Next time your car needs a service don’t automatically assume that your trusted independent garage or local “fast-fit” outlet is the cheapest option. Often the main dealer offers better value it has been claimed.
Each year millions of motorists – particularly those whose cars are more than three years old and out of warranty – shun their local main dealers, assuming they will pay a lot less by getting the work done elsewhere.
However, a study of quotes provided by more than 5,000 garages suggests that for certain jobs, particularly routine servicing, your main dealer may be just as competitive as the small local garage or fast-fit operation.
Who Can Fix My Car, which puts people needing work done in touch with garages touting for business, has crunched the numbers and come up with some surprising findings.
Overall, it found that franchised dealers’ quotes are 18% higher than those provided by independent garages. However, it says that tells only half the story. Faced with falling demand in recent years, main dealers have fought back with fixed-price “value servicing” schemes and up-front menu pricing for common repair types, and costs have come down as a result, it says.
It notes that when motorists factor in things such as free MOTs and free annual breakdown cover offered by many manufacturers, including Nissan, to those using their main dealers, the dealers can end up being the best value.
The study found that in spite of quoted hourly rates to make your eyes water, quotes for servicing and MOT work are remarkably similar at dealers and independent garages – the typical difference is just 6%. Drivers who have a service and MOT are paying around £178 at a “fast-fit” outlet, £168 at an independent and £174 at the main dealer.
Electrical work is also fairly competitive at the main dealer – perhaps because the manufacturer-trained technicians’ familiarity with the brand allows them to get to the root of the issue faster than a generalist could. Typical costs were £230 at a “fast-fit” but £103 and £121 respectively at an independent and a main dealer.
However, the website warns car owners who need brakes and exhaust work carried out to shun the dealership, as it will be invariably be more expensive (£221) compared to the typical £156 charged at a local independent or “fast-fit”.
The same is true if your car needs its timing/cam belt changing or the clutch replacing. A vital cam belt change was quoted on average at £372 by main dealers compared to £227 by a “fast-fit”.
The website says the fact that independent and “fast-fit” garages can source the parts much more cheaply with non-manufacturer ones is partly responsible for the price disparity.
Meanwhile, air conditioning work was quoted at £164 by the independents but around £64 by both a “fast-fit” and the main dealers.
Who Can Fix My Car – which charges garages £60 to be registered and a success fee for each job won (roughly £10 depending on the work) – downplays the accusation that it hears only from dealers who are prepared to do deals on servicing, and is ignored by those that won’t budge on price.
To counter this, the site lists many big-name dealers on its books, including all BMW within the M25; Sytner Mercedes; Vindis Group dealers including Audi, VW and Skoda, and Perrys Group.
“It’s a common assumption that a main dealership, with its comfy facilities, manufacturer-original parts and high overheads, must be more expensive than the independent or high-street alternatives, but too many drivers are dismissing the option of using their dealership without even checking their prices,” says a spokesman for the website. He adds: “Dealerships have fought back, while retaining many of their traditional added benefits. A driver of an older Mercedes, for example, will still get 12 months’ roadside assistance with its ‘Value Service’.”
However, he warns that when it comes to more complex “off-the-menu” work, where labour hours can stack up, the dealers can be very expensive in comparison with rivals.
Another thing to factor in is that cars that have been serviced by the dealer all their lives are more likely to generate “goodwill payments” (where the manufacturer contributes to the repair) if the vehicle breaks down outside the original warranty – though this is by no means guaranteed. In Guardian Money’s experience, Toyota is very good in this respect; Ford and VW less so.
Meanwhile, new car buyers are being duped by official fuel consumption figures claimed by the manufacturers, according to What Car? magazine.
During the last two years, it has tested almost 400 cars in real-world conditions using the latest equipment, achieving economy figures that are an average 19% lower than those claimed.
The Volvo V40 2.0 T5 R-Design only delivered 68% of its claimed 47.9mpg, achieving 32.5mpg, says the magazine. The brochure for the Audi A3 Cabriolet 2.0 TDI claims drivers can expect 67.3mpg, but the What Car? drivers got just 46.3mpg. The VW Golf SV 2.0 TDI had the best figures, managing 83% of its claimed 58.9mpg in tests.
