General 3rd year service is how much?!

[jimbro1000]

I had my A500 through it's 3rd year service yesterday and frankly I'm horrified!

The parts are about £150+vat plus 4 hours labour plus an MOT (about £55 - vat exempt)

That works out somewhere in the region of £620.

To top it off my front brake pads had worn out and I needed two new tyres (I did the front two a week earlier but hadn't spotted how badly worn the rears are because of the camber)

The final sum with everything done was well over £1000 but in the interests of my not having a screaming fit at them the price was slimmed down to 3 figures.

Even the dealer was horrified at how much the service was - this being the first A500 they'd had in for its 3rd service. I'm still fairly deeply shocked as the service isn't really much beyond what I would consider "standard" if I was doing it myself although I haven't seen the actual job sheet to see what other work was done without the need for new parts (cleaning, greasing, etc).

 

[grimwau]

That seems really excessive, how many miles on the clock?

I have just had my second year service done at a cost of £419.00 and next year I was told that all that would be needed is a low mileage service + MOT. Of course if you have done the full 18,000 miles each year then a full service will be required and anything else, such as pads in your case might need replacing at extra cost but no way should it cost that much.

Even with a timing belt change which isn't due yet I can't see the justification for that price.

I have told my garage not to replace anything without getting confirmation from me first as things like discs and pads I can change myself, in fact I already have some from an SS converted car I bought from ebay.

Next year, if I still have the same car, I will just get the oil, oil filter and pollen filter changed plus MOT and book stamped then, as warranty is out I will look after it myself or use a local Fiat/Alfa specialist for anything I can't tackle.

 

[jimbro1000]

The car has 21k on the clock - second year service was a low mileage one (under £200 iirc) but this one does seem very excessive. The bulk of the cost comes from the labour and that of course varies from one garage to the next.

The extra on top was £70 for the brake pads (won't be buying them from Abarth ever again) plus labour and VAT once more. Same again for two tyres (£95 each fitted). That's about £360 above and beyond the basic service at least.

This was something of a political move - I've been trying to get the front seats swapped or repaired for a long time and Abarth weren't budging so I played the dealer against them and I need them on my side for the full effect. I got the result I wanted - a full repair of both front seats so I think I've got what I wanted - I could have got the car serviced elsewhere and obtained a fresh set of front seats myself but I doubt I could have achieved it for much less (if at all). I also needed the rear brakes looking at again - another bit of free labour from the dealer (I should hope so with all the rest I was paying for). The end result is in my favour but for the rest of you, be warned!

From here on out I am looking after the car myself with minimal effort at a decent workshop to get stamps in the book. What I'd really like to get hold of is the service schedule in detail from Abarth so I know what is supposed to be looked at and when.

 

[grimwau]

I also had an agenda for paying how much I did instead of shopping around or buying original parts and getting a local specialist to do the service. Firstly, using the "myFiat" card I qualified for 10% discount, i.e. £41.90 and then I also had a £100 voucher from Fiat, given last February after the TA lost all the oil.

It needed using within 12 months, which is why I had my 24 month service done early.

When you say you need a copy of the service schedule is that because the one in the handbook is out of date?

 

[jimbro1000]

The schedule in the book doesn't tell you all the details.

What I need to know is every single item on the job-sheet for each service. The parts that get swapped are just part of the story.

It certainly doesn't take 4 hours to do the oil, brake fluid, plugs, filters, etc.
There is a certain of safety and maintenance checks they go through as well

 

[Austin Mini]

Four hours is a laugh. My '07 MINI One had oil, filter, plugs, brake fluid, MOT was dropped off at 9.0am picked her up at midday. Didnt cost a penny either caus previous owner paid for all servicing for five years.

 

[jrkitching]

It certainly doesn't take 4 hours to do the oil, brake fluid, plugs, filters, etc.
There is a certain of safety and maintenance checks they go through as well

True, but the safety checks are also part of the MOT so if you've had that done as well, you shouldn't be paying twice .

Main dealers should, and most independents will, give a discount if you have servicing carried out at the same time as an MOT.