Is There Something Wrong on This Invoice for Servicing?

• 

  brendanm on 24/12/2019 - 17:24

  +3

  Seems reasonable apart from injection cleaner, engine flush, and "friction proofing" (lol?).

  I assume the diff oil change includes a labour charge, otherwise that's expensive oil.

  • 

    spackbace on 24/12/2019 - 17:28

    All the cool kids these days love a bit of "friction proofing"

    • 

      brendanm on 24/12/2019 - 17:29

      +1

      It's just the charge for the oil they spilt when filling the diffs and engine back up :P

    • 

      pegaxs on 24/12/2019 - 17:52

      +1

      I’m all for having my BOS balanced though…

  • 

    jimbobaus on 24/12/2019 - 17:53

    Pretty sure the friction proofing is the conditioner that is required to be added by Subaru’s service guide at every oil change.

    • 

      brendanm on 24/12/2019 - 18:12

      +1

      Got a link? Not getting confused with upper cylinder cleaner?

      • 

        jimbobaus on 24/12/2019 - 18:50

        Yeah that.
        Brain fart sorry lol.

        • 

          brendanm on 24/12/2019 - 19:35

          +1

          @jimbobaus: All good, the upper cylinder cleaner is about the only silly additive thing I know of that actually does something.

• 

  PissLUR on 24/12/2019 - 17:33

  +1

  Expensive. seems like you bought yourself a full bottle of everything.

• 

  spackbace on 24/12/2019 - 17:33

  +2

  https://www.subaru.com.au/service/pricing/owners

  Using random 2013 Tribeca rego number:

  Standard Scheduled Service Quote: $610.37

  Performance
  Added Fuel Additive.
  Replace engine oil.
  Replace engine oil filter.
  Inspect battery electrolyte, cleanliness & security.
  Program sat-nav trip computer for next service interval (if applicable).
  Replace drive belt.
  Inspect air filter element.
  Inspect cooling system including radiator, cap & hoses.
  Replace engine coolant.
  Perform upper engine clean.
  Inspect automatic transmission fluid.
  Inspect front differential oil.
  Inspect rear differential oil.
  Rotate wheels, front to rear as necessary.
  Lubricate locks and hinges.
  Check engine performance & driveability.
  Check transmission operation.
  Check hill holder operation.
  Check steering control and alignment on the road.
  Check instrument cluster operation.
  Perform "Select Monitor" check.

  Safety
  Inspect headlight focus & all light operation.
  Inspect windscreen wipers & washer bottle.
  Inspect power steering fluid, hoses, clamps, connections & pipes.
  Inspect fuel pipes, hoses & connections for leaks.
  Check exhaust system for security & leaks.
  Inspect AT hoses, pipes, connections, clamps & oil cooler.
  Inspect condition & pressures of all tyres including spare.
  Check tyre wear pattern for correct alignment.
  Tighten wheel nuts to correct torque.
  Inspect brake lines, hoses & connections.
  Inspect brake fluid.
  Inspect brake pads, calipers & discs.
  Inspect park brake operation & adjust as required.
  Inspect axle shafts & joints.
  Inspect front & rear suspension including shock absorbers.
  Inspect steering system.
  Carry out road test.
  Check braking performance.
  Check for abnormal noises.
  Check all fluid levels & top up as required.

  • 

    JimmyF on 24/12/2019 - 17:37

    Standard Scheduled Service Quote: $610.37

    So add in the extra line item of the OP diff oil change for $176 and seems about inline with what they charge.

    • 

      spackbace on 24/12/2019 - 17:38

      Pretty much yep

• 

  JimmyF on 24/12/2019 - 17:36

  +1

  for my car servicing
  I still feel like I have been ripped off.

  It wasn't just a standard oil/filter change, you had many extras in there including diff oil changes.

  Seems about right, The Injection cleaner/engine flush, seems a bit of a cash grab, unless you reported having some issues? But even so, its only $50 all up. So meh.

  • 

    Phillieseagles on 24/12/2019 - 20:17

    Thanks JimmyF - feel ripped off but not enough to lose sleep

• 

  Bignudge on 24/12/2019 - 18:05

  +8

  I've given it my best shot answering how required each item is and what I think of it. It's my first answer actual help on Ozbargain haha.

