Don’t disagree with the DIY option, providing one can reliably carry out any additional checks on the manufacturers service list. It becomes more onerous the older a vehicle becomes. There may be other checks hopefully completed but not listed specifically, EG wear and tear of steering/suspension. Best done on a hoist with the vehicle off the ground.
The $200 profit might be an over statement, although dealer servicing is reputedly highly valuable to the business. There are overheads in providing the service facilities, administration, insurances, training, the cost of the lease of the site and …. Some one needs to help pay for the free coffee and tea in the waiting room, or is there an on site coffee shop?
The independents tend to be a less expensive option. The sites may be less well located, the overheads minimised and service more focussed on efficiency of completing the routine. Are they any less reliable or more careful not to err hopeful of returning customers? YMMV.
There is more to DIY servicing at home than just a filter and oil. Having access to the right resources and technical content also important. Choice did make submissions on the right to repair. Others made submissions relevant to accessibility of technical information and support.
The DIY home mechanic is at a disadvantage without freedom of access. Cynically it’s the OEM’s and their selected dealers protecting their business models. Alternately it’s about protecting the reputation of the brands and public from unregulated DIY mechanics, IE risks from dangerous vehicles being on the roads.
An issue about DIY worth adding is that dealers will advise about recalls and software updates a vehicle needs. DIYers may or may not ever know and independents could be atop them or off in the bush.
Not all recalls are of the level that the manufacturers are obligated to inform the owners but they are important nonetheless and software updates still remain the province of the dealer.
As an interesting postscript to this episode, I just discovered that the garage disconnected my on-board video, which records everything that happens around my vehicle. I can’t see any reason they would stop it recording, unless …
According to the article below, it’s illegal for you to video in someone else’s private space without permission. The garage qualifies as a private space, so even if you have reason to suspect they’re not doing the work they’re charging you for, you don’t have the right to record them doing (or not doing) the work.
I agree, though saying that, doing a standard or minor service is only changing the oil filter & replacing old oil with new & changing the air filter & giving everything a good blow out with the air hose, checking the brakes are working properly & checking the transmission fluid, brake fluid & radiator fluid/water. Anyone could do this.
It’s the major service which needs a professional mechanic to give the car a proper diagnostic once over.
A professional mechanic has the diagnostic tools to make sure everything is hunky dory. Diagnostic tools are easily acquired these days, they are handy to plug in & to check how things are going & to use as a reference when a shonky mechanic tries to pull the wool over your eyes with bogus faults.
Was it a built in 360 camera or after-market and how did they disable it?
Regardless of privacy issues the ‘message’ a customer may take away would reasonably depend on whether they re-enabled it prior to returning the car and whether they mentioned it to you or left you to discover it after you left.
It’ a built in one - not sure whether it’s as much as 360 degrees though. They just pulled out the power cord, but didn’t put it back afterwards. That means that any accidents since would not have been recorded, which is pretty poor. I only discovered it because it stopped talking to me, which it does every time I start to drive (very annoying actually).
Could that be why someone at the garage disconnected it? To shut it up? Then forgot or just didn’t bother to reconnect it?
I agree with @PhilT that they should be pulled up on leaving anything unconnected that had been connected before the service. If they must disconnect something not related to the service, they should reconnect it before handing the car back.
As he also said, they might’ve been making a point about not being recorded, too … in which case not reconnecting was deliberate, not just overlooked.
I agree, @boblorel, that many garages are inclined to add unnecessary extras and/or charge for things they didn’t do. In my experience, manufacturer’s agents are often top of that list, and the bigger the business, the more likely the ripoff. Small shops that aren’t getting most of their income from selling vehicles are a little less likely to rip off their regular customers, especially if said customer seems dangerously knowledgeable about ICE engines.
A side comment, how many times do shops replace the windscreen wipers without asking? Sometimes it is justified but IME has become like ‘upselling fries’ without asking by many shops.
And with some vehicles, such as the VW Polo I used to have, it’s not just the wiper blade that’s replaced – it’s the entire ‘head’, a standard VW part with a much higher price tag. But it was possible to replace just the blades on that ‘head’. It took a little tinkering to extract the non-standard blades that weren’t designed to just slip in and out, but once they were out of the way, a standard blade could be slid in, fitted neatly, and worked just as well as the originals had when new. Then it was just a straightforward swap of standard blades whenever necessary. The head itself didn’t ever seem to need replacement.
So there was no particular reason for special blades or swapping the whole head.
Being a car owner is almost ubiquitous. So should car maintenance be taught at school? Although most people would not want to do their own maintenance, they would be in a better position to determine if their vehicle is well maintained.
This post about planned changes in the EU may he of interest to the discussion on tyre life:
It should be by parents. I am amazed the number of friends who can’t (or don’t) check basic things like tyre pressure, coolant levels, oil levels and windscreen wiper fluids.
In a previous job, the manager of fleet services would remind drivers to check basic things on vehicles. Fleet services would also train those who didn’t know. It must be the era we live.
There are various reports of what it costs to own and run a car. One recent popular news service suggests on average $435 pw. (Approx $22,500 each year). This includes a loan repayment, but excludes any allowance for depreciation, or loss of income from personal capital tied up with the original purchase.
There are alternate methods to assess the true cost depending on personal circumstance. Easy to see why many might complain about the cost and quality of servicing given the already high costs of ownership.
It would be in the ball park for a new vehicle, but might be on the higher end as one can get a novated lease with all costs part of the package, for less than that. Notated leases also include additional costs (e.g. profits, operational costs) and possibly slightly lower capital/operational costs (e.g. fleet discounts).
The problem is, these days the world holds more complexity, more technology and a far broader range of desirable skills. Which ones to teach ? I would place more emphasis on general survival - things like banking, computer literacy and the ability to navigate the world and its many traps for young players. So much more to know than when I was young.
Agree, especially considering the taxation advantages. Although these are less advantageous now for most with the progressive changes in taxation to lower rates reducing the overall benefit. It’s likely Nine’s source considered how it is for an average purchaser who does not have an employer or employment where a novated lease is an option. Independent sole traders etc also have options for Finance Leases and Operating Leases. EG https://www.canstar.com.au/car-loans/car-leasing/
Novated lease costs aren’t dependent on tax rates. They are costs of the lease. How an individual pays for the lease however can have tax implications.
Then forgot or just didn’t bother to reconnect it?