What do you guys do for your MOT & service?

[Kieran67]

Hi all,

I currently get my service and MOT done at ford annually, but I was wondering if you guys do anything different? Just wondering if im over paying by getting it done at ford? 

[unofix]

1 minute ago, Kieran67 said:

MOT done at ford annually, but I was wondering if you guys do anything different?

Well I tried to get mine done every 5 years but the department of transport said no 🤣

[alexp999]

The free breakdown makes it worth it imo. 

[TomsFocus]

I've never paid any garage for a service.  Tried to get both my Focus & Golf serviced at main dealerships last year but they both made it so difficult that I didn't bother in the end!

MOT gets done by a local chain for £35-£40.

[rd457]

3 hours ago, Kieran67 said:

Hi all,

I currently get my service and MOT done at ford annually, but I was wondering if you guys do anything different? Just wondering if im over paying by getting it done at ford? 

Going to the main dealer is generally much more expensive than going to an independent garage. Going to Ford you get their log book stamp, which can have an impact on any Ford warranty claim, and may affect resale value slightly. Once your warranty's over, just jump ship to independents.

Something you should consider is what exactly you're actually paying for on the service side and whether or not it's worth it. Perhaps a cheaper form of service might prove good enough, or you could explore pricing at independents for doing specific things, or you could consider whether you could even just do some easy things yourself.

Take a look at -> this page <- from National Tyre and Autocare (now owned by Halfords) which gives a detailed breakdown of what exactly they do for each of their three service levels. Services at other places will be similar or same. Let's break it down by section:

• What we'll replace: This just summarises all items from other sections that will actually be replaced, as opposed to checks. The prices quoted are ridiculous. You can get an (engine) air filter for more like £20, an excellent cabin (passenger compartment) one for about £20-30, and enough brake hydraulic fluid for a full flush for about £10-15. The first two can easy be replaced yourself with a few basic tools, though replacing brake fluid is not trivial.
• Vehicle interior: Almost everything under this section involves checking that things are working, which is stuff surely already checked for for the MOT or otherwise things you'd easily notice, so no real value there. The one exception is changing the cabin air filter, which they only do for the most expensive package, and is a fairly easy task; oh and lubricating hinges, which anyone can do themselves.
• Vehicle exterior: Again a bunch of checks that are already covered by the MOT. Exceptions being topping up the windscreen washer fluid, which anyone can do, checking wheels are all balanced (note they're not offering to fix any problems), checking condition of 'hub faces' (the surface the wheel sits against), who cares, checking and adjusting tyre pressures, which anyone can do, and ensuring wheel nuts are done up tight enough.
• Engine: This is the most significant section. They'll replace the engine oil, oil filter and the rubber seal on the drain plug, which is the most fundamental aspect of having a service. They'll tell you if it's time for having your engine timing belt replaced, though actually doing such work if needed would be an entirely separate and very expensive task. You could alternatively just ask here about replacement intervals. They'll have a peak at the condition of any auxiliary drive belts. They'll tell you if spark plugs or fuel filter are due to be replaced, though again that would be extra paid work to actually get done, and you could just ask here for guidance about replacement intervals. They'll replace the engine air filter, though not for the cheapest plan, but it won't necessarily need doing every year and is a very easy task to do yourself. They'll assess battery condition. They'll top up coolant if required, but the fluid level should only be low if there's a leak, in which case you want the leak investigated and fixed not just fluid replaced. They'll check coolant strength, which I'd be suspicious is even going to be done accurately, and you could just go on age. Otherwise again just checks covered by the MOT.
• Under the vehicle: Again, a whole bunch of checks that should be covered by the MOT. Exceptions being topping up hydraulic fluids if necessary, which it won't be unless you've got a leak, again in which case you want the leak fixing not just a fluid top up; and for the most expensive package, replacement of the brake fluid. You do want your brake fluid changed every now and again.

