What "STANDARDS" do you expect on Golf GTI MK VII?

[pologti18t]

Fixed Price Servicing is well overdue, and should be introduced.

Someone has to pay for the servicing costs in the end. Who do you think it will be?
Fixed priced servicing does not imply cheap servicing... it removes competition. All it benefits is the lazy owner who can't be stuffed ringing around for the best price.

People seem to be quite able to do that for phone plans, internet, plumbers, painters etc....


Kia... basic cerato petrol

Model	Engine	Engine Type	1 Yrs/15K	2 Yrs/30k	3 Yrs/45K	4 Yrs/60K	5 Yrs/75K	Total
Cerato 2012	2.0	Petrol	$260	$427	$319	$532	$290	$1,828

Soul (example with diesel)

Model	Engine	Engine Type	1 Yrs/15K	2 Yrs/30k	3 Yrs/45K	4 Yrs/60K	5 Yrs/75K	Total
Soul 2010 - 2011	1.6 Auto	Diesel CRDI	$323	$397	$398	$627	$522	$2,267
1.6 Man	Diesel CRDI	$293	$366	$366	$595	$488	$2,108
1.6	Petrol	$262	$453	$318	$688	$447	$2,168

[Captain Courteous]

VW already do capped price servicing for the Up!
The new up! Volkswagen Australia

Who knows. They might do this for the Mk7.

[GippsCC]

Someone has to pay for the servicing costs in the end. Who do you think it will be?
Fixed priced servicing does not imply cheap servicing... it removes competition. All it benefits is the lazy owner who can't be stuffed ringing around for the best price.

Must be why so many people hate it lol. If anything, it makes it easier to compare dealerships on service directly, and spending all day ringing around every time you have a service due has an economic cost too (opportunity cost). Genuine VW parts cost the same from VAG, awards set labour prices the same, only mark-up from individual dealers changes price - which is why they'd hate the transparency.

And, if nothing else, fixed price servicing lets you know the full cost of the vehicle you buy. That's why the state auto owners associations, and consumer organisations support fixed price servicing schemes.

We already pay mate, a transparent system will only improve things. I think you'll find phone plans and Internet plans are required to disclose the price of the product without forcing the consumer to chase the supplier to get it. Plumbers etc charge for job, which differs for each call - that comparison is comparing apples with oranges. A 15K handbook service for your vehicle is the same (or should be) no matter which dealer you take it to, VAG has standardised the job.

As the last post highlights VAG already do this for the Up! (They even use it as a marketing point) and VAG have already indicated they are considering introducing it for other models in the VW line-up.

[pologti18t]

A 15K handbook service for your vehicle is the same (or should be) no matter which dealer you take it to, VAG has standardised the job.

So you are saying the overheads a dealer has to pay to provide this service are the same around the country from city to country? The major portion of a service is labour...not parts. If you think mechanics are paid the same around the country and dealers pay the same rent etc then yes, fixed pricing makes sense. Otherwise it does not.

Dealers are able to cut margins on new car pricing by the revenue stream they get through servicing. If that is impacted then you may assume that you wont be able to get the best deal upfront on the cost of a new car.

NOt everyone can win with fixed priced servicing.

[GippsCC]

NOt everyone can win with fixed priced servicing.

That's a good step down from your everybody loses argument, but I agree with the above, not everyone can win but the large bulk of consumers do win, which is why so many people demand fixed price servicing these days. There may be some cross-subsidy from rural to city, where location costs may make a difference, but I'd highlight that usually without fixed prices rural servicing charges are offset by lack of competition (monopoly pricing the region) so often there isn't a great deal of difference already. And yes, labour costs usually don't differ dramatically because most dealerships pay the industry benchmarks (the award) for the actual people servicing your car (although yes some charge higher on servicing to pay for staff in other areas, a practice I disagree with). I don't think I should subside discounts to third parties every time I get a service, that's free-rider in markets, a bad thing in economics.

[AdamD]

Back on-topic please... this isn't the thread for a discussion of fixed-price servicing.

[cktsi]

I expect reliability of the drivetrain from a german built car to be standard!

[Arnold]

Power tailgate with remote control.

[Paul_R]

Thanks Arnold. I was trying to work out how I pulled muscles in my shoulder the other day. Couldn't remember how I'd done it. Then I read your comment and had a flashback to closing the tailgate on the wife's CX-9!

[Arnold]

Thanks Arnold. I was trying to work out how I pulled muscles in my shoulder the other day. Couldn't remember how I'd done it. Then I read your comment and had a flashback to closing the tailgate on the wife's CX-9!

No charge! The '9 could definitely use a power 'gate. I saw someone using a power gate on a Lexus or something the other day and thought "how much more civilised is that?"