VE Servicing Blues - Anyone had this experience
Hi everyone. This is my first time on this site and I'm hoping to get some feedback on my service history.
I bought my 2006 VE Omega (stock standard) second hand from a Holden Stealer in April 2008 (18mths old with 37k on the clock).
Service history:-
12/12/08-45k service (still under new car warrenty)--49512k's--$ 680.50
28/07/09-60K service (still under new car warrenty)--59129k's--$ 405.30
17/02/10------5yr fixed price used car warrenty-------66463k's--$ 1423.95
20/08/10------5yr fixed price used car warrenty-------73551k's--$ 217.50
15/03/11------5yr fixed price used car warrenty-------80140k's--$ 517.95
total $ 3299.20
I just had the car part serviced yesterday which will be roughly $500 to $600. It's booked in again next week to machine the discs and have new pads fitted. Rough cost, another $900 (current k's on the clock - 90,200).
So for the 3 1/2 yrs I've owned the VE (53,000k's travelled), if I get the brakes done next week, I'll have spent $4800 - $4900 to keep the ' Great and Guaranteed Used Car ' on the road.
Anyone else had this sort of experience?
I'm looking at cancelling the used car warrenty and just service the car by the log book, whether I do that thru a Holden dealer or someone local I'm not sure.
Couple of questions. Anyone know of a good local mechanic in the Guildford, NSW area?
Also, How many times can the discs on a VE be machined. The fronts have already been machine once in the ridiculous $1423 service done 18mths ago. If I took it back next week I'm almost certain they'll say I need new rotors.
Anyway, If anyone has some feedback or comments or advice, I would really appreciate it.
By the way, I'm 53yrs old so my hooning days are long gone. I don't drive like a nanny, but I don't drive hard either especially with the brakes.
Cheers everyone and thanks.
I'm not a qualified mechanic but I do know that you are being very ripped off here. Were most of these services just basic like oil & filter? If I were you I would just find a good local mechanic and get it serviced there. Those so called extended warranties are a load of crap anyway. Not everything is covered if something happens.
Do a google search for mechanics in Guildford and start ringing around for prices. Most of them have info in their system for what is required for each service interval.
Holy shit!! My 45k service cost me $180, 60k was abit more $220 but nothing like that. Definetly take it somewhere else.
Kuzman's Supercharged SV6 - MACE TUNED
yeah done by a hairy assed 16 year old apprentice...i just got mine serviced and the little prick left the sump plug half undone...thanks motors devonport..anothing winning holden dealership lol
All right
I'll keep it simple
Extended dealership warranty is not worth paper it's written on ! It's a fact ! It's like the fact that the earth is round.
Everyone knows this including people who work for dealership. It's designed to rip you off with minimal to no benefit to customer.
Dealership servicing/repairs is always close to double in price of what you'd pay a good reputable local mechanic. This is a fact too !
Paying $900 for brake service is theft !
For that money you can buy brand new DBA discs, brand new pads, brake fluid flush and have change left from it !!!
An example....
I had my Mrs's front brakes done last week by my mechanic.
I supplied pads which I got cheap of e bay.
Total cost for 2x dics machining, labour, brake fluid flush $150
Even if they supplied pads it would be no more than 70-80 bucks on top of that !
My advice ..
Tell them to **** of an take your car elsewhere
That job should be no more than $500
My mechanic is in Cabramatta and has state of the art workshop.
PM me for details if interested !!!!
Last edited by Xonar; 07-10-2011 at 02:24 PM.
ps. Unless you thrash the crap out of your car...there is no chance in hell that brake pads will wear out in 18 months !!!!
Discs can be machined more than once so you should be fine
My mechanic charges $20 per disc for machining and I believe around 80-90 for 1hr labour.
He's honest, efficient and flexible if you wanna supply parts etc.
In your case if your brakes really need work i.e. machining all discs, new pads and brake fluid the cost should be as follows:
$ 80 - disc machining
$ 160 approx for Bendix brake pads F&R
$ 20 approx for brake fluid
$ 180 approx for labour
Total= approx $440
You'd need to have rocks in your head to go back to the dealership !
