Servicing - would you go to a specialist or get ripped off by the dealer ?

See last post as Dealer pricing is actually fairer than i thought !

Guys,

My GT is due it's 2 year service and recently at the dealers noticed the prices were up on the wall and the GT 2nd service came in at rather ridiculous £400 !!

Obviously the car is still under warranty and retains quite a bit of value still but I thought i'd consider the option of using an independant specailist.

I was recommended a local garage who have trained Alfa mechanics who both have a passion for the cars. My thinking was if the quote was around the £250 mark i'd consider using them. When I got the price from them I had to ask them again to confirm it included everything....it did and it was a quite staggering £116

In my eyes the dealers are really taking the proverbial here

You could argue that people want to see Full Alfa service history - but £300 saving is £300 and it ain't going to affect the resale value by that amount for sure !!

What are peoples own experiences here ? - are the dealers on the rob here or can they somehow justify nearly 400% of the independant Alfa garage prices ?

If I were checking an Alfa's service history - I would be more than happy if an Alfa Indy had been looking after it. As long as the official Alfa service schedule has been followed and any replacement parts are either oem or genuine Alfa one's then it will not affect the warranty.

tbh at this stage i would still like to see dealer stamp, unless the indy had a widespread 100% alfa expert rep.

If you run into Alfa warranty problems, a dealer stamp might be better in the long run .. they try to find anything to avoid paying out for anything and an indie stamp might be what they are looking for ..

I thought under european law that you could go anywhere providing they used original parts and followed the correct schedules and that the manufacturer could not discriminate come claim time? There's a thread on this somewhere...
Having said that I stayed with the Stealer until Year 4. During that time got new rear trailing arms, new radiator, cambelt and variator under warranty.

Forgot to say the Stealer charged me for 3 years pollen filters and never changed them, the original 1 piece filter was still in when the indie went to change it at the end of year 4....!

I dont use a dealer Your warranty is still valid as long as you follow the servicing schedule for your car, why people pay hundreds more for a dealer stamp i dont know. My first service £120 from an independant.

DIY. Lets face it dealerships now a days are not going to put their well trained mechanic on the job of servicing a car are they? He (or she) will be stripping an engine or diagnosing some kind of fault somewhere else. So who's left to service your pride and joy. You got it the YTS lad. The one who's shy standing in a corner still amazed by the wizzardry that happens under the bonnet. So then you turn your keys over to the dealer who gives them to a 17 year old.

But it doesn't stop there because they want it turned around in quick time so he's hurrying along to impress the boss and keep to his schedule.

Now I know not everyone is a 4 spanner man but we all have to start somewhere and its through doing that you'll pick up the knowledge. My car may only be a 1.6 but I don't care, its mine, its all I can afford and its my daiy driver so it needs to be reliable. So I service it myself, because I know my parts are of the highest quality, I let my oil drain for hours and then use some fresh oil to clean it through, plus I start my car mid way through draining to get the last dregs of oil out as its these last dregs that are the worst. Everything is tightened the the correct torque settings in short done properly. I may have no stamp but I have peace of mind and to me thats worth more.

It seems most people feel the Dealer stamp isn't worth the extra money and Alfa can't dispute warranty work as long as the indi follows the guidelines.

Chosing between a 17yr old traineee and a 50yr old bloke with 30years Alfa experience........hmmm tough decision !

Why not try another main dealer for your service ? If you have one near enough,you might get a better deal.Personally I prefer an Alfa FSH in the 1st 3 years,supported by invoices.

This is useful reading

Block Exemption Regulations and Independent Alfa Romeo Servicing

Originally Posted by belfast bob

tbh at this stage i would still like to see dealer stamp, unless the indy had a widespread 100% alfa expert rep.

How many dealer service centres just do Alfa? All the one's i've seen have some other marques tagged on as well and the technicians just read what it says in a workshop manual anyway.

I'd rather have a skilled person work on my car than an unskilled person with a book.

My local is also a Vauxhall Service Centre and I'll give you one guess whose overall's they wear

First of all, the Alfa dealer is not taking the "proverbial". All main dealerships charge a fixed rate for servicing that is well displayed in the reception area, it would have been there when you purchased the car new. On top of that, any extras are going to be costly. Their hourly rate is huge (like ALL main dealers of ALL marques) compared to the indie. On top of that, if you want complete peice of mind regards warrenty issues, recalls etc, the first 3 years service by Alfa is invaluable. i have never been in this position as I have never had a new enough Alfa so I save my money and use a well respected Indie.

Originally Posted by Lovelyred147

Forgot to say the Stealer charged me for 3 years pollen filters and never changed them, the original 1 piece filter was still in when the indie went to change it at the end of year 4....!

How would he know how old the filter was? I change my own and sometimes they look like they have been in there for decades!!

I don't think there's any harm using a specialist - but did the £400 include the service, becuase that seems pretty reasonable to me

Originally Posted by Gary Slegg

I don't think there's any harm using a specialist - but did the £400 include the service, becuase that seems pretty reasonable to me

You've totally lost me there....£400 was the service charge !...verses £116 at the indpependant alfa mechanic.

For the first three years I would use an Alfa Dealer. I don't care what the 'block exemption' rule says, if anything goes wrong under warranty Alfa Romeo will be more keen to look after you than if you use a specialist, let alone any garage 'round the corner'. £400 sounds expensive though for a 24,000 mile service. My 48,000 service cost me £300, and that included extra work including cleaning and lubricating the gear linkage. I'm not sure if Alfa dealers charge all the same - shop around, mention you're a member of 'this and that' club, ask for a discount, you may be surprised!

Originally Posted by mikeyw

You've totally lost me there....£400 was the service charge !...verses £116 at the indpependant alfa mechanic.

Having looked at the service schedule, I am a little worried it's the indie ripping you off. I just can't see how they can do it for this price. It's a 3.4 hour service that includes changing oil and filter, changing brake fluid, new pollen filter, change fuel filter, and change air filter. On top of this is to top up any other liquids if required. How can any business do this for £116??

Originally Posted by Mitch166

Having looked at the service schedule, I am a little worried it's the indie ripping you off. I just can't see how they can do it for this price. It's a 3.4 hour service that includes changing oil and filter, changing brake fluid, new pollen filter, change fuel filter, and change air filter. On top of this is to top up any other liquids if required. How can any business do this for £116??

Where did you find that info ? - i'm no mechanic but doesn't sound overly complex the work there - maybe a couple of hours worth.

Originally Posted by mikeyw

Where did you find that info ? - i'm no mechanic but doesn't sound overly complex the work there - maybe a couple of hours worth.

From the Alfa service schedule book. It's not difficult stuff mate, thats not the point I'm trying to make. Go add up the cost of parts. Subtract that from the £116. The hourly rate will be next to nothing. My Indie who is excellent, charges about £45 IIRC. So to do this service it would be about £140 in labour alone. It sounds like you have made up your mind anyway. fair enough, it's your bella. I am just saying I find it hard to believe the indie will be doing all the jobs on the sheet for that price.

Generally, I'd say use a trusted specialist over a dealer

OMG!! Astraman will you PLEASE service my car !!! It's a GT. As for dealers (on my 5th Alfa), it's a total lottery, regardless of how it describes itself.