Can my new exhaust really cost £1000 plus VAT?

[KatyMac]

Cos I was very very shocked and upset

I may have to sell the car to pay for the repair

i paid #180 or so last year for a new exhaust for my car, incl fitting through kwik fit

i was quoted #700 + labour by the garage where i bought my car for 2 tryes, 2 shcok absorbers and new exhaust. was #350 incl labour from kwik fit

worth shopping around

it was probably less than that

i have a xsara picasso

OMG - that is a big difference

yep, i would never have any work done without shopping around

mind you, if you have a luxury car, it can be more expensive, but #1000 is a lot..

It's a Fiat Uylesse (people carrier)

Is that a fiat dealership price? It will probably be a lot cheaper if you go somewhere that stocks generic parts.

Really

Oh boy - I guess I need to go shopping - bugger I could really do without this tbh

Definately shop around Katy. a dealship will always charge much, much more.

I'm still in shock tbh

I directed a friend of mine to the garage I have used for over 20 years for my cars. (god, am I really that old!) She was only having a CV boot replaced. All it is, is a little pouch, filled with oil/grease that goes around a joint on the main shaft. Her dealership had quoted over £100 just for the part, my garage did it for £15 plus labour!

DH is an AA man and he said there is no way it would cost anywhere near £1000. If its the whole exhaust system then he reckons around £400 is reasonable as a Fiat Uylesse is the same spec as a Peugoet 806, but if you went to the main dealer they will charge a lot more. Contact your local trading standards for advice, as whoever you are dealing with may be trying to pull a fast one!

Actually I'm afraid my new exhaust cost £1700 once. I was mortified. It was for a sodding hated campervan too. It had to be handmade because they were no longer available. But it is worth shopping around Katy.

You probably want these though

Go here to check your model details. Expect to pay £100 for fitting at your local garage. Find a local mechanic rather than going to your local retailer who will always be 30% more expensive because they have a nice showroom and have to guarantee their work for longer.

we have a ulysses and just had to have the back part of exhaust done and it cost £235 fitted at kwik fit. This was only the end part though and i believe it comes in 3 parts. Defo shop around but i know ulysses are expensive for parts, still seems expensive though even if its all 3 parts that need replacing! And the bit we needed was not a standard part as it had 2 end pipes not one.

does that include the catalytic coneverter? these can cost £400+ for original parts.

if it does include the cat and you are not keeping the car for a long time, you can buy aftermarket cats, which are just copys of original cats. they are about £100 but dont last as long as original cats.

if it does inclue the cat, the parts and labour may well come to £1000.

hope you get it sorted

Oh

Oh dear

Oh bugger

Generic parts are perfectly okay these days. In fact in some cases I've found them better (Honda v generic brake pads) the Honda ones last me a year, the generic ones were still there when we sold four years later.

the copy cats are honestly rubbish. my family owns a scrap yard and we buy hundreds of scrap catalytic converters evey week. the original cats are worth £62 for scrap but the copy cat onesare only worth £7. it's because there is hardly any precious metal in the copy ones.

most of the copy ones even come with labels on with words to the effect of 'these catalytic converters have no garuantee to last over a year'

honestly the origianls ones are better.

i always get 3 quotes for anything to do with the car so i know im not being ripped off on one

are you sure the WHOLE exhaust is needing replaced,unusual for the whole thing to go at once.
i would go to a few(at least 3 or 4) small garages and get some prices, also have a look online at the price of the exhaust, fitting doesnt take that long, so most of the price will be the exhaust it self.
if you dont plan to keep the car forever,maybe try phoning around breakers yards local to you as you may get a second hand one much cheaper,i would phone around and local motor factor places to get prices for the parts.

My exhaust on my ford focus needed replacing last month. I phoned 2 diff kwik fits one who quoted me £190 and then proceeded to ask when i wanted it done and got shirty when i said i needed to make a couple more phone calls.

phoned a diff kwik fit who quoted me £145 and then checked with a place that i work opposite who do exhausts and i managed to get the parts for trade price which was about £50 and the garage who told me i needed it replaced charged me an hours labour which was £45.

def worth phoning around though. Mine didnt need a Cat which could explain the low price

i'm rambling now sorry

sweet monkey i wouldnt pay £45 for an hours labour, maybe its where you stay i dnt know but where i am an hrs labour is £25-£30, and i usually haggle lol.
TBH i wouldnt go to kwik-fit as they are MUCH dearer than going to a small independant garage, i have a small local garage that i use for everything, he just fixed my radiator for £120, places were quoting us £250+ for just the part.
it really pays to shop around.

not sure which model yours is but maybe try this site for an idea on price

www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/880/mia/d/exhaust+system+fiat+ulysse+19td+cat+turbo+diesel +mpv+1905cc+10+1995+2000/pid/6707158

Thanks - our local garage is struggling to find the part (grr) but hopefully it is under control