V70: General 2 year service costs

[jrrose]

Hi guys just got a quote for my 08 2nd service at Doves Blackburn for £475 inc VAT. This seems a lot for a car that has only done 20k miles on a D5 (185). Although being fair they are looking to discount this by 10% to bring it down to £430. Is this due to volvo now having a service interval of 18000 miles (36k or 2 years) which brings a three year service to 2 years based on my old V70 having a 12000 (24k or 2 years) service? Another Volvo rip off or what as all this car should need is basically an oil change?

[capt jack]

Depends what is actually done. If it's just an oil change and a check that everything works then £430 sounds crazy.

Over the past 5 years / 150,000 miles my V70 has cost a total of £4730 for all servicing, including tyres, brakes and all repairs- that's 3p per mile. Bear in mind that for the most part I do all my own servicing.

If you've 20k up in 2 years, that's 10k per year, so if you had the car serviced at 10k miles, you pence per mile service costs alone are 4.3p per mile. Add to this the costs of non-service attention - tyres, brakes and any out of warranty repairs, then that service bill is looking expensive.

However, if you choose to take your car to a main dealer - and that makes a lot of sense, especially when the car is new, complex and valuable, then unfortunately there is a premium to pay.

I'd suggest you have a bit of a shop around - go for garages who are members of the Good Garage Scheme - and get some prices.

Bear in mind however, that realistically, only a Volvo dealer will have all the latest service schedules, software upgrades, technical bulletins etc.

Hope that helps

Cheers

Jack

[philharris]

Originally Posted by jrrose

Hi guys just got a quote for my 08 2nd service at Doves Blackburn for £475 inc VAT. This seems a lot for a car that has only done 20k miles on a D5 (185). Although being fair they are looking to discount this by 10% to bring it down to £430. Is this due to volvo now having a service interval of 18000 miles (36k or 2 years) which brings a three year service to 2 years based on my old V70 having a 12000 (24k or 2 years) service? Another Volvo rip off or what as all this car should need is basically an oil change?

thats outrageous theres about a hours work there tops, i only wish i was on main dealer hourly rates

[Rascal]

I agree with the other replies - it sounds as though you are being ripped off.
I have just had my 08 plated V70 Geartronic serviced at my Volvo dealers for £350

May I offer a word of caution though.
There was a recall on my V70 to replace the auxillary belt pulley, which is only being carried out when you take your car in for service at a Volvo dealership.
If you are tempted to use a non Volvo service facility, this very important upgrade will almost certainly be missed and could cost you dearly if the pulley fails.

[Bernard333]

Thats a rip off because I think it mainly covers an oil change . I had my V70 D5 serviced twice by a main dealer when it was new and I couldnt stomach the £360 they charged each time but I paid just because I felt uneasy about the warranty situation knowing they would probably blame incorrect servicing if something went wrong . Its now done 141k and have just serviced it at a cost of £22 for oil change /oil filter / air filter , I believe I have saved approx £3200 by doing my own servicing and thats more than the car is worth and with a full main dealer service history it wouldnt make much difference to its value at this mileage .

[MartinK]

My 1 year annual service was £200 (should have been £245 but I took my own oil in).

They asked me (option) if I wanted to change the pollen filter - I said no because I hadn't done many miles, and Scotland is hardly a dusty environment.

I guess after 2 years they may also want to change other fluids (such as brake fluid) and filters (pollen filter) - you could ask them to break-down these costs and see what they include, then delete them as required...thus presumably reducing the bill?

You could also save £ by buying oil (cash and carry or web) cheaper and taking that with you...

[jrrose]

Thanks guys for your comments. I suppose the dilemma is of course getting the logbook stamped by the dealer with the car only being 2 years old and still under warranty. I have had it in 3 times for recalls including the belt rod tensioner so I think they have all been done. I do have a local Volvo specialist where I took my old V70 2002 after the 3 year warranty period ended who is excellent but am cautious with all the unannounced recalls on this car that I may miss one and end up in trouble. I suppose I could have a go at the dealer and see if they are prepared to reduce the amount but I thought their prices were fairly set by Volvo. My next nearest dealer is in Preston but part of the same group, Doves, but may be worth a try. I suppose that in the long run this will be the last service that I need before the warranty runs out so I am buying piece of mind more than anything, and then go back to my trusted specialist next year.
Thanks again

[Sanzomat]

Why not give MRG in Chippenham a ring for a comparison quote - see the sticky under the main forum for details on their discount. You can then wave their price under the nose of your local dealer to see if they'll match it, alternatively if MRG are significantly cheaper why not have a day out in the SW?

[pdrvolvo]

i had a v70 that was less than 2 years old that went in for its second service under the warranty.the dealer said the brake fluid should be changed plus the pollon filter and the oil at £12 per litre.in the end a service that is quoted at around £230 ended up at nearly £550.for a start there is no need to change brake fluid unless moisture has got in the system.pollon fliters are a rip off and chargeing for oil by the litre is also a rip off.an oil and filters change plus a brake inspection is all thats needed.servicing cars is NOT rocket science.


peter.

[IC]

Originally Posted by pdrvolvo

i had a v70 that was less than 2 years old that went in for its second service under the warranty.the dealer said the brake fluid should be changed plus the pollon filter and the oil at £12 per litre.in the end a service that is quoted at around £230 ended up at nearly £550.for a start there is no need to change brake fluid unless moisture has got in the system.pollon fliters are a rip off and chargeing for oil by the litre is also a rip off.an oil and filters change plus a brake inspection is all thats needed.servicing cars is NOT rocket science.


peter.

It is advisable to change standard brake fluid every two years as it is hygroscopic, so absorbs moisture becoming less effective. My Volvo dealership always gives me the option of using oil that I supply. You can source parts like pollen filters from Rufe at very competitive prices: http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=57125