Major service Costs

[guest1885]

Hi

My 2004 Jazz is due a service - last year I had the basic service (oil/ filters etc) which cost £181.00 .

My local Honda dealer has said that my car is due a major service this year and have quoted me the £535 (Inc VAT)  for the following:

Replacement of Oil.
Replacement of Oil Filter.
Replacement of Air filter.
Replacement of Pollen filter.
Check / adjustment of Valves / tappets.
Replacement of Gear box Fluid.
Replacement of Brake fluid.
New Spark Plugs.

My local honda dealer  mentioned they would waive the MOT charge if i put the car in for any MOT at the same time as the service and also provide AA cover (free of charge) for another year if I service the car with them (but I am guessing a fair amount of those MOT / AA costs must be weighted into the price quoted).

Clearly thats not a minor bill and I was hoping to canvas the opinion of people as to what they would deem to be essential works (assuming oil / oil filter / plugs)  and whether there are any residuals on the list that i could avoid / or are not necessary. I like the idea of the honda garage servicing the car - but as always this does come at a premium (I certainly am not techinally minded enough to do the oil and filter etc).

They did mention I could take the gear box fluid / brake fluid out of the quote and that would bring it down to £408 (inc vat).

I am not intending to sell the car and on and will basically run the things until such time as a replacement is required. So a stamp in the log book is not such a big deal - but as I am intending to run the car for a bit longer so  need to do the right thing to keep it reliable.

Any thoughts / opinions would be appreciated. 

Brapford

[guest2227]

  I would think I would be giving them a miss at that price to be honest, get a few quotes from reputable local garages in your area, there will plenty of them, should be costing half of that, its a 2004 car.
I'm getting my engine oil & filter changed at National tyres using Castrol oil for £32, I'll fit a new air filter & pollen filters myself, tappets etc not due yet but will get my local garage to sort when they are.
The cost of all those oil & filters in your quote is only about 80 quid or there abouts so the rest is Honda Labour cost, do you really want to pay for some kid in a Honda boilsuit £80 an hour ? No, niether would I 

[guest2765]

Mines today would have cost £340..but as ive my k&n filter it was £302 (yeah thats £38 honda charge you to change the air filter lol)..not bad considering it took them about 4hrs to do the service...(god knows what took that long but meh)

[guest1885]

Thanks Gapples & Lunacide

I thought the mark up on labour was somewhat high - considering doing the pollen and air filters myself - pollen filter looks easy enough, is it straight forward on the air filter on a 2004 jazz?

Also where do people get their parts from a see Cox's supply genuine honda parts at

http://www.coxmotorparts.co.uk/honda-jazz-2002-2008-jazz-c-24_413.html

Would you also say that the gearbox oil / valve clearances are a must on the service?

Thanks in advance

[JazzyB]

If you can do the pollen filter then the air filter is easy.

For parts try any good motor factor like Euro Car Parts.

Gearbox oil yes, valve clearances only if high mileage.

[guest1262]

After the computer insisted that my Jazz needed a B2 service I took it in to my Honda dealer yesterday. The service plus the pollen filter replacement and aircon service pushed cost £184.78. (Aircon service £86.95 - at Halfords opposite it would have been £85.99. Booking online at Halfords would reduce it to £69.00).

However, the mechanic noticed a 'smear' of oil coming from my gearbox and deducted some form of blockage. After referring this to Honda it has been agreed to remove it to check and correct the problem - under warranty! I'll also get a courtesy car for the day. Would this have happened if I'd gone to a 'local' garage?

Yes, had I known about the pollen filter I'd have replaced it myself but it seems that there can be an advantage in using a good Honda dealer.

[guest2765]

do you really want to pay for some kid in a Honda boilsuit £80 an hour ? No, niether would I 

nope but on tuesday im doing it anyway for the privalige (my spelling fails sometimes) of having them find out whats wrong with the car finally..seems the sensors may have gone which seems likely...but ill find out anyway (and im not paying them if they dont tell me what is wrong with the car simple as).

[chrisc]

Sorry, posted in incorrect section

[guest1262]

... However, the mechanic noticed a 'smear' of oil coming from my gearbox and deducted some form of blockage. After referring this to Honda it has been agreed to remove it to check and correct the problem - under warranty! I'll also get a courtesy car for the day. Would this have happened if I'd gone to a 'local' garage?

Our Jazz spent yesterday with Holden Honda, Norwich. Under Warranty: They investigated the 'oil leak', removed the gearbox, clutch and flywheel - traced the leak to a/the casting bung (whatever that is) which was replaced and fitted with a new washer. All was then put back together and tested. All OK. I had a courtesy Civic (didn't like it).

Asking about the oil leak (originally described as a smear. No oil found its way onto my garage floor.) I was told that they, Holden Honda, had had another Jazz with the bung problem. "Unlike other makes Honda respond when when their engines are found to have oil leaks. Maybe, because we've spotted two leaking cars, they will put a alert out to other dealers."

