40,000km service....not happy, but now even.

Well just took my parent's Euro and ended up with a $790 bill :mad:

Most of the things I'm ok with except:
- $266 labour for what just seems to be an oil change and lots of checks, and topping up my washer fluid (wow thanks!). Usually a normal service cost around $180-220 for the same treatment (oil, filter, washer).
- $160 (labour!) for a....fuel injection clean? Car only has 36,000km and purchased in Dec 2003. Been using 98RON 99% of the time. They claim that my car has carbon build-up in the rail. On the phone I asked if the fuel filter was going to be changed too and they said yes, but when I looked at the list it wasn't even listed....so I gather that they didn't change that.
- Changed my air filter when half of it's life it was using a K&N panel filter, which I later sold. I ask why they changed my fairly new filter and they said all this random BS that I can't be bothered arguing about. So they pretty much changed my filter without inspecting it cos "it was a 40,000km service".
- Supposedly "fixed" my headlight cos it had moisture build-up. It was no cost but when I got it back the moisture was still there :thumbdwn: . Gonna wait a few days and see what happens.

Other than that $220 for my rear brake pad (inc labour) I can accept, cos pads cost $146.

Not sure if every other Honda dealer is like this, but I've always had bad experiences with dealers. Since warranty for the Euro is already up, does anyone know good places around SE Melbourne what I can take it for a service? Else I'll be doing my own servicing rather than being robbed in broad daylight and shafted up the ass at the same time...

The campaign on the light are only clips. You have to wait for the mosture to evopourate. Give it some time and it should be fine.

adjusting the tappets takes time so thats where most the labour is. They need to take the valve cover off, spark plug wires etc. They also should rotate/balance tyres, and do overall checks which all takes time.

Yikes that a fair bit...

Wish I could charge that much and get away with it lol ^_^

Take it back and get them to redo the headlight if it still has water in it, if it doesnt clear up by next week

But 40k is fairly major from memory

wow that's pretty expensive but hey that's life. But you should have bitched to the SA like no tomorrow when you paid the bill.

vtek: they did do a valve adjustment, so I guess that explains the extra. But I still don't get how they can charge $160 for a fuel injection clean. Does it involve that much labour or all they do is add fuel cleaner to your fuel and flush it out as your go?

Drew: If I can charge $200 for an oil change I swear I'm on my way to an NSX quite soon :p

Check PM too :)

Rice_4_life: yeah I bitched about the air filter and bitched about the fuel cleaning on the phone as well. But it's no use bitching cos they can say all they want to justify their cost. I'm not a real mechanic and I only know so much about cars and servicing. I guess just a lesson learnt there. If it's not under warranty, stay away from the dealers! The only reason why we've been going to the dealers is for warranty reasons. This is pretty much our first service out of warranty and this is what we get :( .

holy crap....was this at a dealer??
im about to take mine for 80,000km service still trying to make my mind up if i should take it to the dealer or a good mechanic.....
p.s isnt valve adjusment standard at 40,000?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

vtek: they did do a valve adjustment, so I guess that explains the extra. But I still don't get how they can charge $160 for a fuel injection clean. Does it involve that much labour or all they do is add fuel cleaner to your fuel and flush it out as your go?

Drew: If I can charge $200 for an oil change I swear I'm on my way to an NSX quite too :p

Check PM too :)

---

Using adatives is a cheap way of doing it and doesn't really do anything

They would have either done them on the car or probably removed them and cleaned one by one. I'd say to get a dealer to do it $160 is probably about right if they took them off the car and had them cleaned and tested the spray pattern n so forth

Check out this thread re prices for 40k service. It varies a lot. Air filter element is a standard replacement at 40k - if you didn't want that changed you should have said in advance. As for this fuel injection clean - never heard of that. I have heard of dealers asking $70 for adding additives to the fuel tank but not $160 labour for cleaning fuel injection. I would expect a phone call if something outside the log book 40k service was required.

The $266 labour sounds right as there is the valve clearance check.

$146 for rear pads only - not worth spending that sort of money on OEM pads. But you should have been told of pad replacement being done in advance. If I am asking for a 40k service that is all I want. If more work is required the service manager should get me on the phone and approve additional work. That is what I expect anyway.