Sorry Justnuts - I agree with everyone else - unfortunately you are being had.
Warranty extension all sounds great until you have to actually make a claim, then hear the excuses come out! ... oh that's wear and tear, abuse, that item not covered, etc. etc. Best one I heard of was a mate and his auto started shifting funny - Holden dealer says not covered by warranty claiming it was abuse - needs a changeover tranny and wallet flush - $1800 plus labour. I told him to see a mate who was an auto specialist - he replaced the modulator which was all the problem was - $70..!!
Definitely cheaper in the long run to simply get a good local mechanic you can trust to look after you.
Re the brakes - depends how much they have to skim off to get them flat - I would think twice would be OK - cost $20 per rotor. New rotors are not expensive anyway if they need replacing, same with pads. For 4 rotors machined and good quality pads you'd be looking at around $240 in parts. Lets say worst case 3 hours labour at dealer rates of $120 per hour and it still only comes to $600.... so they are having a lend of you I'm afraid...
I took wifes Astra to the dealer for a 60k service - needs front rotors and pads apparently - Stealer quoted $600+. Bought new rotors and pads for $160 and spent 90 minutes doing it myself. Local brake place said they'd do it for $300 - half the dealer price!!
Last edited by EraserHead; 07-10-2011 at 02:47 PM.
damm man,like Xonar said $440.00 for front and rears, is a good price,thats excactly what i charge hear at my workshop,so yeah my advice would be find a good mechanic,and steer clear of dealerships,god knows how many of my customers have come from dealerships after being rip a new one
$1423.95?? I wasn't even remotely aware that a price like that could be associated with a Commodore service. I knew they were expensive, but that's just out of this world.
EDIT
It seems so blatant from Holden to charge so much for their servicing. My brother bought a Hilux a couple of years ago still under new car warranty, and Toyota only charged him a fixed rate price on every service he had, additional of course on repairs, but I think it was around $200 each time.
Gone Fishin'...
I recently had my front discs machined, new pads, service etc and i remember it being around the $200 mark. They checked the rear brakes etc and did a brake safety report/statement etc. Ive only done that once, and it was after 105,000km. I tow a boat a fair bit down some steep mountains so you'd think my brakes would have been up the preverbial creek. Mind you, my car is manual and I dont stomp on the brakes like a demon all the time.
Get your car serviced elsewhere
Never argue with idiots. They will only bring you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
tell them to F$%k OFF, they are ripping you a new one. No way should your services being costing that much.
Hi Everyone. Many thanks for your responses. It wasn't until last night when I pulled out all the service records that I realised how much it's all cost me so far. I called the stealer today and cancelled the brake work next week. I'm going in tomorrow to fix the bill for the work they did yesterday and thats the last they'll see of me.
Xonar, I'd like to get the details of your guy in Cabramatta. Would be convenient for me to go there. Love to get him to check out the brakes and see what he says compared to the stealer. Sorry for sounding like a dope but what does PM mean.
I have to go out for a while but I'll write a list of what was done on the $1423 service tonight for you all to have a look at if you're interested. By the way, discs were machined in that service but no new pads were fitted.
For now many thanks to all of you. I really appreciate your feedback, info and help....... Cheers.
Pm is private message...Originally Posted by justnuts
Here is details for my Mechanic Cabramatta Auto Mechanical Repairs
I'll send you PM now which will pop up on your screen
Machining discs and not putting new pads completely defeats the purpose of machining ! Bloody halfwits !
Supe
There had want to be a bloody good reason why there was a service costing $1400 or I would be lodging a complaint with fair trading.
Searching for the billion
If the pain of a service cost lasts longer than 24hours you've probably been ripped off.
I honestly believe some dealers decide what work they want to do to your car before they even look at it to make sure they reach their daily service budget.
Hmmm this guy looks like he needs a new set of plugs, full set of pads, 3 new tyres, a master cylinder and a partrige in a pear tree.
And seriously, any company who sells Warranty deserves a punch in the nuts. If they made their product (car) to a decent standard it wouldn't be necessary.
"Would you like to buy the extended warranty" > translates to .... our quality aint that good and your car could self destruct at any time. If you pay us extra money now we'll think about helping you out when that happens !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'd rather go to Kmart Tyre and Auto than pay those prices.
$1400 must have included some pretty big replacement items going on the car.
The 90,000klm service on a VE is considered the 'first' major service. Standard system pricing (In Canberra) for that is $840 for the SS or V8 variants. They replace spark plugs on this service which retail for approx $33 per plug ($264 just there) then there is all the other bits. Still a steep price in my book.
I just had new rotars (front only) and pad (police spec) fitted to mine on Thursday. Cost $355. They were going to machine them but they had very bad cracks across the wear surface so I said replace them. I did see the cracks... The last time they were machined (all 4) it cost me $150. All done at my local dealer.
GRA = REAL HP
dealerships what more can be said throw in a bent used car deal . Used car warranties what a joke , a story from my past whilst working at a Holden stealership with an accountant as a service manager , back in the days when VN's where new a customer would buy a used car maybe only 14 months old ex company or hire car etc etc , come time for a claim on used car warranty the excuses sure did come thick and fast in the end the customer would pay for the repairs , then the service manager would lodge a claim on the used car warranty , then with the car still under new car warranty a claim made on that too , this happened a number of times during my time there and afew other jobs , atleast i outlasted the so called service manager finished my app then moved on .
Always read the fine print carefully and ask questions if unsure dont assume the warranty covers bumper to bumper and that its a used car not a new car .
servicing costs are over the top thru any stealerships as they have very high overheads and costs to cover most of their workshops are filled with young guys learning the trade and are cheap .
I simply don't go to a dealership for servicing. Especially after getting all my work done. Hi Torque did the mods so they get the servicing. Plus it's like half the cost of the dealer
I Believe
holy crap dude, they saw you coming a mile away.
learn your lesson and stay away from dealer servicing mate. at a bare minimum if even now you are still unsure, get 2nd and 3rd opinions.... but at those prices it's obvious that even you (a loyal customer) are now questioning the legitimacy. follow your instincts and walk away.
Hi all. To all the guys that have posted since my last post, thanks for your input and joining in. Here's the breakup of the $1400 service,
labour
Harrier service.................... 141.60
rotation & balanace............... 30.00
plate tronic test.................... 30.00
brake fluid flush.................... 59.00
cooling system flush.............. 70.80
power steering flush.............. 45.00
throttle body service............ 121.36
carbon flush....................... 118.00
brakes-front & rear shudder
excessive runout, f & r disc
machine as required............ 236.00
.............................TOTAL $ 851.76
parts
oil filter, coolant, brake
fluid etc................................... TOTAL $ 130.06
petrol, oil , lubricant & supplies
magnatec 10w-30................................... 54.00
w/s supplies.......................................... ... 2.00
p/steering flush kit.................................. 89.00
throttle body cleaner............................... 69.50
on car inject cleaner................................ 78.19
...............................................TOT AL $ 292.69
misc.............................................. ......$ 19.99
gst............................................... ..... $ 129.45
GRAND TOTAL.................................. $ 1423.95
So thats it. It seems like a case of just making their service quota as was pointed out in greenacc's post.
Holly crap !!!
This should be illegal ! Not even worth commenting !
Horror
At my mechanic i think I only once paid over $1000 for repairs on my old car
From memory this included inlet manifold gasket, rocker cover gasket,injector cleaning off car, engine mounts, front and rear shocks replaced, coolant flush, engine oil and a few bits and pieces....
So they charged you an arm
And a leg to clean the throttle bottle and flush the power steering, then take your other arm and leg making u pay for the cleaner separately??
That's your problem right there!
If you had have taken your car instead, it would have been a lot cheaper...
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