how much for your first service/15k?

[Corey_R]

Hey that's not cheap! What car?

I am blown away by this thread and how much servicing costs.. For these luxury cars! I mean they are just small hatches

Didn't you have a Subaru?
These costs are less than what our dealer is charging for their Subarus! Plus the Subarus need servicing more often, which makes then even more expensive!

Carservice.com.au also puts subaru way behind in servicing costs....


Of course, if you can find an independent that you can trust (like from memory you did with your previous car), that is the way to go as far as servicing costs are concerned.

[Mountainman]

How much the other dealers charge? I mean, the dealers of other brands of the small hatches!

Also remember that;
The VW specifies using synthetic oil in engine, many (most) other brands don't.

$200 for a Subaru Impreza hatch at Wippells VW/Subaru, Toowoomba and that does include full synthetic oil. But then my Golf was only $268 there also.

So yes, it would appear that some metropolitan dealers are making a nice profit for themselves.

[Mountainman]

Didn't you have a Subaru?
These costs are less than what our dealer is charging for their Subarus! Plus the Subarus need servicing more often, which makes then even more expensive!

Carservice.com.au also puts subaru way behind in servicing costs....


Of course, if you can find an independent that you can trust (like from memory you did with your previous car), that is the way to go as far as servicing costs are concerned.

Wrong. See my comments above. And my Golf needed 3L of oil top-up during the 15,000km which should be added to the service cost too.

[REXman]

How much the other dealers charge? I mean, the dealers of other brands of the small hatches!

Also remember that;
The VW specifies using synthetic oil in engine, many (most) other brands don't. That means they can use $3.00/L engine oil in you brand new car. I don't know if I would want that. I see too many engines filled up with sludge to the brim, sadly they done as low as 45,000km.

Transporter, valid question.

My girlfriends previous car, a 2008 Levin ZR corolla (top model with HIDs!) got serviced
By Toyota for $110 fixed cost for the life while she was the owner, + a 6 year all up warranty.

[Corey_R]

Wrong. See my comments above. And my Golf needed 3L of oil top-up during the 15,000km which should be added to the service cost too.

Not wrong - you're in QLD and don't use our (Rexman and my) VW dealer - who are also a Subaru dealer, and I already know what their service charges are because two of the people sitting next to me at work right now get their Subarus (current Impeza R G3, and a 2000 Subaru Liberty RX 3GEN Wagon).

[REXman]

Didn't you have a Subaru?
These costs are less than what our dealer is charging for their Subarus! Plus the Subarus need servicing more often, which makes then even more expensive!

Carservice.com.au also puts subaru way behind in servicing costs....


Of course, if you can find an independent that you can trust (like from memory you did with your previous car), that is the way to go as far as servicing costs are concerned.

compared to base model golfs, my various WRXs 99, 03, 08, 09 were never more than $390, and usually, about $300 even give or take $10 and that's at Subaru!

Had scoobies for ages, very reliable cars took lots of hard driving never with a problem and I had 4 of them!

I gotta say though I'm pretty sure WRX needs synthetic oil.. I'm almost positive actually.

But yes ill be heading ndependent with this car FTW I think.

Hey Corey what did your mates get charged for their scoobies on a good/ bad day / on average?

Someone here copped a $550... Hot damn!!

[Mountainman]

Well I'm just going on my experiences with the two vehicles I own and the contrasts are rather in favour of the Subaru. And from reading the above posts it would appear that Wippells is one of the cheapest dealer service centres for either brand although I haven't had experience with other VW servicing. I generally get my servicing done in toowoomba because of the convenience with my work travel and have come to trust them. I do know the Darwin Subaru dealer charges $20 extra an hour labour. Maybe that's why some of the number QLD plates say SMART STATE!

[Corey_R]

On the current Impreza G3 R Auto Hatchback, it's $295 for the 6 month and 12 month services from Subaru in Parra and Castle Hill. So whilst the Golf services at $395 sounds a lot, because it's serviced once per year, it's still less than the $590 for 1 year of base-model Subaru servicing.

Oh and btw. The 1.5 and 2 year Subaru service will add up to over $1000 !!!

[Mountainman]

On the current Impreza G3 R Auto Hatchback, it's $295 for the 6 month and 12 month services from Subaru in Parra and Castle Hill. (

Wow! I wonder what they are charging for labour per hour? Time hasn't and won't be a factor in my servicing as I'm doing 15,000km in around 4 months in each car.