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthr...ighlight=perth

I was told about the brake pads and fuel injection clean. Parents insisted on doing both, even when I offered to change pads for them. Maybe they don't trust me, haha. Oh well, when I fronts go, I know what to do....diy :)

Air filter, well I had no idea they would change it and I though they would have the brain to inspect it before changing it. I guess not.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

Well just took my parent's Euro and ended up with a $790 bill :mad:

Most of the things I'm ok with except:
- $266 labour for what just seems to be an oil change and lots of checks, and topping up my washer fluid (wow thanks!). Usually a normal service cost around $180-220 for the same treatment (oil, filter, washer).

---

They check a little bit extra, but that's about in the usual price.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

- $160 (labour!) for a....fuel injection clean? Car only has 36,000km and purchased in Dec 2003. Been using 98RON 99% of the time. They claim that my car has carbon build-up in the rail. On the phone I asked if the fuel filter was going to be changed too and they said yes, but when I looked at the list it wasn't even listed....so I gather that they didn't change that.

---

Did they change your fuel filter? They MUST ask you if you want this done as it is not part of the scheduled maintenance. And if it was just the fuel injector clean, you just got rorted for a $8 bottle of Wynns injector cleaner. Get a refund.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

- Changed my air filter when half of it's life it was using a K&N panel filter, which I later sold. I ask why they changed my fairly new filter and they said all this random BS that I can't be bothered arguing about. So they pretty much changed my filter without inspecting it cos "it was a 40,000km service".

---

This is normal. You should have told them that your filter only had 20,000km on it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

- Supposedly "fixed" my headlight cos it had moisture build-up. It was no cost but when I got it back the moisture was still there :thumbdwn: . Gonna wait a few days and see what happens.

---

This should be free. If they "fixed" it, then they should have given you new/refurb headlights. The clips that are part of the service repair only prevent condensation. It doesn't fix it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

Other than that $220 for my rear brake pad (inc labour) I can accept, cos pads cost $146.

Not sure if every other Honda dealer is like this, but I've always had bad experiences with dealers. Since warranty for the Euro is already up, does anyone know good places around SE Melbourne what I can take it for a service? Else I'll be doing my own servicing rather than being robbed in broad daylight and shafted up the ass at the same time...

---

I use Travis Honda over at Frankston. Next time when you book in your service, tell them if you don't want your filter changed, or if you want to bring your own oil. Letting them know about things like these beforehand can make the difference on whether you are happy or displeased with their service. But yeah, any extra work should have your authorisation. That includes changing brake pads and fuel injector cleaner (which is bullshit at 40,000km).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aaronng

This should be free. If they "fixed" it, then they should have given you new/refurb headlights. The clips that are part of the service repair only prevent condensation. It doesn't fix it.

---

It was free, but just being paranoid about the moisture still there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aaronng

I use Travis Honda over at Frankston. Next time when you book in your service, tell them if you don't want your filter changed, or if you want to bring your own oil. Letting them know about things like these beforehand can make the difference on whether you are happy or displeased with their service. But yeah, any extra work should have your authorisation. That includes changing brake pads and fuel injector cleaner (which is bullshit at 40,000km).

---

I guess I wasn't too careful with some things. Oh well, what's done is done. Lesson learnt and hope others can learn from it too.

you must do a lot of highway driving to wear the rears out at 40k done the front pads yet?

Yeah,that injector service is revenue raising for the dealer(costs them next to nothing).On my previous car (Subaru Liberty)they tried to hit me with that at 20k!!WTF.A good friend is an ex Subaru SM and he told me you shouldn't need injector service before 100k.or unless you have an injector problem.some dealers will try anything to extract more money out of you.Tell them BEFORE you leave your car for service NO additives at all if HA doesn't include it as part of the service you don't want it.I've had bad experiences with this sort of thing before and it really pisses me off.:thumbdwn: :thumbdwn:

Subarus are bad for gumming up the top (sides :)) of their engines, hence why an injector service would have been offered so early.

