Jump to content

Do people still have their car serviced?


sierraman

Recommended Posts

My brother starts a new Job in The States next week, he had a message off the Lady in charge of the office that he will be working from that she had got his Company Toyota Camry valeted and had all the fluids and belts changed 

Americans still see cars differently, the culture has long been one of cars and most folks know what’s needed if they drive one (knowing is sometimes different to getting it done, but that’s another story)
Having worked in a combined car/bike dealership years ago, by far the scariest people were the ones riding 180mph motorbikes with no brake material left and square tyres, they just didn’t have a clue
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

I guess it depends on the age, complexity and value of the vehicle along with the mindset of the owner. In theory, if you ran a late 80s/early 90s Toyota, you could likely get away with barely maintaining the thing and it would still reward you with faithful, reliable service. 

Anything built within the last decade with one or more turbos and a long-life service schedule adhered to is likely to shit itself regardless of future kid-glove attention from a newly caring owner. 

Mrs DL's old 2008 Audi A3 CR tdi was six years old when purchased, with one owner and full history. 72k on the clock if I remember correctly. We'd looked after it well and the full history was maintained by us. It behaved impeccably until around nine years old and 115ish k. Anything that could go wrong went wrong. Dpf issues. Turbo issues. Water ingress issues. Fumes into the cabin issues. Central locking issues. It used oil too. I drew a line under the hateful piece of shit when my OH informed me of the fumes in the cabin becoming worse. She was pregnant with our lad at the time. 

We couldn't have done any more to have looked after that car. 

Moderns terrify me. 

That's typical VAG. Beautifully engineered* but somehow needing to be half rebuilt in middle age.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, artdjones said:

That's typical VAG. Beautifully engineered* but somehow needing to be half rebuilt in middle age.

Until that car, I wasn't really able to fault the (several) PD130s we'd run in a range of Golfs and B6 Audi A4 avants. Overall, they were decent cars. The A3 put me right off though and I've since discovered our long term BMW E91 with the M47 lump (non dpf, decent chain) pisses all over the VAG motors. A bit like JimBell with his Ssssssudeo Ssanyong, it just does what's asked of it without issue. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Until that car, I wasn't really able to fault the (several) PD130s we'd run in a range of Golfs and B6 Audi A4 avants. Overall, they were decent cars. The A3 put me right off though and I've since discovered our long term BMW E91 with the M47 lump (non dpf, decent chain) pisses all over the VAG motors. A bit like JimBell with his Ssssssudeo Ssanyong, it just does what's asked of it without issue. 

Having watched my dad run various Audis after Citroens fell out of favour, as his company cars (owned the business so always chose the car he wanted) the Audi 80’s and 90’s he had were super well built compared to the later A4’s and the like - and serving got more expensive and seemed to cover less

I wonder how jaguars electric vehicles will be serviced if they cut their dealer network to only 20 or so as has been proposed
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Stinkwheel said:


I wonder how jaguars electric vehicles will be serviced if they cut their dealer network to only 20 or so as has been proposed

Presumably at Land Rover dealers.

Seems mental to run a desirable marque into the ground when Stellantis are trying to make a go of about 20 undesirables.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, sierraman said:

I heard a funny one a while back... ‘first I had to have an MOT, then they told me the brakes needed doing and NOW they’re telling me it’s going to need tyres. I am never buying a Vauxhall EVER again!’

It's been the same for all the Vauxhalls I have  owned. 13 or mire and there was always something going wrong*. 

*wearing out due to me using the car. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would've thought most under the age of 40 see a car like a washing machine, fill it up, switch it on and use it and that's it, not helped in the slightest with this fascination with putting plastic covers over the engine either,

This view of cars is dangerous too, it's unlikely you'll kill someone with a washing machine but too many can't seem to grasp that a car can easily kill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would've thought most under the age of 40 see a car like a washing machine, fill it up, switch it on and use it and that's it


Completely agree, mainly young folks but not exclusively have this attitude that a car is almost a ‘transport app’ now - it just does its job and you don’t need to worry or think about it, and especially the bit about not really realising they are driving a lethal weapon if things go wrong. People (the masses) don’t want cars, they aren’t interested mostly, they just need transport
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been wondering this recently. I don't think my dad does. He works on the basis that "I haven't done many miles this year so it should be fine"

 

This ignores that it's a 51 year old car with mineral oil and all the foibles that go with 1972 technology

 

My cars get serviced. I do the BMW and Honda myself but the Toyota and Porsche go to a specialist because they're not depreciating in value and the paperwork helps that

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, sierraman said:

I heard a funny one a while back... ‘first I had to have an MOT, then they told me the brakes needed doing and NOW they’re telling me it’s going to need tyres. I am never buying a Vauxhall EVER again!’

