45000 mile service........gulp! [Archive]

enigma

23-09-2003, 07:02 PM

It was the full 45000 mile service, including the cam belt. Turned out to be only INSERT INTO post VALUES (ONLY!) £740 inc VAT. 7 hours labour cost £385 + vat.................I want to be a grease monkey! Normally I would do everything myself, but as I cant do the AYC and the cambelt looked a bitch I let the dealer do it. Better to be safe than £800 richer..........hmmmmmmm! Still shouldn't need one of them again any time soon!

The good news is that apart from some leaky rear shocks and worn discs and pads the car had a clean bill of health. It also picks up much better and I am hoping INSERT INTO post VALUES (dreaming) that the mpg increase will pay for the service!

enigma

23-09-2003, 08:47 PM

As promised.........what they did

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.hidle/images/service small.jpg

and the parts:

gasket, oil drain plug £00.53 INSERT INTO post VALUES (bargain!)
Timing belt £69.74
Spark Plugs £75.66 INSERT INTO post VALUES (gold plated?? :D )
Oil Filter £06.53 INSERT INTO post VALUES (cheap enough)
Petrol Additive £09.90 INSERT INTO post VALUES (WTF??!)
Environmental Charge £03.00 INSERT INTO post VALUES (Cheap but why?!)
Service Kits £03.90 INSERT INTO post VALUES (again ?????)
AYC Oil £12.75 INSERT INTO post VALUES (fair)
Castrol SLX 0W-30 4.5 litres £54.45 INSERT INTO post VALUES (takes the pee)
Screenwash £01.82
Brake cleaner £02.92

Wait for it

Labour 7 hours £385

VAT £112 INSERT INTO post VALUES (government ****)

All in all not so bad, I have had cheaper........a lot cheaper! But as I said better safe than rich! :D

Nick VR4

23-09-2003, 09:06 PM

So round about £500 then
as you say better safe than sorry
Do you notice any difference in the car ?

Japmetal

23-09-2003, 09:21 PM

A) the "environmental charge" is for disposal of old fluids [engine oil, AYC, etc, etc] and for the labour costs I dunno how they justify the extra !

B) those spark plugs are rediculously expensive, BUT they also last 45k miles - I pay £12 a set for mine, but they only do about 6k miles [that's £90 for 45k miles !]

C) I think that's pretty good for the oil; Halfords [as an easy example] charge £35 for 4 litres of Fully-synthetic oil [All-singing All-dancing Castrol, forget the exact flavour right now]

and also, you wouldnt wanna be a grease-monkey - they probably got paid about £7 per hour for that, all the rest is 'profit' to cover the company overheads [at VW where I work they charge £50+VAT per hour and pay the Techs £7ish per hour]

Not really wanting to sound like I'm arguing in their favour, more like wanting to spread the knowledge :)

Roadrunner

23-09-2003, 09:25 PM

£55 an hour! They're havin' a larf! I pay £35 an hour :) Oh, and the plugs aren't gold-plated, they're platinum-plated! :D

Still, as you say, better safe than rich ...

Brian

Nick VR4

23-09-2003, 09:28 PM

Originally posted by H.7
£55 an hour! They're havin' a larf! I pay £35 an hour :)

Brian

I pay around £70 and hour :Cry1:
It all to do with Location Location Location :)

Brind

23-09-2003, 09:31 PM

Don't forget the little joy ride one of the mechanics or whoever took while they had your car... "lets run in this new cambelt! ohhh.. shiney flashing display.. OH, I CAN BEAT THAT RECORD!! this is how you drive".
"Oooops, 7 hours to service this car! well the 6 and half hours of test driving was essential on such a high performance car".
"Here's your keys sir.... oh, and she pulls slightly to the left at about 140mph.. I can fix that for you for a generous price of £3000, suit you sir? may require another test drive as I only managed to beat your 1/4 time once, I mean to ensure everything is in perfect running order". :)

But of course, I only made that up............. ;)

enigma

23-09-2003, 09:32 PM

I am reasonably happy that the car has perked up a bit, and like I said I expect better mpg to compensate my pocket somewhat!

Looking at the service schedule I will be doing all my own work from now on apart from the AYC. Just thought a full dealer service 3 weeks after getting the car was a good warranty.........especially as it was 3k miles overdue.

enigma

23-09-2003, 09:33 PM

Now you come to mention it.....they did pick it up from my workplace!!!! :D

All the shiny happy lights and gizzmos are well hidden though! Probably didn't even know they were there!

Roadrunner

23-09-2003, 09:37 PM

You're absolutely right, Dave. I would never skimp on servicing - always have servicing done to Mitsubishi recommendations by Mitsubishi dealer.