The injector service Slugoid would have been offered would have been like a Wynns RCP (Remote Control Purge) or something similar. We recommend them at around 40,000-50,000kms at a price of $159. Believe it or not, it does work and is especially helpful on higher mileage vehicles. It is done by a machine being hooked up to the fuel rail and the cars normal fuel pump is disabled. Then your engine runs on a special "injector cleaning" fluid supplied by the machine hooked up to the fuel rail. It not only cleans your injectors but also fuel rail, inlet runners, valves and combustion chambers.

Hey are u Victor from eXclusive? If so think I remember u from a few cruises.

I took my Euro to New World Honda in Berwick for it's 50k Service. Price quite reasonable I thought although 40k is probably more major. Maybe give them a call before the next one and see what price they estimate. Customer Service was very good which is a plus in my books.

Only thing I didn't like is that they couldn't wash it thanks to water restrictions lol :(

My 40K service only cost me $350 cause i used my own oil and they didn't change the air filter since i'm using injen CAI.

When I had my CAI, my previous service centre still charged me for changing my air filter. What a joke!

The dilemma I face is that I want the "Honda stamp" in my log books, but am continually amazed at the sort of stuff that is messed up at dealerships (ie overtightened oil filters that they had tried to remedy by backing it off and destroying the seal :eek:).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spicey

Subarus are bad for gumming up the top (sides :)) of their engines, hence why an injector service would have been offered so early.

The injector service Slugoid would have been offered would have been like a Wynns RCP (Remote Control Purge) or something similar. We recommend them at around 40,000-50,000kms at a price of $159. Believe it or not, it does work and is especially helpful on higher mileage vehicles. It is done by a machine being hooked up to the fuel rail and the cars normal fuel pump is disabled. Then your engine runs on a special "injector cleaning" fluid supplied by the machine hooked up to the fuel rail. It not only cleans your injectors but also fuel rail, inlet runners, valves and combustion chambers.

---

But every 12500km service Subaru say to use upper cylinder cleaner which i did and i never had any injector problems(car had 88k when i sold it).

I think it's a stupid upsale to try and change the pads on a 40,000km service

I had my old 05 honda for a 40,000km service and honda told me that i only had 2 or 3k left in the rear pads

I told them not to do it as i would change them myself

I went to change the rear pads and supprise supprise, They had atleast 10k or 15k left!

I've spoken to some other honda owners and they told me that on there 40,000km service Honda have always tried to do the same thing and say your pads are on the way.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tknova

I think it's a stupid upsale to try and change the pads on a 40,000km service

I had my old 05 honda for a 40,000km service and honda told me that i only had 2 or 3k left in the rear pads

I told them not to do it as i would change them myself

I went to change the rear pads and supprise supprise, They had atleast 10k or 15k left!

I've spoken to some other honda owners and they told me that on there 40,000km service Honda have always tried to do the same thing and say your pads are on the way.

---

Hmm.Interesting.I'll keep that in mind.

Depends on the dealer. At my 40,000km/2 year service, my dealer told me my front pads had 60% and my rear pads had 70% left

lol, well amazingly I've seen a jazz hit metal at only 19,xxxkm owner must have been riding the brakes hard. I tend to bend the wear indicator a bit back to give more mileage out of them, cos if you've ever seen one the indicator are pretty far in, only for my car god knows how many idiots think the unusual squealing was "normal"

Hey, been there.

Did my 40,000 last week at one of the largest dealerships in Sydney. In the morning I have signed a paper where estimated cost of service has been recorder 273.95. Came back at 5:30, 550.00 dollar bill was waiting for me:
Apart from service:
- pollen filter $70 (which has been replaced at the 30k service)
- wheel alignment (got new tyres 3 weeks ago with alignment and balance)
- interior purification 90 bucks!
- etc

Anyway, i refused to pay extra 200.00, called their service manager and told him, to remove a new filter, fart in the cabin to remove 'purification' and dis balance my wheels, as i was not going to pay for it. At the end, paid 300.00 and left. Received a call in two days with apologies and 20% discount for the next service.

Sometimes you have to be a pain in the the back, just not to get ripped off!

I cant believe how you guys aren't being notified if any extra work is being done! I definatly wouldn't pay for any repairs that weren't authorized/quoted!

Spose I never have to worry about that though, I don't let anyone else touch my bikes/cars unless its warranty work!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

- $266 labour for what just seems to be an oil change and lots of checks, and topping up my washer fluid (wow thanks!). Usually a normal service cost around $180-220 for the same treatment (oil, filter, washer).

---

as stated the tappets are done which takes a fair while on the euro's (compared to say an ek civic). as small as the service looks in the book it does take a while. the book service time is 2.1hr but usually takes longer than what is listed in the book as most dealers do more than what is in the book on larger services anyway (ie. transmission service)
but yeah that sounds like a standard rate for a dealer/high end workshop.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

- $160 (labour!) for a....fuel injection clean? Car only has 36,000km and purchased in Dec 2003. Been using 98RON 99% of the time. They claim that my car has carbon build-up in the rail. On the phone I asked if the fuel filter was going to be changed too and they said yes, but when I looked at the list it wasn't even listed....so I gather that they didn't change that.

---

imo $160 is a lil much for a fuel injection service but yeah they are recommened from anywhere from about 30-35k onwards.
and they aren't the cheap additives u just pour in the tank at the servo, they actually do work.

fuel filter is changed at 80k
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/8...o40ktd7.th.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

- Changed my air filter when half of it's life it was using a K&N panel filter, which I later sold. I ask why they changed my fairly new filter and they said all this random BS that I can't be bothered arguing about. So they pretty much changed my filter without inspecting it cos "it was a 40,000km service".

---

did YOU actually look at the oem filter? it may very well have required replacement. if you were unhappy with it being replaced you should have asked them to show you the old filter and justify it (complaining on an internet forum later will get you nowhere)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

- Supposedly "fixed" my headlight cos it had moisture build-up. It was no cost but when I got it back the moisture was still there :thumbdwn: . Gonna wait a few days and see what happens.

---

the 5HL campaign is revised headlamp lens clips which hold the lens on tighter, preventing moisture getting in (condensation)

if you have any moisture in there is should dry in a few days at most.

havent hat any complaints of condensation in vehicles with revised clips

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

Other than that $220 for my rear brake pad (inc labour) I can accept, cos pads cost $146.

---

pretty standard price right there, not much dealer can do about part pricing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

Since warranty for the Euro is already up, does anyone know good places around SE Melbourne what I can take it for a service? Else I'll be doing my own servicing rather than being robbed in broad daylight and shafted up the ass at the same time...

---

travis honda in frankston
9786-1022

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spicey

The injector service Slugoid would have been offered would have been like a Wynns RCP (Remote Control Purge) or something similar. We recommend them at around 40,000-50,000kms at a price of $159. Believe it or not, it does work and is especially helpful on higher mileage vehicles. It is done by a machine being hooked up to the fuel rail and the cars normal fuel pump is disabled. Then your engine runs on a special "injector cleaning" fluid supplied by the machine hooked up to the fuel rail. It not only cleans your injectors but also fuel rail, inlet runners, valves and combustion chambers.

---

agreed, we do the same treatment at work...... but $159 u gotta be kidding :confused:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tknova

I think it's a stupid upsale to try and change the pads on a 40,000km service

I had my old 05 honda for a 40,000km service and honda told me that i only had 2 or 3k left in the rear pads

I told them not to do it as i would change them myself

I went to change the rear pads and supprise supprise, They had atleast 10k or 15k left!

I've spoken to some other honda owners and they told me that on there 40,000km service Honda have always tried to do the same thing and say your pads are on the way.

---

in many cases euro pads are on the way out. usually they will only report them if they are likely to need replacement prior to their next service.
they are also moreso on the cautious side of things coz if someones pads run out they'll be like "why didn't u tell me?"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rice_4_life

lol, well amazingly I've seen a jazz hit metal at only 19,xxxkm owner must have been riding the brakes hard. I tend to bend the wear indicator a bit back to give more mileage out of them, cos if you've ever seen one the indicator are pretty far in, only for my car god knows how many idiots think the unusual squealing was "normal"

---

have seen a nutter kill their pads in 12k on a jazz -__-
.
.
.
.
.
.
when you take your car in for service ask for a service cost estimation and ask them to call you prior to carrying out any work. that was if they carry out any unauthorised work it's on them and you have a right to refuse to pay for it imo. most quotes are ranged (ie not exact figure) to allow for things such at wiper blade replacement if required, puncture repairs etc etc

I prefer to wait and see my car get serviced.... take a day off to do so...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by panda[cRx]

agreed, we do the same treatment at work...... but $159 u gotta be kidding :confused:

---

Fraid not, we do have a special sometimes for $129 though! ;)

Anyway, just a quick update to the headlights.