  PS. I haven't looked at the service manual for your car and have just estimated when things should be required to be changed. It is best to look at your service manual to see exactly what needs to be done and at how many km's.

  Merry Christmas!!!

  ---

  Engine oil - 105 (5L costs about $40-80 depending on brand and type at Autobarn; cheaper if they buy in bulk. Nessasary but charged too much)

  Filter - 22….. assuming oil and air filter that's a good price.

  Labor- 180…..That's a fair price I guess as servicing a lawn mower at a shop I know is like $140 with $20 of parts in there.

  BOS balance- 22 (I'm assuming it's a wheel balance procedure. Why the hell did they balance your wheels randomly? It should only be done at your request when you feel the car is shaking when driving or when they install new tyres on to the rims. PS. Car shaking isn't exclusively caused by out of balance wheels)

  Friction proofing - 25 (Abit of bullshit and not needed at 55,000km Im assuming?. But what I think they meant is greasing up things? Idk what though, it's not a bike with a chain)

  Injection cleaner - 25 (Abit of bullshit tbh. I know for a fact that cleaning the fuel injectors on the rails aren't needed until the car is showing problems. What I think they did is dump some "fuel injection cleaning liquid" into your fuel tank. That supposedly cleans out the injectors and carbon deposits. A bottle of that costs about $12 at Autobarn)

  Engine flush - 25 (Absolutely bullshit 100%. There's nothing to flush unless you've put wrong fuel or water into your car. Changing oil doesn't require an engine flush; warm car up, drain out oil, refill oil. If it's the car coolant they are flushing, that's not needed as the car is still only at 55,000km/miles.

  Front and rear diff oils - 176 (Possibly needed at 55,000km/miles… but at $176 is insane. Cost is about $44 for 4L from Supercheap, that's all you need. )

  Radiator coolant - 36 (Not needed as the coolant flush wasn't needed in the first place)

  Transmission fluid - 40 (Okay price I guess if they actually did changed it)

  Check and top up fluid- 35 (Most likely just wiper fluid? Price should already be counted in the labour part)

  Power steering flush - 79 (Also absolutely bullshit, that's not required to be done at 55,000km/miles)

  • 

    chumlee on 24/12/2019 - 21:59

    Engine oil probably also includes disposal fee

• 

  [Deactivated] on 24/12/2019 - 18:09

  +2

  Well, do you feel your car has friction issues?

  Has your BOS been out of balance since?

  That's right. They did that and they did it well.

• 

  dasher86 on 24/12/2019 - 18:37

  +2

  Yeah, doesn't appear to have GST or ABN listed

• 

  pegaxs on 24/12/2019 - 19:21

  +2

  Yeah, heaps of stuff on that list is bullshit stuff that you could have done yourself and for a lot cheaper than what they have done it for.

  Engine oil - 105 - Just, wow, really? That has a lot of dealer markup on it or they are charging you for litres they didn't use.
  Filter - 22 - Pretty standard price for a filter.
  Labor- 180 - 1 and a bit hours I'm guessing. Seems right.
  BOS balance- 22 - Did you complain of a vibration or wheels out of balance? Anyway, $22 is cheap if it's for all 4.
  Friction proofing - 25 - LOL wut? Your money from your wallet by the sounds of it. We usually call that "oil".
  Injection cleaner - 25 - About $5 worth. They just poured some crap in your tank, not clean the actual injectors.
  Engine flush - 25 - Why? What they mean was, they warmed it up before they dropped the oil.
  Front and rear diff oils - 176 - Where are they getting their oils? Service would be "inspect" not "replace" at that age/km.
  Radiator coolant - 36 - Was that part of the service schedule/time? Seems reasonable it it was for the coolant AND the labour.
  Transmission fluid - 40 - Was it a top up or replace. Replace, ok, top up, WTF? Did it include a filter?
  Check and top up fluid- 35 - Basically $35 for washer fluid. It's the only fluid left they didn't replace.
  Power steering flush - 79 - WTF? why?

