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)

The MOT be law cannot exceed £55 so something is wrong with that quote.

I had a 5 year service carried out on my car last month at a main dealer and it was £300.

I took my Mazda for a service and MOT yesterday. Service was £166 and MOT was £30. That was not at main dealer but was a manufacturers service so valid for warranty purposes. Others are right there is max fee for MOT of about £55.

The service fee does fluctuate widely every year. Look into your service schedule. You can see if it's a big one just looking at the list of things to do.

sea you are getting done big time.

Dh has a new Audi. Their service is between £250-600 depending on what's being done.

I asked the master techie (know him personally) to justify the cost. He said there isn't justification, it's a made up price and no different to an independent dealer.

Although we change our car every year so have to use main dealer for other reasons.

If we owned a car out of warranty no way on this earth would I use main dealer. It's a con.

Why's the MOT £110? I wouldn't expect to pay more than the official fee unless there was something needing done to get it through the test, which the garage wouldn't know before testing.

I think I paid about 240 ish for my last service. Volvo service but you get a year's free auto recovery with Volvo's own service, which covers homestart and european driving. I think it's a bit of a bargain.

Ellimam...... What type of car is it? Generally the more expensive the model / make of the car, the more expensive the service will be. Also there are different types of service (from a simple oil change to a major service). Dealerships and places like Arnold Clark will be at the top end of the price scale.

Get a couple of quotes from independent garages with good reputations.

My OH works for a reputable German car orientated independent garage and they do services for 50% of the price of the main Mercedes dealership round the corner.

PS Whatever you do DON'T go to Arnold Clark!

If we owned a car out of warranty no way on this earth would I use main dealer. It's a con.

Not using a main dealer for a service does not void the warranty. As long as it's a VAT registered garage and the book is stamped, the warranty is still valid.

I remember my one year old car (I bought it new) cost £360 for it's first service and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. I had to use the main dealer as well and couldn't go to a local place or the warranty would have been invalid.

Still fuming six years later!

Not using a main dealer for a service does not void the warranty. As long as it's a VAT registered garage and the book is stamped, the warranty is still valid.

Really? I was told it would by the dealer. Robbing bastards! Steam is now coming out of my ears.

They've changed the rules so you can a manufacturer's service done at independent garages. Those are fine for warranty purposes.

Really? I was told it would by the dealer. Robbing bastards! Steam is now coming out of my ears.

Nope. A lot of people think this though and get majorly stung by the dealerships. As long as you have a stamp in your book, by a VAT registered garage. You're fine.

Yes but if your car breaks down only a short time out of warranty, if you have a FSH with the main dealer they tend to be quite good as helping with costs as a gesture of goodwill.

It can be beneficial.

And I meant for an MOT. I've never owned a car that needs one as most cars have 3 years warranty and it's 3 years til they need an mot iyswim!

...... but the mechanic must used the correct dealer approved parts (sorry forgot to mention that)

People think a dealership will do a better job because they are more expensive. False. They have higher targets to meet and tend to cut corners more often than a reputable independent garage.

You can get dealer approved parts at non-dealership garages but sometimes the non-genuine parts are just as good for a lot less money. Most dealers have their own delivery vans to other local garages.

I have to admit being a bit lax with services with my previous cars but I bought a brand new one this year and got 3 years servicing and it's first mot for just under £300. Seeing these prices I'm really glad I did now

Not using a main dealer for a service does not void the warranty. As long as it's a VAT registered garage and the book is stamped, the warranty is still valid

That's true but you can kiss any out of warranty goodwill goodbye. Saving a few hundred could cost you a few thousand in the long run.

Depends in car and if major service. Go back to garage and ask for break down of costs.

They can't charge £110 for the MOT test. Cosy of a car mot is £54.85 so that's the max they can charge. If they're charging more for just putting it through the test I'd report them

Very car dependent
DH's Audi - we changed from main dealership because it was always so expensive. The service / mot wasn't too bad but the parts seemed to be made of gold dust & they always seemed to be such a faff. We go to an audi specialist now - minor service £150, major service £299, MOT - £40
My Toyota - the dealership is actually the cheaper option, I get a courtesy car which is essential & its always been reliable too. As i've not had to have anything major fixed or replaced it seems reasonable - minor £125, major £195, MOT - £45

Some friends of mine bought a Defender brand new and a year later it's first service apparently cost them £700. I don't know what else they had done but I'd be seriously pissed off at a first service costing that much.

Sounds reasonable, especially if you are in the Southeast.

THe MOT however sounds to be double what it should be.

As someone whose car's engine has gone bang spectacularly this week , and who now can't claim on her warranty because I forgot to get it serviced , and who is now getting quotes of £2k to get it done , to me , ANY service sounds cheap in comparison . Don't get caught out like me . This week I'm a cautionary tale .