Nick: you'd probably be cheaper driving to Scotland to have your services done :D £70 an hour ROFL :biglaugh:

SGHOM

23-09-2003, 09:39 PM

I used to live next door to a guy who worked for audi. & he came home every night in a different customers car !! & used to absolutley thrash the nuts out of them . :nono: :nono: sub zero temeratures, & he set off spinning the wheels untill the rev limiter cut in. not in my car he wont !!

Nick VR4

23-09-2003, 09:59 PM

I always leave the tank on nearly empty going for a service ;) and make a note of the mileage
Sneaky I know but have heard to many stories of Scooby's , Evo's being thrashed up the road by mechanics

One guy filmed a garage that took his EVO out 5 times by different people from the dealership
Went in to see the service manager and he totally denied it INSERT INTO post VALUES (WaWker) Until the guy showed him the tape
Got a full service free and 4 new Yoko Tyres free too :)

My Dealership is pretty good to be honest its a walk back from my house, its a Mits and Subaru joint thing :)

zedy1

23-09-2003, 10:02 PM

good idea m8. ill have to install a secret camera in mine. service costs would pay it off

Spirit

23-09-2003, 10:18 PM

Dave, seems an ok price to me mate - my cambelt/plugs/AYC change cost me £525 back in February.

The stories about garages are horrendous. My bro did two weeks with a BMW dealership on school work release and one car they worked on was a 3 series Cabriolet. All they did was change the oil, then took it out for an hour with the hood down, stereo blasting and wheel spins everywhere - then charged the customer for a full service !!!!

Kieran

23-09-2003, 11:32 PM

Must be service season. Just booked the GLS in for it's 90,000 mile service. Been quoted £220ish. I've also asked them to change the Transmission fluid.... Taking the Cost to £290ish!!!:INSERT INTO post VALUES (

But there's more...

Asked them about tracking.... INSERT INTO post VALUES (buggered if I'm using the local tyre place after they f*cked my locknuts!).... £82.50, just for the fronts?!?! WTF?!:headsc:

They justify this by the fact that not only do they check tracking, but also check and correct the camber/caster and the rest of the suspension geometry as well, supposedly.... So, is £160 a fair price for a total 4-wheel suspension alignment check?.... I'm not sure, you see.... Or does anyone know of a better place?

Gawd knows how you VR-4 owners cope.... The air here is full of swear words at laying out 300 notes, nevermind £800!!!! Jaysus!:scared1: :nervous:

KiwiTT

23-09-2003, 11:53 PM

I note on the Ralliart Service Sheet, that you change the oil every 4,500 miles INSERT INTO post VALUES (approx 7,000km).

I thought you change it every 1800 miles INSERT INTO post VALUES (3,000 km) or 3,000 miles INSERT INTO post VALUES (5,000km) or something like that.

Spirit

24-09-2003, 12:18 AM

I personally try and do mine at 3000 miles anyhow - but just noticed the AYC fluids are every 4500 miles as well :eek:

jtfleming

24-09-2003, 12:24 AM

Originally posted by Kieran

So, is £160 a fair price for a total 4-wheel suspension alignment check?.... I'm not sure, you see.... Or does anyone know of a better place?

What a rip off, had a 4 wheel alingment done not long ago for $45!!! in New Zealand. It doesn't take long-30mins so how do they justify £160!!!. I stayed and watched then do the job and being an ex mechanic myself they seemed to do a good job.

KiwiTT

24-09-2003, 12:29 AM

According to this article (http://www.clubvr4.co.uk/info/articles/showarticle.php?id=27) it is 12,000 miles.

I will probably believe Ralliart service.

Roadrunner

24-09-2003, 03:30 PM

Kieran,

I had a full laser alignment done for £47 in Edinburgh. Took about an hour.

Brian

Kieran

24-09-2003, 03:55 PM

So, it's looking like Mitsubishi are taking the Pi$$....:mad:

Did your alignment do all 4 corners and check/adjust tracking, suspension camber, etc?

Roadrunner

24-09-2003, 08:12 PM

Yep, all four corners checked and adjusted as required - Primary Angles: Caster, Camber and Toe on the fronts, Camber, Toe and Thrust Angle on the rears. Secondary Angles: SAI, Included Angle, Setback, Track Width Difference and Wheel Base Difference.

Don't ask me what any of this means ;) I just know it made a big difference to the tyre wear INSERT INTO post VALUES (for the good) and a bit of an improvement to the handling.

