[hserus]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

To be really frank, very few dealerships have good workforce to do even a simple wash. Getting the interior cleaning is still somewhat ok, polishing definitely not a good idea to get it done at the dealership as the car will end up having more damage than actually not getting it done. Close observation of your car which is polished each time during a service will reveal why.

I agree with Krishna. I would very much rather not let dealership mechanics trained in oil change etc try their hand at detailing or interior cleaning. As for the additives they push - 99.99% of those are snake oil that might cause some damage to your engine rather than do anything good.

One thing that hasn't been raised here is the practice of dealerships setting a 20k interval (every 2 services) for AC filter (cabin air filter) replacement, just clean it with compressed air during intermediate services. That is a surefire way for you to go back to them needing extensive work done on the AC - strip the dashboard, replace the compressor and/or cooling coil etc - within a very few years. And in the meantime, charge for "AC disinfection" during each service by spraying some soap solution / foam into the AC vents. "Saar AC is giving dust smell saar. Disinfect and clean saar".

Note - these are the actual service intervals set by the car manufacturer for "normal" service .. though typical driving conditions in Indian cities qualifies as "severe" with half clutch traffic and short distance commutes.

To be charitable we can assume that those intervals were set for typically dust and pollution free environments like the typical US / European city. To be uncharitable, we can equally well assume that they want their dealers not to go bankrupt, so set the service intervals and work done so that the dealers will periodically get expensive jobs like AC compressor replacement, injector / EGR failures etc. Flip a coin to decide whether "sab mile hue hain jee" or this is genuinely a widespread oversight by the manufacturers.

[Miyata]

Such inflation does happen on my camry and liva too. I usually let the service centre people know that I'm aware of their inflation practices and also add that I empathize with their need to occasionally do so.

It does seem to keep them better motivated towards working better.

I do however hold them to a higher standard than I do with the apartment-complex-waala car cleaner. If anything is not to my liking, if there is any dust speck or marks after paying for their 'extra' sanitization and cleaning, I get them to work on it again till I'm happy enough!

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by Samba

I got the front wheel bearing of my Etios petrol changed from Saini Toyota, Howrah on 1st April 2019.

The part number of your Liva and my petrol Etios are different. Am guessing yours is a diesel, hence the part no is different and costlier.

For me-

Labour charge with tax- Rs 1000
Parts price with tax- Rs 3698
Part No- A-43350-0 D022

For you -

Labour charge with tax- Rs 1019
Parts price with tax- Rs 6099
Part No- A-43350-0 D012

Wheel bearing costs that much? if I recollect well, it cost me Rs. 800/- on my Swift. Thought Toyota was cheaper on parts & service !

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by audioholic

I would put it bluntly, there is no need to justify why a dealer should overcharge you, when the parent company has set up a framework for what should be charged for what job and what should be done for that cost.

Thank you for the extremely patient and clear post. I sometimes scratch my head when I read posts justifying dealer scams. What makes it worse is when it's done by a senior team bhp member.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Wheel bearing costs that much? if I recollect well, it cost me Rs. 800/- on my Swift. Thought Toyota was cheaper on parts & service !

That's because the hub and bearing assembly comes together as a set. You cant get only the wheel bearing for the Etios twins.

A pic for reference-

[mukeshgoel]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Wheel bearing costs that much? if I recollect well, it cost me Rs. 800/- on my Swift.

Originally Posted by Samba

That's because the hub and bearing assembly comes together as a set. You cant get only the wheel bearing for the Etios twins.

It is same for Grand i10 also. Rear wheel bearing is complete assembly of hub and bearing and the MRP is Rs.3645. This is for ABS model, without ABS sensor, it is slightly cheaper.

Front bearing can be changed without hub and the MRP is Rs.999.

[LEOMAN]

Guys,
according to my view get your car serviced in a.s.s as long as it is in warranty to maintain the service history and get warranty claims processed easily . Try to change consumables and filters as specified by the manufacturer only . Try to be present at the time of service so no additional billing or any pranks by the dealer entertained .

Once after the warranty period is over go to the best available FNG , you will be equally or more satisfied . For wheel alignment and balancing I never do at a.s.s , I get it done from the best tyre shop and with best equipment's available . My BMW 530d visits the service centre only for oil change , filters and insurance jobs only , for all other work i spare one day of my work and hectic schedule . Brake pads , discs can be sourced and be done at a much subsidised cost outside . Same procedure goes with my other cars also . Interior can be done at 3m, Kamyo etc whomsoever you are satisfied .
My views only ..

[Tassem]

I have two simple but effective ways to combat this.

1 - Whenever possible, stay and get the service done. This sounds difficult but absolutely worth it for years of trouble free ownership. With service intervals stretching to a year or 10k km, most of us should be able to afford this.

2 - Always print out a set of instructions for them to follow / issues to fix along with a copy of the manufacturer's service sheet. I collect info for this over a period of time so that I get everything rectified. If they do anything over and above this, consider it complimentary. I do not pay for polish, wiper fluid, teflon or any of that nonsense. The sheet will contain details of issues you need fixed along with any replacements etc as per service interval.

Never rely on the service advisor writing down things in code on a sheet of paper and expect the service personnel to actually go through this. Just does not happen. It's shocking how many things they will miss. Unintentionally or otherwise.

Also, you'd be shocked at how templatised the bills are. I was twice charged for filter replacement when my vehicle had a lifetime K&N filter. And this happened even though I was at the service centre. They apologised and corrected the bill immediately, but still a lesson. I'm not going to name anyone, because their service is excellent; but these mistakes are human nature.

I have a service coming up next month, will post a copy of the sheet I make for that. Since its a 20k service, it's nothing major, but may come in handy for a few.

