car ripoff

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › car ripoff

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

655 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1908730 28-Nov-2017 00:13

"Oil service on the Mrs diesel X5 is $250."

W..what? People pay $250 for someone to change the oil and filter in their car? It is a 20 minute job if you are slow... People think lawyers are expensive. I'd like to make $1,000/hour changing oil.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

Bung

5428 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1908742 28-Nov-2017 06:53

The oil and filter could be as much as $200. Then a workshop would charge for disposal of old oil and filter and the (Egyptian cotton) cleaning rags before adding the labour charge.

Coil

6614 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1908791 28-Nov-2017 07:38

UHD:

"Oil service on the Mrs diesel X5 is $250."

W..what? People pay $250 for someone to change the oil and filter in their car? It is a 20 minute job if you are slow... People think lawyers are expensive. I'd like to make $1,000/hour changing oil.

That beema will drink $150 of oil alone. (V8 M62? 8L oil sump? My 2.8 M52 is 7.5L)... Not to mention a $30 filter, $5 sump plug and washer. I only save $40-$50 doing it myself for my car. Almost not worth it. I run Penrite HPR 10 Engine Oil - 10W-50. Need to buy 10L $150 worth at retail.

Mattmannz

471 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1908801 28-Nov-2017 08:20

pctek:

My dad used to take the car to this crowd, for yearly warrants and servicing.
He was never much with cars.....

There was the time he got a warning light on the dash, to do with catalytic converter and they wanted $500 to fix it.
I insisted he get someone knowledgeable with cars from his church round.
$50 later and the sensor was fixed, no more issues.

Since he died my mum continued, but the bill increased. It is always around $600 she says.
So this time, I heard that 2 of things - after her WOF cost $217 was 1)Windscreen has small chip and needs fixing and 2)Battery needs charging.

I told her 1)AMI does windscreens free, no excess whether it's fix or replace and 2)batteries are recharged when you drive, unless the alternator is stuffed. Was there problems with the battery? Starting etc? No.

In the end one of the church guys went with her and they took the car to the glass place and it was done for free via AMI. Over this car guys protests and nastiness to the friend with her.
The bill was reduced slightly so she tells me she only paid $729 in total.

She isn't going back.
However I have tried to tell them this, mechanics DO take advantage of you if they think you know nothing, especially if you are female, and/or old.

She does very little mileage, a couple of thousand KMs a year....it certainly does not need an oil change every year, never mind the rest of it. It is under 100,000km still, had cambelt done at around 60,000.

Not even sure what the point of your post is and why you bothered complaining to the MTA. Cars do need yearly servicing at a minimum and most places will try and do preventative maintenance wherever possible as most clients will complain when things fail if it's recently been serviced.

allio

864 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1908809 28-Nov-2017 09:14

I do similar milage to your mum and it is absolute murder on the battery. Am on my third in about six years. They only stopped dying completely after I bought a battery charger. And the car can still start fine even when the battery is quite obviously (to anyone with a multimeter) on the verge of giving up the ghost.

As others have said oil needs to be changed every 12 months even if the car isn't driven at all.

tripper1000

1539 posts

Uber Geek

#1908840 28-Nov-2017 10:30

There are two issues at play here. A broader industry issue on what the definition of a "service" is in N.Z., and the customer not discussing their options/expectations/budget with the mechanic.

A "Service" is an ultra-generic and ambiguous term and has different meanings for different people. As a result the cost of a "Service" can vary a lot from workshop to workshop and customer to customer, so it is important to discuss the job and your budget with the mechanic at the start so they can give you the quality or budget you expect and educate you why some things are critical (such as oil changes) and the consequences of letting non-critical things slide - such as a test drive.

A service as specified by the vehicle manufacturer will commonly cost no less than $600, and can cover stuff like lubing door locks, adjusting door striker plates, hand brakes, replacing HT leads, replacing coolant & brake fluid, spark plugs, fuel filters, cabin air filters, brake pads, testing the battery and thermostats, and addressing non-critical faults logged in the ECU - all at specified but different intervals so as to even the cost out. For a typical cheap-skate kiwi, a "service" will just be an oil change, which could be as cheap as $80 for mineral oils and low-grade filter.

Based on two pieces of evidence provided: 1) the OP does not think an annual oil change is warranted (which is contrary to advice from 99% of mechanics, oil manufactures and vehicle manufactures for older cars), and 2) the fact the mechanic went to the extra trouble of testing battery CCA - leads me to suspect this case is that of a mechanic providing a comprehensive service and the customer who is not aware that their concept/expectations of a service falls below minimum allowable standards.