Mrs Grogee has given up on our Espace because of two FTPs:

1) battery died. 

2) ran out of fuel (although gauge said there was one 'blob' left).

We took it to our usual tame mechanic to look at the fuel issues but unfortunately his recommendation was 'sell it, these Rennows always have stupid electrical issues'. Which is a bit of a lazy generalisation in my view. And he didn't bother to diagnose the sender problem anyway.

Of course she listens more to him than me on these matters despite me doing the majority of the fleet repairs and having worked in the industry for thirty years. Oh, and we had an almost identical Grand Espace for two (mainly trouble free) years.

That's it for her, she's completely lost faith in it. I daren't tell her it needs four tyres soon, she might set fire to it.

All the cars she's had have been run on a shoestring - she gets shirty about paying for service parts but of course my labour is "free". Keep telling her how much of a shock she'd get running a car and having to pay for a garage to fix it, she just shrugs. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, wuvvum said:

That's fairly standard in the US though, Americans all seem to get an oil change every 400 yards or so.  Brakes, tyres and rust on the other hand...

Indeed. Lot's of states or counties don't have an inspection or just a minimal one so you do see some horrors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes. Always have. It’s part of the price of entry for having a car. Both our cars get an annual service, even though the mileage on Management’s hardly justifies it. Even the kids get theirs done, despite our son’s “but it costs money “ protests. 😁

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To present an alternative view: the industry doesn't help itself very much.

- Best case: you drop your car off, make alternative arrangements to get home, then do the same to get back, and pick up your serviced car at the end of the day. You're £400 lighter and it's exactly the same to drive. Forget about a courtesy car, that's too hard these days. "Insurance innit".

- Or, you try a new garage. He tells you that you need a new <insert part here>, £600 Inc labour plus VAT. Is he telling the truth? There's so many scare stories. The car seems fine, I'd rather not put myself through that thanks - let's just keep driving and ignoring the service message.

- Maybe you've got a new car. Something goes wrong so you drop it round. They can't look at it for 2 weeks. Two weeks passes, it needs a <insert part here> but they're on back order. You've paid £££ for a new car, now you can't even use it, and you don't know when you'll get it back. You could try customer services but it'll be a ballache of call centres and paperwork.

- Many of the best garages have an intimidating atmosphere for a first-timer. Where do I park? "You're in the way!" Where do I go? "This is the workshop, you're not allowed in here". Who do I speak to? "Brian's out on a road test. He won't be back for a while." Surly blokes everywhere vaping and listening to shit radio. Greasy floors. How long will it take? "How long's a piece of string, ha ha ha". 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hate that “it was serviced by the dealer when I bought it 3 months ago”

 

load of bollox innit. I knew a young lad who asked me why his 1.2 fiesta was utterly wank on petrol. I pulled the air filter out and it was black as the dog in 633 sqn. I told him the garage had lied just to get you buy it. It’s a sales trick. So I told him what to buy, where to buy it from and be at my house for 5pm one Saturday Sunny afternoon. We threw some spanner’s at it, drank some tea and broke a plug taking it out. A lot of the porcelain ended up inside number 2 cylinder. Great. Spent some time blowing it out with the air line and winding it over with the plug out. Eventually it crushed enough of the old plug to run long enough for me to give it a good spanking up the road and it ran fine after the misfire went away. Fucking back street dealers. Wankers. 
 

but yeah, I always service my older motors. My Audi gets a service every mot to keep the history going as it’s worth a lot more than everything else I own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, grogee said:

Mrs Grogee has given up on our Espace because of two FTPs:

1) battery died. 

2) ran out of fuel (although gauge said there was one 'blob' left).

We took it to our usual tame mechanic to look at the fuel issues but unfortunately his recommendation was 'sell it, these Rennows always have stupid electrical issues'. Which is a bit of a lazy generalisation in my view. And he didn't bother to diagnose the sender problem anyway.

Of course she listens more to him than me on these matters despite me doing the majority of the fleet repairs and having worked in the industry for thirty years. Oh, and we had an almost identical Grand Espace for two (mainly trouble free) years.

That's it for her, she's completely lost faith in it. I daren't tell her it needs four tyres soon, she might set fire to it.

