Addons to fixed price servicing

[Andrew56]

I phoned my local dealer to enquire the price of servicing my Yaris Design first registered May 2022.  I was told £260.  I questioned this price given that Toyota quote £230 under their fixed price servicing.  The answer was they provide extras in the form of antibacterial treatment, fuel treatments and environmental disposal of oil.   I questioned why these were not included in the standard service schedule if they were necessary. The answer was "we like to look after our customer to ensure they get the best from their vehicles".  They said the fuel additives would improve MPG but there was an admission that the antibacterial treatment started during COVID - which is of course a virus and not a bacteria!  I didn't ask how they legally dispose of the oil if one does not pay the extra cost!

Have others experienced similar less than transparent upselling?  Do these addons provide any real benefit or are they snakeoil?  And in fairness to the dealers how does nationwide fixed price servicing work, when the dealers costs may vary geographically. 

[Hybrid21]

Sounds like dealer bull****  James 

[Stivino]

^^^what he said^^^

[Eddiefh]

A lot off Dow for oil and filter change 

[IT Troll]

Do they use the correct spec of oil or is that also a supplemental charge? 😜

[TonyHSD]

Prices are steep indeed. There is no need of any antibacterial treatment for interior or air con. Petrol injector cleaner or anything else. The service is lacking on more important things like correct oil grade , cabin filter or air filter  replacement which has way too long intervals but offer unnecessary items, easily bought from Amazon at half price. 👍 

 

[Tintaglia]

They often don't include air con gas service or brake fluid changes.  Which are worth doing.  

[Vainona70]

Not at the 1st service!

[FROSTYBALLS]

1 hour ago, Tintaglia said:

They often don't include air con gas service or brake fluid changes

The Full service (every 2 years/20,000 miles) includes a brake fluid change.

Although the majority of dealers offer Toyota's fixed price servicing, not all do.

Disposal of used engine oil should be included within the standard service.

[Cyker]

Wow, another point to Jemca then as they've never added such things to the bill without permission; They sometimes offer but don't get pushy if you decline (I think they expect you to decline  )

 

[Tintaglia]

My 2014 was bought from a dealer and had a full history when I bought it 4 years ago.  It had never had an A/C service.  When I questioned this lacking in the history they said they don't do it unless the customer requests it.  Toyota does recommend brake fluid and A/C changes every two years.  The A/C is up to you but brake fluid changes are safety-related and even if you stretch them out a bit, they should be done,  missing out on them can result in seized calipers and other leaking hydraulic components in my experience.   

[FROSTYBALLS]

I've never had a dealer or a manufacturer recommend a/c services every two years - that is for every new car we've had since 1998 which have all had a/c (14 - 5 Toyotas, 3 Mazdas, 2 Nissans, 1 Honda, and 3 Hyundais).

Toyota's Full service has included a brake fluid change for a while now - previously it was at additional cost and owner discretion.

[bathtub tom]

They tried to con me into £sssssssss for a key fob Battery. When I pointed out it wasn't included in the service schedule and didn't include the spare, they backtracked.

Neither has ever been replaced!

[Tintaglia]

1 hour ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

I've never had a dealer or a manufacturer recommend a/c services every two years - that is for every new car we've had since 1998 which have all had a/c (14 - 5 Toyotas, 3 Mazdas, 2 Nissans, 1 Honda, and 3 Hyundais).

 

That's interesting.  I know VW does and Ford too.  Honda seem to suggest it also according to Google.

[TonyHSD]

All manufacturers suggest ac regas every two years and so the ac specialists too. It will depend on the use and the climate in your country the intervals can be stretch to 4 years. Some people never re gas or never used ac for years and their cars ac works without any problems. However ac regas once every 2-4 years it is a good idea and prolong the life of the system. 
Brake fluid the same. Hybrids can last longer between changes, 4+ years easily as they have always cold brakes. They do need cleaning and lubricating more often , every two years. 

[anchorman]

55 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

All manufacturers suggest ac regas every two years and so the ac specialists too. It will depend on the use and the climate in your country the intervals can be stretch to 4 years. Some people never re gas or never used ac for years and their cars ac works without any problems. However ac regas once every 2-4 years it is a good idea and prolong the life of the system. 
Brake fluid the same. Hybrids can last longer between changes, 4+ years easily as they have always cold brakes. They do need cleaning and lubricating more often , every two years. 

Make it stop Tony.  Changing brake fluid has absolutely nothing to do with heat, absolutely nothing at all 🙄.  

[FROSTYBALLS]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

All manufacturers suggest ac regas every two years

No they don't - see my last post

[Guest]

23 hours ago, Andrew56 said:

The answer was they provide extras in the form of antibacterial treatment, fuel treatments and environmental disposal of oil. 

Already been written - the oil disposal should be included. Similarly with new tyres, disposal should be included in the fitted price, as should be new v/v and balancing. As for the other two, tell them to do one and deduct those optional extras from the price. Or go elsewhere for the service where there's no added rip offs.

If desired, the "fuel treatment" snake oil may be purchased elsewhere and glugged into the tank. Presumably the "antibacterial treatment" is the a/c system? £5 for an aerosol and d.i.y..

£230 for a glorified engine oil and filter change - extortion of the first order!

The so-called safety/condition inspection, wash and vacuum are "free" aren't they?

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, anchorman said:

Make it stop Tony.  Changing brake fluid has absolutely nothing to do with heat, absolutely nothing at all 🙄.  

Changing brake fluid has nothing to do with heat indeed , but heat has something to do with moisture within the system and corrosion.  
Periodic brake fluid change helps remove this and reduces the risk of corrosion and malfunction.
You definitely know better than me about that, you have worked in the automotive industry, I only watch YouTube videos and work on my cars myself. 😉👍

[anchorman]

2 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Changing brake fluid has nothing to do with heat indeed , but heat has something to do with moisture within the system and corrosion.  
Periodic brake fluid change helps remove this and reduces the risk of corrosion and malfunction.
You definitely know better than me about that, you have worked in the automotive industry, I only watch YouTube videos and work on my cars myself. 😉👍

Fair enough Tony 👍

[tfc]

If your concerned about your brake fluid buy a moisture tester off eBay, they are accurate enough for home use. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and draws/absorbs moisture from the air over time and this lowers the boiling point of brake fluid which can cause brake fade. I ran a test on these moisture pens on the mgb forum even thou it's not scientific it's pretty good for the car enthusiasts 

[tfc]

And this is what ( mgb )brake fluid looks like when it hasn't been changed for god knows how many years, I stripped and cleaned the calipers and replaced with S/S pistons seals and new rear wheel cyls, flushed the system out and now replace the fluid every 2 years if it needs it or not, the car might not cover 500 miles per year. 

[Jimota]

Has anyone received extended breakdown cover after taking out a 3 year service plan with Emac. Had a look at my paperwork but can’t see any reference to an additional 2 years cover period but I think someone on the forum mentioned this a few months ago. 

[davidif]

Slight deviation from topic, but this main dealer service 'rip-off' is why I almost certainly wont be staying with Toyota when I decide to move the Corolla on. 

The Relax Warranty is a downgrade so far as I can see, previously we had a 5 year warranty that wasn't tied to main dealer servicing under the Block Exemption rules and as I would tend to keep my daily car for 3/5 years this suited me just fine. Now however if I want a warranted car for up to 5 years I am obliged to pay extortionate servicing bills! 

[Yugguy1970]

How much would an aftermarket warranty cost?  If you add the yearly cost of that on to the top of a service from an indy does it come out the same?