I've had my Focus serviced and M.O.T'd at my local Ford main dealer today, as I have done every year i've owned it

9 year/112,500 mile service - £250.00
M.O.T Test - £ 54.85

Drops it off at 8am this morning, gets a call of them at 10:30am

"hello sir, just want to let you know that the car has been serviced..blah blah.....the technician hasn't found anything untoward that may lead to MOT failure, your car will be MOT'd early this afternoon and should sail straight through, I would say you car will be ready for collection about 4pm ish"

All well and good I think.......

"however, the service technician has let me know of a few advisories that I have to make you aware of"

Here we go, I say to myself........

"Firstly, your brake fluid could do with being changed, was done two years ago, according to our records, and that'll be £48.00 to do"

"Leading on from there, your air-conditioning isn't cooling to the right temperature and could do with a re-gas/top up and that'll be £37.50 to do"

"leading on from there, your anti-freeze could do with being changed"

"leading on from that, your car is pulling ever so slightly to the left and the tracking is ever so slightly out, what I'm prepared to do if you have the brake fluid and air-con regas done is top up your antifreeze for free and charge you half price for doing the tracking, tracking therefore will be £17"

To be honest I havn't noticed the car pulling to one side (but no doubt the amount of pot holes and speed humps we all have to traverse these days it wouldn't be ususual to be thrown out) and I check my car's fluid levels and tyre pressures every week, without fail and I knew the air-con could of done with a re-gas. So I said, go ahead then, you do all those additional jobs for me then and i'll see you about 4ish.

"great", says the customer service chap "we'll get right on to it", "i'll also have a word with my manager and see if we can knock a bit more off for you, as you are a regular customer"
(I am I'm in there every 6 months - have interim oil/filter change between services)
Result, thinks I!. I prefer to use the main dealer for sevicing as I like to get a main dealer stamp in my service books.

Then came the killer.....

"just one last thing, the service tecnician thinks that your clutch is starting to slip and the biting point is faily high"
"we can drop a new clutch in for you and that'll be £540"

£540!

Needless to say, I declined their very kind offer of a new clutch today I've given them £379.99 of my hard earned today and thats enough at the moment (got a bigger discount in the end for the work done as well!)

The car has only done 52386 miles from new in 9 years and I only do between 4K - 6K per year. I look after it to anal car care levels lol (as I imagine most of you fellow Ford nuts on here look after your cars).
I've never noticed the clutch slipping at all. OK, the biting point is getting fairly high, but there is certainly plenty of life left in it for my usage......
I thinks to myself, someone is trying to take the mickey here and I'm not falling for it!

But here's the thing, how much would you expect to pay for a replacement clutch from a reputable independent trustworthy garage/mechanic, that you trust using genuine original Ford parts?

If I can stick it out for another 4-5 months or so, I'd probably have it done, but not at the main dealer price!. jeez!

What would you guy's deem a 'reasonable' price and how long do you reckon a clutch change would take?.

 

LOL thats sort of funny. i guess there no denying the fact that service items need doing like brake fluid etc and i think the charges are reasonable, but i think 540 for a clutch takes the piss a bit.
i had a clutch in my old focus 1.8 done, took them around 2 to 2.5 hours and cost about 250 quid give or take a few quid. id go somewhere else mate at the end of the day, a clutch replacement is all the same no matter where u go to be fair as long as they supply decent parts!
Cheers, Neil

 

slave cylinder is 88 quid, then fluid and dont forget that ford change the nuts and bolts that are required to be changed when doing the job and the driveshaft bearing cap too

id say for a main dealer with the vat that is a average price

 

I've got a 2001 Mondeo and the clutch has been slipping like fuck for a year now. Still going so I'm not bothering.

Mr Clutch said £340 all in

 

clutch is around 100 quid, few hours labour, plus a new slave cylinder and fluid etc, 500 doesnt seem too far off once you have added the VAT

 

That is expensive compaired to a good reptuable indipendant. But if your want a main dealer to do it then i'd say thats probs the going rate.

 

I'd say at a regular garage it would be £300 or there abouts. Add the fact that it's a main dealer with main dealer labour rates, I'm not really surprised.

With situations like these though, I always question whether the extra money is worth it in some cases, with regards to qaulity of work etc.

 

save your fingers guys, your replying to a banned user

 

Yup, got a ban for a couple of....lets say 'offensive' jokes on another thread.

luckilly, i've apologised and appealed and got the ban lifted, but ended up with a few infraction points for 6 months.

oh well, we live and learn!

thanks for the replies so far chaps!. The car will be due a cambelt change in 12 months time and been quoted £350 ish for that by the main dealer.

I need to save up a few quid over the next few months! for this little lot lol

 

ive got a 1.6 focus that will need a clutch this year its done 92k on the original clutch and its still not slipping! as im a mechanic i can get hold of a complete clutch and slave kit for £104 plus vat! they are very easy to change unlike the 2.0 and tdci focuses.
i would personally if i was you keep driving it or have a crack at doing it yourself!
tony!

 

i just changed a clutch on a mk6 fiesta van (the prinsible is the same) £125 clutch £33 cilinder £100 labor £15 box oil and nuts.

 

I have a Ford Focus 1.7 tdci in Spain and my family on holiday have just broken down, got a tow covered by insurance but my mobile mechanic has quoted €800 for the new clutch that is needed. This seems excessive to me and he won't do it til I return as he needs at least €500 up front.

 

you need to go elsewhere then ^