  Next time, take it to an independent. Some of the things on that list are well within reason, some of the things on there are just absolute scams. They are the Ming Mole products of the service division. You got ripped a little bit, but most of this stuff has "stealership tax" written all over it. So much snake oil in one invoice. Didn't offer you paint protection while you were in there by any chance?

  • 

    brad1-8tsi on 24/12/2019 - 20:01

    Next time, take it to an independent.

    Even that's no guarantee.

    The GF had her 2000 Mazda 323 serviced last week at a place she's been going for 8 years.
    Some prices were totally reasonable (even cheap) but the standout
    $80 for 4L semi-synth oil
    $45 puncture repair
    $20 for an orange blinker bulb
    and a couple of others that were 2-3x what you'd think was fair.

    Need to find a new place around Crows Nest / Cammeray as they are new owners and the quality of the work didn't reflect the price.

    • 

      pegaxs on 24/12/2019 - 20:14

      +1

      Where I used to work at a stealership, our boss told up how much oil to charge to each vehicle. Even had a matrix of cars and oil charge out quantity. We bought the oil for about $5/l in 205l drums and sold it for about $15/l.

      I questioned it when a new range was released and we had all the specs. Oil capacity was something like 4.7l, boss marked it down to be charged out at 8l. We had vehicles that were 6~7l sumps and were told to charge out 10~12l of oil.

      But I can see what you mean. Even a lot of independents are getting that way, selling snake oil that is pushed onto them by the distributors as "easy money" items. Additives for this, cleaners for that.

      My suggestion is that people question what their service covers, question the amounts and do their homework before they take their car in for a service. The less the service advisor wants to answer or the more they try and push you out the door with "our shuttle is leaving now…", the more they are going to stitch people up.

• 

  subywagon on 24/12/2019 - 23:54

  Subaru does transparent pricing. You can look up service costs on their website. Did you request the diff oil change or was it due? The service advisor will normally go through what's due for the service in the morning and give you cost, you then sign down the bottom to say you agree with it. If they find anything extra during the service they call you and always ask for permission and give you a cost over the phone. Did they do any of that?

  You will always pay way more going to a dealership due to larger overheads and having to use genuine parts, which in Subaru case is a good idea for most things, especially gaskets and seals etc.

  If you are worried about prices then find a cheaper reputable mechanic. You can't do any of the servicing yourself while the vehicle is under warranty though unless you want to void your warranty. If your vehicle is out of warranty you could have a look at doing some of your own servicing. It's great fun!

• 

  jonkvh on 25/12/2019 - 08:42

  +1

  Friction proofing - 25
  Injection cleaner - 25
  Engine flush - 25

  Total waste of money right there. With the trans fluid, why did not change the trans filter? Or is it a manual/standard trans?

• 

  OzHunterNSW on 25/12/2019 - 10:06

  -2

  The fault lies in your incompetence to change oils yourself.
  Read your hand book… 1 oil filler cap… possibly colour-coded for clarity. You buy oil to suit your vehicle, you open cap, pour in desired amount governed by the dip stick, and you have just saved $80.
  Radiator coolant….. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha … have you any idea??? A $5 bottle … again, simply unscrew the radiator cap, pour in desired amount to coolant, replace cap… saving $30.
  Same as transmission.
  Buy a repair manual.
  Go to TAFE and do a simple night Cours.
  Learn how to open caps.

• 

  H E B on 25/12/2019 - 14:41

  +1

  Pretty sure this isn't a dealer service. I've been to the dealers before for servicing and seeing a female they immediately want to add everything possible from new wipers to tyres to wheel rotation and alignments to all sorts of flushes so from experience the invoice doesn't match what I see at dealers, not the ones I go to anyways.

  Some of those parts are too cheap to from a dealer and the 'flush' amounts don't add up either.

  Where is the enviromental disposal fee? Surely this isn't a backyard operation?

  If it looks like you're being ripped off I'd say it's in the cost of the oils, looks like a decent markup there. The Mister does most of these things now and gives me a lecture (and itemised comparison between the prices of what he buys and what I paid for) after I got ripped off too many times at car servicing places…

  So the lesson is if you want the hubbie to jobs around the house just hire someone else at crazy prices and they'll be ready to go.