If the mechanic thinks you're the type of person to ignore warning lights, gauges and funny smells & noises (stereotypically non-tradie types, females and old people), or if the mechanic thinks you are the oblivious type of person who expects all obscure problems to be fixed at a "Service" they will be more pre-emptive and comprehensive with maintenance, and bill will naturally be higher. That is to say, they are not simply ripping off vulnerable people, but they're trying to protect people from their own vehicular-ignorance or save the customer trouble in the long run - there are of course unscrupulous people in all trades who will simply rip you off.

If you think $600 is too expensive and you're happy to forego all the extra's, then the mechanic will usually be happy to meet your expectations as long as you're not going to kill other motorists, or open a consumer guarantees case against them for a failure facilitated by your choices. If for instance, you are happy to go rescue your mum off this side of the road if/when her battery fails on her, then opt for a budget service that doesn't test the battery. If mum lives a long way away or doesn't have a cell phone, then you might want to stick with a comprehensive service or else do an annual precautionary battery change.

1cloud

138 posts

Master Geek

#1908876 28-Nov-2017 10:54

tripper1000:

There are two issues at play here. A broader industry issue on what the definition of a "service" is in N.Z., and the customer not discussing their options/expectations/budget with the mechanic.

A "Service" is an ultra-generic and ambiguous term and has different meanings for different people. As a result the cost of a "Service" can vary a lot from workshop to workshop and customer to customer, so it is important to discuss the job and your budget with the mechanic at the start so they can give you the quality or budget you expect and educate you why some things are critical (such as oil changes) and the consequences of letting non-critical things slide - such as a test drive.

The thing is any one follow it ? I have heard a nationwide tyre distributor said their fleet car went in the dealer network for service and 15 mins later the car came out. They were monitoring the gps tracking installed. :)

tripper1000

1539 posts

Uber Geek

#1908910 28-Nov-2017 11:27

1cloud:

tripper1000:There are two issues at play here. A broader industry issue on what the definition of a "service" is in N.Z., and the customer not discussing their options/expectations/budget with the mechanic.

A "Service" is an ultra-generic and ambiguous term and has different meanings for different people. As a result the cost of a "Service" can vary a lot from workshop to workshop and customer to customer, so it is important to discuss the job and your budget with the mechanic at the start so they can give you the quality or budget you expect and educate you why some things are critical (such as oil changes) and the consequences of letting non-critical things slide - such as a test drive.

The thing is any one follow it ? I have heard a nationwide tyre distributor said their fleet car went in the dealer network for service and 15 mins later the car came out. They were monitoring the gps tracking installed. :)

That's my point - a service is not a standard in N.Z. To some it is an oil change, to others it is a bunch of annual preventative maintenance.

Does the GPS tell you how many mechanics were working on it simultaneously? If it was one mechanic, that's long enough to do a budget service (oil change), if it was 4 mechanics, they could have checked/lubed/adjusted a bunch of stuff.

Coil

6614 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1908922 28-Nov-2017 11:45

1cloud:

tripper1000:

There are two issues at play here. A broader industry issue on what the definition of a "service" is in N.Z., and the customer not discussing their options/expectations/budget with the mechanic.

A "Service" is an ultra-generic and ambiguous term and has different meanings for different people. As a result the cost of a "Service" can vary a lot from workshop to workshop and customer to customer, so it is important to discuss the job and your budget with the mechanic at the start so they can give you the quality or budget you expect and educate you why some things are critical (such as oil changes) and the consequences of letting non-critical things slide - such as a test drive.

The thing is any one follow it ? I have heard a nationwide tyre distributor said their fleet car went in the dealer network for service and 15 mins later the car came out. They were monitoring the gps tracking installed. :)

Fleet servicing and pricing is way different than consumer.
No sundries, Just oil, filter and its back on the road. Some don't even clean them.

Also a lot of people are are very critical over mechanics. What tripper1000 said is what I agree with and it is a case of you're damned if you do and don't as a mechanic.

Anything that isn't free seems to be daylight robbery and fraud to us Kiwis. See it every day. Retarded culture.

1cloud

138 posts

Master Geek

#1908997 28-Nov-2017 13:42

Coil:

1cloud:

tripper1000:

There are two issues at play here. A broader industry issue on what the definition of a "service" is in N.Z., and the customer not discussing their options/expectations/budget with the mechanic.

A "Service" is an ultra-generic and ambiguous term and has different meanings for different people. As a result the cost of a "Service" can vary a lot from workshop to workshop and customer to customer, so it is important to discuss the job and your budget with the mechanic at the start so they can give you the quality or budget you expect and educate you why some things are critical (such as oil changes) and the consequences of letting non-critical things slide - such as a test drive.

The thing is any one follow it ? I have heard a nationwide tyre distributor said their fleet car went in the dealer network for service and 15 mins later the car came out. They were monitoring the gps tracking installed. :)

Fleet servicing and pricing is way different than consumer.
No sundries, Just oil, filter and its back on the road. Some don't even clean them.

Also a lot of people are are very critical over mechanics. What tripper1000 said is what I agree with and it is a case of you're damned if you do and don't as a mechanic.

