Fiesta 2010 plate service cost

[cdafam]

Hey guys

I'm not exactly new around here, but have been here-and-there perusing the boards for tips that others have raised.

I wanted to raise myself a question of your experiences with service costs and whether or not you stuck with your original dealers for servicing?

I run a 2010 plate Zetec (manual 5dr; petrol) and have had problems in the past with my dealer (at 10,000km service they mixed up my tyre order after my wheels went severely out of alignment after only less than a year and charged me an amount that was not commensurate with the 'work' they did on the car). However I'm up for my 40,000th km, just dropped the car off and got a call back from a very nice bloke there. Basically I'm forking out:

$275 base service
$89 A/C de-odourising
$75 brake fluid
$89 fuel injector

He also said that since my drums are wearing dangerously thin (they are screeching quite a bit now) and hovering around 10% of wear left - which led to his suggestion for replacing the front brakes which I'm all for.

Now the quote was $320 for that. Is that right for stock brakes and labour? Also should i upgrade my brakes to something more durable? (i do plenty of stop and go and most my trips are in city and city bound).

I wasn't quite expecting a $800+ bill on servicing, and was wondering if I'm better off at an independent servicer in the future?
Many thanks all. I plan to offer all insights as I can in re Fiestas, they are a fine drive!

[trumpy73]

My advice - Take it to your local mechanic and ask him to do the servie required (as per log book) for 40K and stamp it.

If there are any other wear & tear matters that needed to be attended to, ask him to check/report as well.

It will cost you less or considerably less depending on your mechanic. IMO there's no need to take it to a dealer unless there's some specific electronic fault that requires Ford only equipment.

I've worked at a dealership, I've also taken my Fiesta to a dealership, at the end of the day despite their own hype they're no better than your avg mechanic.

Enter FistaMan

[cdafam]

Thanks for your reply. Yeah, I was thinking of servicing it myself (I have some basic sense of how most things work in my car - or enough to keep it well maintained). Just got my car back and they're throwing in 12month's worth of NRMA roadside assist which I doubt I'll ever need.

However I'm going back next week to get my bonnet catch fixed (the wire was seized and the bloke just reordered).

Any suggestions re brakes? I think I'm going to skip the stock ones and might even upgrade my entire wheelset.

Also, for comment, everytime i serviced there, I came back with a new niggling fault. This time one of my water spouts for the windscreen was misaligned (no biggie, just realign it myself).

Cheers again

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Androopy

$275 base service
$89 A/C de-odourising
$75 brake fluid
$89 fuel injector

How does that base service compare to the 'capped price' service Ford is starting to adopt?

Who said your AC needs de-odorising?? Does it smell?

Why do your brakes need fluid? Is it reading a high moisture content or are they quoting it because you may also do brakes? What does the log book say regarding brake fluid?

Re the drums - I would get that looked at independently for certain.

Do you have a buggered injector, or is that an 'injector service'??? Why is that needed? Who askedd for that? Is it mentioned in the logbook??

If it is just a 'bottle service' - get yourself a bottle of cleaner for $12.

Service guys assume people just say yes to everything (and people mostly do). A lot of dealer stuff has a large mark-up and it is often not needed as urgent as they let on.

Oh... and if you service it yourself you will void your warranty (unless you are a certified mechanic).. Just wait till your warranty period is over. The extra cost will seem like nothing if something big goes bang and your warranty is voided to save a few bob.

[GoesLikeAZetec]

+1

great post yellow festiva



does your aircon stink?

site sponsors will help you with price on new brakes and be cheaper...

do the basic service with ford if you really want too......

but i'd be getting everything else done by independants...

[Fiesta_Man69]

Thanks Trumpy:

Androopy: To put it short: you got ripped.

Unless your a/c stunk and your injectors were shot (and at 40K that's highly unlikely) then there is no need for these things to be serviced - that's straight profit for the dealership.

I required new front brakes at 40K (I'm approaching 60K now). Ford quoted me close to $400 for the standard pads and discs. I went to a brake shop, got an rda branded rotor and bendix pads and the brakes are 10 times better. Oh, and they should last at least 80Kkm too... Cost: $270.

Be aware that Ford makes very little on each car sold. They make their margins in extras (mats, paint protection etc) and in servicing. That's why their prices are, quite frankly, ridiculous (but nothing compared to VW - for a laugh ring a VW dealership and ask about servicing costs for a GTI, and make sure you're sitting down.)

Be aware that dealerships don't use fully syn oil (unless you ask then get charged for it).

What sensible people do:

Find a local mechanic. Someone who has been in the area for years. Buy the consumerables at Supercheap when they have one of their frequent 20% storewide sales. Then take them to the mechanic, he services the car with them and charges you labour. For the 45K service it cost me less than $200, a far cry from the $800 they try and gouge out of other people. This allows you to run proper syn oil in your car and get the service done by a proper mechanic, not an apprentice like Ford usually use (due to cost). I've been using the same guy for years and he actually takes pride in his work which, again, is a far cry from Ford Australia's attitude towards customers atm...

If Ford outright lie (like they did to me) and say the warranty will be void if you get it serviced elsewhere tell them where to go. As long as the book gets stamped and you have an invoice for the materials used, you're fine.

The only time I use a dealership (besides extensive warranty work) is to have the ECU reflashed with 'updates' (which are a concern in themselves). I'm pretty sure the one being put in to Fezs atm is the Focus 1.6L 93kW tune. Ford Aus has been chasing pinging and cold starting issues with the car from day one apparently (I've had problems with pinging on 98RON but not cold starting). These updates are free (though you'll need to be firm and press them).

