General Bravo service & warranty - advice needed

[bravoo]

Hi all,
First i would like to say - great forum - i am a long time lurker.

I had a punto for 3yrs before - it was an ok car - now i have got a bravo tjet 150 - lovely car.

I need some advice - I want to summarise the post before it gets too long.

• I have always got a fiat dealer service with punto/bravo -but now the bravo is out of warranty - (bought at 3rd yr now into yr 4).

• My last bravo service was one year ago with a fiat dealer (aug 2010) from memory this was the 18k service all apart from spark plugs which they said didnt yet need done & current mileage 24k

• The car is out on fiat finance HP.

Questions -
1. Do i have to get the car service by a fiat dealer & get book stamped? Can a 3rd party do it without stamp?

2. Do i need to get the car serviced at all or can i wait until 36k service? - after all - its out of warranty and i would have to pay for anything that goes wrong anyway... yet the book says get it done at least once a year...

3. I think the dealer i bought it from is leaving fiat and going towards a different brand of car - does this affect the above 2 questions in anyway?

Obviously i would love to get the car serviced by a fiat dealer and get a stamp etc - but im skint lol... - i haven't rang round dealers yet - but a friend of a friend says he can do it for around £100 vs probably £200+ fiat prices - any advice??

Forgive me if this has been asked before - i tried the search to no avail & thanks in advance for any answers

 

[udtrev]

why not see if your local fiat dealer has something similiar to mine ?

http://www.pdhcars.com/servicingparts.htm

Bella is going to have a gold service with her MOT

 

[custard]

Hi all,
First i would like to say - great forum - i am a long time lurker.

I had a punto for 3yrs before - it was an ok car - now i have got a bravo tjet 150 - lovely car.

I need some advice - I want to summarise the post before it gets too long.

• I have always got a fiat dealer service with punto/bravo -but now the bravo is out of warranty - (bought at 3rd yr now into yr 4).

• My last bravo service was one year ago with a fiat dealer (aug 2010) from memory this was the 18k service all apart from spark plugs which they said didnt yet need done & current mileage 24k

• The car is out on fiat finance HP.

Questions -
1. Do i have to get the car service by a fiat dealer & get book stamped? Can a 3rd party do it without stamp?

2. Do i need to get the car serviced at all or can i wait until 36k service? - after all - its out of warranty and i would have to pay for anything that goes wrong anyway... yet the book says get it done at least once a year...

3. I think the dealer i bought it from is leaving fiat and going towards a different brand of car - does this affect the above 2 questions in anyway?

Obviously i would love to get the car serviced by a fiat dealer and get a stamp etc - but im skint lol... - i haven't rang round dealers yet - but a friend of a friend says he can do it for around £100 vs probably £200+ fiat prices - any advice??

Forgive me if this has been asked before - i tried the search to no avail & thanks in advance for any answers

if its out of warranty then you can do what you like
however servicing isnt just an income generator for the dealers
its the manufacturers recommendations
eg 36K or 1 year
whichever comes soonest
you can choose to ignore that but it can be short sighted
you are out of warranty so anyone can do the servicing(or you) but a stamp from a garage(Fiat or not) does show the car has been cared for and maintained to a certain level

 

[TJetPete]

If it helps you at all, make sure you barter for a service. They wanted £275 for a 3 year/18,000 mile service. I paid £180

 

[bravoo]

Thanks for the replies.

My local Fiat dealers have nothing like the special service offers @ pdhcars - although i have never asked them if they do - i will ask them.

Also thanks for the tip - i do try to barter and will continue to but with a limited fiat dealship where i live - my last fiat service was a 80 mile round trip and even with petrol costs still cheaper than my local dealer

if its out of warranty then you can do what you like

Is this the case even though its with Fiat Finance HP - i was unsure about this - can they force you to service it once a year?? or do they charge you when u give it back when you havent serviced it as they like - as part of contract or something??

you can choose to ignore that but it can be short sighted

Thanks again for the advice - and i agree with this - i know it should be serviced - i just dont have the spare cash.

Maybe the best thing would be to put away money for next few months - better to get it serviced later than never??

Thanks again for the advice - gonna give the dealers a ring round anyway - see what they say for prices

 

[RobW]

Follow the service intervals and spec in your handbook

Use genuine parts or improved spec alternatives of known brand

Remember the fiat dealer knows your car best and will also update software

I just got my bravo 54k 'silver service' done at Thames fiat in Slough for £190
Other dealers and an independent had quoted £300 so it's well worth shopping around

Your car needs the best oil and plugs as it runs in a high state of tune, this is made clear in the manual