Car service rip off

How can you shop around for a part/service price if you have no idea what will need to be done to the car?
 
If you have an owners manual it will give service intervals with the relevant parts to be replaced and when getting a quote the price in a main dealer would include these usually.ie spark plugs replaced every 18,000 mls so difference between 9,000 and 18,000 would be plugs etc.

After that you'd have to wait to see what the mechanics say regards brakes tyres etc.

You can ask the question: How much for an 18,000 mile service on my *****?, then say how much for front brake pads if I require them?
 
Just to update you all!

The garage are insisting that the bill is legitimate and are not backing down. They were actually quite defensive even though we were only querying the bill.

The bill as I said is €405. I was thinking of paying €300 and leaving it at that but I don't want to get myself in trouble.

Another local garage have consulted their mechanics and got back to me insiting that it only takes 2 mins to install the part that I was charged two hours labour for.
 
You should be able to get an itemised bill. Then you could query the amount of time for specific tasks with the manufacurer. However you should have agreed a price before hand. I know someone who was charged €20 for filling the wiper water with "cleaning fluid". Different garages have different prices for labour and some charge the full hour for something that only take 5 mins of an hour. Part thereof etc. Theres lots of scope to inflate the cost if you don't agree it before hand.

I always ask for a quotation, but ask them to ring for permission before doing anything thats increases the quote. If they then fail to ring and do extra work regardless. I refuse to pay, and have made them undo the work on occasion where they went ahead without permission.
 
update!

We paid the full bill. We looked for a discount but were refused. We told the garage we would never do business with them again. A friend of mine recently got stung by the same garage - a simple job that required 45 minutes of labour seemingly took 5 hours and she was charged nearly €800. On further enquiry she found out that she should have been charged about €300 (parts included).

Ah well, lesson learned for me never to be repeated.
 
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