Main Dealer Service Cost

[iain cooper]

Originally Posted by dhr90

Sounds about right for main dealer servicing price. I had that job on my D5 V60 priced up at a touch over £900 recently. Like you my car is 6 years old and 52,000 miles. This was priced up at £390 for the aux belt service.

If you join the Volvo owners club you may get 10% off the price, check with the dealer. With this discount mine is at £350 or thereabouts now

Don’t forget with main dealer servicing you also get a year of breakdown cover too. Makes the price a bit better if you take that into account

Did you not think that 6 years and 52K miles was a bit early ?

Iain

[dhr90]

Originally Posted by iain cooper

Did you not think that 6 years and 52K miles was a bit early ?

Iain

Yep. But the sixth service in the book is for the cam belt also. Swings and roundabouts. Didn’t want to risk it not knowing previous history and whether not doing it at that stamp may reduce potential for goodwill from Volvo down the line.

[dcw]

For a few years now I have been running 3 year service plans with my Volvo dealer (Ray Chapman, York - in my many years' experience of them, excellent!). Freezes the price for the 3 years, smallish monthly payments, and can be carried over when you change the car.

I like the peace of mind that comes from a genuine Volvo service, you get the breakdown cover with the service, and hopefully the phrase "FVSH" has a little value to it at trade-in/sale time.

In terms of the cam-belt change service, my V60 D5 will be having this in June - that and the auxiliary belt, all built into the cost of the service plan. At that point its mileage will be approaching only 60,000, which I agree on experience seems far too early to be changing a cambelt...

What I think has happened is that services used to be 10,000 miles or yearly, then many became 12,000 or 12,500 or yearly, and now (certainly for my V60) they are 18,000 miles or yearly. It's getting rarer to need the next service on mileage, and more common to need it on time (ie annually) but this has completely thrown out the correlation between time and mileage.

So where 108,000 miles used to equate to a 9 or 10 year service, and you'd expect a cambelt change, now 108,000 miles only equates to 6 years.

I am sure it's just a money spinner - some manufacturers have extended the time periods commensurate with the increased mileage intervals, but Volvo haven't. The effect is that, if you want to stick strictly to the Volvo service schedule, you start hitting these expensive services far earlier than you used to.

I am just going with it - I want to maintain that full history and the peace of mind - and potential for at least some comeback in terms of any argument with Volvo if something goes pear-shaped when it shouldn't!

Best

David

[krzemien]

Originally Posted by dhr90

Yep. But the sixth service in the book is for the cam belt also.

Only if you cover 108,000 miles in this period (assuming 18k interval).

[dcw]

Originally Posted by krzemien

Only if you cover 108,000 miles in this period (assuming 18k interval).

No: service intervals are either/or - that's the whole point. Every 18,000 miles OR yearly, whichever comes sooner.

It is specifically because of this failure to increase the time intervals in line with the increase in mileage intervals that the discrepancy arises - and you end up having a new cambelt at 6 years whatever your REAL mileage, based on the theory that an average year equates to 18,000 miles - which is reality for only a few of us.

David

[Clan]

Originally Posted by dcw

No: service intervals are either/or - that's the whole point. Every 18,000 miles OR yearly, whichever comes sooner.

It is specifically because of this failure to increase the time intervals in line with the increase in mileage intervals that the discrepancy arises - and you end up having a new cambelt at 6 years whatever your REAL mileage, based on the theory that an average year equates to 18,000 miles - which is reality for only a few of us.

David

For the last 3 years volvo services are individually tailored to your specific needs by the service advisor , the old service sheets have gone , you get a print out of the service YOUR car had .

[ShamusUK]

Originally Posted by Clan

For the last 3 years volvo services are individually tailored to your specific needs by the service advisor , the old service sheets have gone , you get a print out of the service YOUR car had .

Is that just for SPA cars?

I've just had a 3 year 54000 mile service done yesterday at Clive Brook in Bradford (my car is 3 years old with 29000 miles).

My previous 3-Series had CBS (Condition Based Servicing). Could be 2 years before it saw a service. Maybe the SPA cars are the same?

I would rather the main dealer saw my car every year, for a service and the bodywork warranty check, software updates etc. That helps with resale value and with any warranty/goodwill claims.

Yes, you probably pay £50 more (for small service) or £150 more (for a major service) than specialist indy prices.

With all the potential EGR problems on the VEA cars, it might be prudent to stick to the main dealers for as long as you can afford/justify.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by ShamusUK

Is that just for SPA cars?

I've just had a 3 year 54000 mile service done yesterday at Clive Brook in Bradford (my car is 3 years old with 29000 miles).

My previous 3-Series had CBS (Condition Based Servicing). Could be 2 years before it saw a service. Maybe the SPA cars are the same?

I would rather the main dealer saw my car every year, for a service and the bodywork warranty check, software updates etc. That helps with resale value and with any warranty/goodwill claims.

Yes, you probably pay £50 more (for small service) or £150 more (for a major service) than specialist indy prices.

With all the potential EGR problems on the VEA cars, it might be prudent to stick to the main dealers for as long as you can afford/justify.

No , that has been for all volvos , The car has to come in at least once a year for the oil change of course and basic checks, and the software is Most Important on the SPA cars of course , there are still some out there who have not returned to the dealer for a whole year ..

I think you are right about the independents , they are bringing up their prices slowly to get as near the dealer's as possible .. I guess everyone is getting short of money these days .

[krzemien]

Originally Posted by Clan

For the last 3 years volvo services are individually tailored to your specific needs by the service advisor , the old service sheets have gone , you get a print out of the service YOUR car had .

And yet the disgraceful VOLVO dealer I am forced to us use (London based - there is NO other choice) claims they have no clue when it comes to the history of the services performed in my car to date and they just blindly stick - to their advantage, obviously - to these silly generic intervals obtained via VIDA only. And I am forced to have annoying discussion with so-called clueless service advisors about the scope of services performed every year, where must-haves are badly carried out and unnecessary extras suggested all times.

I still have the old service sheet applicable to my car and intend to stick to it: My car will be 10 years old this Aug and I will get my cam belt changed only then (I'm still below 108,000 miles).

[krzemien]

Originally Posted by dcw

(...)you end up having a new cambelt at 6 years whatever your REAL mileage

6 years? Really?

I long for times when cam belt was deemed as being fitted for life. I really must be getting old - or my car does.