Every Holden ever built will now be covered by a new lifetime capped-price service program,

[csv8]

Every Holden ever built will now be covered by a new lifetime capped-price service program, with the Australian arm of General Motors claiming the program will cover more than 2.5 million cars.

Holden‘s Capped Price Service (CPS) program will launch from 1 March, 2015, and Holden claims the program will ensure “customers always know how much their service will cost”.

The news comes at a time where capped-price servicing is under scrutiny, following the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s investigation in to the program offered by Kia, and the subsequent further investigation into other automotive brands that is set to follow.

Holden says the service campaign covers all cars sold under the brand, from “the first Holden 48-215 in 1948″ through to the current VF Commodore “and beyond”. The brand said the program will set out to ensure that “all Holden owners clearly understand the maximum price that they can expect to pay at every scheduled service”.

Holden executive director of aftersales, Michael Filazzola, said the new system will ensure owners of new, old or used Holdens will know what they’re in for.

“Our all-encompassing Lifetime Capped Price Servicing program is an incredible program and demonstrates yet again our commitment to our customers,” he said. “Holden owners from as far back as 1948 can enjoy total peace of mind and service price transparency.

“This is the biggest CPS program in Australia and underlines Holden’s ongoing commitment to world-class customer service and outstanding value. Our lifetime CPS means that once customers buy a Holden, of any age, new or used, we have them covered.”



Holden has set up a website that allows owners to see how much the maximum price of a scheduled service for their vehicle will be, which the company claims will give its customers peace of mind.

As a rule, all cars pre-2000 that aren’t Commodores – so, your EH or HQ, or your RB Gemini or 1991 Rodeo – will cost $299 per service, while Commodores built from 1978 to the last day of 1999 will be capped at $199 per scheduled visit.

Commodores and all other Holdens built from 1 January 2000 attract a slightly more complex regime, depending on the type of vehicle and which service is due. As a general rule, though, the first four services (due every 15,000km, up to 60,000km) cost $239, while services from then on (75,000km, 90,000km and 105,000km, for example) cost $299.

New Holdens will see a subsidised capped-price servicing for the first seven maintenance visits.


Read more at http://www.caradvice.com.au/339235/h...cQYIgT4XT6m.99

[mik]

Is a capped price service just a marketing ploy ?

what does a capped price service entail ?

do they outline precisely what will be included in the service in regard to parts ?

[blackf6]

Service. Dropping oil, changing filter. Replacement parts extra.

[Windsor220]

Whats the point in doing it for cars pre 99? Most dealerships do $129 general services now. $200+ is a rip

[chookaradley]

Ring any independant mechanic and you can get a fixed price service. It most certainly is a con, but a very clever one to keep taking your car to a dealership.

[Sioso]

Capped price servicing sounds good but it concerns me that there is a greater chance of using a lower grade oil, overlooking consumable items etc...
An air or fuel filter may look like it needs replacing before it's due and if they can't charge for it why would they bother?
It basically takes away any incentive for them to look after the car properly.
Maybe I'm just suspicious of stealerships.........

[Silver Ghia]

Which classic Holden owner in their right mind let some dealer mechanic or apprentice who probably doesn't know anything about carbies, distributors and grease nipples even touch their pride and joy?

Another Holden gimmick.

[kypez]

Dont forget the "extras". Like Ford do 30,000kms capped price which is usually around 2 years. But you need to get your brake fluid replaced every 2 years that is EXTRA! Surely that should be part of the 2 year/30k service.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by kypez

Dont forget the "extras". Like Ford do 30,000kms capped price which is usually around 2 years. But you need to get your brake fluid replaced every 2 years that is EXTRA! Surely that should be part of the 2 year/30k service.

Yep. This is something that really annoyed me with the Ford System.

Brake fluid must be done at 2 years, yet it's not part of the program.

