filters will need replacing at every service, some less frequently. Filters include oil, air, cabin and fuel not to mention some weird and wonderful ones on certain cars.

Shop around. Dealerships can be pricey, whilst Bosch garages can be cheaper and just as good and sometimes better (Which? rate them highly). If you have a Mazda, you'd still have to drop it into the dealer to have the computers reset, but when DH was doing this, it still worked out cheaper than having the whole service done at the dealership.

Also Ramrod I mentioned we just got it last year so this is the first time we have got it mot'd or serviced

But it has a service history?

make sure the service is 'do' not just 'check'. You can check yourself for most things (and should be doing so).

it also depends on your mileage and type of driving. If it is school run/short trips then it needs an oil change etc every year, regardless of mileage. If there is a heavy-footed driver then brakes will need more frequent attention.