All the cars she's had have been run on a shoestring - she gets shirty about paying for service parts but of course my labour is "free". Keep telling her how much of a shock she'd get running a car and having to pay for a garage to fix it, she just shrugs. 

You sound like me. I had the temerity the other day to use hers to nip to the shop in and a tirade about how much fuel costs. Similarly I did say that if we want it that way then I’ll be charging labour at £60 an hour in future and retail on parts. It will pale the £1.15 worth of fuel into insignificance. 

I quite like the ‘but I don’t go very far in it’ to which I always say ‘conveniently it wouldn’t get you very far’

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve always serviced/maintained my own cars and I have been quite fastidious. To the point where eventually when I sell them I’ve always incurred losses but I cannot live with myself if I don’t sort out basic servicing/maintenance etc. Any jobs I can’t do I get done by my garage. For me it’s vital that my mode of transport is in good order and I keep on top of it. I can’t stand the culture now where they will wait until a light bongs or just assume an MOT and oil change is enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, dome said:

My 530d has full service history but it's early BMW stamps are 2 years apart. Thankfully the last owner was more like me and serviced it annually.

I see an oil change as cheap insurance, my cars all get them annually. It's usually less than £50 to do so is a no brainer 

My wife has the 116d. It "tells" you when it needs a service apparently. So I said fuck that to that and have it done annually whatever the mileage is which is normally about every 5k because I'm not changing any timing chain belts on it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, GregZX said:

My wife has the 116d. It "tells" you when it needs a service apparently. So I said fuck that to that and have it done annually whatever the mileage is which is normally about every 5k because I'm not changing any timing chain belts on it.

I reset the service counter on mine and it now wants a service in 18000 miles. Fuck that, it'll likely get it in 8000!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

A surprising one on Monday, a nice middle aged gent with an old 03 plate Suzuki Vitara. 

He booked it in for a full service and asked us to look at a faulty electric window 

Diagnosed the window fault, needs a motor and also a switch from where he's been trying to enthusiastically force it to work 😂

Anyway, looked back on record and we full serviced it less than a year ago and he's only done 5k miles, so I phoned him up and explained that an intermediate service would be sufficient if he hadn't realised a full wasn't due, he insisted I need not worry and to carry on with a full service "as I'll never find another car as good as that one and I want to keep it that way for as long as possible" 

Wow! Not often you see that sort of attitude!

I explained the window situation, regarding a £100+ switch from the dealer or the £10 Daihatsu one I'm trying, he said "please go ahead and do whatever you need to do to fix it, I appreciate your efforts with the switch, but should it not work out feel free to get the Suzuki one if it needs it" 

Again, very trusting. 

The cherry on top was this next sentence "if there's anything else with the car you can foresee may cause me a headache in the near future then please rectify it if you see fit" 

Could say this guy is a bit of a saint, makes it so much easier when both sides can trust each other!

He's the sort where you can give him the car back and say you'll drop the invoice through his letterbox in a few days because we haven't had a chance to do it yet. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

 

The cherry on top was this next sentence "if there's anything else with the car you can foresee may cause me a headache in the near future then please rectify it if you see fit" 

To my mind that's an important part of what servicing does (should?) entail. Stitch in time and all that. And that's part of what you're paying for, not just the labour to change the oil and filter, but the training and experience to judge potential failure points before they cause a breakdown.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few years ago we bought a 2 year old Mini. It was sold with the balance of a 5 year service plan. Great, I thought that must be worth at least £600 worth of services if not more given BMW dealer charges.

Wrong! Oil change every 2 years , so just one  left , an “inspection” and one brake fluid change. That’s it, for 3 years.

Oil change interval is 18000 miles but I can’t find an oil that claims to do better than 15000.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you put servicing off you pay later. I've just done a Mazda that hadn't had a service for 5 years. By that stage he had to replace the car, as it was drinking oil.

I did a BX 1.9TD once that hadn't had a service for 5 years and it cost over €1300 to get it up to scratch. Admittedly that did include 4 tyres and a complete fluid change. The car survived another 4 years, but the owner had at least an annual oil change during that time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i'm young and i get the C5 serviced every 10k or so

i don't do it myself, cos firstly i can't be bothered, secondly i'd never get round to it and the mobile mechanic i use is excellent, really excellent and i want to support him

£130 for a full service, i can't complain at that and it's another stamp in the fully stamped book

he knows more what to look for too than i would

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...