Zathras > wrote:

> On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 20:27:53 +0100, (SteveH)
> wrote:
>
> >Zathras > wrote:
> >
> >> On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 07:54:41 +0100, "Graeme Cosgrove"
> >> > wrote:
> >>
> >> <Snip> >Question 3 is "isn't (potentially) £800 a lot of money to spend
> >> to service a >two and a half year old car?"
> >>
> >> It is. However, it's not unusual with Alfas and Main Dealerships.
> >
> >It's not unusual for any prestiege brand to cost that much at 30 months.
>
> Ahem..it would have cost more than that at 11 months if Alfa hadn't
> picked up the bill for suspension work at 9000 miles. At 24 months it
> cost a mere 450UKP. This car EATS suspension bushes front and rear
> like they're made of putty.

Bushes are a once-only fix. Replace with poly bushes and they'll last a
lifetime. And it's not only Alfa that suffer with this. Mondeos do, too.

> The biggest service bill for servicing my Vauxhalls (eek!)

Which part of 'prestiege' didn't you understand?

> in 12 years
> (double eek!) of driving their top of the range models came to less
> than my smallest Alfa bill. Alfa have not made the 156 a low labour
> quick fix car. IME, cheapest VX service = 70UKP. Cheapest Alfa service
> 315UKP both from full dealerships within miles of each other.

Vauxhall make cheap **** cars for numpties. They're mechanically very
crude, hence the cheap servicing.

Try looking at the cost of servicing an equivalent 3-series BMW. Let me
tell you it's not cheap servicing a VANOS BMW 6-cylinder lump.

> Even the simplest Alfa maintenance tasks are miserable (e.g. change a
> headlamp bulb with big hands?!). I need to jack up my car to change
> the oil..etc..etc. I asked one of the dealer mechanics (who was on a
> home visit recently to replace a leaky fuel filter) if anything was
> easy to fix on these. "NO" he replied. "Great engine though.." :-)

Headlamp bulbs are increasingly difficult to change on lots of cars -
it's not unknown for bumpers to have to be dropped to change stuff like
that.

What's so unusual about jacking up a car to change the oil? - that's
standard procedure, is it not?
--
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300
VW Golf GL Cabrio - Alfa 75 TS - Alfa 155 TS Lusso - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #