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DIY servicing; to do or not to do?


Lincolnbaggie

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Car is due its 36000 mile P3.

 

Had a word with Nissan Louth who said it costs a lot (£210) because "it's the big one"; however, when I asked what actually gets done they didn't seem to know? They said plugs are expensive! I replied they didn't need doing until 54000 miles :dry:

 

I get the impression they are taking people for a ride; basically it's only an oil, oil filter and air filter change (and possibly coolant). I explained the brake fluid has already been done, but they want to charge me £90 extra on top of a P1 for taking the wheels off and checking the brakes which I only put on 2 months ago! They then mentioned they had to lubricate the locks and hinges (that must be the expensive part :angry: ).

 

My question is, would me doing it myself (and probably doing it better than them) put any of you off buying my car in the future, or do you think a fully stamped up Nissan service book is essential. Seems an expensive way of getting a bit of ink in the book.

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It would only massively bother me if the car was still in warranty and Nissan might moan when I made a claim :blush:

 

I would still want somebody to have stamped the book though, just to illustrate that the car has been maintained correctly. :)

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Agree, personally id do it to get the stamp in the log book to assure myself and others that it has been looked after

 

Just pees me off that you have to pay that much money for them to change the oil and filter and a squirt of lubricating oil! It can't take them more than an hour if that :angry: If I charged that for the work I do I'd get no customers at all :surrender:

 

I would know that mine had been looked after as I would have done it; how do I convince others in the future that the jobs have been done. Guess I could design my own stamp for the book ;)

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Agree, personally id do it to get the stamp in the log book to assure myself and others that it has been looked after

 

how do I convince others in the future that the jobs have been done.

 

You can't without sound very very dodgy. :dry:

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Agree, personally id do it to get the stamp in the log book to assure myself and others that it has been looked after

 

how do I convince others in the future that the jobs have been done.

 

You can't without sound very very dodgy. :dry:

 

Being from Brum originally, some would say I sound dodgy anyway :teeth:

 

Guess the consensus seems to be that a stamped up book is essential even though we're all just lining their pockets to get one :thumbdown:

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put it the other way Lincolnbaggie

 

Two Z's for sale. Same mileage and condition. Sold by porivate sellers at similar price . One with full Nissan Service history and one that hasn't.

 

Which one would you buy

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Lincolnbaggie - Running a fleet of vehicles like we do, we have a mechanic and the ruling by Nissan - for warranty to still be valid - is that ANY Garage can service the vehicle as long as:

 

1. They are VAT registered

2. They use genuine Nissan parts

3. They stamp the Service Book

4. You keep the receipt/invoice

 

My mechanic is definitely going to be doing mine to save me money (I'm a tight a$$), ensure I get it done properly, ensure I don't get ripped off.

 

He's in NG22 8RU if you're interested.

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I'm in exactly the same situation. Car is now out of warranty and due the P3 service. Local Nissan places (Southampton) have quoted £330, £280 and £280 for the service.

Its the sort of service that most places will do for £100 supplying the oil.

 

Its a case of will I make £150 back when selling the car due to it being serviced at a Nissan garage rather than a local one?

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I never got my service book stamped. on both occasions i forgot to take my service book. I do however still have all the reciepts etc.. does that make a difference? Should i go back and get the booked stamped even though one of them was over 6 months ago?

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I never got my service book stamped. on both occasions i forgot to take my service book. I do however still have all the reciepts etc.. does that make a difference? Should i go back and get the booked stamped even though one of them was over 6 months ago?

 

I personally think stamps in a book are meaningless unless backed up with the appropriate receipts to prove :)

 

Saying that I do all my own servicing anyway ;)

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If you are buying a car that is still covered by part of the manufacturer's warranty, then a stamped, main dealer service history is essential imo.

 

If the car is out of warranty, then a service record from any reputable garage with receipts showing that genuine oem parts had been used would be perfectly acceptable to me.

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Even with receipts for those geniune parts?

 

What about if another garage had done with with geniune or better parts

 

I'm afraid a row of Nissan stamps wouldn't sway me , especially when I hear of some experiences some members on here have had with Nissan dealers, not only not doing a correct job , but damaging their cars to boot :headhurt:

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Even with receipts for those geniune parts?

 

What about if another garage had done with with geniune or better parts

 

But what do receipts prove? There is no guarantee those parts were even used to service the car? For me its about accountability no matter how incompetent the dealer is. If I buy a lambo that has had a new clutch fitted by a dealer 300 miles before, and it goes, It will be going back to that dealer to argue the toss as not fit for purpose, call trading standards or the local press etc.

 

If I buy one that has been serviced by a non dealer or independant garage that give me no peace of mind of the cars traceable history from the last oficial stamp in the book to present day. End result? I walk away.

 

:)

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Guest prescience

Main dealer all the way for me :D

 

Sarnie, driving a Lambo, you're unlikely to get much help from Trading Standards or the Local Press ;)

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Main dealer all the way for me :D

 

Sarnie, driving a Lambo, you're unlikely to get much help from Trading Standards or the Local Press ;)

 

I know but the point was that I'd be in the Lambo dealer ranting and raving and generally making myself a right royal pain the arse for them! It may not work but then again it might. That also applies if had just bought a 350Z or almost any other car. :)

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Even with receipts for those geniune parts?

 

What about if another garage had done with with geniune or better parts

 

But what do receipts prove? There is no guarantee those parts were even used to service the car? For me its about accountability no matter how incompetent the dealer is. If I buy a lambo that has had a new clutch fitted by a dealer 300 miles before, and it goes, It will be going back to that dealer to argue the toss as not fit for purpose, call trading standards or the local press etc.

 

If I buy one that has been serviced by a non dealer or independant garage that give me no peace of mind of the cars traceable history from the last oficial stamp in the book to present day. End result? I walk away.

 

:)

 

I don't understand what the difference is in terms of tracability. If you got it fitted at a dealer and it goes tits up then you would go back to the dealer. If you had it fitted by a garage and it went tits up you would go back to the garage?

It would be the same outcome i.e. it would be down to the garage to sort it. Going on the reports from Nissan warranty service working with a Nissan garage is not going to be any 'better' than working with any other garage.

 

That said I'm talking about standard service items like you oil/filter/brake fluids

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Guest prescience
Main dealer all the way for me :D

 

Sarnie, driving a Lambo, you're unlikely to get much help from Trading Standards or the Local Press ;)

 

I know but the point was that I'd be in the Lambo dealer ranting and raving and generally making myself a right royal pain the arse for them! It may not work but then again it might. That also applies if had just bought a 350Z or almost any other car. :)

 

Fair enough, but since I thought you were not buying from a dealer you would be going back to the previous owner's dealer in that situation?

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Even with receipts for those geniune parts?

 

What about if another garage had done with with geniune or better parts

 

But what do receipts prove? There is no guarantee those parts were even used to service the car? For me its about accountability no matter how incompetent the dealer is. If I buy a lambo that has had a new clutch fitted by a dealer 300 miles before, and it goes, It will be going back to that dealer to argue the toss as not fit for purpose, call trading standards or the local press etc.

 

If I buy one that has been serviced by a non dealer or independant garage that give me no peace of mind of the cars traceable history from the last oficial stamp in the book to present day. End result? I walk away.

 

:)

 

I don't understand what the difference is in terms of tracability. If you got it fitted at a dealer and it goes tits up then you would go back to the dealer. If you had it fitted by a garage and it went tits up you would go back to the garage?

It would be the same outcome i.e. it would be down to the garage to sort it. Going on the reports from Nissan warranty service working with a Nissan garage is not going to be any 'better' than working with any other garage.

 

That said I'm talking about standard service items like you oil/filter/brake fluids

 

I think you slightly miss understood me. If the car was out of warranty I would not be insistant on it having FNSH but at least FSH. Lincolnbaggie was talking about servicing the car himself and therefore meaning no dealer or garage stamp for the service book. For me this would not constitute FSH.

 

If it was in warranty then it would 100% have to be FNSH :)

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Ah gotcha - I agree within warranty although legally you can go elsewhere due to the value of the car and the ease of sale I would definatly say stick to dealer service.

 

Out of warranty like where I am is where it gets tricky between dealer and not.

 

Doing it yourself on a car of this sort of value IMO is not a good idea if you are looking to sell it soon. If your going to be keeping it till its a 10K car etc then its may well be worth it.

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