As I said before, if I'd taken my Jazz to be serviced by 'a man down the road' the leak would not have been spotted and I'd still be driving around with a 'leaking bung'. Who knows what that might have lead to?

[guest2227]

Geofffc

You have a 2010 Jazz that is still under warranty so I would expect Honda to look after you & repair your leak under warranty. I take my own cars ( while under makers warranty to the dealer )

Brapfords Jazz is a 2004 car, there is simply no need to pay main dealer labour rates on a 2004 Jazz, its not Vtec engine its just a simple car & as such should be cheap to service, £535 is not a cheap service, its crazy on a car worth maybe 2 grand !

[guest1817]

Holy moly...

£500 for that service is redonk!

Im looking to do that service myself, buying all Honda parts for around £100 and half a days effort on my own part... I priced all the parts up at there parts counter, i buy my own oils from different places!

Perhaps you may be best buying the OE Honda parts, and getting quotes from other garages to fit the parts for you if you cannot do it yourself!

[guest1885]

Still investigating my options - pretty much sold on doing air and pollen filters myself and getting another garage to do oil/ oil filter / plugs / brake fluid at a fraction of the price quoted by Honda.

In terms of valve clearance  checking, car is 8 years old (2004 model) and just done 53K miles, . I know its been suggested with later models of the Jazz that valve clearances don't need to be done unless car is on 75K miles.

 Also according to according to the service schedule the gear box oil needs to be done, was thinking of getting the Honda dealer to do the gear box oil if necessary, what are peoples thoughts on this as an essential along with the valve clearances?


brapford

[guest2765]

How much do honda want to charge you for replacing the brake fluid? i was quoted £20 and £25 for the spark plugs, (which is cheaper than buying them) in aberdeen.. but definately do the air filter yourself...get the K&N panel filter

If your mpg etc is suffering or the car sounds unhealthy id get the valve clearances done but to be honest its probably best left until 75k miles as it sounds like at the moment it would be an unnessicary cost. If the gearbox oil is needing to be done however, I would personally get it done just to be on the safe side.

[caseyjones]

I've never changed the brake fluid on any car I've ever owned - that's around 15 or 20 cars over a period of over 40 years, everything from an Austin A40 to a Lotus Europa and a BMW 3.0 CSA. Unless you drive around like a lunatic, or there's reason to believe the fluid has been contaminated in some unusually serious way, it's completely unnecessary. If you do drive like a lunatic, changing your driving style would have a far greater effect on your survival prospects than changing your brake fluid.

The engine oil and the air and oil filters do need changing at the appropriate intervals, but you can do that yourself. If you don't know how, then learn. There are evening classes that will sort that out, and once you've acquired these skills you'll save yourself a fortune and evermore have the comfort of knowing that things have been done right. Don't forget - if a garage mechanic can learn how to do these things, then so can you. Same with the spark plugs and gearbox oil - change them at the required intervals, but learn how to do it yourself. In the meantime, get a friend to recommend a reliable local garage or look on Checkatrade. Don't go anywhere near Honda unless you're lucky enough to be a (very) eccentric millionaire.

As for the pollen filter, I usually wait till they reach their expiry date, then just take them out and throw them away. I don't bother putting a new one in - bit of an expensive and unnecessary luxury in my view.

Valve clearances? I sold my last Jazz (2003 SE CVT) at about 90000 miles. It had never ever had its valve clearances checked and it was fine. Ran as smoothly as a sewing machine. Frankly, it's such an awful job to do, the car would have to be rattling like a tin of bolts before I'd contemplate it.

Good luck!

[guest1885]

Cheers Lunacide & Caseyjones

I think the Honda garage were quoting something like £117 or  there about to do the brake fluid and gear box oil.  I know that the Honda dealer are keen to push the service schedule as its a way of constantly earning money on a sold product and buying your supposed "piece of mind" . 

I know someone who I trust who is happy to do a service and the mot for less than a quarter of the cost of the Honda garage (including the MOT fee) other than the gear box oil and the valve clearances.

From both of your posts I can pretty much discount the valve clearances  and that just leaves the gearbox oil which from lunacide's post sounds like its worth doing. I might just get a quote from Honda as to how much they would charge to do the gearbox oil (never had to do this on any other car I have had).

I am sold on doing the oil and air filters myself so I can get the cost down a bit more and possibly provide the parts to my contact to do the service for the plugs / filter and oil.  I know the pollen filter is straight forward in the glove compartment. Am I right in thinking the air filter is just a case of taking off the clips and placing in the new filter ? there are no hoses that need disconnecting / reconnecting.

I would like to learn to do more on the car so perhaps a course or a Haynes manual maybe the way forward in the future.