Fair price for oil, filter, and brake fluid change ?

[Dave Newell]

ips - 2012-08-08 11:48 AM

 

I agree with all of BGD

I am about to do oil and filter change on my van, i spoke to my very reputable garage that has done all of my company and private vehicles for last 20 yrs and if never mentioned that it needed brake fluid change. My van also 3yrs old 12k. Been a while since i did any work on vehicles myself but i cant believe its gonna cost me 80 quid for oil from my local parts shop who i have also dealt with for in excess of 20 yrs. Will report back in next few weeks on total cost of my job.

Ps

had oil and filter changed by my chap last year cant remember exact cost but Defo wasnt over 100 quid or i would have remembered and prob fired him off by now if it was over 100 quid.

 

Your Ford shouldn't require £80 worth of oil. For a start it doesn't need as much as the 3 litre Fiat and it is a cheaper grade that is required.

 

We do need to compare like with like here.

 

D.

[ham]

My local Fiat dealer shut down soi Had only the choice of 2 garages 30 miles away both fiat dealers They quoted me £270 for my service at 26.000. I was told about BT fleet service they not only service BTs fleet, along with others they service the AA fleet, they also do none conmmercial Cars, Vans etc. I rang them up and they gave a quote very good.for a Full service (No brake fluid change).£185.....Couple of my motorhome mates around the country have also used them. check out http://www.btfleet.com/ProductsandServices/FleetManagement/GarageServices.aspx Give them a Phone call they will quote you for the service you require. I am having my timing belt changed at the end of the year and the have quoted me £90

[ips]

Dave Newell - 2012-08-08 2:43 PM

 

ips - 2012-08-08 11:48 AM

 

I agree with all of BGD

I am about to do oil and filter change on my van, i spoke to my very reputable garage that has done all of my company and private vehicles for last 20 yrs and if never mentioned that it needed brake fluid change. My van also 3yrs old 12k. Been a while since i did any work on vehicles myself but i cant believe its gonna cost me 80 quid for oil from my local parts shop who i have also dealt with for in excess of 20 yrs. Will report back in next few weeks on total cost of my job.

Ps

had oil and filter changed by my chap last year cant remember exact cost but Defo wasnt over 100 quid or i would have remembered and prob fired him off by now if it was over 100 quid.

 

Your Ford shouldn't require £80 worth of oil. For a start it doesn't need as much as the 3 litre Fiat and it is a cheaper grade that is required.

 

We do need to compare like with like here.

 

D.

 

that answers it then, buy a ford. Ha.

Seriously though yes your right it obviously is not a fair comparison thanks for clarifying it.

[sshortcircuit]

ham - 2012-08-08 3:00 PM

 

My local Fiat dealer shut down soi Had only the choice of 2 garages 30 miles away both fiat dealers They quoted me £270 for my service at 26.000. I was told about BT fleet service they not only service BTs fleet, along with others they service the AA fleet, they also do none conmmercial Cars, Vans etc. I rang them up and they gave a quote very good.for a Full service (No brake fluid change).£185.....Couple of my motorhome mates around the country have also used them. check out http://www.btfleet.com/ProductsandServices/FleetManagement/GarageServices.aspx Give them a Phone call they will quote you for the service you require. I am having my timing belt changed at the end of the year and the have quoted me £90

 

Philip, if you are getting a timing belt changed for £90, get it done now before they increase the price as that sounds very reasonable. Does the price include belt and tensioners etc?

[ham]

Thinking about it, I am not sure I will have to ask them when i book an appointment in December. they did offer to do it same time as the service for £80 but I declined as i knew i would be doing quiet a lot of milage this year. just had a quote this morning for my van MOT £29 at a local ford dealer.But they fitted the wrong Tyre on my Car.So I won't be taking the van there.Phil

[Robinhood]

ips - 2012-08-08 2:04 PM

 

Dr Dave - 2012-08-08 12:52 PM

 

I paid my local independent and trusted mechanic £120 for a three year service on our 09 transit he was very apologetic about the price but would only use genuine ford oil which is expensive and apparently essential.

Dave

 

why is ford oil essential surely as long as its correct type and viscocity it Doesnt matter ?

 

There is a specific Ford rating for the engine oil, WSS-M2C913-C, (which has recently been upped in spec from WSS-M2C913-B).

 

It isn't difficult to source aftermarket oils that meet this specification, but one needs to be careful.