Anything that isn't free seems to be daylight robbery and fraud to us Kiwis. See it every day. Retarded culture.

apply to every countries , i rekon :)

1cloud

138 posts

Master Geek

#1908998 28-Nov-2017 13:46

tripper1000:

1cloud:

tripper1000:There are two issues at play here. A broader industry issue on what the definition of a "service" is in N.Z., and the customer not discussing their options/expectations/budget with the mechanic.

A "Service" is an ultra-generic and ambiguous term and has different meanings for different people. As a result the cost of a "Service" can vary a lot from workshop to workshop and customer to customer, so it is important to discuss the job and your budget with the mechanic at the start so they can give you the quality or budget you expect and educate you why some things are critical (such as oil changes) and the consequences of letting non-critical things slide - such as a test drive.

The thing is any one follow it ? I have heard a nationwide tyre distributor said their fleet car went in the dealer network for service and 15 mins later the car came out. They were monitoring the gps tracking installed. :)

That's my point - a service is not a standard in N.Z. To some it is an oil change, to others it is a bunch of annual preventative maintenance.

Does the GPS tell you how many mechanics were working on it simultaneously? If it was one mechanic, that's long enough to do a budget service (oil change), if it was 4 mechanics, they could have checked/lubed/adjusted a bunch of stuff.

4 men on one vehicle. well that must the lambo :D

Coil

6614 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1909017 28-Nov-2017 14:32

1cloud:

tripper1000:

1cloud:

tripper1000:There are two issues at play here. A broader industry issue on what the definition of a "service" is in N.Z., and the customer not discussing their options/expectations/budget with the mechanic.

A "Service" is an ultra-generic and ambiguous term and has different meanings for different people. As a result the cost of a "Service" can vary a lot from workshop to workshop and customer to customer, so it is important to discuss the job and your budget with the mechanic at the start so they can give you the quality or budget you expect and educate you why some things are critical (such as oil changes) and the consequences of letting non-critical things slide - such as a test drive.

The thing is any one follow it ? I have heard a nationwide tyre distributor said their fleet car went in the dealer network for service and 15 mins later the car came out. They were monitoring the gps tracking installed. :)

That's my point - a service is not a standard in N.Z. To some it is an oil change, to others it is a bunch of annual preventative maintenance.

Does the GPS tell you how many mechanics were working on it simultaneously? If it was one mechanic, that's long enough to do a budget service (oil change), if it was 4 mechanics, they could have checked/lubed/adjusted a bunch of stuff.

4 men on one vehicle. well that must the lambo :D

They generally sit on the hoist for 2 weeks waiting for parts cause someone has destroyed some drive line component. Only ever seen half of someone working on one, Because the other half of them would rather not be there.

Piles of steaming trash those cars, have to sell heaps of P to keep em on the road.

blakamin

4431 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1909216 28-Nov-2017 21:31

UHD:

"Oil service on the Mrs diesel X5 is $250."

W..what? People pay $250 for someone to change the oil and filter in their car? It is a 20 minute job if you are slow... People think lawyers are expensive. I'd like to make $1,000/hour changing oil.

Filter and oil cost me $134 last week. And that was with the oil at a discount. $100 for labour isn't really that bad to pay for rent, electricity, tools, hoist, and apprentices to break something. Plus oil and filter disposal.

Doesn't mean I'm paying it though. I do it myself. She got a quote from a local BMW guy when she got it.

And it's more like 30 mins on the 3.0d, even if you have a hoist. The filter is in a PITA place, and I like to leave them awhile to drain properly (and warm the oil first).

Mine's even worse. More oil. 4.4i N62 V8

RunningMan

7956 posts

Uber Geek

#1909288 29-Nov-2017 07:04

pctek:
Interestingly there are a couple of comments on their facebook page already - one from an ex-staff member

Having read the one negative review on their Facebook page, it seems to be the same as this case - a person upset that they have a high bill to pay, and that the hourly rate is about $90. Every other review commends them on going above and beyond for good service.

Whenever you take anything to be repaired, ask a tradesman to do a job, or any other service, it pays to communicate with them first. Find out how much they charge, agree on the scope of work to be done, and get an estimate of cost. You can't always get an exact price when taking something for repair (be it a car or anything else) because the diagnosis hasn't been done, but at least talk through the possible options first.

dickytim

2514 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1910632 29-Nov-2017 16:47

UHD:

"Oil service on the Mrs diesel X5 is $250."

W..what? People pay $250 for someone to change the oil and filter in their car? It is a 20 minute job if you are slow... People think lawyers are expensive. I'd like to make $1,000/hour changing oil.

A service is NOT only an oil change.

The point of a service is to check the car over to identify wear and tear.

Add to that the cost of decent oil, filters and fluids and it starts to be quite reasonable.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4