Few things can make your pulse quicken like being handed the bill for your car’s service. Why is it that it is always more than you’d initially accounted for? Now, a new study has revealed the cheapest and most expensive areas in the country to have your car serviced.
According to the survey, the average price for labour in Britain is around £67 per hour. However, that rockets up to £234 per hour at the country’s most expensive garage – and that’s just for the labour! The study also revealed that Surrey is the most expensive place in the UK to have your car serviced, with an average price of £81.07 per hour for labour. Meanwhile, the cheapest place is the Scottish county of Selkirkshire, where an hour’s labour from a mechanic will set you back around £50.
How can you get the best deal?
The statistics reveal that having your car repaired can be a financial minefield. For those looking to cut down on motoring costs, here are some helpful tips and tricks you can use, which may aid you in saving money next time you visit a mechanic. Firstly, a good rule of thumb is to avoid chain and franchised outlets. These generally charge you more and you may even sacrifice the quality of work done on your vehicle. The cost of an independent mechanic versus a franchise can go from £56 to £99 per hour in some areas.
We recommend that you go in search of the cheapest garage and compare prices at the different garages local to you. We’ve found that this can save you a small fortune. We also recommend that you do some research online to find out the average cost of the work you’re having done. Before instructing your mechanic to proceed, compare the average cost to your quote to ensure you aren’t overpaying.
Be cost-conscious
After the work on your vehicle has been completed, double-check the final bill and look for any irregularities that may appear on it. A  statistic found that nearly 31% of a test group didn’t even check the final bill before paying it. By falling into this trap, you are putting yourself at risk of sneaky additions appearing on the final bill.
The fact that many motorists are so unaware of labour costs is part of the issue. It aids garages that seek to ramp up the final bill as much as possible. The statistics indicate that 77% of motorists have no idea how much the hourly rate was the last time they took their vehicle to be serviced.
If you would like to dispense with the cost of garages altogether, it’s worth checking out ClickMechanic. They provide fixed price quotes online for the cost of your repairs. The company then sends out a mechanic to whichever location is most convenient for you. You can find out more about the benefits of using the service here. Note that we also have a promotional offer running with them, which allows you to save 10% on all bookings when you use the code UNLEADED10 at checkout.
Let us know in the comments section below what you think of these new statistics. What do you do to save money when you get your car serviced? Do you know how much you paid for labour last time your car was repaired?
Image credit – PixabayÂ
Yes this is all very well and worth considering for older vehicles but what about new vehicles whose manufacturer’s warranty may be invalidated by having work done anywhere other than through a franchised dealer. Also, when using independent mechanics should you insist on OEM parts being used or not ?
I can tell you that this is a myth. Most motor factors’ parts are block exempt. Which means that the warranty would not be invalid. i can tell you this because i work at a motor factors. suppliers such as mann and hummel, delphi and many others are fit OE to vehicles anyway and are widely available in the aftermarket.
Ian makes a good point, and like him, currently with a new car we are tied to dealer servicing to maintain their service book records.
But these eye watering expenses CAN be avoided in many cases by finding out how your car works, and doing some work yourself. Some jobs are easily undertaken, and it doesn’t take a trained mechanic to change brake pads, oil, hoses or many other routine items. It just takes care, and is very satisfying. My best car investment is my well stocked toolbox.
Personally I despair of drivers who are so proud of their cars that they don’t even know where the bonnet catch is, and can’t even be bothered opening their handbook, or consulting the excellent online forums for most makes of car, to help to diagnose and fix problems.
Get your hands dirty guys and gals. There’s a great satisfaction out of knowing you’ve done a job yourself and saved pounds doing it.
Finally… If you DO have to rely on garages, ALWAYS check that the work has been done and ask to see the old parts. It’s not unknown for garages to claim to have done work that they have not done.