I waited at least 2 weeks and the moisture in the headlight still hasn't disappeared. Car is always parked in garage so there is plenty of time for the moisture to dry up. So I rang up the dealers and they said they will order two brand new headlights for us as a "gesture of good will". At no cost! Parts and labour! Last week, the parts arrived and we were booked in today to get the headlights replaced. Came back with two spanking new headlights and of course, no more moisture :) .

So overall I'm very happy with their service. Original headlights were a bit scratched over the past three years, so the new headlights were just what I wanted. Brand new 'eyes' and they really do sparkle :D.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slugoid

Anyway, just a quick update to the headlights.

I waited at least 2 weeks and the moisture in the headlight still hasn't disappeared. Car is always parked in garage so there is plenty of time for the moisture to dry up. So I rang up the dealers and they said they will order two brand new headlights for us as a "gesture of good will". At no cost! Parts and labour! Last week, the parts arrived and we were booked in today to get the headlights replaced. Came back with two spanking new headlights and of course, no more moisture :) .

So overall I'm very happy with their service. Original headlights were a bit scratched over the past three years, so the new headlights were just what I wanted. Brand new 'eyes' and they really do sparkle :D.

---

They usually give you a survey form after servicing/warranty repair, so remember to give them shining praise on the headlight replacement, so that they will be more ready to do so in the future for other owners

That's fair enough, they should let me know if my pads may not make it to the next service as. But i was told by the dealer that they were gone and needed replacing pretty much asap as they only had 2,000km left when they had 10,000 or 15,000 left.

bump up.
anybody had their 40k recently?

I should be hitting it in another month or so, so time to look around.
I'm looking at doing it by the book minus air filter, motor oil and washer top up
What should I be paying before I start asking for quotes?

in 5-6 month's time

Had my 40k done 6 months ago at Garry and Warren Smith Honda in Oakleigh (Melbourne) and paid $450 plus rear brake pads. Don't know if they were dodging me on that one but the car does mostly suburban and city travel so I figured it was about right.

Recently I noticed some squeaking come from the rear brakes so today I took the car to CRS Automotive a specialist Honda workshop (enough of the dealers for me now) for the 50k service and as I found out a matter of hours ago, the dealership had not reassembled the piston on the rear caliper correctly at the 40k service.... I know I didn't pay that much money for shoddy work

Anyway I think I'll be taking the car to CRS for future services. Seems like they have done a good job, reasonable pricing and Carl, the bloke who runs the joint really knows his Hondas

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MSKYO

Had my 40k done 6 months ago at Garry and Warren Smith Honda in Oakleigh (Melbourne) and paid $450 plus rear brake pads. Don't know if they were dodging me on that one but the car does mostly suburban and city travel so I figured it was about right.

Recently I noticed some squeaking come from the rear brakes so today I took the car to CRS Automotive a specialist Honda workshop (enough of the dealers for me now) for the 50k service and as I found out a matter of hours ago, the dealership had not reassembled the piston on the rear caliper correctly at the 40k service.... I know I didn't pay that much money for shoddy work

Anyway I think I'll be taking the car to CRS for future services. Seems like they have done a good job, reasonable pricing and Carl, the bloke who runs the joint really knows his Hondas

---

I too have been using GWS to service both my cars. This sort of story really scares me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by power_of_dreams

bump up.
anybody had their 40k recently?

I should be hitting it in another month or so, so time to look around.
I'm looking at doing it by the book minus air filter, motor oil and washer top up
What should I be paying before I start asking for quotes?

