Unreasonable dealer charges.

[Spanner Man]

Good morning all.


We did a 4k service on a 650 V-Strom the other day. In the customers service book was his receipt for his 600 mile service from the supplying main dealer.
They charged him for oil & filter, & for the following;

£4.85 for sundries.
£1.12 for a new sump washer.
£2.55 for oil disposal.

All the above prices were plus VAT.

Well what in the way of sundries did they use on a new bike? A top up of coolant perhaps! They certainly didn't check any of ther fasteners on the bike as they were mostly loose. As were all 4 spark plugs.

Genuine sump washer price, & not a genuine washer!

Best of all has got to be the oil disposal. It works out at £1 per litre inc VAT.

On a fairly major service we typically charge £7.50 inc VAT for sundries. This includes a genuine sump washer, brake fluid, brake cleaner, & any greases/copperslip/rubberlube etc.

Getting rid of waste oil is usually free, or it's a token charge that works out at a few pence per litre.

Do those of you who use main dealers usually pay these charges? & am I missing a trick here.


Cheers.

[Tom_the_great]

so far i havent had to visit the stealers for a bike service but with the cars its always the same massive overpriced for less then satisfactory work... hence why most people find a good honest garage an stick with them. id say keep your honest a fair price and you will get more customers.

not sure how i will go about mine yet as to keep the warranty i need to go to main dealer ... but is it worth it only time will tell...

just my 2p

That's why the V Strom is now with you and NOT the main dealer mate.

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by Spanner Man

Do those of you who use main dealers usually pay these charges? & am I missing a trick here.


Cheers.

No because I imagine most of your customers are with you as they are sick of dealers ripping the pish.

yup all garages ive been to (appart from the small ones) charge things liek that. they even charge for the grease on the door hinges! last time it was about 6 quid i think. Didnt go back there tho!

[yorkie_chris]

[usual bleat] Oh but the main dealers have such massive overheads to cover, they've got staff to pay... and all them halogen lights pointing at this years new GSZSRR1450RRRR don't pay their own 'leccy bill you know.



Although a few quid on for sundries isn't the end of the world, quite understandable when something's been difficult and you've used half a tin of penetrating oil, quarter a tin of brake cleaner etc etc. £1.12 for a washer is a p*ss take, sure I can buy those copper washers for about 9p...

[andrewsmith]

1.12 i can believe that charge for a sump washer! I paid 1.25 for one about a month ago.

I'm tight next time and getting a box of them from a motorfactors

i paid 4.99 for a sump washer once!! yes yes i know i didnt realise at the time and just handed over my credit card

[andrewsmith]

Originally Posted by AndyBrad

i paid 4.99 for a sump washer once!! yes yes i know i didnt realise at the time and just handed over my credit card

What was it for? A challenger tank?

[rictus01]

Oh I'll grant you something like the sump washer does make it sound expensive, but we are talking about a dealer here, and yes they do have overheads; if I buy a bike privately I expect a certain risk and the price to reflect that, not so if bought through a dealer, if I add up all the time my Triumph dealer has spent doing estimates for insurance and parts and generally helping me out for no charge then I can see where the supposed "extra" money goes, I'm not saying I agree or not, but it's understandable, add to that the greater hobby interest and the value some put on FDSH, you pay your money and make your choice, be it home servicing, independent or dealer, I'd expect the price range to rise accordingly.

Dealers do far more than just servicing, generally people are willing to pay for the peace of mind afforded if they have a "sunny sunday toy" requiring only a yearly service.

Cheers Mark.