 

Castrol Magnatec 5W/30 is the brand recommended in my handbook (Not Ford's own oil), but this comes in several flavours, only one of which (designated A1) meets the Ford specification.

[George Collings]

Dave,

 

How about setting our our scripts to a nice tune and sing it as duet at the next MMM seminar.

[euroserv]

About oil.............

 

When the Transit was up-dated in 2000 the spec for the 'new' 2.4 engine was 5W30 which was an odd spec back then and was quite expensive. Within a year or so this cost became more reasonable as more oil manufacturers ramped up production. This is considered a critical spec of oil though and Ford have on many occasions gotten themselves out of expensive warranty claims if use of the correct oil could not be proven. Personally I always thought that if you need a fancy oil in your product, you are not very good at designing engines, but I am only an Engineer!

 

Fiat have specified 5W40 since 2005 and this was just as uncommon then, but much more the norm now. I gather the Euro 5 vehicles have a choice of 5W30 or 5W40 now but any vehicle that has a DPF (and that includes absolutely ALL makes of vehicle) also needs a 'LOW SAPS' oil or (as many BMW owners found to their great cost), serious damage to the DPF can result.

 

As a rule; all oils from Franchised outlets will be expensive, and the after-market should hold relative bargains on oils that have been in common use for at least 12 months. Do watch out for offers at the dealerships though; from time to time there may be a 'buy the oil filter and air filter, get the oil free' type deal and these represent good value.

 

If you have paid £80 for oil for a Transit I would seriously question the integrity of the supplier because that is over £12 per litre! (Unless you bought it in 500ml bottles!) Even my car that uses 0W60 synthetic racing oil does not cost that much!

 

Stick to a well known brand of oil and you will be fine, and shop around for the best prices.

 

Nick

[Guest peter]

BGD - 2012-08-07 10:31 PM

 

Why on Earth are you thinking of having all your brake fluid changed at 3 years and only 8,500 miles?

You haven't even run that thing in yet.

These vans were designed to do starship mileages in 3 years.

 

God, how I wish I was a Fiat Dealer.

Or even better, the person who writes the "this is when you need to have utterly needless stuff done to your virtually van, by one of our 70 quid an hour Fiat Main Dealers" in the owners manual.

(The spotty junior apprentice chimp will be doing this most simple of work on your pride and joy, but that's our standard labour rate Gov.).

 

Change the oil and filter yourself in 30 minutes, don't worry about the brake fluid for about 10 years or 100,000 miles; and spend the other one-hundred-and-fifty quid on going away in your MH for a long weekend or more.

 

You know what they say Bruce, there's a mug round every corner. :D

[Guest peter]

Dr Dave - 2012-08-08 12:52 PM

 

I paid my local independent and trusted mechanic £120 for a three year service on our 09 transit he was very apologetic about the price but would only use genuine ford oil which is expensive and apparently essential.

Dave

No such thing as "genuine ford oil". Ford don't make oil, they only specify the grade and viscosity etc to a producer. Then they stick their name on it and charge more for the priveledge of you putting it in your vehicle. You can buy perfectly acceptable oil at any motor factor or halfords, as long as it meets the spec' as quoted in the vehicle manual.

[BGD]

peter - 2012-08-08 10:55 PM

 

Dr Dave - 2012-08-08 12:52 PM

 

I paid my local independent and trusted mechanic £120 for a three year service on our 09 transit he was very apologetic about the price but would only use genuine ford oil which is expensive and apparently essential.

Dave

No such thing as "genuine ford oil". Ford don't make oil, they only specify the grade and viscosity etc to a producer. Then they stick their name on it and charge more for the priveledge of you putting it in your vehicle. You can buy perfectly acceptable oil at any motor factor or halfords, as long as it meets the spec' as quoted in the vehicle manual.

 

 

 

Bingo!

 

 

[Robinhood]

peter - 2012-08-08 9:55 PM

 

No such thing as "genuine ford oil". Ford don't make oil, they only specify the grade and viscosity etc to a producer. Then they stick their name on it and charge more for the priveledge of you putting it in your vehicle. You can buy perfectly acceptable oil at any motor factor or halfords, as long as it meets the spec' as quoted in the vehicle manual.

 

....well, if you use that as your criterion, there are very few "genuine Ford" parts that are supplied by Ford dealers. Much of your average Ford vehicle is simply specified by Ford, and bought in (and often rebadged) from suppliers (Bosch, Siemens, Johnson Controls, Visteon, etc.).

 

Ford, however, would consider these to be "genuine Ford" parts.

 

As far as changing Brake Fluid is concerned, though (as I've posted on a separate recent thread) I don't conform to the recommended Ford 2 year cycle (given my lower than average pattern of mileage), I wouldn't want to risk things without a "boil test" being carried out, or for significantly extended periods.

 

I plan to extend my interval to 3 years (as I have with my car). The theory being that water absorption is inevitably going to be time dependent.

 

Whilst brake fluid technology has improved (DOT5 fluid for instance is non-hygroscopic - but unfortunately the Transit is specified with DOT4, which is hygroscopic), so has braking technology, and there are numerous systemic examples of, for instance, ABS pump failures - a complex component with very tight clearances that was almost non-existent in the days when most of us cut our teeth on car maintenance. In a number of circumstances, manufacturers are blaming the lack of conformance to fluid replacement schedules for damage to these expensive components (and refusing warranty or goodwill claims).

 

So, you pays your money and you takes your choice - but in the scheme of things a relatively small charge to change the fluid at a reasonably regular interval doesn't seem too extravagant to me (and it is interesting to read Nick's (Euroserv) post on his practical experience).

[ips]

I dont recall ever having brake oil replaced either by my reputable mechanic or a main dealer, I do 30k per year and have had many vehicles up to 170k before they have died on me and never because of brake failiure. Read into that what you will , I make no specific point just stating a fact.

[Dave Newell]

ips - 2012-08-09 11:37 AM

 

I dont recall ever having brake oil replaced either by my reputable mechanic or a main dealer, I do 30k per year and have had many vehicles up to 170k before they have died on me and never because of brake failiure. Read into that what you will , I make no specific point just stating a fact.

 

Then you have been extremely lucky!

 

I have personally experienced brake fluid boil and the spongy pedal that results going down Winnatt's pass in the high peak district and all I can say is it focuses one's attention (it also leads to teeth marks in the driver's seat).

 

I have also seen and replaced the rusty and leaking wheel cylinders that result from fluid not being changed at the reccomended intervals on occasions too numerous to count.

 

You guys can all do what you like but I will continue to replace brake fluid in our own vehicles when my tester says it has more than 3% water content and I will advise my customers likewise, whether they choose to have it done is up to them but I will advise as I see fit on a safety basis.

 

D.

[Guest peter]

I can't see any reason why anyone would not change brake fluid periodically, after all it's not difficult or expensive to do. It could be very expensive if you don't though.

[Clive]

Here is your starter

TESCO Semi-Synthetic oil £7.50 per 5 litre

 

C.

[BGD]

peter - 2012-08-09 10:36 PM

 

I can't see any reason why anyone would not change brake fluid periodically, after all it's not difficult or expensive to do. It could be very expensive if you don't though.

 

 

I think the issue in debate is what "periodically" means.

 

 

After 1 year? 3 years? 5 years? 7 years?

At 10,000 miles? 20,000? 30,000? 100,000?

 

Different time intervals/mileages if DOT5 rather than DOT4?

[Dave Newell]

DOT 4 is conventional brake fluid and hygroscopic, generally received wisdom is it should be replaced at three year intervals. I test fluid with a simple electronic tester, it simply measures the electrical resistance. Pure brake fluid does not conduct electrickery but as more moisture collects in the fluid its electrical resistance is reduced. Better/more expensive testers boil a sample and measure the boiling temperature. DOT 5 fluid is silicone based and non hygroscopic so never really needs to be replaced. DO NOT MIX DOT 4 WITH DOT 5 or vise versa, they are NOT mutually compatible!

 

D.

[Derek Uzzell]

Regarding oil for Fords, a 5W/30 grade was/is advised for many Ford models not just the 2000-onwards Transit.

 

When my Mk 5 Transit is serviced I supply the oil myself. Around 6 litres is needed and I've always sourced the oil from a local Morrisons branch. Morrisons has been selling the Carlube brand for a while, with semi-synthetic 5W/30 oil available for (I think) around £17 for 4 litres.

 

As Clive indicates, there are 'bargains' around and it seems that some Tesco branches had a recent clearance offer of Carlube semi-synthetic oil (in various grades) at £5 for 4 litres.