Brian

haydar

25-09-2003, 03:44 PM

My local Mitsibushi dealer charges £75+ VAT an hour! I think bigdaveakers got a cracking deal! The first time I replaced my spark plugs I paid £90.00 INSERT INTO post VALUES (for standard spark plugs)!!!

One thing about labour rates though, one needs to be careful that one is comparing like for like. One dealer who was charging £35.00 per hour told me it would take 12 hours to replace the lash adjusters, while my expensive local dealer told me it would take 3.5 hours. So even though they are expensive hour for hour, the job turned out to be cheaper with them!

Also, while at University I worked for a garage during my summer vacation and I can tell you first hand that if you've every worked in a garage you'll never trust them again.

My job was to draw up the job sheets and invoice the customers. The majority of the job card consisted on work that had not been done.
If the customer was a lady, then they'd put things like 'checked washer water level' and charge £10 for it. A few times l watched the mechanics pull out the dip stick from a car and if the oil looked clean, they wouldn't bother changing it.
A favourite one was to clean the oil filter with diesel and pretend they had changed it.
The best story is the one of the guy who dropped his Porsche thinking he'd get a cheaper service than if he took it to a proper Porsche garage. After dropping off his car, the garage manager booked it into Porsche, where I was told to drive it and get it serviced. After bringing the car back, the garage manager added 30% to the Porsche invoice and got the poor sap to pay it!
:eek: :eek: :eek: :D

Simon

26-09-2003, 10:00 AM

Just got our car back from its 45,000 mile service. We know the Ralliart technician and they were very helpful. The pain is getting access to two of the six plugs and getting to the cam belt! They were soo good to me that they also changed my air con belt and transmission fluid free of charge. :D

Mitsubishi's mark up on parts is 40%......... but i didn't tell you!;)

What they also dont tell you is if you source your own parts, you can go along to book your car in for whatever service it needs and use your parts and you only pay for the labour.........will do that next time once my guarentee has expired.

Spirit

26-09-2003, 05:47 PM

Top info Simon mate, well done :D

zedy1

26-09-2003, 11:23 PM

just serviced mine today plugs INSERT INTO post VALUES (all six) and the oil and filter it was quite easy to do and most 2.5 v6-24 service parts are direct fit need cambelt changed and the filter and ayc going to go do dealers to get them done.

pete could you pm me with the contact details for hks stuff need to buy the induction kit before santa pod and may buy the sqv at the same time

Spirit

27-09-2003, 08:02 AM

You have a PM Mo

zedy1

27-09-2003, 09:18 AM

cheers m8

nick-f1

22-03-2004, 07:58 PM

You guys up north are being ripped off left right and centre! Upto £800 for a 4500 mile service! Your all bloody mad!!!!!, Poole misubishi-poole car centre £300 for 4500 miles service including parts and vat. Just got the service printouts for my car from them and very helpful they are too. If you are down this way get your car seviced by them, ( even the mechanics wear ralliart overalls) . A black legnum in the service area when I went down today- a bit tatty though.
See Ya
Nick :greedy:

enigma

22-03-2004, 08:04 PM

No, its £800 for a 45000 SERVICE INCLUDING CAMBELT AND PLUGS CHANGE! :rolleyes:

Spirit

22-03-2004, 08:18 PM

....and what did you get done for your £300 Nick ?

wirdy

22-03-2004, 11:32 PM

Poole misubishi-poole car centre £300 for 4500 miles service including parts and vat......... and very helpful they are too.

I would suspect they were very helpful :sick: :sick:

Take a look at what they did for all that money.
[IMG]

Spirit

22-03-2004, 11:42 PM

So £300 for that ! My local place would have done it for half of that ;)

nick-f1

23-03-2004, 12:29 AM

I bet you didn't get yr brake pads changed @ £90 a throw included plus two taillamp bulbs@ £1.52p each included I'll bet and all for £281.65!! I don't like paying maindealers any more than anyone else and I'm not particularly singing their praises, but shop around is all I'm saying-- service +cambelt change is £430 , according to some of the postings on this forum people are paying twice that! But if you read my posting carefully I said I picked up the printouts from them for work done in the past. The cars service history--- I had the cambelt done for £189 at a Jap specialist locally, and the dealer supplied the belt with the car @£78! So even if I had paid for all that (which I didn't I negotiated that in the price of the car) it would still have only added upto £267.

Regards
Nick.

PS: I wont tell you what I paid for the Legnum 'cos that will make you even more sick.