[Mr.Boss]

As mentioned by others, it's common across all brands.
Best solution is list down the to-do items in job sheet clearly. I never leave the SA to write generic statements like "Do 50k service", instead ask them to list down all the line items. And mention what not to be done. In my case, the first line item will be "Do not paste any stickers, do not wash the vehicle (I get it done from 3M, fortunately the next building), Do not fill windshield washer liquid (I do it myself), for anything other listed in the job sheet, inform me before doing the job.

Originally Posted by Samba

The part number of your Liva and my petrol Etios are different. Am guessing yours is a diesel, hence the part no is different and costlier.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

I will double-check for the Bearing part number tomorrow.

Part number remains same for Gasoline & Diesel Engine.
Difference is ABS vs Non-ABS

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Wheel bearing costs that much? if I recollect well, it cost me Rs. 800/- on my Swift. Thought Toyota was cheaper on parts & service !

Swift had Gen-1 Hub & bearing combo (Hub & bearing will be 2 independent parts, press fitted together)
Market is shifting towards Gen-3 hub & bearing (integral parts) for various reasons. Etios use Gen-3

[tharian]

I had given my fathers 2005 Swift for it's annual service at Bimal Motors last week. The car has run just 60k kms.
This was the first time I was giving the car to this particular service centre since it was easier for me to commute after leaving the car and the previous A.S.S was not doing much on the car except for oil replacement although I tell them a certain part needs checking.

The estimate given was 7.5k which included silencer cleaning and coating, injector cleaning, dry wash and the annual service.
I specifically mentioned not to use fully synth oil as well as skip wheel alignment and balancing. Asked them to remove the silencer cleaning and coating and injector cleaning as well. Didn't find the need for it on a 60k kms run petrol engine. And recently I had used a STP Fuel system cleaner as well which I feel improved the responsiveness of the engine.

What I noticed with the SA was, it is like they are trained to fool the customer to the maximum and if the car is old, even better. But he immediately struck off the jobs I asked him to remove without any counter talk. The final bill was 11.3k including 2k tax.

Around 1k was stuff which was charged to me like wax used for dry wash, a lubricant for door hinges, the hanging perfume, the paper floor mat, the plastic seat cover when the car is in the workshop, AC disinfectant. All this was not mentioned to me that it would be included and charged to me which at the end leaves a bad taste since I know most of it was a rip-off.
The total labor was 5k which included dry wash, annual service and front suspension bushes and link rod replacement.

I understand for an old car, the costs increase as wear and tear increases. And I would also agree to the charges, if they do a good and complete job for whatever additional stuff they mention. For example the silencer cleaning, when I asked them how would they clean the silencer, he mentioned that it would be blown with air from the inside and a paint coat from header to tailpipe would done. It seemed like they wanted to sell that paint product and charge labor for it rather than genuinely do a preventive maintenance and it still baffles me on how could they blow compressed air from the inside.

And the best part, the air filter wasn't replaced when I checked after couple of days although he mentioned all filters will be replaced as it comes in a kit.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

Part number remains same for Gasoline & Diesel Engine.
Difference is ABS vs Non-ABS

Ah you are correct, thanks for reminding this, it just went off from my head. That's why i was thinking, why the part no is different.

As far as, i can remember the one compatible with ABS was roughly around Rs 1,000 costlier than the non ABS version. My car do not have an ABS, hence it was around Rs 4,700 inclusive of all.

[littlebrother]

Regularly done by most dealers now, however I have seen less of it in Honda.

I ask for an estimate first and tell them firmly no additional or optionals. Strictly follow what's mentioned in the service book /manual of the vehicle for the said Km service. If anything more call and confirm .

A/C disinfectant and engine decarbonising are the ones I have most commonly encountered

[landcruiser123]

It is nothing new. All dealers I know have been doing it for years. The Toyota and Hyundai dealers I've given cars for service love to rip-off customers by pushing some extras. I sometimes used to get AC cleaned. The truth is, people don't know what they exactly need to get done or they don't care enough and let their drivers handle their service.

After I started driving, I got the 5k services for dad's Innova at the FNG as it was generally a mere inspection.

[PrideRed]

Toyota were not known to do this, however since 2 years I have seen this trend across Toyota dealers. Good thing is if they don't force. The advisor patiently explains everything and at the end I say just remove the extra stuff do the regular service. However a lot of owners would not pay attention to this and definitely end up paying more. This is turn is bound impact the brand as Toyota is known for their excellent yet cheap service.

[i74js]

I have experienced multiple car dealers associated with different manufacturers and frankly I am afraid of taking the car to almost everyone for this reason only.

Fleecing customer is in their DNA without any sensitivity that what they are doing can well be qualified as unethical and unprofessional. I don't think that the dealer / promoter pressure alone is responsible for this alone; to some extent the SA's also want to make easy money through incentives.

Some of the experiences that I can list here:

Hyundai - The SA's are ready to bargain on add-on even after firmly saying "No" to them. Checking the car while it is being serviced is not liked

Ford - Though the service cost is less compared to others (I was quite unhappy with Ford charges during Escort days and am now happy with EcoSport); they typically avoid doing things which are not visible specially during the weekends (rush days)

Tata - My last interaction with TML was in 2013 (including Concorde - Their own subsidiary). Improper billing by adding more labour time for specific jobs, which when challenged, were reversed. Rough handling of cars is rampant with them. They do not understand the basics that the cranking should be done once the glow-plug light goes off

Typically, I am never fully satisfied with my service experience and they always want 10 on 10 or atleast 9 on 10 for the work; manufacturers even after receiving complaints resort to just acting as a bridge between customer and dealer and make them speak to each other without intervention which is unproductive and useless.