Hora I’m well aware of what FSH is. Show me one service schedule that includes taking the engine out or any of the other things you mentioned (we’ll forget about Boxer engines for now).

Full SERVICE history is exactly that, a history of the services performed according to manufacturers instructions and a stamp in the book. What it does not include is any other bits and pieces that may pop up, suspension components and all sorts can be changed and there is no way you would ever know if the receipts weren’t included. In short, FSH means bugger all if you drive it like a dick, thrash the arse out of it and then get it fixed up for selling. Just like a clean MOT sheet doesn’t tell you anything about the life up to its pre MOT check.

I took my Superb in for it’s first service at 17000 miles (on variable service)
It was in March so it was on it’s winter tyres/steel wheels/wheel trims
I was told when I picked it up “the rear discs are badly corroded” and gave me an eyewatering suggested cost. I went home, had a look at the disc through the wheel covers and couldn’t see any sign of corrosion, pitting or lipping on the discs. I phoned them up “oh, when we took the wheels off it was much more obvious”. I pointed out that the zip ties on the wheel covers were exactly as I had left them so the wheels hadn’t been taken off. “Oh, I”ll check”she said, came back, admitted they hadn’t taken the wheels off after all, but the “technician had seen the back of the disc when on the ramp”
Hmmmm ‘I’ll leave it for now” I said
When I had the wheels off to change to the summer alloys a few weeks later guess what…….. No visisble corrosion, lipping or pitting anywhere inside or outside of the discs.

I pointed out that the zip ties on the wheel covers were exactly as I had left them so the wheels hadn’t been taken off.

Lying @?*&s!! What dealer was it? Wasn’t anywhere in the est of Scotland was it. Wouldn’t want to use them for my Octavia.

My local dealer, West Midlands, not the one I bought it from, but the closest. I won’t be getting the next service/first MOT done there
To be fair, I Think it was the service receptionist making assumptions without checking with the person who had actually done the work, but still not good

Not read all of the posts but as someone who “served thier time” in the ’70s to C&G Master Craftsman level it does P me off. I worked for a main dealer, Rover, Land Rover, Triumph, Jaguar and Daimler. That all needed and we became VW dealers, the first Polos to be imported. Left that lot to work at a Ford dealer.
Neither of these employers adopted any of these tactics as far as I’m aware.
Customers were informed of any remedial work required. Of it was required during service they were contacted. This in the days before mobile phones or internet 😀
I’m not saying it didn’t happen, but certainly not where I worked.
With the evolution of “quick fit centres” it certainly became common “practice” locally 🙄

I hate to defend main dealers, but these guys are ace (and I’m judging this from a background with an apprenticeship at a vehicle manufacturer and worked in automotive R&D for 25 years):

http://www.rigbye.citroen.co.uk/about-us/dealer-team/

Proper family owned, village based dealers. Long established with zero staff turnover so the workshop guys are very experienced and can properly diagnose things (not just random change-and-hope because that is what the fault code reader said). Don’t upsell. Don’t rip off. If I want to do stuff myself then give discount on OEM spares (but reasonable prices and laziness / lack of time mean I’m letting them do more stuff as I get older). If I’m letting them do it then can drop off from about 07:15 (keys and a check round with one of the bosses not the cleaner) and the same guys are still there at 18:00.

On the one occasion we had a major issue with a vehicle it was sorted swiftly to our satisfaction at a fair compromise price.

The only downside is I’m now loathe to try other manufacturers due to the flesh creep I get on entering regular dealerships…..

My local Audi garage used to get up to every trick in the book usually prefaced with “Audi recommend …” including changing all 4 tyres as one has some “damage” which when asked they where unable to show. Worst was a manifold vent they said needed replacing £2000+ when we decline they offered a special price of £1300. We took it to an independent who charged £60 to reconnect a fitting which had “come lose”. The problem arose a few days after a service I was convinced they’d loosened it. My neighbour had warned me about them and told me to go to a different Audi franchise.

That being said have had faultless main dealer service on our other car over the past 8 years.

Wiper blades, pads and discs – easily inspected yourself. If you are a light braking, planning ahead type they go on forever.

Most places are at it if they change them out. I have had 3 week old wiper blades replaced because they were “smearing” Were they hell!

I now order what needs done as I find it myself and then MOT. I also follow them around underneath the car at inspection with a torch. Always get the work done at a different garage, or MOT at an MOT only place.

My local dealer, West Midlands

Could you be more specific? My mum just got her new skoda from a new place in west mids as the old one stopped selling skoda. Email is in profile if you dont want to go public

Local Honda dealer has been pretty good, however clutch and flywheel needed replacing recentley and they did it on a price match to compete with a very good local indie. I went with the main dealer as they lent me a car, when I paid up the service secretary type lady emphasised how they only made 40 quid out of doing the work and was moaning about it so I-
Reminded her it was her personally that agreed to do it on said price match and then went onto show her a main dealer that sells genuine parts at half the prices they charge, at this point the service manager interviened and looked at my evidence and said thats a trade price, so I call the other dealer in front of them and confirmed the prices were non trade which the other dealer confirmed. Needless to say the service manager looked embarassed and the secretary went quiet very quickly.

Moral of the story they dont get the name stealers for no good reason, local indie for me from now on

I am the op on this thread and the dealer is trust Skoda stourbridge.
The main reason I started this thread was to highlight that if you did not have any experience of the motor trade you may well have paid for unnecessary work.
I have checked the service book and it has not been stamped so that is another row brewing.
As I said in the op I am c&g qualified mechanic and ex mot tester. If I can I’m popping in to see the service manager on Monday.

Good for you sargey, it seems an FSH is only as good as the paper its written on!

Thanks for that op. My mum just bought a car from them! I’ll have to keep a close eye on them. Shame as the old lot just outside kiddi were very good. MYbe I should get her to have them service it.