You really need to go over what you are paying for with a fine tooth comb with these services and decide if the extra cost outweighs the benefits of having the dealer service your car.

You are also paying for roadside assist, which many never use, and you may also be paying for stuff that upper models need yet yours doesn't.

[msman]

I don't understand why this is not standard for all makes.
they set the requirements for maintenance so know what labour/parts are required, so why not set the price for servicing??
parts have a retail price which is standard and most dealers have the same labour charge as well?
but they leave it too open ended so depending on which dealer you go to will decide on the level of work performed, the brake fluid example above is one.
every make has the same problems, so friggin annoying.
if it needs to be done at x years/x km then why is it not part of standard service??

[csv8]

Looking at the Capped Price for my car at 150,000kms its $420 + $80 for brake fluid +$180 for coolant change..reality is the service could be $680..so, whats in the $420???? The Auto Club Membership is useless to me as I need RACQ Ulltra for country service. But that cann't be discounted off the $420!!!!
myFord Maximum Capped Price = $420*
Added Bonus: Now includes 12 Months State Auto Club MembershipBut the service doesn’t stop there, Ford also provides retail and Blue Business Fleet customers with State Auto Club Roadside Assistance and Membership~ for up to 7 years/105,000kms. In addition to this, Ford also offers a range of other benefits and services such as a Free Loan Car with every scheduled service^, factory trained technicians and specialised diagnostic equipment.

Every retail or small business (with fleets less than 5 units) vehicles services under myFord Capped Price Servicing is covered by State Auto Club Roadside Assistance and Membership for up to 12 months from the logbook service date. Available from participating Dealers only.

* In the event that brake fluid needs to be replaced (every two years) an additional charge of $80 will apply or if the radiator coolant needs to be replaced (between every 3 - 10 years depending on the model) an additional charge of $170 will apply. * Prices include GST. Refer to terms and conditions at ford.com.au/myfordcps for full program details.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

Which classic Holden owner in their right mind let some dealer mechanic or apprentice who probably doesn't know anything about carbies, distributors and grease nipples even touch their pride and joy?

Another Holden gimmick.

This can be said for any mechanical business these days, smart move by Holden in drumming up business!

[Olbucko]

How can Holden dealers justify charging $299 for servicing an early model Holden? All you need to do is change the oil, (no oil filter to change), clean and re oil the air filter, check the filter screen in the glass bowl on top of the fuel pump, check the points and ign. timing and pump some grease into about a dozen grease nipples, maybe check the tappet clearances, not bad for about half an hours work.

Back in the fifties it was normal to do a grease and oil change every 1000 miles, back then a regular service on your Holden would have costed around 3 or four dollars at your local service station. Back then every service station carried basic spare parts, had a workshop, and employed a full time mechanic who did repairs and servicing.

Many people serviced their own cars at home. New car warranties were generally only 3000 miles or 90 days, so most owners only ended up getting one dealer service before the warranty ran out.

[Jason[98.EL]]

Originally Posted by Olbucko

How can Holden dealers justify charging $299 for servicing an early model Holden? All you need to do is change the oil, (no oil filter to change), clean and re oil the air filter, check the filter screen in the glass bowl on top of the fuel pump, check the points and ign. timing and pump some grease into about a dozen grease nipples, maybe check the tappet clearances, not bad for about half an hours work.

Back in the fifties it was normal to do a grease and oil change every 1000 miles, back then a regular service on your Holden would have costed around 3 or four dollars at your local service station. Back then every service station carried basic spare parts, had a workshop, and employed a full time mechanic who did repairs and servicing.

Many people serviced their own cars at home. New car warranties were generally only 3000 miles or 90 days, so most owners only ended up getting one dealer service before the warranty ran out.

because most mechanics today wouldn't know how to do most of that they might have to hire old school guys to do some of that stuff

[duaned]

Would dealership mechanics even know what a carburettor is?