So, in short:
1. Get your pads/rotors done at a specialist brake shop
2. Buy the best materials at AutoOne/Repco etc and take them to a trusted local mechanic who has a vested interest in doing a good job to get repeat business.

[cdafam]

Thanks all.

@Yellow Festiva:

My A/C was smelling (most likely because I used the recycled air, particularly when driving in the CBD where you're touch-and-go behind old cars or dirty trucks + am an ex-smoker). So needed the de-odouriser (can that be done elsewhere?) which worked well, my a/c doesn't smell at all anymore.

I am not aware that Ford started a 'capped price' model on servicing. But that's how much I've been paying since purchase on 'base' service (where most of the completed jobs listed start with 'inspected' or 'checked' rather than 'replaced' or 'renewed' or 'fixed').

Haven't checked the log, but I never asked for brake fluid, which upon enquiry, was simply Dot-4 (prob Castrol) which would have set me back less than half the cost had I purchased a bottle at SuperCHeap. So I thikn it may be because I enquired about my squealing brakes.

My injector and engine overall seems spick and span from what I can ascertain while driving (with the mild exception of pinging at the start of a cold morning). So no idea why they threw that in. The nice bloke who attended my service said that it was to 'rinse' out the engine and I simply agreed without much thought to it tbh.

I definitely agree that the mark-up is ridiculous, but thought I'd get it serviced at the same place because I'm still under warranty for another 12 months.

@GoesLikeAZetec: definitely, I will be looking for independent service places from now on seeing that I'm due at 45,000km which is about 6-12 months away from now and by that time I should be simply out of warranty.

@Fiesta-Man69: Yes, I agree I was jipped. It's one of those things where I don't give it much thought since servicing is not a frequent cost and not severe on my income. But by principle, it is a rip-off.

I've been lied to many a times at this place and the quality of customer service is disappointing. Maybe, I guess since I'm a young guy with a steady income I let my ego get the better of me and think that it's affordable despite it being a rip in reality.

Just a beginner's question: what are these ECU updates? and are they required on my model? I don't thikn any of the electronic displays have been reading incorrectly. The fact you list 'free' has got my attention.

Will be getting my pads/rotors done elsewhere. Shopping online now. Also spoke to my granddad who owns an old Falcon and he gets his consumerables at Ford down in Warwick Farm on the Hume Hwy and just services it himself...at 200,000+km it drives like a new car.

Any recommendations for mechanics and specialist brake shops around Parramatta/Silverwater area? I'm willing to drive 20-30km out if need be though.

[dannyhilton]

Originally Posted by Androopy

My A/C was smelling (most likely because I used the recycled air, particularly when driving in the CBD where you're touch-and-go behind old cars or dirty trucks + am an ex-smoker). So needed the de-odouriser (can that be done elsewhere?) which worked well, my a/c doesn't smell at all anymore.

Funnily enough my air-con stinks at the moment. Smells quite stale, I just assumed that it was a filter or something that had mould on it but maybe they need to refresh the air-con? Thanks for posting mate, will look into this!

[Fiesta_Man69]

I've had 4 ecu updates. Trying to cut thru the Ford PR bs is difficult, but I know one was for difficulties with the WS range cold starting, and two were for pinging which Ford has finally admitted affected a large number of cars. The latest one is to bring the power up to 93 from 88kW and bring it closer to the Gamma range of 1.6 103kW engines from the Hyundai/Kia group: it's a bit pokier as a result but not much. Just ring your local Ford dealer: they claim the cost back from Ford Aus under warranty costs, that's why it's free. Be warned, if you're not careful they'll try and only do it as part of a service: tell them you know better and you'll get it for free. But I'd only get an update if there's something wrong with the car. The fact that there's been so many and that the engine wasn't right from factory is a worry though.

[Caydus]

I know this is a bit of a hijack, but FM69, how can you tell that you have the 93kw over the standard 89, other than by the seat of your pants and going to a dyno?

Is there a way of checking your PCM software version?

[Fiesta_Man69]

Two PCM updates were done by Sinclair Ford at Penrith and you can actually see them do it with the way the place is set out: i.e. They delete previous program and sit there in the car for bout 20 mins installing a new one: this surprised me as I thought it would be a simple plug and play: maybe they also go thru all the fault codes too, I'm not sure. The first three I was told what they were for, the last one was just simply "an update" so I assume that's what's happened. I could be wrong but it would make sense I guess to use the Focus tune they already have and apply it to the Fez. The car felt marginally different, slightly perkier throttle response but not really worth it.

[cdafam]

@danny: nws, let me know how it goes

@FM69: thanks for that. would the ECU updates also rectify an issue I'm having with my bluetooth? when I hit the 'phone' button and try to uncheck the bluetooth or check 'reject all calls' it does not alter. I've also had problems connecting the bluetooth at random times after trying to adjust this.

[dannyhilton]

Originally Posted by Androopy

would the ECU updates also rectify an issue I'm having with my bluetooth? when I hit the 'phone' button and try to uncheck the bluetooth or check 'reject all calls' it does not alter. I've also had problems connecting the bluetooth at random times after trying to adjust this.

Nope. But this will. Best post I've ever seen on FF, made my Ford Audio work perfectly!

http://www.ford-mobile-connectivity....wnloadsUpdates

[cdafam]

@DH: cheers mate. i was searching the forums for my problem, i think I caught that link somewhere. thanks again