Im trying to work out a business plan and need a rough idea of how long it takes to service an average car but have never timed myself servicing my
car.
[Edited on 25-6-09 by speedyxjs]
Arent all of the car service times detailed in the Autodate books.
Actual time probs depends on level of service being undertaken. I had mine done at a local garage a while ago. Went in for basic oil service. However
the guy sensibly suggested that since it is the first time he had seem the car he would like to strip down the brakes and check them over too. Yes it
got more money out of me but he was still competitive and gave piece of mind.
You need a bit more information than that. All the manufacturers quote 'book' times for servicing. Clearly this varies with the complexity
of the service involved and the type of car. You need to find this out first. If you just want a rough ball park figure perhaps 2.5 to 4 hours for a
major service on a a typical family car.
If you want specifics look here.
covering what though?
brakes & engine & gearbox oil? or just the engine?
I dont have autodata yet.
I am just after a rough figure for brakes, engine, gearbox and a general look over for the average car. Say 2.0 focus for example.
Mike - What cars have a service time of 2.5 - 4 hours?
[Edited on 25-6-09 by speedyxjs]
Rather depends on the car and the level of service.
Some cars are real pig's to work on, even for simple things like spark plug changes. On older cars getting things like brake disks off (if they
need changing) can require serious brute force.
I'd say anything from 30mins (simple filters and oil change) up to 8hrs (only for the extreme case of the cam-belt needing a scheduled
replacement on something where the engine needs to be removed to do the job).
Took a smart in to get the Aircon regassed (under warranty) on Monday morning. Got it back 5pm yesterday.
Therefore servicing a car in Spain takes a very long time.
A while ago I worked for a national all make chain of garages. We used to book all major services for 2.5 hours. In reality a few took less time but
most took longer.
This applies to pretty much any regular car but there are always going to be exceptions where you've got to take half the car apart to get at the
plugs, rusted on parts, rounded nuts, snapped studs....
Are you sure you want to do this? It's great working on your own car but trying to get a neglected, rusty heap to run right is no fun believe me.
quote:
Originally posted by MikeCapon
Are you sure you want to do this? It's great working on your own car but trying to get a neglected, rusty heap to run right is no fun believe me.
I was talking to local garage operator recently. Std times and working out a fair cost is obviously good, but some garages seem to have a discussion in the background to charge a similar price for std work in a local area to keep trade fair between them all. Sounded strange to me in one way but i guess also stops (prevents?) the situation where one undercuts the rest and starts a trade war. I guess the other side to your business plan should be to see what the competition are advertising basic services at. Only problem with this is you dont know if they have a policy of selling additional work to customers that isnt advertised.
It depends on the car. Modern cars aren't really designed for ease of servicing. I can service my old Micra in about an hour.
To replace just the fuel filter on my diesel Megane takes hours because you have to take the bumper off....
Thanks for the replys guys
I think il work on 4 hours per car to start with. That way i can get a rough idea and book more when i get more used to it
We charge 2.5 hours for a major service and 1.5 hours for an interim service. Thats on "normal" everyday cars. On anything exotic and 4
wheel drives we will ad another half an hour on top. Again all depends the vehicle and how much plastic rubbish we have to remove to get to the part
we need to replace. Experience plays a part here too. On a dealership that they service the same vehicles everyday the job will get done quicker, but
you will still get charged the same.
Good luck with your new venture. Don't forged that you will need at list two diagnostic tools to cover euro and asian vehicles for ECU reading as
you SHOULD do at the end of every service. I can tell you now that they not comming cheap. You will also need them for turning the service lights out
at the cars you will be servicing. We got two at the cost of £8000 but we do allot of diagnostcs the same time. Oh also you will need something like
Autodata for your service scedules.......and they not coming cheap either........good luck.
quote:
Originally posted by DarrenW
some garages seem to have a discussion in the background to charge a similar price for std work in a local area to keep trade fair between them all
Times must be getting hard because the local Aston Martin + Jaguar dealer is advertising servicing on all makes "from £99"... at their
likely rates, the service probably consists of making sure that the light goes on when you open the door
[Edited on 25.06.2009 by Humbug]
there's probably a better market for just offering simple services, like changing filters and oil, maybe brake servicing rather than more involved work like timing belts, clutches or fault finding as most garages do. That way you could turn around more cars and not have to splash out on expensive diagnostic equipment, plus you'd probably end up making a lot more money too.
Hi,
I've just done the 40k mile service on my wife's SEAT Altea 1.6 petrol. I bought genuine parts from SEAT and did the work myself in an
afternoon. THis included the full SEAT service schedule (as I have access to a copy of their service software) including:
Air Filter, Oil Filter, Cabin Filter, Oil Change, Spark Plug change, numerous checks and lubrication of door hinges. I also did a full valet of the
car but that took most of the next day...
