Service Costs - another additional cost

Eskilation

Active Member
Dec 3, 2017
98
24
Bucks
Just booked one of our Seat's in for a service and MOT via the website and the local dealer have quoted :

"Please be aware there will be a £24 environmental waste disposal charge added to the final invoice."

Already paying for the Service and MOT and now this on top... anyone else come across this, needless to say I have questioned it......
 

SteveW

Active Member
Jul 1, 2020
102
88
Salisbury, Wiltshire
I'd be tempted to say "Remove the charge, give me all the old bits and I'll take them down the tip and dispose of in the correct recycling areas accordingly " :)

I'm sure they won't.

I've not seen charges like that before on any servicing invoice I've ever had, but I've not used a Seat Main dealer for servicing yet as I've only had the car a month.
 

Eskilation

Active Member
Dec 3, 2017
98
24
Bucks
You read my mind that is exactly what I have said, they have not responded yet - this will be interesting.
The local refuse site for used oil is just around the corner from them :) so can drop in easily on way home.

They have said it used to be £12 but has gone to £24 due to COVID19 now I am going to have some fun with this....
Also on all my previous invoices never seen it so hence I am questioning it.

If I don't get a satisfactory answer will do the service myself and get the MOT done elsewhere. It's for my Ibiza that is 5 years old so I have other options.
 
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RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
This is very creative of them, my older daughter has a prepaid 2 year 2 services plan with either SEAT or her local SEAT dealer who is AC, her car was in last week for its first service and no extra charges were made.

Dropping things off at your local recycling point, lucky you if you get straight in > out, our local one has no date for re-opening, the nearest bigger one is 10 miles away with no booking system, most people give in after being in a queue for a couple of hours, when questioned about setting up a booking system for timed slots, people have been told "it is not possible" - the next town have had booking in place since they re-opened a few weeks ago, personally I can us loading recyclable items into the house hold waste bin, and that is not good!

Edit:- sorry for the short or long deviation from this topic!
 

Eskilation

Active Member
Dec 3, 2017
98
24
Bucks
Yeah my wife has the same plan and no extra unless its another way to get you to have a plan and that was done just before lock down, its odd and the fact it doubled as well for COVID...can see on a new car but once they get a bit old might go the local garage route

its a 5 year old car, I could service myself but like the fact it comes with free European breakdown cover and all done in a visit was trying to make it easier and its had a proper check they been pretty good normally

I am in no rush I can live with an oil can and some oily bits behind the shed till we get back to normal if it saves me £24 I just love it the fact they double the price for COVID and they even said this, still waiting for the explanation so will share when get it, they cannot get it in till end Aug, so I got time to find other options...
 
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RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
Yes disposing of the oil and any other fluids will be a bit trickier than normal right now, 18 months ago, the bund surrounding the waste oil in our local recycling centre cracked - so the local authority just stopped having that facility at that recycling centre which meant a 20 miles round trip to dispose of oils etc, very annoying and that must have lead to increased fly tipping of old engine oil. I've bought a bag of sawdust for tipping the brake fluid into as that seems to be the local advice on disposing of that as no recycling points near me have any infrastructure for accepting brake fluid, so it gets soaked into sawdust and added to normal household waste and used as fuel to fire the local waste/power unit.

Edit:- I'd conveniently forgotten about the complete long term loss of any local facility to dispose of oil when I posted my earlier reply, oh bother!
 

Eskilation

Active Member
Dec 3, 2017
98
24
Bucks
Agreed we all need to be environmentally conscious and would never tip it, suppose another plus for electric cars, less fluids...It can sit in garden/garage till I can get rid its just the fact its an extra and double in price that bites me.... why not just put on the service cost although a minor service is a lot for an oil change and a quick visual check. Might be time to find a good independent for this one, the other 2 still under warranty so will stick with dealers for now
 

martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,996
889
Fife
I saw this once before when I worked in the motor trade, I pointed out the workshop heater burned old oil as a fuel and the reply was...... Shush, don’t tell the punters!
It does cost to have old fluids and filters taken away but nothing like those sort of figures, can’t remember offhand, I paint my shed with a oil/preserver mix, smelly at first but waterproofs the the wood superbly.
 
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Walone

Active Member
Feb 10, 2016
1,533
418
Near Heathrow
I've bought a bag of sawdust for tipping the brake fluid into as that seems to be the local advice on disposing of that as no recycling points near me have any infrastructure for accepting brake fluid, so it gets soaked into sawdust and added to normal household waste and used as fuel to fire the local waste/power unit.
Edit:- I'd conveniently forgotten about the complete long term loss of any local facility to dispose of oil when I posted my earlier reply, oh bother!
Oh dear :( , I've always put my brake fluid in with the old engine oil, :(.
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,784
983
South Scotland
Oh dear :( , I've always put my brake fluid in with the old engine oil, :(.

I thought that old engine oil could be sold on for re-refining or cleaning and building back up to new grades, and that covered the disposal costs, though it would need to be just old engine oil - any other fluids in it would convert it to waste.

There was a time many years ago that Castrol's claim to fame was "we only use new oils" in other words they bought in crude oil for refining and building up into engine oils etc - now once you have thought that through, just how did that suggest that their oils must be better because of that!

If it comes to time+effort+fuel wasting, I've not got a problem with adding it in with the waste oils for taking to the recycling centre sometime in the future, I think that while most of us would like to do the right thing, it must be easily achievable or it is not always going to happen, there was talk years ago about Europe limiting the sale of engine to 1 litre containers, so that it became too costly for DIYers to change their own engine oil, but so far I've not noticed any further movement on that!
 

Eskilation

Active Member
Dec 3, 2017
98
24
Bucks
Independent or I will do myself looks like the current choice, I have all the tools just the time factor.
Would always dispose of oil responsibly, and if I have a few cans in the garage corner of the garden till the next dump run its not an issue. Just think its another money making scheme as was just a little comment at the bottom of the confirmation email - so watch out

Still waiting for their final response, while I search for an independent.
 
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280jl

Active Member
Nov 20, 2015
162
59
Bromley
All main dealers and general garages have taken in to account the disposal of oil and used parts.

Having said that, why it's £24.00 I have no clue, I work for a main volvo dealer and we charge £6.50 per service and take that out the Labour to not take the piss... it was much easier and better for everyone when you didn't tell " customers " about these things tbh.
 

Eskilation

Active Member
Dec 3, 2017
98
24
Bucks
Just had a response from the dealer, I am not allowed to dispose of the parts myself (so they say) and also it has gone up because of the PPE needed for the car clean before and after the service has been done for COVID - seems like a license to print money but they will not reduce or remove it.

Really they should just include it in the service price.... or as you say add a reasonable amount as an extra £5-10 I would not worry but £24 that's half the MOT price. Seems they are going to use anything they can to get a few more pennies and as most of the staff still off furloughed and bookings are weeks away.
 

martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,996
889
Fife
I would just go elsewhere, in fact it wouldn’t bother me if I spent the £24 in fuel to get there and back, just to raise one finger to the robbin’ barstewards. I’ve two cars in main dealers recently and neither have charged any extra since re opening yet have spent money of Covid prevention -screens, extra cleaning- main dealers get a bad name, charging for the sake of it should get them another, Closed, lack of customers.
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
2,387
1,278
Just had a response from the dealer, I am not allowed to dispose of the parts myself (so they say) and also it has gone up because of the PPE needed for the car clean before and after the service has been done for COVID - seems like a license to print money but they will not reduce or remove it.

@Eskilation; in your first post in this thread, the additional £24 quoted by the dealer is for environmental waste disposal charge. They’re now saying it’s to cover the the PPE needed for the car clean before and after the service. Presumably the PPE will be a pair of disposable gloves and a disposable face mask - surely they don’t cost £24.

