[Closed] "In 'n' Out" car servicing.. ???

DIY?

all they really do though is change your oil and filter by the sound of it. It would cost about 30 quid to do this yourself - 25 oil and 5 quid filter max.

A small independent would be cheaper still I'm sure - especially if you took the bits.

Their basic service takes less than half an hour. That's about enough time to do the oil and filter, check a few bulbs and plug the diagnostics machine in, possibly grease the door hinges as garages always seem to view that as essential.

They most likely won't have the time to do any of the other tasks that are generally on manufacturer schedules, like checking brake disk / pad thickness, leaks, suspension linkages, belts, bearing play etc.

In other words, they do the absolute bare minimum. But so do a lot of other places, including dealers, unless you specify that you want an Inspection 1/2 service or whatever the manufacturer calls it.

I alwasy take mine to the main dealer for a service, but tell them to do nothing if they find anything and we can discuss the work when I call back. Then I take it to my mate who charges £25 an hour to do the work after they do diagnostic.

Good independent garage every time for me, be aware of 'specialists' who try and make out they specialise in one make, some are great, others use it as an excuse to charge you the earth and be rather overvigilant in their reporting of wear- esp when it comes to consumables such as brakes/pads.
I am lucky enough to have a Jag XKR and use a local garage who charge me £30 plus VAT rather than the 135 quid an hour the main dealers charge, the car is far better maintained and I use the money savings to replace everything twice as often as per schedule. Not everyone is luckly enough to have such a place locally, but I would choose that option over in-out servicing if a good independent exhists.

I've had MOTs done there and never had any problems.

find a back street garage on reccomendation from someone you know.

I know of my Old mans, in telford area, and mine in Exeter area:

on first name terms, they keep any parts they deem need replacing to show why and I trust them enough to drop keys through the letterbox first thing in the morning, and give them permission to do what needs doing, without worrying theyre not creating work for themselves.
not much cheaper than peugeot, but i feel they know better what theyre doing!

[i]I'm getting a bit fed up with main dealer prices for so called servicing[/i]

Too right - £250 to change the oil, plugs, pollen filter, check a few bits and stamp the book. What a rip-off.

And WHY do they have to move the seat, steering wheel and the door mirrors all out of position??

still have mine done at (VW) main dealer, mainly because they keep picking up other stuff and doing it under warranty. They also do a scheme where we pay £9 a month for 30 months and it covers the three services in that period (would come to over £600 if we paid one at a time)

I hate main dealer service but as their price is reduced by the scheme to a sensible level i keep going back.

Thanks for the feedback people.

I'm going to get a Haynes manual for my car £20.

Checked out the bits required in Halfords today for a basic service.

Plugs, Oil Filter, Air Filter and Brakes Pads (not required yet) all at ballpark figure of £60. And the labour will be free.