Car service rip off

Shopping around pays dividends when you need your car to be serviced. I got my car serviced in a garage in Wexford recently for €80. This included replacing oil and filters and a full service.

VW dealerships wanted to charge twice this for a first (smaller than full) service, parts extra.

A mechanic friend of a friend offered to do it for €80 as a nixer but oil and filters would be extra.

As you see, quite a variation. I know this doesn't help your current situation Margie, but you know for the next service!
 
"As you see, quite a variation. I know this doesn't help your current situation Margie, but you know for the next service!"

Absolutley, a lesson well learned.
 
Morgause said:
Shopping around pays dividends when you need your car to be serviced. I got my car serviced in a garage in Wexford recently for €80. This included replacing oil and filters and a full service.
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That sounds like a great deal. What was the name of the garage in Wexford? Might try them myself next time as am getting very fed up of overpriced servicing.
 
I think what MR2 meant was that women have an irrational fear of being over charged/ made fools of in a garage.

This is unfounded, like he said most garages will "undercharge" women, they are probably treated better than men because garages are conscious of not "ripping them off".

Whereas on the other hand smart alecs who think they know more and make a song and dance are not let away as lightly.

That is not saying that the servicing of the car differs its probably a matter of say charging the smart alec the full amount or knocking a bit off for the "nervous" woman.

Believe me this happens in most industries and you are foolish to think otherwise.
 


Sorry but I think thats complete fiction, and completely sexist. Not just by these imaginary garages but even the lack of consideration that you can women who are very knowledgeable about cars and men who haven't a clue. To be honest in a main dealer you often come across mechanics, apprentices and service managers who really have no interest in cars, or customer service either.

My experiences with main dealers which indicated a scary lack of knowledge about cars in many of them. Seemingly they can replace parts, but have no ability to fix them.
 
i think you were well and truly ripped off here, a 12 year old car,if you were selling it you would hardly get 500 euro for it im sure, see 2 in papers being sold by dealers 96 micra1.0 sunroof radio cd player taxed and mot,85,000 miles for 450 sterling ,350 or less would probably buy it,
a 95 micra same spec asking 500
 
This is not sexist. I should have been clearer about what I mean there is more that man v's woman. A bill comes to €312.61, A very nice man or woman sits in front of you and chances are you would let them away with the €2.61, where with some one that is a smart A** usually a man 20-35 you would get the whole lot. As happens in restraunts,service industry etc.

A person come in to get a bulb changed(we have a set charge of €10.00 in labour), A smart a** man comes in and demands it to be done straight away and it does get done and he gets charged for bulb and labour however a nice lady or an older man might come and ask to get it done as soon as possible and is happy to sit in the waiting room for a few mins. He or she prob won't get the labour charge.

It's slight hard to explain but it comes down to politeness more than anything, not sexist!. As what happens in the service industries people only see a person behind a counter and not the person and treat them as such. You ask your girlfriend or father etc about how they find some person behind a counter somewhere. You'll usually find they get treated better than you and don't always pay full price for everything.
 
I love the way you I assume I have a girlfriend, am not old, or that I get treated differently in some way. Theres so many isims going there on you blew the fuse on my isim detector.

Simply fact is you should agree a price before hand, haggle hard if possible because prices are obviously not set in stone, and use as many bargaining skills and tricks to drive down the price. Establishing a rapport would be haggling 101.

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aircobra19 I wasn't directing my previous post soley at you, It was to answer a few posts with a few points.

However if I have insulted you by what you picked up from my previous post, I'm sorry. I didn't want to expose your sexual preference.

I am only talking in the "General" and as with everything there is exceptions. Maybe your one!
 
Mr2 said:
I'd dis-agree with that, In the main dealers I've worked, if anything you would under charge women.
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This begs the question as to who makes up the difference and what is the benchmark to deciding prices in such a scenario?
 
Difference(a few euro)! Were not really worried about that. Sometimes it's just nice to be nice and if somebody possibly bought there car off you and got it serviced, we'll be happy if they come back when there trading in and we get to price the car first.
 

I was speaking as "your" average customer. Because I'm actually an alien and only passing through. Basically I should send the grandmother down to get the car serviced etc because she'll get a cheaper price then if we send the alpha male.

I don't believe that to be true in the majority of garages, with the obvious exception of yours Must be an interesting breakdown on the bill though, especially if you compare it with someone else in the family.

Nice and chatty - 2%
Old lady -2%
Happy to wait - 2%
Asked me how I was - 2%

vs

Well dressed +2%
Too busy to chat +2%
In a hurry +2%
Alpha Male +5%

Etc...
 
That's good I like that but we never add any thing on.

But maybe I'm wrong, I had you down as, Male 20-35, Married, 1 or 2 children but defo not 3, Some what educated, fairly well traveled, bit of an IT buff, and from the post above maybe a smart A**.

I maybe wrong but I reckon your the man that does pay in full for everything but knows a lot about everything so I'm sure you don't actually need to come to a garage as you can read the book and can fix the car your self.
 
aircobra19 and Mr2-continue your spat in private please-any further posts along the previous lines will be deleted.

I am only leaving the thread open to allow Margie (the op) to report back on the outcome of any haggling with the machanic.
 
I had a good experience in a garage, which backs-up Mr2's theory.

A while ago my car door wouldnt close and was swinging open. So I drove to the nearest garage, and asked if they could have a look. They spent about 30mins fixing it, and then didnt charge me anything! I couldnt believe it, but was delighted.
I'd recommend the place, but cant remember the name! Its on the Stillorgan Dual carraigeway, near Cherrywood - maybe its called 'KwitFit'.
 
Threadser said:
That sounds like a great deal. What was the name of the garage in Wexford? Might try them myself next time as am getting very fed up of overpriced servicing.
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Hi Threadser, it was Ryans Garage of Ballywilliam, I don't know how well you know County Wexford but they are just a few miles beyond Rathnure as you are coming from the New Ross direction.
 
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