[csv8]

Originally Posted by duaned

Would dealership mechanics even know what a carburettor is?

or a distributor ? points ? condensor ? how to set tappetts ??

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by Olbucko

How can Holden dealers justify charging $299 for servicing an early model Holden? All you need to do is change the oil, (no oil filter to change), clean and re oil the air filter, check the filter screen in the glass bowl on top of the fuel pump, check the points and ign. timing and pump some grease into about a dozen grease nipples, maybe check the tappet clearances, not bad for about half an hours work.

Back in the fifties it was normal to do a grease and oil change every 1000 miles, back then a regular service on your Holden would have costed around 3 or four dollars at your local service station. Back then every service station carried basic spare parts, had a workshop, and employed a full time mechanic who did repairs and servicing.

Many people serviced their own cars at home. New car warranties were generally only 3000 miles or 90 days, so most owners only ended up getting one dealer service before the warranty ran out.

Actually not bad value compared to my Ranger service cost ($495) cheapest, other than an oil change & filter replacement, hook up computer diagnostic & the rest of my service is only inspection, oh sorry if I'm lucky they might top my windscreen washer if they remember to do it.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by trublu

Actually not bad value compared to my Ranger service cost ($495) cheapest, other than an oil change & filter replacement, hook up computer diagnostic & the rest of my service is only inspection, oh sorry if I'm lucky they might top my windscreen washer if they remember to do it.

Don't forget the Trico washer solution as well

[Olbucko]

Originally Posted by trublu

Actually not bad value compared to my Ranger service cost ($495) cheapest, other than an oil change & filter replacement, hook up computer diagnostic & the rest of my service is only inspection, oh sorry if I'm lucky they might top my windscreen washer if they remember to do it.

$495 to service a Ranger is not so bad considering it is a very complicated piece of machinery requiring specialist knowledge and tools, expensive diagnostic equipment, and can be easily damaged if anything is connected incorrectly, and few owners would be able to service it at home. On the other hand an old Holden could be serviced by anyone with basic knowledge and some simple tools.

Charging $299 for less than 1 hours work and 4 litres of cheap oil is way over the top.

[buickman]

Originally Posted by Silver Ghia

Which classic Holden owner in their right mind let some dealer mechanic or apprentice who probably doesn't know anything about carbies, distributors and grease nipples even touch their pride and joy?

Another Holden gimmick.

Second that some of these older Holden’s you would be struggling to find service parts for them even if you hunt around swap meets. I couldn’t see a Holden dealer finding parts for the Hydromantic transmission from the Ek-EH Holden for repairs or the lever action shockers on the FX 48-215. It’s a gimic and I doudt any enthusiast would take a classic old Holden to a dealer.

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by duaned

Would dealership mechanics even know what a carburettor is?

The older ones do. They were still coming in about 10 years ago

Originally Posted by csv8

or a distributor ? points ? condensor ? how to set tappetts ??

Tappet are still done regularly today.

[XR6WGN]

Sorry to change the subject just a bit but the one that makes me chuckle is the latest Ford ad where they spruik on about a free loan car when you take your car to them for servicing - sorry but my mechanic actually drives me to work and if I wanted him to, he'd probably drop it back to me as well - they have a couple of clean used cars as loaners which are free of charge, all they ask is that you donate half a tank of fuel on return. It's customer service like this that would never see me going back to a dealer - even if I did buy a new falcon!!

I just don't trust dealerships!!!

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by XR6WGN

Sorry to change the subject just a bit but the one that makes me chuckle is the latest Ford ad where they spruik on about a free loan car when you take your car to them for servicing - sorry but my mechanic actually drives me to work and if I wanted him to, he'd probably drop it back to me as well - they have a couple of clean used cars as loaners which are free of charge, all they ask is that you donate half a tank of fuel on return. It's customer service like this that would never see me going back to a dealer - even if I did buy a new falcon!!

I just don't trust dealerships!!!