The spark plugs were a bit tricky to replace as they are hard to get to being in amongst the fuel injection rail and they were very very tight due to
so rusting of the plugs. I definitely wouldn't recommend running a set of plugs for longer than 40k miles or they could be a real problem to
extract! I had to use plusgas to release number 4 spark plug as it was so tight I was worried it was going to snap!
SEAT quoted me £250 to carry out this service which I think included about 3 hours of labour. I did it in about 4 hours and it cost me £80 for all
genuine parts including the oil.
Older cars will probably give you more problems due to things seizing up (eg. spark plugs, sump plugs, undertray fixings etc) so watch out for
that.
You should look at competitor rates including main dealer rates for services on different cars as this will give you a clue as to the time required.
You may need to accept a lower profit level initially while you get up to speed and will make money on some cars and lose money on others. You can
also offer added cost extras such as timing belt, water pump and brake fluid replacement. The brake fluid change is a good one as I was quoted £50 to
have it done by SEAT whereas the fluid itself only cost me £6-odd and simply involves pushing 250ml of fluid through each bleed nipple. Easy money
when the car is already up on the ramp...
Good luck!
Craig.
Yup... Agree
I just had my brake flexi's changed. I suppplied the flexi pipes.
They had to cut off the old steel pipes (original factory ones) and had to make me 3 new cupronickel ones). They managed to round off the brass nuts
on the pipes (yes Brass fittings on the pipes!)
It was a bastard to get at, as I had already tried, and it really needed a proper lift.
They charged £15 for a litre of brake fluid, and £40 for the 3 brake pipes they made.
now I know that 25ft of pipe costs less than £10, and a litre of fluid is similar or less.
Apart from the labour charge at £40 per hour, I thought the parts were exorbitant.
This is where the garages make their money.
It wasnt a really difficult job, it was straightforward but difficult to get at without the lift.
Still I couldnt have done it lying on my back and with a hernia to boot. It looks like the pipes and flexi's were the original Volvo factory
fitments.
Still better safe than sorry where brakes are concerned.
quote:
Originally posted by craig1410
Hi,
I've just done the 40k mile service on my wife's SEAT Altea 1.6 petrol. I bought genuine parts from SEAT and did the work myself in an afternoon. THis included the full SEAT service schedule (as I have access to a copy of their service software) including:
Air Filter, Oil Filter, Cabin Filter, Oil Change, Spark Plug change, numerous checks and lubrication of door hinges. I also did a full valet of the car but that took most of the next day...
The spark plugs were a bit tricky to replace as they are hard to get to being in amongst the fuel injection rail and they were very very tight due to so rusting of the plugs. I definitely wouldn't recommend running a set of plugs for longer than 40k miles or they could be a real problem to extract! I had to use plusgas to release number 4 spark plug as it was so tight I was worried it was going to snap!
SEAT quoted me £250 to carry out this service which I think included about 3 hours of labour. I did it in about 4 hours and it cost me £80 for all genuine parts including the oil.
Older cars will probably give you more problems due to things seizing up (eg. spark plugs, sump plugs, undertray fixings etc) so watch out for that.
You should look at competitor rates including main dealer rates for services on different cars as this will give you a clue as to the time required. You may need to accept a lower profit level initially while you get up to speed and will make money on some cars and lose money on others. You can also offer added cost extras such as timing belt, water pump and brake fluid replacement. The brake fluid change is a good one as I was quoted £50 to have it done by SEAT whereas the fluid itself only cost me £6-odd and simply involves pushing 250ml of fluid through each bleed nipple. Easy money when the car is already up on the ramp...
Good luck!
Craig.
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
there's probably a better market for just offering simple services, like changing filters and oil, maybe brake servicing rather than more involved work like timing belts, clutches or fault finding as most garages do. That way you could turn around more cars and not have to splash out on expensive diagnostic equipment, plus you'd probably end up making a lot more money too.
"" The brake fluid change is a good one as I was quoted £50 to have it done by SEAT whereas the fluid itself only cost me £6-odd and simply
involves pushing 250ml of fluid through each bleed nipple. Easy money when the car is already up on the ramp... ""
can you elaborate on this as I now have 2 cars past their brake fluid change , simply because I was'nt going to have the garage charge £90 for it
on the last (needed the book stamped) service.
I can't say I believe it's particularly nessesary either, but if there's an easy way I might do it
quote:
I can't say I believe it's particularly nessesary either
quote:
Originally posted by ReMan
"" The brake fluid change is a good one as I was quoted £50 to have it done by SEAT whereas the fluid itself only cost me £6-odd and simply involves pushing 250ml of fluid through each bleed nipple. Easy money when the car is already up on the ramp... ""
can you elaborate on this as I now have 2 cars past their brake fluid change , simply because I was'nt going to have the garage charge £90 for it on the last (needed the book stamped) service.
I can't say I believe it's particularly nessesary either, but if there's an easy way I might do it