Ford Dealership Service Too Pricey

[Oscuro]

First time Ive had 2004 Fiesta serviced at Ford dealership.
$465 inc gst for

"A" scheduled yearly service
Replace leaking radiator hose
Degrease engine bay
Replace brake fluid as per every 2 years

$260 for yearly service
$126 replace radiator hose
$60 replace brake fluid


Call me cynical but seems overpriced. Never going back to dealership service.

[outback_ute]

Probably not too bad if it is a major service - you might get a bit cheaper labour rate elsewhere of course. The radiator hose cost seems high but I don't know how fiddly it is to replace on a Fiesta (I'm guessing it would take longer than a Falcon), then the system has to be refilled and bled properly.

[Oscuro]

Originally Posted by outback_ute

Probably not too bad if it is a major service - you might get a bit cheaper labour rate elsewhere of course. The radiator hose cost seems high but I don't know how fiddly it is to replace on a Fiesta (I'm guessing it would take longer than a Falcon), then the system has to be refilled and bled properly.

A tad high given the cost of a new hose is $47 not sure how they justify $126. Its not only overpricing but the shonkey service. My invoice says they "checked fluid levels and topped up as required" yet the power steering resevoir is still at minimum level :

I doubt non dealer servicing is any better given my hose must have been leaking coolant for a while yet previous non dealer services missed the leak because pressure tests are not a standard part of a scheduled service which they probably should be as leaks cant always be picked up visually it seems.

What if I was 99% of people who dont check fluid levels I used to be one of them and never spotted coolant loss until a warning light came on and possibly did some engine damage. Seems the standard of car servicing in Australia is crap whether its dealer or non dealer.

[chinw3e]

depends on which dealership you go to. i got quotes from two s.e melbourne dealers. one said 600, the other said 400. i had been going to the first dealer ever since i bought the car because it was where i purchased it. they never ran me through what had been done, and would do so very vaguely upon request. the second dealer ran me through every step without having me to ask and they replaced things under warranty also without me having to ask. shop around i say or go to a ford dealership that has a longer history.

[GoesLikeAZetec]

Yep I had the same thing... 3 ford dealers, all 3 difference prices for the same service...

I priced some accessories also and had hugely different prices for the very same items.. I dont mean within $10 either. I mean $100's for the bigger accessories ie wheels and $50 on a couple of the smaller stuff like pedals...

[Zetec Dave]

Yeah there's always some sort of discrepency even within the franchises of the same dealer. Apparently I was told that each dealer negotiates with the supplier or manufacturer individually and not as a whole entity and also depends on the order size etc. It happens everywhere and not just at Ford. Best way to do things is to call around to get the best price before buying the more expensive parts such as wheels, body kits, clutches etc...even oil filters differ by about $5 despite the fact they are generally worth around the $20 range and a simple things like the sump plug washer which is practically worthless that usually goes for $1 can range from 50 cents to $2. A good significant example would be a clutch for a Honda integra type-r in which my cousin was quoted $1400 for one whereas I was able to get it for $980 by simply going to another dealer and that's without a trade account at the time.

[south21]

Originally Posted by Zetec Dave

Yeah there's always some sort of discrepency even within the franchises of the same dealer. Apparently I was told that each dealer negotiates with the supplier or manufacturer individually and not as a whole entity and also depends on the order size etc. It happens everywhere and not just at Ford. Best way to do things is to call around to get the best price before buying the more expensive parts such as wheels, body kits, clutches etc...even oil filters differ by about $5 despite the fact they are generally worth around the $20 range and a simple things like the sump plug washer which is practically worthless that usually goes for $1 can range from 50 cents to $2. A good significant example would be a clutch for a Honda integra type-r in which my cousin was quoted $1400 for one whereas I was able to get it for $980 by simply going to another dealer and that's without a trade account at the time.

Re the sump plug washer, I was told by my ford dealer at penrith that you cannot replace the sump plug washer, you have to replace the sump plug he said about every six oil changes, cost is $27.00 also a set of front pads is $176.00 very expensive pads I think.

[Zetec Dave]

Originally Posted by south21

Re the sump plug washer, I was told by my ford dealer at penrith that you cannot replace the sump plug washer, you have to replace the sump plug he said about every six oil changes, cost is $27.00 also a set of front pads is $176.00 very expensive pads I think.

Don't know about the Ford Fiesta but cars generally have a sump plug washer which is replaced with every service and I have never heard of the need to replace the sump plug! That's weird that they said you need to replace the plug. Would be interesting to ask them the reason why.

[robjh80]

Originally Posted by south21

Re the sump plug washer, I was told by my ford dealer at penrith that you cannot replace the sump plug washer, you have to replace the sump plug he said about every six oil changes, cost is $27.00 also a set of front pads is $176.00 very expensive pads I think.

This is true .. the WQ Fiesta sump plug has the washer built into it.
You cannot just change the washer itself.

[outback_ute]

Oscuro - I was basing that on 1/2 to 3/4hr by the time you drain, swap hose, refill & bleed, like I said it seemed high.

You are right there is no magic answer for finding a good mechanic, and even good ones can have off days. Often dealers have a lot of apprentices doing the grunt work with not enough supervision.