From Seat‘s website - link;https://www.seat.co.uk/owners/your-...rvicing/SEAT-service-plans-pay-as-you-go.html

Included with all servicing options
  • Premium synthetic oil change
  • Change oil filter
  • Vehicle road test
  • Pollen filter replacement (where required)
  • Check for outstanding vehicle safety, software and product enhancements from SEAT's database
  • Comprehensive vehicle inspection and report
  • Check and top up screen wash and antifreeze
  • Vehicle fault memory check and report
  • Reset service interval display
  • Courtesy wash and vacuum
  • SEAT proof of service
Services include the cost of a courtesy wash and vacuum - there’s no mention of an extra charge, in the same way there‘s no mention of an environmental waste disposal charge. Why would disposal of waste oil cost more now than it did before COVID-19 - at least not £24 more. The published prices for servicing should include waste oil disposal - it shouldn’t be an additional charge over and above Seat’s published prices.

Is this charge applied just by the Seat dealer you’re using or is it applied by the entire Seat dealer network? I’d be ringing around a few other dealers and asking for the servicing prices to see if they’re applying a £24 environmental disposal charge or a PPE charge. If they don’t. and if you’ve not had your car serviced / MOT’d yet, I’d be going to a different dealer or a good, reputable independent Seat specialist.
 

Eskilation

Active Member
Dec 3, 2017
98
24
Bucks
@Eskilation; in your first post in this thread, the additional £24 quoted by the dealer is for environmental waste disposal charge. They’re now saying it’s to cover the the PPE needed for the car clean before and after the service. Presumably the PPE will be a pair of disposable gloves and a disposable face mask - surely they don’t cost £24.

From Seat‘s website - link;https://www.seat.co.uk/owners/your-...rvicing/SEAT-service-plans-pay-as-you-go.html

Included with all servicing options
  • Premium synthetic oil change
  • Change oil filter
  • Vehicle road test
  • Pollen filter replacement (where required)
  • Check for outstanding vehicle safety, software and product enhancements from SEAT's database
  • Comprehensive vehicle inspection and report
  • Check and top up screen wash and antifreeze
  • Vehicle fault memory check and report
  • Reset service interval display
  • Courtesy wash and vacuum
  • SEAT proof of service
Services include the cost of a courtesy wash and vacuum - there’s no mention of an extra charge, in the same way there‘s no mention of an environmental waste disposal charge. Why would disposal of waste oil cost more now than it did before COVID-19 - at least not £24 more. The published prices for servicing should include waste oil disposal - it shouldn’t be an additional charge over and above Seat’s published prices.

Is this charge applied just by the Seat dealer you’re using or is it applied by the entire Seat dealer network? I’d be ringing around a few other dealers and asking for the servicing prices to see if they’re applying a £24 environmental disposal charge or a PPE charge. If they don’t. and if you’ve not had your car serviced / MOT’d yet, I’d be going to a different dealer or a good, reputable independent Seat specialist.


I booked it thought the main Seat Website, hence am arguing the fact on the additional charges £179 for small service and £50 for MOT and as @Seastomer said, last year I also got an additional £10 off for the MOT so was happy, this year seems to have gone a whole diff route, will be ringing round some more this week to get some comparable prices, if not independent or will self service and MOT locally at my tyre place. Think its just an excuse to inflate the prices.

Or they must be very expensive HAZMAT suits for the mechanics... not happy but am investigating other options, just wanted to let people know as it was right at the bottom of the email confirming the booking and easily missed and only if there are other dealers doing the same we need to be aware...
 

martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,996
889
Fife
Just had my 6th service completed at my SEAT dealership (Fife SEAT) and had no such charge added to my bill, in fact they did the MOT at £10 less than quoted on the online booking I did.
Fife Seat have just done the timing belt on my wife’s car, due to issues with courtesy cars it was collected/returned and still washed/hoovered, no extra charge. Usual great service.
 
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Kirky

Copper Cupra Advocate
Apr 10, 2019
1,042
497
Fife Seat have just done the timing belt on my wife’s car, due to issues with courtesy cars it was collected/returned and still washed/hoovered, no extra charge. Usual great service.
Same. Just had my 1st service done at Fife. No extra charges.
 
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