Warranty/Service Question

[CJB]

I am slack and when I got my car in for the 30,000km service I only got the oil change done at that time (I posted why, and all the problems, but anyways) because that's all Ross Llewellyn had time to do, and since there was cruise the next day I figured it was better then nothing. I was originally meant to have the car in for the rest of the service the next week... now months on I am going to do it. However, my question is the car is now at 37,000kms, extremely high I know (blame working in Toowoomba some weeks) and I am only just getting the 30,000kms service done, will this void my warranty?

Also, Holden were going to charge me $390 plus for the service, and they wouldn't even have to do the full service because the Oil change and oil filter replacement was done @ 30,000. So I am sending the car back to Blue Ribbon Motors where I got the 15,000kms service done because they can do it for $200 approx. Will Blue Ribbon, primarily being a Mitsubishi/Honda dealership be in a position to void my warranty?

Also... why the bloody hell does Holden charge so much for their services? They are ripping people off blind!

[InsaneAsylum]

after being charged $300 for an oil and filter change, i stopped going to holden. there's a common misconception about other people servicing your car... it wont void your warranty providing they stamp your book and use genuine parts. My mechanic which I used to go to before I owned a vectra does my car and usually charges around $90 for the minor services. he's also a respectable and honest person who doesn't take my car for 50km test drives.

[CJB]

after being charged $300 for an oil and filter change, i stopped going to holden. there's a common misconception about other people servicing your car... it wont void your warranty providing they stamp your book and use genuine parts. My mechanic which I used to go to before I owned a vectra does my car and usually charges around $90 for the minor services. he's also a respectable and honest person who doesn't take my car for 50km test drives.


YES! Last time I sent my car to Holden, for a warranty job (repainted the bad paint job done on the door) I came back to my car and there was a different CD in the cd player. I opened the glove box and things weren't where I left them.

Blue Ribbon just get the parts from Ross Llewellyn, but for some reason can shave $150 off the service and they do a damn good job I think.

I knew it wouldn't void my warranty, I was just worried cos it's like 7000kms past the service point.

[Poogene2001]

The only instance where taking your car to another mechanic for servicing will void a warranty is if you have purchased an extended warranty through a 3rd party. This often includes free extened 3 year warranties offered by dealers to entice buyers to purchase from them. Those warranties stipulate a clause which forces you to service your car with holden, otherwise voiding the extended 3 years.

[NUTTTR]

I've never found holden a "rip off"..... DEFINATELY expensive, not a rip off........ my 30K service (2 year) will cost about $260 without doing an oil filter or oil change (i've already done it)...... that incl pollen filter, fuel filter, etc too..... so that's not too bad.... i'd rather cheaper, but i've got a stack of warranty work to be done too :D :D

[Namus]

yeah, well I seem to hold the record on this forum, after being charged $450 for a MINOR SERVICE!!! (this was b4 i got into cars so yeah...)

Also, during that same minor service, my sub and amp settings had been COMPLETELY f***ed with..(excuse my french); not happy to say the least

If u go to a respected place or someone u trust; that's good enough; ppl buy a car if it works; not based on whether u've had the 'official' Holden stamp;

granted; it helps to have that/those stamp/stamps; but not worth the money and hassles etc. IMO

[NUTTTR]

i ALWAYS leave my face plate at home and give them no reason to look in the boot (dead lock it)....... they are yet to cause any problems :) hehe

[CJB]

But Blue Ribbon stamp my book and use genuine parts... so I am saving money and still keeping my warranty. It's the 7000kms over the service point I thought my jeopordise my warranty.

[NUTTTR]

But Blue Ribbon stamp my book and use genuine parts... so I am saving money and still keeping my warranty. It's the 7000kms over the service point I thought my jeopordise my warranty.


You'll still only keep your standard warranty...... you will lose any "extra 3 years" warranty offers you had/have... the extra warranty (say a total of 6 years) stipulates that you must have it serviced at THEIR branches of holden, i know mine did, but i didn't want the extra 3 years, it was free... i didn't even know i was getting it till they went "oh, here, have this too"....

[edit - besides, extra 3 years warranty things is a moot point anyway... they are worth less than the paper the T&C's are written on...]

[CJB]

Hmm, I may have made a mistake not sending to Holden all the time then because the amount of times I have had my little beep beep in this year for warranty work is amazing, for a new car!

Oh yeah... it's ONE YEAR OLD TOMORROW. I know that cos I just paid my Rego :p

But I guess I will more then likely trade it next year, or the year after anyways, so the warranty won't matter to me anyways. However, saving money does! I am not tight with money, but I don't see why I should pay possibly over $400 for a minor service when somewhere else with an excellent rep can and will do it cheaper, whilst still using parts from RLM themselves! That's the bit I don't get... Blue Ribbon are only getting the parts in from Ross Llewellyn Holden anyways, so they must charge less for their labour then Holden, otherwise how could they do it cheaper?

[NUTTTR]

It's not necessarily less.... holden just charges a set amount (or more) of hours of labour, for time the car is potentially just sitting there while they work on something else, etc..... other guys don't do that..... holden will charge you 3 hours if it's been in the shop 3 hours...... the fact that it sat there for 1.5hrs doing nothing doesn't matter to them.....