Wippells charge $90 +GST for the 1 hour services and the Stuart Group in Darwin $110 + GST. For my Golf 15,000km service Wippells charged $120 +GST for the labour but I don't know how long that is for. The other extra was in the cost of the oil even though they are both synthetics they are different oils.

My last service in the Subaru was the 200,000km with oil/filter, gearbox/diff oils, coolant, brake fluid, pollen filter, tyre balance & rotate which cost $502. That service will come up on my Golf at 60,000km I assume. I wonder what it will cost?

The Subaru has only had one cam belt change at 125,000km costing $756 for the service. Combined with the other things that will make its 250,000km service one to remember! Still, it hasn't even had a brake pad change yet, probably because of the open road km's it's getting.

[Corey_R]

Well, I'd stick with Wippells cause their prices are excellent. With those prices, it's no wonder they made you pay for the oil top up you needed in the first 15,000 rather than just top it up for free.

But the situation is different Sydney though, and from the looks of things, Melbourne is just as bad. Servicing is much more.

[PhillipAudiDealer]

I guess land in sydney and melbourne must be dearer to own or rent so servicing must be dearer.. ? Just a thought? My serviceing in Canberra is cheaper than the guys Accross town by close to 100 bucks. it is the Labour rate. I think servicing for the 15k service. is 300 to 350? depending on vehicle.

[Mountainman]

it's no wonder they made you pay for the oil top up you needed in the first 15,000 rather than just top it up for free.

I didn't even think of going to a dealer to top up the oil. Because I'm on the road so much I just bought 1L containers and keep a check myself. It was initially every 3000km but since the service it has used next to nothing in the last 2000km so hopefully it has settled down. My friends 07 Golf TDI has done the same but doesn't use a much, but it has continued to use it at the same rate up to 45,000km so far.

[Corey_R]

I guess land in sydney and melbourne must be dearer to own or rent so servicing must be dearer.. ? Just a thought? My serviceing in Canberra is cheaper than the guys Accross town by close to 100 bucks. it is the Labour rate. I think servicing for the 15k service. is 300 to 350? depending on vehicle.

Yep Phillip - I'd say that this is one of the big things it comes down to. Real estate in Australia, particularly Sydney/Melbourne, is insanely stupid these days. It's affecting everyone in more ways then they realise.

I didn't even think of going to a dealer to top up the oil. Because I'm on the road so much I just bought 1L containers and keep a check myself. It was initially every 3000km but since the service it has used next to nothing in the last 2000km so hopefully it has settled down. My friends 07 Golf TDI has done the same but doesn't use a much, but it has continued to use it at the same rate up to 45,000km so far.

With my previous Golf (the red one in my Avatar), I rocked up to a QLD dealership and they topped up my oil for free, even though I wasn't their customer! Was very impressed. I'm not sure if that was standard fair, or whether they were just so excited to check out the Oettinger/APR GTI! lol

[Transporter]

$200 for a Subaru Impreza hatch at Wippells VW/Subaru, Toowoomba and that does include full synthetic oil. But then my Golf was only $268 there also.

So yes, it would appear that some metropolitan dealers are making a nice profit for themselves.

Well there are 4 categories of synthetic oil and at least two that could bear a label fully synthetic.

[Transporter]

Wow! I wonder what they are charging for labour per hour? Time hasn't and won't be a factor in my servicing as I'm doing 15,000km in around 4 months in each car.

Wippells charge $90 +GST for the 1 hour services and the Stuart Group in Darwin $110 + GST. For my Golf 15,000km service Wippells charged $120 +GST for the labour but I don't know how long that is for. The other extra was in the cost of the oil even though they are both synthetics they are different oils.

My last service in the Subaru was the 200,000km with oil/filter, gearbox/diff oils, coolant, brake fluid, pollen filter, tyre balance & rotate which cost $502. That service will come up on my Golf at 60,000km I assume. I wonder what it will cost?

The Subaru has only had one cam belt change at 125,000km costing $756 for the service. Combined with the other things that will make its 250,000km service one to remember! Still, it hasn't even had a brake pad change yet, probably because of the open road km's it's getting.

Hmm, it is always easier to talk about others, how much they charge per hour, and how much money they make, we are paying too much for servicing and so on. I have a courtesy and will not ask you how much money you make per week, year, but I can tell you that if I didn't pay the right price for the car service or any service I would be worried.