---

I had my 40k service done in June 08.paid $228.80.This didn't inc.air filter(i have K&N)or oil(i supply my own).Included.Inspected valve clearances(didn't adjust)and bled brakes and replaced brake fluid and all the other things that are part of the 40K service.

I'm amazed by the fluctuations in price. It seems the majority of people are paying 400+ for their 40k.

Thanks tony1234, hopefully I can get something around that mark.

gee now i am scared about my crv,

I had mine done at Robert Lane mid November '08 for $332.30 not including airfilter.
I shopped around a bit and was getting quoted up to $500. For memory GWS was one of the more expensive.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kodak

I had mine done at Robert Lane mid November '08 for $332.30 not including airfilter.
I shopped around a bit and was getting quoted up to $500. For memory GWS was one of the more expensive.

---

My 40k service price seems really cheap.:confused:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tony1234

My 40k service price seems really cheap.:confused:

---

Yeah, look like you got a really good price. Where did you have it done?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kodak

Yeah, look like you got a really good price. Where did you have it done?

---

Collins Honda Rockdale (Sydney).Got it done June last year.

anybody else got some prices I can compare against?

so far been quoted $360 all the way up to $480, all being done by the book, nothing extra, nothing less between dealerships

What is the reason behind there being such a big range of prices?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tony1234

Collins Honda Rockdale (Sydney).Got it done June last year.

---

I asked them, it is now $465.00 without air filter at Collins :zip:.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by power_of_dreams

I asked them, it is now $465.00 without air filter at Collins :zip:.

---

I have no idea why there's such a price difference.As i said before i had my 40K service done there June last year.:confused:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tony1234

I have no idea why there's such a price difference.As i said before i had my 40K service done there June last year.:confused:

---

Crazy isn't it. With the filter it was another $70 :zip:

Just about to book mine - in Sydney. Price for book service, including consumables, so far - Hornsby $564, Blacktown $475.... I do expect $400+ at a dealer as they do the valve clearances. Anyone in Sydney done better recently?

doubt they will match interstate, but I have found $365 minus air filter here in victoria

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by power_of_dreams

doubt they will match interstate, but I have found $365 minus air filter here in victoria

---

That's a great price! Whereabouts did you get that quote? I think I might be going there (if people have good things to say about the dealer).

I think you'll find that on the 40K service they'll check the valve clearances and if they're within spec they obviously wont do them.The price that they quote includes the check AND adjustment.With mine they said it was within spec and therefore didn't do them hence my cheaper price.In other words they quote you the higher price and if the clearance doesn't need to be done you then get billed a cheaper price.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tony1234

I think you'll find that on the 40K service they'll check the valve clearances and if they're within spec they obviously wont do them.The price that they quote includes the check AND adjustment.With mine they said it was within spec and therefore didn't do them hence my cheaper price.In other words they quote you the higher price and if the clearance doesn't need to be done you then get billed a cheaper price.

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hahah, how many customers would know/be able to check themselves whether their valve clearance had been checked and or adjusted though?


euromandeluxe - PM sent

my service is not too far to go, I will pay attention about the cost of my EURO service.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by power_of_dreams

hahah, how many customers would know/be able to check themselves whether their valve clearance had been checked and or adjusted though?


euromandeluxe - PM sent

---

True.You're relying on the honesty of your dealer.at least i know my dealer is honest.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tony1234

True.You're relying on the honesty of your dealer.at least i know my dealer is honest.

---

I'll seek clarification and report back, thanks for the info though :thumbsup:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by power_of_dreams

I'll seek clarification and report back, thanks for the info though :thumbsup:

---

If you ask lots of questions and take an interest i think you are more likely to be taken seriously by the service dept.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tony1234

If you ask lots of questions and take an interest i think you are more likely to be taken seriously by the service dept.

---

thats my theory as well. If you sound like you are the kind of person who knows how to check valve clearance yourself, they are of course less likely to dog you on it.

tony1234, I heard back from them today. I'd doesn't matter whether the valve clearance has to be adjusted or not since "most of the time taken is in the inspection", so the price is fixed.

Admittedly, the quote I got includes oil whereas what you paid did not, I'm amazed the price of the service is almost double ($228 vs $465) at collins rockdale within the space of 10 months.

Global financial crisis?