Not to forget that garages also so make considerable money from the supply of parts they fit. A lot of garages have cottoned onto the fact that most people, st least, check the hourly rate, so they lower the hourly rate and up the cost of materials. If you want to lower the cost if you know what needs replacing, ask if they will quote for fit only if you get the parts.
Avoid a so called service it is often no more than an oil change and most modern cars need very little attention if the driver is aware of what’s going on with their vehicle. Take the car for a specific job ie “check brakes” ” change oil” etc. The “service” cost is is often an inflated price for simple checks, most of main dealers profit comes from the service dept rather than the sales dept. Much better to use a reliable independent than a main dealer. Someone has to pay for the classy showroom and carpets, better its not you.
My recently purchased Nissan Qashqai has blank pages where the service schedule should be. The dealer wont provide the info and looking at forums it seems to be a common problem aimed at making owners use franchise dealers for servicing. It should be a requirement that full details are included in the service book otherwise what is the point of it. I want to know what service work should be done and when not just what has been claimed to have been done.
Labour charges per hour are only part of the problem. I had work done while I waited at a Ford garage and saw when the car went into and came out of the workshop. When I complained that I was being charged for longer than the car was being worked on, I was told that there was a fixed time for the job and the mechanic earned his bonus by doing it in a shorter time.
Yes this is all very well and worth considering for older vehicles but what about new vehicles whose manufacturer’s warranty may be invalidated by having work done anywhere other than through a franchised dealer. Also, when using independent mechanics should you insist on OEM parts being used or not ?
I can tell you that this is a myth. Most motor factors’ parts are block exempt. Which means that the warranty would not be invalid. i can tell you this because i work at a motor factors. suppliers such as mann and hummel, delphi and many others are fit OE to vehicles anyway and are widely available in the aftermarket.
Ian makes a good point, and like him, currently with a new car we are tied to dealer servicing to maintain their service book records.
But these eye watering expenses CAN be avoided in many cases by finding out how your car works, and doing some work yourself. Some jobs are easily undertaken, and it doesn’t take a trained mechanic to change brake pads, oil, hoses or many other routine items. It just takes care, and is very satisfying. My best car investment is my well stocked toolbox.
Personally I despair of drivers who are so proud of their cars that they don’t even know where the bonnet catch is, and can’t even be bothered opening their handbook, or consulting the excellent online forums for most makes of car, to help to diagnose and fix problems.
Get your hands dirty guys and gals. There’s a great satisfaction out of knowing you’ve done a job yourself and saved pounds doing it.
Finally… If you DO have to rely on garages, ALWAYS check that the work has been done and ask to see the old parts. It’s not unknown for garages to claim to have done work that they have not done.
Not to forget that garages also so make considerable money from the supply of parts they fit. A lot of garages have cottoned onto the fact that most people, st least, check the hourly rate, so they lower the hourly rate and up the cost of materials. If you want to lower the cost if you know what needs replacing, ask if they will quote for fit only if you get the parts.
Avoid a so called service it is often no more than an oil change and most modern cars need very little attention if the driver is aware of what’s going on with their vehicle. Take the car for a specific job ie “check brakes” ” change oil” etc. The “service” cost is is often an inflated price for simple checks, most of main dealers profit comes from the service dept rather than the sales dept. Much better to use a reliable independent than a main dealer. Someone has to pay for the classy showroom and carpets, better its not you.
My recently purchased Nissan Qashqai has blank pages where the service schedule should be. The dealer wont provide the info and looking at forums it seems to be a common problem aimed at making owners use franchise dealers for servicing. It should be a requirement that full details are included in the service book otherwise what is the point of it. I want to know what service work should be done and when not just what has been claimed to have been done.
Labour charges per hour are only part of the problem. I had work done while I waited at a Ford garage and saw when the car went into and came out of the workshop. When I complained that I was being charged for longer than the car was being worked on, I was told that there was a fixed time for the job and the mechanic earned his bonus by doing it in a shorter time.
Welding repair to chassis