Service due, opinions please

[DCS01 27]

Afternoon,  hope you are all doing well.

Still trying to find my feet with a few bits.   
 

I am still not 100% sure of when to service cars before delivery.   Most of my stock is up to 10 years max 100k miles.   I am used to JLR/Audi standards of minimum 3 months/3k miles until service.  

For example I have an 11 plate Ibiza with 80k miles someone viewing tomorrow. Service due 30th July, my gut feeling is to get it done but wanted some opinions.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[Kes 7]

Personally I give fresh service to all my stock unless it has had recent service. And I would service that Ibiza. Won't cost a fortune and might save few headaches later on... 

 

[DCS01 27]

Thanks.   I have given it a fresh ticket.  My thoughts were for the sake of £150 quid it takes the headache of them taking it somewhere and some b end trying to tell them it needs work

[Bmx Bandits 52]

We always find it best to service and mot stock, ideally before advertising, it hasn’t got to be a full service just a warranty/multipoint inspection and lubrication service (oil change) and stamp the book accordingly. Put in in your advert and it can only help sell the car and stop the purchaser taking it to kwik-fit for one of their cheap services and finding £1000+ of exhaust/brakes/battery/suspension issues that you will then have to argue about and potential end up with a nasty review

[Rory RSC 596]

Oil and filter change and new mot. 
2 benefits - it’s a selling point.

You know the car is right and it then keeps it away from going to a garage to rip it to shreds. 
 

what’s the cost on something like that £15 for parts and maybe £20 for someone to do it.

no brainer. 
 

You can add what looks like a lot of value to a retail customer for not a lot of value to you. 
 

[BHM 994]

11 hours ago, Bmx Bandits said:

Put in in your advert and it can only help sell the car and stop the purchaser taking it to kwik-fit for one of their cheap services and finding £1000+ of exhaust/brakes/battery/suspension issues that you will then have to argue about and potential end up with a nasty review

 Very true.

However, in reality what are the chances of a buyer of an 11yr old Ibiza taking it for a service? I’ve more chance of Lord Lucan riding up to my front door on Shergar! Knowing the typical horrid greedy buyer profile of that sort of car I’d seriously imagine it’s already had its last ever service. 

£30 quid’s worth of oil, filter & labour would be money well spent for the seller, although it won’t be appreciated.

Edited May 6, 2021 by BHM

[umesh 336]

Get it serviced, MOT'd , say it in the adverts and most of all, its ready to drive away immediately when a buyer turns up for it! none of come back in a few days while we put it through ... ! Almost every single car of mine is ready to go today!  

[Rory RSC 596]

3 hours ago, BHM said:

 Very true.

However, in reality what are the chances of a buyer of an 11yr old Ibiza taking it for a service? I’ve more chance of Lord Lucan riding up to my front door on Shergar! Knowing the typical horrid greedy buyer profile of that sort of car I’d seriously imagine it’s already had its last ever service. 

£30 quid’s worth of oil, filter & labour would be money well spent for the seller, although it won’t be appreciated.

They love taking them for a service or check when they think you are going to be paying for it.

[Lazz 16]

Oil and filter and MOT at the least and stops them taking it elsewhere and all the pain that can cause.

[David Horgan 564]

Why would you not service and MOT everything you sell , Part of the inspection routine ,

I even service cars when they have been done last week , I want to know the oil and filters are top spec stuff not some ebay garbage parts . ,. Like brakes too strip clean , inspect , new pads and possible discs if needed . Advertise as done and show people the benefits . 

But the real reason is YOU know its going to be ok , 

[It's me 615]

2 hours ago, David Horgan said:

Why would you not service and MOT everything you sell , Part of the inspection routine ,

I even service cars when they have been done last week , I want to know the oil and filters are top spec stuff not some ebay garbage parts . ,. Like brakes too strip clean , inspect , new pads and possible discs if needed . Advertise as done and show people the benefits . 

But the real reason is YOU know its going to be ok , 

This

 

[Frank Cannon 812]

3 hours ago, David Horgan said:

Why would you not service and MOT everything you sell , Part of the inspection routine ,

I even service cars when they have been done last week , I want to know the oil and filters are top spec stuff not some ebay garbage parts . ,. Like brakes too strip clean , inspect , new pads and possible discs if needed . Advertise as done and show people the benefits . 

But the real reason is YOU know its going to be ok , 

Plus one. 

[Tony911 79]

6 hours ago, David Horgan said:

Why would you not service and MOT everything you sell , Part of the inspection routine ,

I even service cars when they have been done last week , I want to know the oil and filters are top spec stuff not some ebay garbage parts . ,. Like brakes too strip clean , inspect , new pads and possible discs if needed . Advertise as done and show people the benefits . 

