Expensive or Not?

Customer Brenda states:

“I shopped around some of the local garages for a price to service my car, and I am confused by the answers I received. Some are quoting $149, where as others quoted me $475. That is a massive difference. Why is there such a massive difference in price? Surely a service is the same from garage to garage? “

Good question, and it deserves an answer. If you want to know, read on. However, if you read this and you are only interested in the “tell me where I can get my car serviced for $149?” this article might not be for you.

A little bit of background, I have been in the automotive trade for 30+ years, and that includes time spent in small workshops, big workshops, dealerships and parts suppliers, that gives me some insight into the people who work in it and how the automotive trade functions.

Let’s start of with:

What is a “service”?

Depends on who you ask. Ask 5 different service providers, you get 5 different answers. There is no agreed upon industry standard. Here is what the internet told me;

“A car service is a routine preventive maintenance check-up performed by a qualified mechanic to ensure your vehicle runs safely, efficiently, and reliably. Unlike an WOF, which is a mandatory safety inspection for roadworthiness, a car service is voluntary and focuses on assessing wear and tear, replacing consumable parts, and addressing minor issues before they become major, expensive repairs. Because minor issues have a habit of turning into major (expensive) problems.” The extent of work depends on the service level and the provider, but a typical service involves:

• Oil and Filter Change: Replacing engine oil and the oil filter to keep the engine lubricated. 
• Fluid Top-Ups: Checking and refilling coolant, brake fluid, transmission and differential fluids, power steering fluid, and window wash. 
• Safety Checks: Inspecting brakes, tires, lights, steering, and suspension for wear or damage. There is some overlap here with a WOF inspection.
• Component Inspection: Examining belts, hoses, other filters, batteries, charging systems, fluid leaks, engine mountings and exhaust systems. 
• Testdrive and assessment: Taking the vehicle for a roadtest, noting any abnormal noises, any abnormalities in how the vehicle handles, engine performance or transmission issues and any warning lights or messages. 

That seems about right, the point is, a proper “service” is much more then just an oil and filter change. In fact, there is not a single manufacturer I know of that specifies “just” an oil and filter change at certain intervals.

There are many variables that can explain the price difference between workshops. I will go through some of them.

Who is doing the service? Is it the dealer, a general workshop in town, some sort of tyre/servicing/oil change franchise or a small rural garage?

The dealer might be the most expensive, where as the oil change franchise might be the cheapest. They are priced differently, depending on where they sit in the market and what type of customers they aim for. It is important to remember that price is NOT an indication of quality. The rural garage or the tyre store might perform a superior service (better then the dealer) for a much better price.

What is their hourly rate? Is it $50,- or $250,- per hour? This makes a big difference. Keep in mind that a workshop that is cheap, is most likely NOT paying their mechanics what they are worth, NOT sending any one to training and also NOT investing anything into tools or equipment. Also, things like business insurance and paying for access to accurate repair information will not be a given.

What quality level of products are they using? Are they using factory parts (usually the most expensive), aftermarket brand name parts or the cheapest parts they can get?

What about oils an other fluids? What type, grade and quality are they using? Who is actually checking that the correct oil grade and specification are used? (not many, because oils and fluids are considered a “sleep inducing, horribly boring” subject).

Who is doing the actual work? In the better workshops, an experienced technician will be the one working on your car, but it is more common to hand off the service to the apprentice, because “it is just a service”…seriously.

What kind of service and inspection are they performing on my car?

The dealer will have a comprehensive inspection list from the manufacturer (but the service will probably be done by the apprentice), where as many workshops use a fabricated list that perhaps their oil supplier provided them, or they copied something from the internet or they made one up. It might be relevant and comprehensive, it might not be.

Where as the oil change franchise has virtually no inspection list at all, and no way in hell is a 10-minute oil and filter change classified as a “service”.

What does it mean to have a ”relevant” inspection list?

Many inspection lists are outdated and irrelevant, they have the technician inspecting things no longer fitted to modern cars (carburettors, drum brakes, king pins?) or items commonly fitted to modern cars are not on the list. An up to date list should have items like a mandatory testdrive, a thorough inspection, a full computer diagnostic scan of the vehicle, and some sort of digital report for the customer with photos or videos.

Is their workshop efficiently set up for servicing work?

Are all the tools and supplies needed for a service within reach of the technician, or are they scattered all over the workshop? Some have given a lot of thought to this and put some effort in this, so they can perform a service/inspection in an efficient and timely manner, some workshops have given it some thought (at least 5 minutes) and organised some things, and some shops have given it no thought at all. Consequently, a service takes longer and costs more.

Conclusion:

Ideally, you probably want the best value for your money. So that should be a comprehensive, relevant inspection, done by an experienced person who uses quality parts and correct fluids and can do it in a timely manner for a reasonable price. Someone who actually cares about the vehicle, understands what it needs and wants to help you look after it properly.

If that sounds like something you are looking for, you are welcome to contact us.

 – Theo van de Steeg