[CJB]

It's not necessarily less.... holden just charges a set amount (or more) of hours of labour, for time the car is potentially just sitting there while they work on something else, etc..... other guys don't do that..... holden will charge you 3 hours if it's been in the shop 3 hours...... the fact that it sat there for 1.5hrs doing nothing doesn't matter to them.....

Bastards hey. See that's just wrong I think. They should only be charging you for the time they spend on it. I am surprised they can do that, legally? I have a final quote from BRM, $189 for the service. Hmm, so much better then the $390 PLUS.

[astrix]

Have a look in your Astra book for the recomended service time. From memory the minor ones (excluding cam belts etc. ) are listed at about 1.25 to 1.5 hours. At about $80 per hour ( pretty much standard workshop rates) the service should be about $120 plus parts.

You can check all this on you itemised reciept.
My dealer has never charged me me more than this.
I think the 30,000 km was about $240 - $260

Ask the dealer for a quote before you book the car in.
If the quote is higher than the recomended service ask what extra work they are going to do.

[CJB]

Have a look in your Astra book for the recomended service time. From memory the minor ones (excluding cam belts etc. ) are listed at about 1.25 to 1.5 hours. At about $80 per hour ( pretty much standard workshop rates) the service should be about $120 plus parts.

You can check all this on you itemised reciept.
My dealer has never charged me me more than this.
I think the 30,000 km was about $240 - $260

Ask the dealer for a quote before you book the car in.
If the quote is higher than the recomended service ask what extra work they are going to do.


Stuff quotes!!! Last time I asked Ross Llewellyn for a quote for an oil change, just an oil change, I already supplied the genuine oil filter they said $60... when I went to pick the car up somehow it ended up costing $105!

[Red AH SRI T]

In terms of whether or not u will void ur holden warranty buy not getting it serviced at 30000km if i remember correctly they give u a 14 day grace period

[CJB]

In terms of whether or not u will void ur holden warranty buy not getting it serviced at 30000km if i remember correctly they give u a 14 day grace period

Really? Oh.... that's not good. Looks like I might have to do some magic with the date Blue Ribbon stamp in my book then...

[Red AH SRI T]

im not 100% sure, but just ring your local Holden dealer to find out

[Desty]

Just as a side note on Holdens "Holden-wise" warranty, youknow, the 'extra' 3 years...

If you read the T & C's, it limits *ANY* warranty claim to a max value of $1500 dollars. So, if your car is 4 yrs old and a conrod fails or something else pops resulting in an engine failure, you're **** outa luck!

...and let's face it, the way Holden charge their time out, I'm pretty sure they could make "checking the spare" cost more than $1500!!!

They tried to charge me $960 to do a Timing belt on our 99 TS... which I did with a $42 belt, Gates - the same as what was on the car from the factory, and 2 hours.

[CJB]

They had to repaint the whole drivers side of my car in July because when the car was originally painted they used too much blue in the black and there was a discolouration, plus under the clearcoat was bright blue flakes, like that arden blue colour. That was done under warranty and I am assuming that would have cost more then $1500... but point taken.

I also had it back there for more warranty work last month when the reverse sensor switch had gone... They went to charge me bloody $640 for that - until I reminded them that is was a warranty job... wait a second *has a thought* they did that warranty job even though the car hadn't had it's 30,000km service. At that time I think it was about... hmm... 34,000kms.

[NUTTTR]

I'm up to 34K and haven't had my 30k service...... i've done the oil already, etc...... so it's fine..... but yeah, don't really care what they say, because nothing they will do has any problem with being left a few K extra

[CJB]

I just took my car into Blue Ribbon, and as I expected and knew, they are great. They said nah the kilometre factor doesn't matter, so long as the service is done. It just means that when I have to do the 45,000km service it will only be a few months down the track (hoping to stop putting so many km's on the car so hopefully not until next year).

They reckon it's only a problem if I don't continue servicing at all or just skip certain service points.

*sigh* Now am at home carless for the day.

[Red AH SRI T]

make sure u get the next service done as close to 45000km as possible, it will look much better in the books come resale time

[CJB]

Will that mean since the 45,000km is going to be fairly soon that not much, apart from the oil will need doing since most of it was only JUST replaced?

[Namus]

pfft; quotes; what a joke; my 'minor service' was quoted at $180 but somehow got to $450 with nothing different whatsoever being done....yeah; quote my a55

[CJB]

Well then Namus, who so kindly once bagged out Ipswich... you should take your car to Ipswich because Blue Ribbon are the best! They did the service, stamped my book etc, washed my car, which I know is standard (although it rained ... so there goes the hard work) and the service only cost me $97 including labour and parts! Jack all had to be replaced. Ok, adding the $105 Ross Llewellyn charged for the oil etc made it come to $200 plus, but I am sure if I had just gotten Blue Ribbon to do the Oil change, what.. $150.

They are excellent. From now on I won't even waste my time with Holden.