There have been previous threads regarding both timing belt replacement costs and main dealer pricing (one of them being at
http://www.matrasport.dk/forum/index.php?topic=327.0) so having just put my 2002 Grand 2.2dCi through the 72,000 mile / 120.000 km service I thought I'd share with you my experiences and the costs.
I had contemplated doing the service myself but as usual finding the time was a problem and the scheduled service mileage happened to coincide with a week away in Finland on a business trip so I didn't need the car. I hadn't had very good experience with my nearest main dealer having had some warranty jobs undertaken there when it was new and so had been using another main dealer (a smaller independent dealership not part of a group) about 25 miles /40 km away from home.
I let them have it from the Monday morning until Saturday morning so they should have been plenty of time to do the job properly.
The scheduled 75,000 mile / 120.000 km service includes the usual oil and filter change but also fuel, air and pollen filters plus changing the timing belt and tensioner, the accessories belt, the brake fluid and the coolant.
The bill came to £890.73 plus VAT = £1046.61
I had asked them, whilst they had the coolant drained, with the belts off and having the access through the wheel arch, to also change the water pump as a precautionary measure and to save another big bill for removing all the same components at some time in the future if/when the water pump failed. But they rang me part way through the job to say that the water pump could not be replaced without taking the complete engine out. As if that isn't scary enough the real scary thing is that they had already ordered a water pump and didn't know that the engine had to come out to replace it until they had the car partially stripped!!! At least they didn't try to charge me for the water pump they couldn't fit.
The labour for doing the timing belt was itemised at £325 plus VAT and the belt and tensioner kit was £119.99 plus 17.5% VAT. Labour for the rest of the work was £208.00 plus VAT and the remainder of the bill was for filters, oil, brake fluid and antifreeze. Of course they add other items like £1.85 for screen wash even though the washer bottle was full to the brim when it went in.... and 2 hose clips.... but I still haven't found which ones they replaced as I can't see any shiny new ones!
I also checked the pollen filters because they charged £84.97 plus VAT for the kit of two filters for the air-con and they are only £10 from Euro Car Parts. However, I now know the difference. The genuine Renault filters are carbon impregnated as they should be and the ones from Euro Car Parts are just micro-fibre.
But, having thought that at least taking the car to this smaller independent dealer I may just get a proper job done I still had to take it back for rectification work.
To access the belts they remove the right front wheel and have to remove the two plastic inner wheel arch covers but they hadn't pop-riveted the two pieces of plasic back together, just left them flapping.
To replace one of the pollen filters the wiper motor, mounting and mechanism has to be removed which means removing the wiper arms and the plastic scuttle panel at the bottom of the windscreen. In doing so they'd made a real mess of one of the washer hose brackets (looks like they'd dropped in on the floor and stood on it) and presumably having either damaged or lost the two small bolts that hold the scuttle panel in place (and obviously couldn't be bothered ordering replacements) they instead used silicone (and white at that!) to bond the plastic panel to the windscreen!!!
In relative terms I suppose only small things... BUT when you've just handed to them over a thousand pounds (1500 euro) shouldn't you be able to expect the work to be carried out properly?
But instead it cost me fuel for the 80 km round trip and another two hours to go back and get it sorted when having let them have the car for a full week even if they had damaged or lost parts they should have had time to get replacements and do the job properly.
But the worse thing is that you come away thinking that if they have charged over a thousand pounds for this work and can still leave things wrong that are visible then what have they left not done properly in areas that are not visible such as with the timing belt.
And within 2 weeks of getting it back I now have a problem getting it started... but I'll put up a separate post on that issue
Nice car... Shame about the Dealers.
Martin
Author
