Are dealer servicing charges over expensive?

John Sauve Rodd

John Sauve Rodd

Established Member
Joined
May 12, 2021
Messages
144
Reaction score
80
Points
49
Age
76
Location
Ashford, Kent, England
Driving
ZS EV Trophy LR
My ZS goes in for its 3 year service next month and I've been told up front it will be £364.34.

1 Can any of you wiser and more experienced than me tell e what the dealer does that costs so much?

2 And is 'main dealer service' a precondition of the car/battery guarantees?

3 Where should I look for a b/down of the service schedule?

Thanks
 
This what my service plan includes
Service Date Approx. Mileage Total*
ZS Electric 15k/1 year Service Jan 2026 8000 £164.40
ZS Electric 30k/2 year Service Jan 2027 16000 £281.06
ZS Electric 45k/3 year Service Jan 2028 24000 £164.40
You May Also Consider **
Service Price Monthly Price (Each)
Air Con Service (From £99.00inc) £99.00 £2.91
Anti Freeze Change from £39 £39.00 £1.15
Air Con Anti Bacterial Treatment £19.99 £0.59
* Total prices include any applied discounts
**Your vehicle may not require these services. Please check with a member of staff for further details.
Also Included
Service Service Date Total*
MOT Jan 2028 £45.00
EMG Motor Group, West End Road, Ipswich, IP1 2DZ
Tel: 01842 282022
Ref: 7046620HAYE791D72012025
Created by: Lee Ward on 23/01/2025
EMG Motor Group

So year 3 is £164.4 +£45 =£209.40
 
The service manual is in the ismart app. Click the bottom right icon & then manuals . Enter your car year & type.
 
Just paid £112 for third service plus £54 for MOT at local dealer. MG ZS SE standard range 20k miles..
 
I think they are very expensive for what is actually done. In the case of MG, change brake fluid after 2 years? And don't tell me it's hygroscopic, I worked in the Motor Trade for 20 years, and brake fluid was good for three times that figure.

I had a Renault Zoe for 5 years before my ZS, and on its first service, the dash cam was left on. In over two hours, the screen jet water was topped up and a video taken underneath!

[ Moderator: hydroscopic -> hygroscopic ]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You can have your car serviced at any MG authorised garage, which will follow the MG schedule and use genuine parts. The thing you lose is the free AA cover.
 
John Sauve Rodd said:
My ZS goes in for its 3 year service next month and I've been told up front it will be £364.34.

1 Can any of you wiser and more experienced than me tell e what the dealer does that costs so much?

2 And is 'main dealer service' a precondition of the car/battery guarantees?

3 Where should I look for a b/down of the service schedule?

Thanks
Click to expand...

search forum, there were a few threads about this and also shop around. I also have service plan with monthly direct debit of about £20
 
John Sauve Rodd said:
My ZS goes in for its 3 year service next month and I've been told up front it will be £364.34.

1 Can any of you wiser and more experienced than me tell e what the dealer does that costs so much?

2 And is 'main dealer service' a precondition of the car/battery guarantees?

3 Where should I look for a b/down of the service schedule?

Thanks
Click to expand...
The 3 year service should be the same as a first service. They're overcharging you at that price. Shop round and get more quotes should be around £150.
 
John Sauve Rodd said:
OK calling MG EV drivers in the county of Kent where I live. Main dealer in Ashford Caffyns is the mob that wants £364. What dealers do Kent MG EV owners use please?
Click to expand...
I have used MG Ashford for one service about £200 - for what they do it is expensive but you do get i year AA cover and warranty. The warranty seems to exclude certain items depending on the age of the car. Travelling from East Kent my only other nearest dealer is in Tonbridge. It is only once a year but still a pain even going to Ashford. I paid £25 for a loan car (£15 if it is a warranty issue) as I did not wish to hang around.
I do not know if you can book a wait service (where it is done straight away). I agree it is expensive but apart from shopping around other MG dealers, you have little choice if you wish to maintain the warranty.
All main dealers have you by the short and curlies!
 
John Sauve Rodd said:
OK calling MG EV drivers in the county of Kent where I live. Main dealer in Ashford Caffyns is the mob that wants £364. What dealers do Kent MG EV owners use please?
Click to expand...

I use Caffyns Ashford as well. I bought the car from F G Barnes, who closed their MG dealerships before its first service was due.

First service was quite cheap, second was expensive, because they change the brake fluid. I would query the price for the third service, there is not so much to do according to the service schedule.

I've found their "Service Advisors" to be the weak point, the one unfortunately allocated to me gets things wrong, misses emails, doesn't reply to telephone calls. When she is off, other SA's seem much more helpful.

I had the 3 months off the road saga while they found someone to repair the battery on my ZS. They now have 4 techs trained to work on batteries, and are an MG approved Battery Center now.
 
