Servicing costs

[sportse]

I had an email from the Honda/MG dealer about my service (so much for Honda’s online servicing record - it’s already been done) with prices.

Looks like the servicing prices have shot up:

Year 1 - £275

Year 2 -£466!

Year 3 - £325

Plus £95 a go for a brake fluid change.

It’s nearly as much as my expensive Volvo I used to have. And actually more expensive if you need a brake fluid change as those were included.

Luckily I have a servicing plan, but once that ends the costs are huge for a small car.

[Kremmen]

I'm also paid up for 5 years

[peteo48]

Ouch!

Like you I have a service plan - 5 years - so not something I need to think of immediately. If keeping the car is that the time to go to a trusted independent (if you know of one) who can deal with hybrids?

[sportse]

Toyota used to have a 4+ scheme, where you could have discount servicing for older cars - maybe Honda will do something similar.

The second year service is a huge price, there shouldn't be much that needs doing but it costs nearly £500. Volvo servicing included annual breakdown cover that was worth £200 as well.

I wonder if Honda will offer extended warranties on the hybrid system if you use the main dealer for servicing?

Toyota will warranty the hybrid system for many years as long as you have an annual checkup/service but Honda looks like it ends at 90k miles.

[Saycol]

Typically cars have had a 3 year warranty. The manufacturers know that most owners will get their car serviced in the main dealer network to protect the warranty so what do they do? Charge high prices in the first three years.
My previous car, a VW Golf had high servicing costs when under warranty but once three years old and out of warranty VW pricing suddenly became very competitive with the Independents.

[Jeff15]

Its almost the second service time, my Honda dealer wants £225 but Halfords will do it for £130. No contest really..

[shufty]

... Yeah, Honda dealer it is.

[Kremmen]

For the extra £100 and a nearly new car with modern tech I'd rather a Honda trained dealer did it.

They will know via service bulletins any known weak spots to check.

Just me though

[Jeff15]

£100 may not be much to you but it certainly is to me....

[Westy36]

If I were in the market for a used car, one with dealer stamp and one with fast fit stamp? I know which one I'd buy. £100 compared to the value of the car? No brainer imho.

Once the car is 4 or 5 years old, most folk leave the dealer network. But with new motors and their residuals? A false economy I might suggest.

[Saycol]

you have a £20,000 asset and you are prepared to compromise that value for a £100? Doesn't make sense to me!

[Jeff15]

Halfords say quite clearly on their website that what they do does not affect the warranty on the vehicle...

[Westy36]

Might be worth asking those that have made claims on manufacturers warranties, but I've heard that having a manufacturer history has a bearing on warranty claims decisions. 

[Whiteshark]

I can absolutely confirm that the manufacturers do reward loyalty to their network. My Merc S Class had a failed air con compressor outside warranty. Merc immediately coughed up 75%, which I am told was only because of my using a main agent. Was told, happens all the time where non franchised repairers find a fault just out of warranty and direct them to the main agent on the basis that Merc will cough up a contribution…..guess what…..they don’t, and where was the vehicle serviced is the first question Merc ask.
Specifically with Honda I have no idea why you would even consider Halfords for £100 saving, which in my opinion is not a great enough saving, to loose Honda goodwill.
When any new model is introduced, and this hybrid is completely new, there will be issues and faults that occur. These are often corrected by the main agent ,at service time, without your knowledge, and is one reason how the Japanese brands over the years,  have gained such a fantastic reputation.
Honda, many years ago was the first vehicle manufacturer to employ IBM to install a software package to all of their agents. When a fault was found during routine servicing that fault was immediately relayed back to the factory in Japan, investigated, and a solution found to fix. This was then introduced to the production line for future production, in real time. This was so way ahead of everybody else at the time.
Of course the other consideration with Honda is the 5 year service package, which I got free, but in any event only costs around £500ish. An absolute no brainier and makes the service cost the same as Halfords.
These vehicles, whilst amazingly reliable, are at the same time amazingly complex. Would I let a Halfords grease monkey anywhere near mine…….not a chance……..but that is only my opinion.

[Rory]

I have a feeling the answer will be "no" but see if the dealer will price match.

For some reason Audi seems to be the brand where you often see on forums people have got a dealer to price match Halfords - typically at half the dealer price.

Servicing is fantasically profitable for dealers - they want to keep the cars coming back if they can so they can sell other work.  Of course there's always the possibility that they'll invent work to try and recover the discount they've given you.

We stopped using the dealer on our 2014 Jazz as soon as the service plan expired, but it wasn't so much the cost, it was that the dealer was useless and their customer service was terrible.   Just spent a little over £600 at the garage (formed by the staff from one of the dealers Honda canned a few years ago) it goes to now on a major service and MOT, new front pads and discs, new rear pads and brake fluid change.   They collected and delivered the car too, invaluable for daughter as she's a busy mum and it's a faff with two little kids.

Last year's minor service cost about £120 - total bill was £202 including £40 for MOT and I asked them to regas the aircon as they had an offer on for £45.