Kieran

23-03-2004, 08:17 AM

Awww.... Tell us anyway! I need some ammo! :$ :-D

nick-f1

23-03-2004, 08:36 PM

Hi Keiran, I'll tell if i see u at the 'pod jap meet! Seems some people don't have sense of humour----- mechanics in ralliart overalls? Ha Ha.
See Ya
Nick :-D :D

wirdy

23-03-2004, 11:54 PM

"You guys up north are being ripped off left right and centre! Upto £800 for a 4500 mile service! Your all bloody mad!!!!!"

"Seems some people don't have sense of humour-----"

Just a bit of banter mate, but I think it was you who originally misread '45000' for '4500'. Those who start it must also be big enough to take it. ;)

We all need a sense of humour to run these cars anyway and long may it continue. :-D :-D

Brind

24-03-2004, 01:15 AM

Has anyone heard any more about being able to have your car serviced from a non franchised dealer and still be able to retain your warranty?

I heard something a while ago that the Government were or thinking of stepping in to stop main dealers from charging way over the odds for services or at least allow you to be free to service your car elsewhere as long it was still up to a high standard to be able to retain any dealer warranty????

IMO there is nothing to stop even main dealers from being garages from hell ! I've heard many storys about customers cars being abused and services not being carried out fully, or at all.

nick-f1

24-03-2004, 09:44 PM

Hi Wirdy, no offence taken or meant but I still stand by what I said. But I don't think I'll comment on my other pet hate on this forum or that will set the cat amongst the pigeons. Oh what the hell.......... why is there this obsession with posting lists of goodies fitted to cars as a signature? I understand that people are proud of their cars and rightly so, but to post it every time they post a comment is beyond me. You look on any page on this board and there is maybe a dozen lines of text / comment, but several times that of repeated long signatures! and besides it wastes precious bandwith on the servers. I don't need to brag every time to folks that I have a big willie-------- I know I have ,,,,,, Ha ha! There I've said it so now i'll grab granddads tin hat and keep my head down! If you want to ban something don't ban politics- ban these boring longwinded signatures on postings...... please.....?
Cheers ( retiring to the bomb shelter)

Nick :rolleyes5 :rolleyes5

Brind

24-03-2004, 10:53 PM

The signatures show automatically and unless the pictures are hosted on this server it isn't doing any harm.
Although I think Barry (admin) has reduced signatures to display once per thread to keep things tidy etc.

Everyone likes to brag!!!! it's human nature.
I think the main reason for displaying such signature is to inform others what is possible so people can follow suit or use as a grounding of infomation rather than searching the forums or recalling from memory what can be done.

To be honest I think it is a good thing it has been restricted to display once per thread as I agree it is a bit untidy.

Now someone answer my last question on the previous page. :-D

wirdy

25-03-2004, 12:17 AM

I'm afraid I have to agree with Brind, I certainly use the info in signatures if I need to ask somebody's advice on a new toy I fancy getting.

There are certain trends that are obvious i.e National discs & Ferodo pads, HKS induction kits etc.

It saves ages trawling through 'member profiles' every time you want to see if anyone else has done a mod that you're considering.

There's nothing pious about it, if you don't use the info Nick, just ignore it. :)

KiwiTT

25-03-2004, 12:33 AM

Has anyone heard any more about being able to have your car serviced from a non franchised dealer and still be able to retain your warranty?

..

In NZ, our services need to be "Motor Trade Association" memebrs for warranty insurance. I wanted to use "Ralliart" NZ, but couldn't, under my warranty, so I was forced to use a Dealer (albeit a good one).

PS: Is my signature inappropriate.

Brind

25-03-2004, 12:41 AM

I know I could get better service elsewhere and pay less if it wasn't for the warranty.
The warranty has saved me before so I feel abliged to continue with it.

Your signature is fine mate! you can put whatever you want aslong it isn't offensive in anyway or perhaps too big.. but I think there are restrictions on size anyway.

Robbothewhiz

13-04-2004, 09:06 PM

I use a local (ralliart trained mech) based in Hemel - Hempstead. full service including plugs and new front pads, £260 including the dreaded VAT!! Hourly rate is £27.50 plus VAT

Although mine's outside of any warranty. On my old V6 this proved very helpful.

Happy to pass on details to anyone interested. (private Email)

Japmetal

13-04-2004, 09:52 PM

RE; non-dealer servicnig and warranties

THe new block exemption rules mean anyone can service your car; so long as you can prove it has had genuine parts used your warranty is still valid.

As for the signatures, I agree sometimes they make threads a bit long, but they are as nothing here comapred to some forums I use/have used !!

If you go into your profile settings, somewhere is an option to display/hide signatures in posts though, so if they upset you so much turn them off !!

EDIT; in your User CP, go to "Edit Options" and scroll down to "Thread Display Options"