Stradale service

[outrun]

So, I thought my car may be due a service and so I've been speaking to Graypaul Edinburgh, who are in a different league to Park's Maserati Glasgow (that's a whole other story). It turns out that it's not actually due until next May as the car has 2 year or 12,500 mile intervals, whichever is sooner (which will be May). I had assumed they were annual services.

The price quoted is £1700 which includes changing all fluid, filters, aux belts etc. Apparently it's a full day of work.

What thoughts do people have about the cost from the main dealer vs. independent at this stage? The car is July 2011 so will be around 5 when the service time comes. Am I really hurting value by choosing a top indie at this stage, I wonder.

I know it's a debate with no right or wrong answer however thoughts are appreciated.

In the interim I've ordered 5 litres of 5w-40 Shell Helix Plus from Opie which comes with a free litre and pouch for a frankly insanely cheap £25. It's not used any oil at all over the 4000 miles that I've driven however best to be prepared !! Come to think of it, at that price, I might drop the oil and change it anyway. It takes 9 litres so less than £50 to do this at a friend's garage.

 

[highlander]

Depends. If you plan to sell on soon (next couple of years) then the wider masses will look for a main dealer stamp and will not get you using an Indy. But if she is a keeper then I don't see the difficulty in giving her to a trusted Indy at a reduced price for servicing.

 

[Ryandoc]

Isn't there a well respected Maserati indi near Edinburgh, can't remember the name but someone right up there.

For he record rightly or wrongly I'll prob Lee main dealer stamp on my 2009 GTS and she went to Maserati in the summer for service but my indi will do everything else. There wasn't actually a huge difference in price

 

[Ryandoc]

http://www.pksupercars.com

 

[Ewan]

I doubt a good Indie would be all that much cheaper anyway, and for a car as special (and young) as that I'd be tempted to stay main dealer. Of course, the actual work completed would be the same, but as we all know, some people only want FMDSH.

 

[azapa]

Well, ask yourself this: If you were in the market for a stradale and yours popped up, with incomplete main dealer service history, how much would you reduce your offer price to buy? If you would offer 2K less because of that history gap, then the 1.2K service now is worth paying for.

I have an almost complete workshop and eternally dirty hands (changed BMW X3 pads last night on wife's car) but am taking my Strad to the main dealer in a month for the service, and that stamp.

Especially in a Stradale, which *MAY* stabilize in price as a special thing, you would want to keep things as straight as possible.

I seem to remember seeing that the F1 gearbox oil needs changing often, like crazy often (every 6 o 10k?) Don't have service list manual at hand. Maybe worth checking exactly what is included for the money.

 

[StuartW]

I know that underneath it all, a Stradale isn't so different from a GTS, but how many Strads do you think would have been seen by your local or indeed any indie? Probably not many if any, at least Graypaul will have worked on some and have a good reputation so I think in this case, I would tend to stick to a MD personally

 

[murph7355]

I'd go main dealer.

They change the oil, so you don't need to! But you can supply your own to reduce the cost significantly.

Check which service it is they're quoting for...if it's a 2yr, then it's expensive.

 

[outrun]

You think? How much should a 2 year service cost then? Car is only on 9300 miles now, likely to be around 11,000 by then. I can argue to reduce the air filter cost as I have a BMC filter and I could easily supply oil at £50 from Opie.

 

[Contigo]

£1700 for a 2 year service is too much even for a Strad. Get a breakdown of work to be carried out.

 

[conaero]

I am with Phil this is insane. Oil and filter is not £1700 no matter how much MD you apply.

 

[rockits]

It is this age old issue that the MD stamp seems to be have this value on a vehicle when you want to sell and buy. However we all agree in the main that a decent indy knows more about the cars outside routine servicing. The MD's should be fine to do fluid/belt/consumables changes. It is just hard to trust they have done the work half the time.

However £1700 seems a little heavy for a 2 year service. Believe me £1700 goes a very long way even on a Maser if you are frugal! What are they doing over and above the normal? That is say 10 hours labour at silly £125 an hour with £450 of parts/fluids. Seems a lot.

 

[beau]

I'm glad I don't need to pay garages for servicing after reading these prices, I'm budgeting around £100 a year on mine, that will cover regular oil changes and new fluids/filters throughout

 

[safrane]

At £1700 I would want to see all the parts removed and photos to prove it....seen far too many rusty air filters and sodden cabin filters for cars with MD History.

The Indi I use Emblem does exactly that.

 

[Ewan]

I can see the sense in doing your own work on older cars, especially basics such as oil changes. But on a GT like yours Beau, the resale value will be hit. After all (and this isn't meant to be rude so please don't take offence) you don't have the specialist factory training or diagnostic equipment, and over 90% of potential purchasers for a GT will only consider cars with stamped up MD or respected Indie history.

That said, the money you might save on servicing could be greater than the loss of car value, so you may still be up on the deal. Hard to say. All depends on whether you fluke the right buyer when you come to sell.

But also there is a difference between a £30k GT and an £80k Srad. And as a potential buyer of a Strad, I'd want to see MD stamps.

Final consideration. If you were to want/need to part ex the Strad at an MD for another Maser/Ferrari, most likely they would only consider your car properly if it had MD history. So for the sake of a few hundred Pounds, it's not worth quibbling (other than to be sure that they are offering you their very best price).

 

[Ewan]

Peter - you should have seen the pile of parts taken from my MCV that Emblem stacked up in the corner of their work shop to show me! Not just all the usual filters, belts and so on, but springs, under tray, bushes, brakes, etc. There's no doubting that they do all that they charge for. They may not be cheap, but they are very thorough and honest.

 

[safrane]

Ewan, fortunately for me and the wallet it has only ever been the actuator rubber cover and a xenkn arm above the normal service items over my nine years of Maser ownership...good god now I have fated it!!!

 

[Ewan]

Must be because you use hire cars and trains more than Maserati's!

 

[FF1078]

I had a 2 year service done on my GT/s recently at JCT600 Leeds. I first called an indy and got a price of £450 + VAT and then called JCT to see what they'd do. It suddenly went from £1400 inc. VAT to £750 + VAT=£900.

I'd call the MD and ask them for their best price, say the car will be 5/6 years old when the service is due and your in two minds between MD and indy and I bet they give you a better price. Worth a go for the cost of a call.

 

[outrun]

I had a 2 year service done on my GT/s recently at JCT600 Leeds. I first called an indy and got a price of £450 + VAT and then called JCT to see what they'd do. It suddenly went from £1400 inc. VAT to £750 + VAT=£900.

I'd call the MD and ask them for their best price, say the car will be 5/6 years old when the service is due and your in two minds between MD and indy and I bet they give you a better price. Worth a go for the cost of a call.

Yes, i'm sure they will do something on price. It's not till May so I'll try it then. Thanks.

I'm likely to go for the main dealer, there isn't really an option however it is interesting to hear opinions on this.