But the real reason is YOU know its going to be ok , 

Exactly 

[BHM 994]

It seems that everyone fully services every single car sold. Absolutely staggering! I’m now looking out of my window for flying pigs.

[Tony911 79]

2 hours ago, BHM said:

It seems that everyone fully services every single car sold. Absolutely staggering! I’m now looking out of my window for flying pigs.

Not full service just oil and filter and a new mot we do. Don't see why everyone doesn't? 

[MattR 177]

I dont fully service, but an oil and filter change, plus the MOT, covers most bases. That counts as 'just serviced and MOT'd in my book.£30 MOT, £35 oil and filter, then whatever else it fails on. Joe Public thinks thats 300 quid plus. Build value, great help when advertising too. But I dont disagree BHM, on an 11 year old car, its probably the last time that it will get done

[David Horgan 564]

8 hours ago, BHM said:

It seems that everyone fully services every single car sold. Absolutely staggering! I’m now looking out of my window for flying pigs.

Every single car has its oil and filter changed , every single cars brakes are stripped and checked , replaced if required , tyres checked and changed if needed . arms , bushes brake pipes on older stuff either cleaned , or replaced if required , hand brakes adjusted were required . NO advisory MOT Follows every time . No piggies flying here 

But i do operate mostly in the more expensive end really 

[metcars 397]

Changing the oil qualifies as a service? 

[BHM 994]

12 hours ago, metcars said:

Changing the oil qualifies as a service? 

I’ve had this discussion twice this week & tbh a look at the service schedule on cars refers to “inspection of xxxx”, i.e. a look at xxxx. These cars being discussed here have also been MOTed which should more than account for the inspection of the safety items.....in theory!

About 25 years ago I complained to both a VW & a Vx dealerships about their services on company cars not including stripping & cleaning brakes and on both occasions was referred to the service schedule & told if I wanted a brake service I needed to ask for one.

I’m with you 100% on this but in answer to your original question I’d say Yes, usually it is. 

It certainly is with 90% of the public & it’s the reason so many cars miss the aux belt, timing belt, autobox oil change, plug changes etc. etc. - the additional service items. 

[David Horgan 564]

19 hours ago, metcars said:

Changing the oil qualifies as a service? 

Does at Main Dealers . Seen Audi S3 , A3 A4 all main dealer services , with stiff brakes , low pads , and worst of all air filters so clogged you could grow carrots in them . Even Oil filters that have all but dissolved in side they've been on that long , Horrendous really . 

Why we strip everything and re do the lot . Eliminates problems of the embarrassing kind then when some one fishes out a pollen filter or air filter that is blocked . 

When customers start bragging about full main dealer history , I start getting worried 

Edited May 9, 2021 by David Horgan

[metcars 397]

2 hours ago, David Horgan said:

Does at Main Dealers . Seen Audi S3 , A3 A4 all main dealer services , with stiff brakes , low pads , and worst of all air filters so clogged you could grow carrots in them . Even Oil filters that have all but dissolved in side they've been on that long , Horrendous really . 

Why we strip everything and re do the lot . Eliminates problems of the embarrassing kind then when some one fishes out a pollen filter or air filter that is blocked . 

When customers start bragging about full main dealer history , I start getting worried 

Agreed. But isn’t it more about how a main dealer service then appears cheaper to customer presumably?  Change the oil, visual checks, stamp the book, everyone’s happy.

[BHM 994]

5 hours ago, David Horgan said:

When customers start bragging about full main dealer history , I start getting worried 

Often these are the worst cars.

I’ve got an Isuzu that I could of planted spuds in the pollen filter & an X3 that was serviced by BMW less than 2500 miles ago & the brakes are on the metal. However, who’s to say what the owners directed the dealerships to do, and what not to do?

[MattR 177]

A service at a main dealer, halfords, anywhere a customer goes is all about checking and upselling. What actually needs doing to keep the car running well is the oil filter, then sometimes air and fuel filters, plugs. The rest of it is optional really. The customer pays the main dealer or independent to complete a checklist to say, good, fair or fucked for a series of components. Pretty much like an MOT....

[CRW 73]

For me, the only real advantage of a main dealer history is to maintain the manufacturers warranty if its something new.  Also, can be handy as hopefully any software updates should have been applied. Other than that, I would probably prefer to see an independent has worked on it, although the customer won't see it that way.

[BHM 994]

2 hours ago, CRW said:

Other than that, I would probably prefer to see an independent has worked on it, although the customer won't see it that way.

It’s funny how some punters (especially Vaggots) think they can be fussy over a main dealer history yet you know for a fact the greedy fuckers won’t go anywhere near a franchise when it’s coming out of their wallet.