MX-5 OC Forum

 I asked the dealer in blackburn for a cost to carry out the 1st service to my Miyako 1.8 I was advised it would be £191 wow time to shop round me thinks, called my local dealer in fleetwood £146 same service, booked the service there and then, got home opened up my computer blackburn dealer down to £165.What does a 1st service compile of I thought it was just oil and filter and a body inspection you can see the pads through the wheels no extra labour there then, so why is it so expensive (am I right is saying only oil and filter and body inspection) no more then 2 hrs labour =£90 ? £56 for oil and filter ?

Alan 

Hi Alan

Just booked my first service with the Main Stealer (Oxford) that I purchased the car from. Originally they quoted me £208. I then got a second quote from a more local garage (Reading) that has just added Mazda to its site. They quoted me £178 but failed to impress me with their computer and people skills let alone their Mazda knowledge so I contacted the first dealer and they agreed to price match. They then tried to sell me a de-sludge service for £36 but could not explain where this sludge would have come from on my year old engine with 6300 miles on it!   The car is booked in for a while I wait service in 10 days. I was told the service takes 1.5 hours.

(I originally posted this at the weekend on another thread and have just copied and slightly modified the text!!)

Richard.

  In your post you say two hours labour £90  I would think a dealer would be charging £90 + VAT for one hour.  The dealer in Blackburn is Perry's and their Preston dealership was chaging £65+ VAT two years ago.   They know full well that owners are terrified of having their cars seviced elsewhere when under 'warrany'

  Regards   Geoff Peace.

You can be serviced by a none agent as long as the garage keep within agreed guidlines e.g. OE parts. The agent must do the body inspection.

You can download a service sheet here

How on earth a garage can take an hour and a half to:

Change oil and filter

Check the air filter

Check the battery level

Check the brake pipes and hoses

Check the handbrake

Check all brakes

Check power steering fluid and pipes

Check tyres

That sounds like a tea break job

 Me to, thats a pi$$ take,plus the fact that all the parts needed have been bought in bulk, including the oil.

Alan 2 years left and i'll sort her for you buddy.

M-m

 in two years I will have a 4x4 mx5 crusher LOL wont have another mx5 in two years it will be changed for what I dont know maybe a mx5 crusher ha ha would like older slk with style  

Alan

 It may be of interest to club members if others who have had services and/or repair work done by main dealers to post the hourly labour charge either including or excluding VAT.  An interesting picture could well emerge countrywide!

                Regards   Geoff Peace.

The SRT (Suggested Repair Time) for the 12500mile/12month service is 0.9hrs.

 Which makes the service and material sound even more expensive  the dealer has you by the short & curlys  if you want to keep the service history and more importantly no future warranty issiues.

Alan

Roadster Robbie:

The SRT (Suggested Repair Time) for the 12500mile/12month service is 0.9hrs.

That sounds a lot more sensible

 I encountered anomalies of this kind when I took my car for its first service at a Mazda dealer.  I know that hourly labour rates vary around the country, but what I cannot understand is why the time allowed to complete the service varies.  Surely a first service on a Mk.3.5 for example takes the same time in any part of the land!   Why are times not published? likewise the price of the filter,oil etc.  I think if dealers were more open about these matters it would go a long way to gain the confidence and trust of customers in the short term and repeat business in the longer term.  Just my opinion but a very long held one!

      Regards   Geoff Peace.

First service completed this morning at the main dealer in Oxford. Bearing in mind that they originally quoted me £208.70 and then priced matched a quote from a new to Mazda dealer in Reading of £178.01

I paid £97.14 for labour for the service and body check.

Parts =  £ 51.18  (parts show a 10% discount)

Sub total   £ 148 32

VAT        £   29.66

Total        £ 177.98

Parts = Engine oil   (Shell Helix part synthetic)

            Oil Filter

            Sump Plug washer

            Screen Wash 1ltr

The car was ready to collect in 1:5hrs, which included a service wash. (I bet there is no discount if you decline the service wash!!)

I questioned the screen wash because I had brimmed the washer bottle before taking the car to the garage. Apparently its part of the package; so I now have a 1ltr bottle of screen wash, unused in the boot.

I suspect the discount on the parts was only to help achieve the price match and the rest would have been lost in the labour. ( i.e. £5 less for parts and about £20 less for labour. Total £25 + VAT =  £ 30 give or take a few pence).

 If the time allowed is 0.9hrs as has been stated, I make that £107.93 + VAT per hour for labour!  I wonder what the mechanic was paid for doing the job?

     Regards  Geoff Peace.