So to summarise, there's a ton of overlap with the MOT itself, and then very little else in that big list of any real value, and they want to charge you £235 or £280 for it (including MOT) depending on package, ignoring the cheapest '6-monthly' one.

For comparison purposes, I just recently changed my own oil, oil filter and drain plug seal. It cost me just a tad over £40 for the materials, using good quality Castrol oil and Ford brand filter, and an hour of my time (mostly spent getting the vehicle safely raised up and down). Having recently started doing all of my own car work I have no intention of ever having another service at a garage, I'll just have the MOT and do everything else myself.

[unofix]

12 hours ago, rd457 said:

You do want your brake fluid changed every now and again.

......and there is more to getting that done than you might think.

So last week I took my daughters 2010 Kuga to K-F to get the brake fluid replaced. Why, I hear you ask?

Well the week before I had fitted two new brake calipers and pads to the front, and afterwards thought that the fluid hadn't been changed in over 6 years. So looking online I found Halfords, KwikFit, Tyre Services and a whole load of others all offered a replacement brake fluid service for £49.95 Funny that they are all the same price. 🤔

Upon arrival at K-F I was asked (more like interrogated) about the condition of the brakes and all the problems and faults. The guy was clearly not a happy chap when i made it clear that the brakes were working fine, and there were no issues and all I required was a simple brake fluid change (which was already booked and paid for online). I was surprised when he said it would take one and a half hours to do the work. When I queried this, he said they had to do a full inspection (note inspection, not test) of the brakes. I pointed out that they had only recently been "inspected" because the car had been MOT'd just a few weeks earlier. His reply was "K-F do a much more thorough inspection than just what is done when you get an MOT. The words Bo11ocks came to mind but, I just left them to get on with it.

Now for the up sell !! (some might say scam)

So after 50 minutes they rang to say that the rear bleed nipples on the calipers were "very crusty, and rounded off" and they might snap them off and then they would need to fit new rear calipers. I asked why were the nipples 'rounded off' because last week when I worked on the car they were not damaged. He hastily said well they'd not actually tried to loosen then and they hadn't rounded them.

In short I told them to stop what they were doing (or not doing) put the wheels back on and give me my money back. So a full hour after leaving the car with them, they had done bu99er all other than try to manipulate the system so that I'd end up having to get new rear calipers.

Now those of us who might just be a little cynical could be forgiven in thinking that perhaps this is normal practice. After all, they are only charging £49.95 for a full 90 minutes work including say five pounds worth of brake fluid. This means their hourly rate is only £29.97 🤔

 

[StephenFord]

Here in NI, we simply go online and book it with one of the dedicated MOT centers at £38. Only issue is the system has currently collapsed and despite going online beginning of April, soonest appointment I could secure was half way through September. Almost 6 months, and almost 2 months past expiry date 🤣

Only advantage is that there are no made up faults, as they only test, don't repair so have no incentive to sell you a potential fix.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Couple of years to go yet to MoT on this one but had all our previous Fords done with annual service at the local (single site family owned) Ford franchise for nigh on 20 years. Usually moved onto "value service" at 4 years (now "essential service" I think).

Our non-Ford gets its annual service/MOT at the local independent as the franchise dealer for that is:

a) Inconvenient

b) Expensive

c) Not that competent in my experience (but very good at upselling stuff you don't need)

But I've found all franchises differ and change of ownership over time has a big influence, so you have to make your own judgement. 

[Tizer]

5 hours ago, StephenFord said:

so have no incentive to sell you a potential fix

I take my cars to an Independent Volkswagen specialist who because they are cheaper than a franchise dealer are always very busy so they do not need to look for work.

They also let me book the car in at 8am and test it right away while it is still hot.  

[StephenFord]

7 minutes ago, Tizer said:

They also let me book the car in at 8am and test it right away while it is still hot.  

Presumably stolen at 7.50am?? 😂

[Jimpster]

Mine goes to my "MECH" who has an understanding with the MOT place he uses, minor faults they know he'll fix before handing back, tho noted as advisory if needs be. Or bigger jobs he does and they retest ONLY for what it failed on. All based on trust.

[StephenFord]

9 minutes ago, Jimpster said:

... Or bigger jobs he does and they retest ONLY for what it failed on. All based on trust.

Am I to assume from that, that your standard retest is a complete retest rather than just looking at failure items? 

[TomsFocus]

3 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Am I to assume from that, that your standard retest is a complete retest rather than just looking at failure items? 

No.  It's only a partial retest as long as it's at the same test centre and within 10 days of failure.

Getting an MOT: Retest after a repair - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

[StephenFord]

30 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

No.  It's only a partial retest as long as it's at the same test centre and within 10 days of failure.

Getting an MOT: Retest after a repair - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Unusually, our time frame is 21 days from fail certificate issue.

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/after-mot-vehicle-test

 

[mitch84]

I was thinking about this just recently but in the end just booked with my local Ford service garage.

As someone mentioned the Free Breakdown alone is worth it.

I think its like £85 just for basic AA breakdown cover and the cover Ford give you is the complete package (European cover, home start, e.g)

I think its still a little more expensive at Fords though, but not by much when you factor in the breakdown cover and for me my Local Ford service is not far, I can walk it in 20mins.

If I got car breakdown cover by other means I would likely look elsewhere, but I don't, so while Fords offer this I tend to book with them.

[Kieran67]

On 4/27/2024 at 3:40 PM, mitch84 said:

I was thinking about this just recently but in the end just booked with my local Ford service garage.

As someone mentioned the Free Breakdown alone is worth it.

I think its like £85 just for basic AA breakdown cover and the cover Ford give you is the complete package (European cover, home start, e.g)

I think its still a little more expensive at Fords though, but not by much when you factor in the breakdown cover and for me my Local Ford service is not far, I can walk it in 20mins.

If I got car breakdown cover by other means I would likely look elsewhere, but I don't, so while Fords offer this I tend to book with them.

Nice! I did double check with Ford and mine doesn't include breakdown cover. It's there monthy plan. It works out to be £233 a year.

[StephenFord]

2 minutes ago, Kieran67 said:

.... It works out to be £233 a year.

I pity you GB guys, I get my breakdown insurance for £25/year. Yes, it includes Home Start, lost keys etc etc...

https://misclaims.com/breakdown-recovery/

 

[Kieran67]

On 4/27/2024 at 8:06 AM, StephenFord said:

Here in NI, we simply go online and book it with one of the dedicated MOT centers at £38. Only issue is the system has currently collapsed and despite going online beginning of April, soonest appointment I could secure was half way through September. Almost 6 months, and almost 2 months past expiry date 🤣

Only advantage is that there are no made up faults, as they only test, don't repair so have no incentive to sell you a potential fix.

That's not bad! how much is your service? What? you missed your MOT by 6 months? Am I reading that right lol

[Kieran67]

On 4/26/2024 at 10:24 PM, rd457 said:

Going to the main dealer is generally much more expensive than going to an independent garage. Going to Ford you get their log book stamp, which can have an impact on any Ford warranty claim, and may affect resale value slightly. Once your warranty's over, just jump ship to independents.

Something you should consider is what exactly you're actually paying for on the service side and whether or not it's worth it. Perhaps a cheaper form of service might prove good enough, or you could explore pricing at independents for doing specific things, or you could consider whether you could even just do some easy things yourself.

Take a look at -> this page <- from National Tyre and Autocare (now owned by Halfords) which gives a detailed breakdown of what exactly they do for each of their three service levels. Services at other places will be similar or same. Let's break it down by section:

• What we'll replace: This just summarises all items from other sections that will actually be replaced, as opposed to checks. The prices quoted are ridiculous. You can get an (engine) air filter for more like £20, an excellent cabin (passenger compartment) one for about £20-30, and enough brake hydraulic fluid for a full flush for about £10-15. The first two can easy be replaced yourself with a few basic tools, though replacing brake fluid is not trivial.
• Vehicle interior: Almost everything under this section involves checking that things are working, which is stuff surely already checked for for the MOT or otherwise things you'd easily notice, so no real value there. The one exception is changing the cabin air filter, which they only do for the most expensive package, and is a fairly easy task; oh and lubricating hinges, which anyone can do themselves.
• Vehicle exterior: Again a bunch of checks that are already covered by the MOT. Exceptions being topping up the windscreen washer fluid, which anyone can do, checking wheels are all balanced (note they're not offering to fix any problems), checking condition of 'hub faces' (the surface the wheel sits against), who cares, checking and adjusting tyre pressures, which anyone can do, and ensuring wheel nuts are done up tight enough.
• Engine: This is the most significant section. They'll replace the engine oil, oil filter and the rubber seal on the drain plug, which is the most fundamental aspect of having a service. They'll tell you if it's time for having your engine timing belt replaced, though actually doing such work if needed would be an entirely separate and very expensive task. You could alternatively just ask here about replacement intervals. They'll have a peak at the condition of any auxiliary drive belts. They'll tell you if spark plugs or fuel filter are due to be replaced, though again that would be extra paid work to actually get done, and you could just ask here for guidance about replacement intervals. They'll replace the engine air filter, though not for the cheapest plan, but it won't necessarily need doing every year and is a very easy task to do yourself. They'll assess battery condition. They'll top up coolant if required, but the fluid level should only be low if there's a leak, in which case you want the leak investigated and fixed not just fluid replaced. They'll check coolant strength, which I'd be suspicious is even going to be done accurately, and you could just go on age. Otherwise again just checks covered by the MOT.
• Under the vehicle: Again, a whole bunch of checks that should be covered by the MOT. Exceptions being topping up hydraulic fluids if necessary, which it won't be unless you've got a leak, again in which case you want the leak fixing not just a fluid top up; and for the most expensive package, replacement of the brake fluid. You do want your brake fluid changed every now and again.

So to summarise, there's a ton of overlap with the MOT itself, and then very little else in that big list of any real value, and they want to charge you £235 or £280 for it (including MOT) depending on package, ignoring the cheapest '6-monthly' one.

For comparison purposes, I just recently changed my own oil, oil filter and drain plug seal. It cost me just a tad over £40 for the materials, using good quality Castrol oil and Ford brand filter, and an hour of my time (mostly spent getting the vehicle safely raised up and down). Having recently started doing all of my own car work I have no intention of ever having another service at a garage, I'll just have the MOT and do everything else myself.

Thanks for this explanation

[Kieran67]

On 4/27/2024 at 12:46 AM, unofix said:

 

So after 50 minutes they rang to say that the rear bleed nipples on the calipers were "very crusty, and rounded off" and they might snap them off and then they would need to fit new rear calipers. I asked why were the nipples 'rounded off' because last week when I worked on the car they were not damaged. He hastily said well they'd not actually tried to loosen then and they hadn't rounded them.

In short I told them to stop what they were doing (or not doing) put the wheels back on and give me my money back.

 

Wow sounds dodgy! This is the thing with finding new garages, but at least you can see with reviews these days or word of mouth.

[Kieran67]

9 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

I pity you GB guys, I get my breakdown insurance for £25/year. Yes, it includes Home Start, lost keys etc etc...

https://misclaims.com/breakdown-recovery/

 

But thats for MOT and service.

[Kieran67]

Hello again, what's a good price these days to get the anti roll bar linkage ball joint replaced?

 

thanks

[TomsFocus]

2 hours ago, Kieran67 said:

Hello again, what's a good price these days to get the anti roll bar linkage ball joint replaced?

 

thanks

Drop link ball joints can't be replaced individually.  But you can buy a pair of front drop links, complete with new balljoints for about £10 on eBay. 

Takes longer to jack it up and remove the wheel than to actually change a drop link.  Garage will probably charge half an hours labour each side.

[Kieran67]

Thanks