Caramaddy said:
I have used MG Ashford for one service about £200 - for what they do it is expensive but you do get i year AA cover and warranty. The warranty seems to exclude certain items depending on the age of the car. Travelling from East Kent my only other nearest dealer is in Tonbridge. It is only once a year but still a pain even going to Ashford. I paid £25 for a loan car (£15 if it is a warranty issue) as I did not wish to hang around.
I do not know if you can book a wait service (where it is done straight away). I agree it is expensive but apart from shopping around other MG dealers, you have little choice if you wish to maintain the warranty.
All main dealers have you by the short and curlies!
Click to expand...
If you read the thread above you'll see figures in the low hundreds quoted for ZS EV servicing - and a warranty should cost nothing. I've a few weeks before I have to get the service donw and I shall be looking around at what the service jobs actually are, because with no oil changes, little wear on brakes and a couple of air filters that don't even require tools, £364 looks like gouging, especially as the car itself can report problems when they plug it in. I would mind less if Caffyns were experts on MG but they are not - for example the recurring problem with the MG app they have been no help with.

I went to the MG uk websiste and got the ZS EV servicing schedule. This is all it says about a 3 year service. Pretty much nothing + mine is a low mileage car. £346? Someone's 'avin' a Turkish.

Eclectic said:
I use Caffyns Ashford as well. I bought the car from F G Barnes, who closed their MG dealerships before its first service was due.

First service was quite cheap, second was expensive, because they change the brake fluid. I would query the price for the third service, there is not so much to do according to the service schedule.

I've found their "Service Advisors" to be the weak point, the one unfortunately allocated to me gets things wrong, misses emails, doesn't reply to telephone calls. When she is off, other SA's seem much more helpful.

I had the 3 months off the road saga while they found someone to repair the battery on my ZS. They now have 4 techs trained to work on batteries, and are an MG approved Battery Center now.
Click to expand...
Would her name be Megan Malaney perhaps?
 

Attachments

  • MG ZS EV service schedule.jpg
    MG ZS EV service schedule.jpg
    134 KB · Views: 26
John Sauve Rodd said:
OK calling MG EV drivers in the county of Kent where I live. Main dealer in Ashford Caffyns is the mob that wants £364. What dealers do Kent MG EV owners use please?
Click to expand...
I've used Apple MG (Meophan) and MG Tunbridge Wells (unsurprisingly in Tunbrdge Wells). Of the 2 I much preferred the latter. They were also the cheapest for. 2nd service and washed the car.
 
Rutsy said:
I've used Apple MG (Meophan) and MG Tunbridge Wells (unsurprisingly in Tunbrdge Wells). Of the 2 I much preferred the latter. They were also the cheapest for. 2nd service and washed the car.
Click to expand...
Thanks Rutsy; Tun Wells is 31m from me which is doable if I wait while it's done; there is (apparently) another MG dealer in Maidstone, Invicta, and I've used their contact form with no result; not that any of the dealers are any good at reading their customer messages - unless you want to buy a new car.
 
Hi Bob. I had to look up Baldivis. You're ahead of me. I think it's time I got MG in Oxford (UK) to tell me what service cost should be. MG's responsiveness to driver/owner concerns is not great based on my own experience. FYI I watch Sam Evans' channel The Electric Viking. He is great.
 
John Sauve Rodd said:
Thanks Rutsy; Tun Wells is 31m from me which is doable if I wait while it's done; there is (apparently) another MG dealer in Maidstone, Invicta, and I've used their contact form with no result; not that any of the dealers are any good at reading their customer messages - unless you want to buy a new car.
Click to expand...

You need to call a few places and ask and book if the price is right.
 
Caffyns Ashford Kent have told me (1) they misquoted the year 3 service at £346 thinking - and I am being generous - it was a year 4 service (expensive) (2) I asked if MG se the service costs and was told MG specify what has to be done to a car and the price of spares but each garage will have its own labour rate. This means (3) that I will shop around, despite the landscape of MG dealers being quite sparse.

I will let the forum know what I acturally decide and actually pay at the beginning of April.

Thanks for everyone's input so far.
 

Similar threads

D
Servicing charges 2023.
Replies
5
Views
1K
Rayz
R
C
5th Service Confusion
Replies
10
Views
644
fred12345
F
S
  • Question Question
MG ZS EV heating system fault and poor dealer service
Replies
4
Views
678
Prav
P
J
Warranty - service delayed as car with dealer
Replies
5
Views
738
fred12345
F
teepee
Year 1 Servicing in London Trophy Connect LR
Replies
9
Views
1K
Robfer
R
Support us by becoming a Premium Member

Latest MG EVs video

MG Hybrid+ EVs OVER-REVVING & more owner feedback
Published
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom