Ford Service - Main Dealer Or Independent?

[chhym]

Have an 06 1.6TDCI which has 83000 on the clock.

Just come out of a 3 year Ford service program and have been offered another 3 year service program for around £450. I am looking at keeping the car for another 3 years.

Ford service is OK, but they do seem to charge for absolutely everything else and if you read the check list, most of it is seems to be a visual check which makes a oil filter & oil change expensive at £150 a time.

I guess many on the forum are self maintenance people, but I really dont have the time or the knowledge.

Whats the forums thoughts on this... Main dealer or Independent garage - based Bishops stortford/Cambridge area?

If Main dealer - which one have you have good results at ?

If Independent - which one have you have good results at?

Chris

[Wayneo01]

I go to my independent garage, my thoughts on it are ford don't make their own parts they just pay for other people to make their parts and then slap a ford brand on top. So I would rather pay 1/4 of the price knowing I am getting oem parts fitted by a family run garage which I trust. Just you don't get the stamp saying ford genuine parts used.

[Nathan_M]

Independant, the ford mechanics only know the same as the independants if that, an independant will also try not to take every single penny in your wallet compared to ford, have you ever seen any other posts on the web from around the world refer to them as fraud, independants will also help you more ford will always change a part for new whereas an independant might fix it rather than replace where possible, and as far as servicing goes, ford do only do a oil and a filter and will only check other items based on mileage alone, just watch for independants adding a small premium to some components to boost there profits, if it is litteraly only oil changes you might aswell do it yourself.

[DieselPig]

First thing is to ask around the local area for prices for a service. I found that Rapid Fit in the Ford garage offered a service for out of warranty vehicles that was as cheap as the independants.

[Nathan_M]

First thing is to ask around the local area for prices for a service. I found that Rapid Fit in the Ford garage offered a service for out of warranty vehicles that was as cheap as the independants.

Is that anything to do with Ford or just happens to be in the same building/place, and if it matches prices then let rip cant be bad, to be honest if ford was cheap i would go to them but they arent and where i live the nearest dealer is 20 miles away, rather than my independant which is only 2 miles, a good indicator for a top garage is one that is always busy.

[Mordey]

Ford do a value service for cars over 3yrs old (out of warranty)

From there website

£99 Ford Value service includes:

Parts Replaced:

✓

Air Filter

✓

oil Filter

✓

oil

A comprehensive 30 point check includes:

✓

Handbrake

✓

Clutch

✓

Windscreen

✓

Washers, wipers

✓

Exterior lights and fascia illumination

✓

Instrument gauges, warning lights and horn

✓

Heating system, blower motor

✓

Air conditioning

✓

Seat belts

✓

Bonnet catch

✓

Wiring, pipes, hoses, oil and fuel pipes

✓

Engine, vacuum pump and cooling system

✓

Coolant expansion tank, windscreen washer, power steering and brake fluid reservoirs

✓

Coolant

✓

Auxiliary Drive Belts

✓

battery

✓

Automatic transmission

✓

Steering, suspension linkages, ball joints, driveshafts, gaiters

✓

Front and rear wheel bearings

✓

Engine and transmission

✓

Exhaust

✓

Underbody

✓

Braking system

✓

Tyres including spare wheel

✓

Wheel nuts

If any work is needed, it’s carried out using Ford quality parts, ensuring your vehicle will perform to its optimum level. As for our workmanship, we have it independently checked by the RAC, to help us maintain the very highest standards

[DieselPig]

Agree with Ford not being the cheapest, I queried the service costs and was told that as my car was new "extra checks" were performed. When I pointed out the ETIS service schedule was the same when it was out of warranty and Rapid Fit performed the same schedule they couldn't give a satisfactory answer.

Robbers!

[Nathan_M]

If your keen for a proper schedule just print it out using the ford etis tool and let your choosen independant deal with it, a service is a service and a majority of the items reccomended for renewal are only there to fill fords pockets should you use there garage.

[chhym]

Thanks all.

Seems independent is the way to go just need to find a suitable garage.

If anyone can recommend a garage locally to Bishops Stortford or south Cambridge would be great.

[Nathan_M]

Thanks all.

Seems independent is the way to go just need to find a suitable garage.

If anyone can recommend a garage locally to Bishops Stortford or south Cambridge would be great.

Also don't forget that if you still want genuine ford parts all you have to do is ask it might just take them longer to complete the work having to wait for the parts, down here where i live calling ford for engine belts or anything else which you would consider obvious stock is like trying to paint my bathroom from next doors kitchen, very poor.

[stuartr26]

Thanks all.

Seems independent is the way to go just need to find a suitable garage.

If anyone can recommend a garage locally to Bishops Stortford or south Cambridge would be great.

Go to Gates Ford in Stortford, ask for the £99 value service and make it clear you want to be contacted if anything else is found to be wrong. They will quote you in advance rather than replacing anything without your permission.

[PPKing]

+1 to stuartr26.

Also, if you plan on selling the car at the end of the 3 years, then a ford service history can be the difference between a sale or not, as some people are vary wary on this topic.

As stuart said, a £99 value service by Gates Ford themselves is probably the best way to go to cover your back and the cars

[chhym]

By the time we will be selling the car in 3 ish years time it's going to have over 120K miles on the clock and 10+years old.

Dont really think there will be a great difference in resale value between a full Ford service history and a full service history, although I can see where you are coming from as it may swing a buyers mind known that the car has had dealer servicing (for what its worth).

Gates @ Stortford dont offer (on the website) a service for £99, its £169.

I am looking at Marshalls of Cambridge who do offer a value service (on the website) @ £99 or £139 with an MOT which the car needs at the same time.

Nathan - sadly its not just Ford, BMW are no better with stock levels around here.

Suspect its down to "bean counters" who want to keep the stock levels as low as possible as it costs them money to stock items.

When I had a BMW, local BMW garage did not have front brake disks in stock for a previous model 3 series.

[stuartr26]

By the time we will be selling the car in 3 ish years time it's going to have over 120K miles on the clock and 10+years old.

Dont really think there will be a great difference in resale value between a full Ford service history and a full service history, although I can see where you are coming from as it may swing a buyers mind known that the car has had dealer servicing (for what its worth).

Gates @ Stortford dont offer (on the website) a service for £99, its £169.

I am looking at Marshalls of Cambridge who do offer a value service (on the website) @ £99 or £139 with an MOT which the car needs at the same time.

Nathan - sadly its not just Ford, BMW are no better with stock levels around here.

Suspect its down to "bean counters" who want to keep the stock levels as low as possible as it costs them money to stock items.

When I had a BMW, local BMW garage did not have front brake disks in stock for a previous model 3 series.

http://www.gates.co.uk/aftersales-offers/ford-fixed-price

You should see the prices and the numbers to call there :)