Thread: Bloody rip off.......

Originally Posted by tombraider

Looks good!!! Good service...

And yeah, brakes and coolant makes the difference....

So yes, about right for a decent priced service and lube

Thanks for taking time to answer.

yeh, I was happy,bout half what the dealers were charging me and done in a quarter of the time, but the warranty is over now so I'll be doing my own and taking your advice and switching to Penrite and annoying the crap outa guys like you with questions.

Fault code flush in Canberra $110 by dealer.
Only other place local quoted my $85 and then only charged $55 as it was a quick job.

Ok....

The damage has been done and I have survived to tell the tale

I received the usual cost increases, wages....blah, blah so there was no point but to just cop it.

The auto is serviced every 40,000 k's which is about normal for any vehicle. The LR recommendation is once only at 40,000 service. Is there any advantage by following this?

For the codes I had them looked at and removed at the 100,000 k service.
The faults are....

Air flow circuit fault logged.
EGR valve stuck open logged.
Injector faults.
Pressure sensor inconsistant..this trip logged.
Ambient pressure circuit fault logged low.
Injector faults 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 open circuit detected.
SRS faults..open circuit to RH pretensioner.

This time...No faults apart from the RH seat belt pretensioner.

The ACE filter was changed and the oil replaced. They do not bleed the entire system so there is minimal lost fluid. The filter & plug cost $82.

So thats it. I'm $700 poorer but it's just magic jumping back in it after a good service.

Absolutely.

Originally Posted by away

I still think it is a pretty nefarious argument that the codes need to be checked regardless. With all of the lights, buzzers, electronic spinny things that warn me when something is wrong, why wouldn't I know if there was a problem? Isn't that why the electronics feed audio visual info back to the driver? Why would a problem be hiding itself deep in the bowells of the computer and not let me know?

A lot of faults on the P38A are logged but don't appear on the Message Centre screen. Ypu need to get them out of the system. These include ABS faults, engine management faults, EAS faults, etc.

Re cost to read codes, the diagnostic computers I've used are incredibly slow and painful to use. Checking anything can quickly consume an hour. I suspect thios is due to the comms protocol used.

Speaking of costs, a poster on the RR forum last week mentioned the dealer charges in his part of the UK are 120 pounds per hour. That's A$300 per hour!

Ron

For those of you who want to read codes, buy yourself an ODB-II compliant reader.

I have one that plugs into my PC, but there are many more that are standalone units. I'm pretty sure the D2/D3 and probably the P38A are OBD-II compliant as they were sold in the US (my Freelander and Jeep - obviously - are).

Mine cost me $225. I've not used it in the Freeo but have used it in the Jeep, as well as retreiveing fault codes mine allows me to run software that accurately logs output of sensors, throttle position and a heap of other variables 'on the fly' - useful for diagnostics. I've run it using a laptop on the seat but will soon buy an adapter cable to connect it to my Pocket PC.

I bought mine (an Elmscan) from here http://www.motorscan.com.au/ there is plenty of free software around too.

Note that OBD-II is NOT the same as factory specific (e.g. the LR software) however it is a good start.

Originally Posted by DionM

For those of you who want to read codes, buy yourself an ODB-II compliant reader.

I have one that plugs into my PC, but there are many more that are standalone units. I'm pretty sure the D2/D3 and probably the P38A are OBD-II compliant as they were sold in the US (my Freelander and Jeep - obviously - are).

Mine cost me $225. I've not used it in the Freeo but have used it in the Jeep, as well as retreiveing fault codes mine allows me to run software that accurately logs output of sensors, throttle position and a heap of other variables 'on the fly' - useful for diagnostics. I've run it using a laptop on the seat but will soon buy an adapter cable to connect it to my Pocket PC.

I bought mine (an Elmscan) from here http://www.motorscan.com.au/ there is plenty of free software around too.

Note that OBD-II is NOT the same as factory specific (e.g. the LR software) however it is a good start.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that Landrover, in common with a lot of other manufacturers, are compliant - but with all sorts of added features, which the OBD reader cannot access. I expect this will include things like ACE for example.

John

Given the cost of the LR unit and software, $88 seems fair to me.

It's not just a matter of depreciation. Depreciation can only be done in accordance with ATO schedules and many items of kit don't effectively last as long as the ATO says; either physically or functionally. And even then, depreciation only covers the 30% tax component. You've still got to fork out the cash and there's an opportunity cost on the money.

It is good business sense to amortise the cost of any necessary equipment over the shortest viable time. Depreciability is just a bonus.

I spent $29,000 on a Rovacom touchscreen unit 3 years ago when I first opened the doors, I then last year bought a RC lite, which I can run on my laptop and upgrade bit by bit. I charge $88 per code erasure, or diagnostic hookup to enable me to find and repair faults. This is charged once PER VEHICLE PER FAULT only. If I have to continually access the codes for repeated checking or resetting during the repair i don't charge $88 each time. I think the charge is fair and reasonable for the customer if the job/ information is required by them. I don't charge them again if the same fault appears, unless they want me to keep resetting it and won't fix it.( IE SRS lamps...)
Some of my customers want to buy a RC lite for themselves, and I encourage them to do so if they want. After all, they are pretty cheap and work well. And don't forget, it is one thing to check for fault codes etc, but if you don't know why they are there and how to repair the problem, then you are not using this valuable tool to its potential.
Over the course of a complicated ABS sensor fault finding job, would the customer prefer to pay $88 to have the correct wheel sensor identifiied, or pay a mechanic by the hour to substitute each one until the faulty one is replaced?
If the vehicles get repaired and stay fixed, people are happy. My hourly rate was increased twice over the course of 12 months, and I've never been busier.
There are some real problems in this industry, I can fill pages up with some of the things i've seen and been asked to repair,and no doubt so could lots of others.

JC