Every Holden ever built will now be covered by a new lifetime capped-price service program,

[Olbucko]

Originally Posted by johnydep

Half an hour?

It takes half an hour just to road test, check all the levels, lube the doors & set it up on the hoist. Another half hour to take the wheels and drums off to inspect the brake shoes, then grease all the nipples which are most likely blocked or missing.

A proper service & safety will take 1 - 1.5 hours, plus material and waste disposal.

Back in the 'good old days' workshops only required one type of engine oil for each season, a dozen filters, a few points and spark plugs, a pit and a hole in the back for rubbish.

Today is a different era in automotive industry; workshops have to meet environmental & safety standards and pay for inspections and licences. large stock rooms are required with large amounts of stock. The average technician requires years of on going study and gets paid accordingly.

If you like to look after your own car, good for you. But don't make it sound like everyone that takes their car in for a qualified service and/or repair is being ripped off.

I did not say that every body is being ripped off, in an earlier post I said the opposite,
"$495 to service a Ranger is not so bad considering it is a very complicated piece of machinery requiring specialist knowledge and tools, expensive diagnostic equipment, and can be easily damaged if anything is connected incorrectly, and few owners would be able to service it at home. On the other hand an old Holden could be serviced by anyone with basic knowledge and some simple tools."

I think you would be rather lucky to find a dealer that would bother to lube door locks and remove, adjust, and replace brake drums, especially in an older car that required dismantling and readjusting the wheel bearings at the front to remove the drums. I'm sure you would pay a lot extra for that. (Just went through the process of completely rebuilding the back brakes of my XM Falcon, many hours of work)

[BradEL]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Exactly.

Its all about convincing the public that they can still get parts and service for their Holden once the factory closes down.

What about those Commodores with Chevy badges, will there still be parts for those once Holden is closing, there should be because there obviously chevys

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by Olbucko

I did not say that every body is being ripped off, in an earlier post I said the opposite,
"$495 to service a Ranger is not so bad considering it is a very complicated piece of machinery requiring specialist knowledge and tools, expensive diagnostic equipment, and can be easily damaged if anything is connected incorrectly, and few owners would be able to service it at home. On the other hand an old Holden could be serviced by anyone with basic knowledge and some simple tools."

I think you would be rather lucky to find a dealer that would bother to lube door locks and remove, adjust, and replace brake drums, especially in an older car that required dismantling and readjusting the wheel bearings at the front to remove the drums. I'm sure you would pay a lot extra for that. (Just went through the process of completely rebuilding the back brakes of my XM Falcon, many hours of work)

A very general comment, that begs to be criticised.

I have mates that manage service departments at dealership (Subaru & Toyota), they are gentlemen. Work is completed exactly as the schedule recommends. If staff take short cuts and are found out they are reprimanded, and can lose their job.

The important note here is - work is completed as per the vehicle manufacturers scheduled maintenance.

Time is money. There is no such thing as half hour services; other than driving on a four post oil, draining the oil, refilling and driving off again.

There are sharks in every industry, but to try and paint everyone with the same brush is unfair.

Biggest problem is that owners want to pay 1960 prices. A market for cheap repairs is out there, when people get bitten they blame the whole industry.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by johnydep

A very general comment, that begs to be criticised.

I have mates that manage service departments at dealership (Subaru & Toyota), they are gentlemen. Work is completed exactly as the schedule recommends. If staff take short cuts and are found out they are reprimanded, and can lose their job.

The important note here is - work is completed as per the vehicle manufacturers scheduled maintenance.

Time is money. There is no such thing as half hour services; other than driving on a four post oil, draining the oil, refilling and driving off again.

There are sharks in every industry, but to try and paint everyone with the same brush is unfair.

Biggest problem is that owners want to pay 1960 prices. A market for cheap repairs is out there, when people get bitten they blame the whole industry.

I've looked at log book servicing outside the dealer and the price difference is minimal. Also getting the road side assist is a benefit (not that I've ever had to use it) but you never know.

[Olbucko]

And I also have a Subaru, and yes, the service people are gentlemen, and they are very competent, but they do charge like wounded bulls. My local Ford dealer who has solved a few tricky problems with my Territory is much more reasonable with his charges.