Most times I have loan car from my dealership for no cost & no I don't have to put fuel in it when returned, obtw if I could not get loan car dealership always offered to drive me to destination.
Actually the new loan car policy will stop those dealers charging for them, it will be interesting to see how long this new policy lasts

As for trust well that is your own choice.

[Mesa]

I don't see the value. We recently had our HQ GTS serviced by a local mechanic. Total cost a shade over $150 including new oil filter and points.

If it's a full service of the vehicle in accordance with factory workshop manual it should include greasing clutch linkages, door strikers, door locks etc etc with the correct lubricants, it might be worth it. But would the extra $100 include this?

[Dave R]

This is only worth it if the car is new and you're getting the subsidised rate from Holden during the first 60,000km, which comes out to be $185 per service (for the V8). Ford's capped price by comparison is quite dear at $340-$450 per service during the same period. So the first 4 services on an SS model are $740, compared with $1470 for an XR6T and $1190 for a standard XR6. Beyond 60,000km Holden's price blows out.

[BradEL]

Haha wow so Holden actually think that by doing this that people will send in there 50 or 60 year old Holdens in for a service.
The worst part is imagining how much some marketing idiot got paid to come up with that rubbish

[Peter B - CV8]

Originally Posted by BradEL

Haha wow so Holden actually think that by doing this that people will send in there 50 or 60 year old Holdens in for a service.
The worst part is imagining how much some marketing idiot got paid to come up with that rubbish

Do you actually believe that Holden wants to tie up their workshops with a bunch of old models.... This announcement was all about publicity (and it certainly seems to have got people talking).

[johnydep]

Originally Posted by Olbucko

How can Holden dealers justify charging $299 for servicing an early model Holden? All you need to do is change the oil, (no oil filter to change), clean and re oil the air filter, check the filter screen in the glass bowl on top of the fuel pump, check the points and ign. timing and pump some grease into about a dozen grease nipples, maybe check the tappet clearances, not bad for about half an hours work.

Back in the fifties it was normal to do a grease and oil change every 1000 miles, back then a regular service on your Holden would have costed around 3 or four dollars at your local service station. Back then every service station carried basic spare parts, had a workshop, and employed a full time mechanic who did repairs and servicing.

Many people serviced their own cars at home. New car warranties were generally only 3000 miles or 90 days, so most owners only ended up getting one dealer service before the warranty ran out.

Half an hour?

It takes half an hour just to road test, check all the levels, lube the doors & set it up on the hoist. Another half hour to take the wheels and drums off to inspect the brake shoes, then grease all the nipples which are most likely blocked or missing.

A proper service & safety will take 1 - 1.5 hours, plus material and waste disposal.

Back in the 'good old days' workshops only required one type of engine oil for each season, a dozen filters, a few points and spark plugs, a pit and a hole in the back for rubbish.

Today is a different era in automotive industry; workshops have to meet environmental & safety standards and pay for inspections and licences. large stock rooms are required with large amounts of stock. The average technician requires years of on going study and gets paid accordingly.

If you like to look after your own car, good for you. But don't make it sound like everyone that takes their car in for a qualified service and/or repair is being ripped off.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Peter B - CV8

Do you actually believe that Holden wants to tie up their workshops with a bunch of old models.... This announcement was all about publicity (and it certainly seems to have got people talking).

Exactly.

Its all about convincing the public that they can still get parts and service for their Holden once the factory closes down.

[cram_it_frog]

I just saw the Add on TV the road service is basic service great in a city but if you visit the country area you may have some problems

I live in Broken Hill the max tow on basic is 30k that is good around town but with the closest town to us is Mildura you need middle or premium service


If I break down on the way to Adelaide I can ring my local RAA guy and he will come and get me any where before Gawler and bring me home.

he will use the hotel and car hire part to pay for it but I have seen people caught out thinking they were ok

The trip is around 469 k from Broken Hill to Gawler expensive town