Service costs

[Nikita]

Could anyone advise me on what the approximate cost of a first service on a C30 should be. Thanks.

[tingy]

i have found on my car that it VERY much depends on the dealer you use

[John_C]

Moved to the C30 part of the forum, you're more likely to get an answer here.

[iainmd]

The first service on my S40 was £340! Considering all it needed was a spot of coolant I was appalled. It has never been service by a Volvo dealer since.

[RossT]

Been quoted £250 for first service on my V50 D5. Seems a lot for not much more than an oil change

[Clan]

Assuming a 2.0 D worst case scenario :

The volvo time is 1.5 hours say £150 at £100 an hour .

Oil 5.5 litres at say £13 a litre £71

Oil filter , pollen filter and sump plug washer and wash fluid say £30

Thats £ 251 + £37,65 VAT = £288.65

coolant if needed would be no more than £5

So ask them for a breakdown of the costs , where did the extra £60 go?



How you can save :

1, Ask around for their hourly labour rate or negotiate a lower one or a discount, there
are still places charging £85 an hour ...
2 , Supply your own oil , Volvo do use the very best you can get so its not ripping you
off, the best costs.. even in Halfords ! .. but supply your own oil as long as it is the
correct 5w/30
A4/B5 specification it will be allowable ...
3 , Do you need your pollen filter changing yearly? if you live in the country you may ..
with more dust around and if you live in the city with lots if diesel fumes around you
may ... but in between one every 2 years may be enough .. that should take £50
off the bill . Its no safety problem or health issue.. if it blocks up change it ...

REMEMBER :
A service is a lot more than just an oil change . You must be supplied with a vehicle /engine/model year specific signed Volvo check-list of every item carried out or checked and a signed Road Test check list too . Volvo also insist on their branded signed health check sheet being handed to you . Is this happening out there ?

[Clan]

Originally Posted by RossT

Been quoted £250 for first service on my V50 D5. Seems a lot for not much more than an oil change

Thats not bad at all ... how much would you consider reasonable , a figure please .. ?

see above

[Harvey1512]

What is a reasonable figure? My previous cars were a Citroen Picasso, service cost £110, and a Seat Toledo, service cost £120. Both had similar diesel engines to my S40. I am not quite sure why the Volvo is more than double those. I am new to Volvo and must admit, maybe stupidly, that I did not check out service costs before I chose Volvo. I should only have to get 2 services before I hand mine back and if they are those prices then this may be the last Volvo I have.

I would be intrigued to know the justification behind these extremely high prices. I presume there are reasons, it may make paying the bill less painful.

[Clan]

I suppose we need to know the current costs for say a first 12000 mile service for a few varied makes to compare ,
VW golf , mercedes A class , BMW Mini and X5 , Citroen C4 Picasso and C6 , Honda Civic , Audi A4 . Ford Mondeo
work out the average and go from there ...

There is the issue of spares costs too , you may consider on average volvo parts prices expensive , but citroen are more costly and other makes like ford etc are about the same . Oil costs are pretty standard now

Running a car for say three years costs a great deal ,of which the service is a small percentage . Volvo do 3 years free servicing on certain deals ...

[GavinC]

It all depends on whether you are happy to be ripped off by service charges or not.

I notice from a prior post that Volvo allow 90 minutes for the job including to change the pollen filter and top up coolant. I can change oil and oil filter within 1 hour - easily. I am not practised at it as - unlike a garage - it is not my daily occupation. Also, I have to run the car up on to DIY servicing ramps. Then I take the oil to the local tip as part of a trip with other 'stuff' for responsible disposal in their used oil tank... so disposal is not counted in my 1 hour.

In the USA there are 'shops' who'll change the oil and oil filter in minutes. While you wait!

Last year I did not have time for DIY - p'raps I was just being lazy - so I supplied oil and filter to an independent garage I use for other work. I use fully synthetic oil - and so, distrustful I know, I decanted that from its branded container into an unmarked bottle. I did want to be as sure as possible that my preferred oil would not find its way into someone else's engine! That Indie charged just GBP40+VAT - lubed door, boot and bonnet hinges etc. without being asked, too!

In conclusion, it pays to shop around! And when you consider the profile of their typical customers main dealers, generally, do not have the most price sensitive customers.