Toyota Servicing

[Phil F]

Good Morning all,

Could I run this by you,I would appreciate your views.

My Avensis is due for a service soon at 60,000 and due to the fact that at the last 2 service points I only had a oil change done plus air filter/pollen filter at the last one,I thought I would go for a full service this time at a Toyota site.It appears now that a service including spark plugs is called a Full+ at a cost of £349,which is actually a big hike from the last full service it had.Looking at the actual schedule for either a "Full" or "Full+" service there is little in the way of actual component change and a lot of inspection only.I think this is probably typical of most cars these days and I suspect Toyota are as no different in this respect.

However,I do feel personally that these charges are a bit out of the way for the actual work done and will get some quotes from local hole in the wall garages to compare.As you have probably gathered I am a bit averse to spending money on servicing and have changed cars in the past rather than do this.Strange I know!

I do like this car and am tempted to go down the route of absolute minimal maintenance,ie regular oil change but little else until something goes wrong.I know of a few people who have got away with this succesfully.

My questions are I suppose,is the cost of servicing today good value?,using Mr T instead of indies worthwhile?,are all these inspections/checks valid or just a tool to justify the charges(£349).

Or am I completely out of touch?

Thanks....Phil

[Mistermena]

Good Morning all,

Could I run this by you,I would appreciate your views.

My Avensis is due for a service soon at 60,000 and due to the fact that at the last 2 service points I only had a oil change done plus air filter/pollen filter at the last one,I thought I would go for a full service this time at a Toyota site.It appears now that a service including spark plugs is called a Full+ at a cost of £349,which is actually a big hike from the last full service it had.Looking at the actual schedule for either a "Full" or "Full+" service there is little in the way of actual component change and a lot of inspection only.I think this is probably typical of most cars these days and I suspect Toyota are as no different in this respect.

However,I do feel personally that these charges are a bit out of the way for the actual work done and will get some quotes from local hole in the wall garages to compare.As you have probably gathered I am a bit averse to spending money on servicing and have changed cars in the past rather than do this.Strange I know!

I do like this car and am tempted to go down the route of absolute minimal maintenance,ie regular oil change but little else until something goes wrong.I know of a few people who have got away with this succesfully.

My questions are I suppose,is the cost of servicing today good value?,using Mr T instead of indies worthwhile?,are all these inspections/checks valid or just a tool to justify the charges(£349).

Or am I completely out of touch?

Thanks....Phil

Ouch!!!.... That is expensive! One way of cutting the price down is to supply your own oil, or do it yourself for pennies if you're not bothered about a service stamp...

[cabcurtains]

£350, thats crazy. Ask another Mr T for the same service.

Or

Get a local VAT registered garage to do the same things and price should be half'ish, its not a BMW your having serviced

Where are you?

[T5NELtim]

How long is a piece of string...

There is no reason why a good independent garage or even an experienced home mechanic can not perform most of the service tasks equally well as a main dealer.

So ask yourself why do people pay these prices?

In my opinion

1)They feel they are paying for the best service they can - peace of mind

2)They are not competent to decide what needs doing to maintain the car and would rather let someone else worry about it

3)They feel that (correctly IMO) a full dealer history will make the car more attractive/valauble in future

4)They want to prevent the inconvenience that can be caused by mechanical breakdown

5)They could do it themselves but feel it represents reasonable value

Also why do garages charge this much

1)They can!

2)They have pretty high overheads to be a franchise garage in some areas.

3)They know that some jobs are easy and some hard and so in fixed price servicing they have to build in some 'fat'

4)It is not THAT much compared to a tank of fuel these days!

5)There are some jobs that only they can/will do

You can probably add more reasons but you get the idea.

I have had a number of cars that I have bought quite new (when they were still valuable) which I initially dealer serviced and then gradually moved onto a 'keep it running' mode where I was trying to minimise the cost of running the car. Many of the parts that will be replaced probably have a service life far longer than they get BUT replacing them early definitely minimises the chance of break down etc. As long as you dont skimp on the intervals for oil / coolant (antifreeze) and brake fluid then you can probably do most other things on an as needed basis. Another thing to consider is to get service done at main dealer but for non service items shop around (exhaust, brakes)

BUT

I would only do this on a car that I felt owed me nothing and had little commercial value i.e. one that I was not planning to sell on. Obviously this normally corresponds to age.

AND

if you feel that you are competent to make sure that your car is safe

Tim

[T5NELtim]

Guys this is the correct cost under Toyota's new fixed price service!

Just checked at Inchcape and Pentagon Toyota.

Prices for Avensis

Intermediate = £159

Full = £229

Full+ = £349

I think this is why they put in fixed price to stop people shopping around between dealer.

Do you have dealers that go below these prices?

Tim

[Phil F]

Guys this is the correct cost under Toyota's new fixed price service!

Just checked at Inchcape and Pentagon Toyota.

Prices for Avensis

Intermediate = £159

Full = £229

Full+ = £349

I think this is why they put in fixed price to stop people shopping around between dealer.

Do you have dealers that go below these prices?

Tim

Hi Tim,Thanks for your thoughts.Yes those are the prices quoted on Toyota,s website.Brake fluid change is £30 extra.Last time I had a full service it was at least £100 cheaper at Mr T.

Phil.

[Phil F]

Hi again,

Cabcurtains..thanks,I am in Stoke and use Pinkstones.As has been said above I understand this is a new pricing structure and is probably set at all sites.

Could I ask,if there is any techs on here,a couple of things?Are these vehicles any more difficult to service than say a Mondeo/Vectra?Are parts such as brake discs more expensive?Is the Avensis a reasonable long term proposition in regards of mileage/cost to repair?

Thanks again,

Phil

[cabcurtains]

£349 seems almost as much as a service plan, i wonder if they are after getting people on that?

Ormi is a Toyota Techie, might be best dropping him a PM if he doesnt come across this thread.

I was think you would say London or the Isle of Somewhere with the crazy prices!

[Heidfirst]

Under the new fixed price servicing for an Avensis services are £159, £229 & £349.

I suspect that they brought this in to regulate pricing (possibly more to curb the few that were raping people ) but it does mean that those of us in the cheaper areas previously are seeing a rise whereas possibly those in London etc. may be gaining.

[Heidfirst]

for the OP if you have a local non-franchise garage that you trust I would see what theyy propse charging & if happy with their quote just take it there.

[Druid Boy]

I have just started doing my own servicing on an 80k+ Avensis because I came to the conclusion that I was buying a very expensive cup of coffee while they looked at my car and didn't change much at all.

If you can perform a service on other cars the Avensis is pretty much the same. Oil, filters, coolant, and a bunch of checks. £350 is a massive price.