Pricing — published, not on request
What things cost, before you ring
Most garages will not put a number on a page. These are guide prices, they are honest ones, and every job is confirmed in writing before a spanner is picked up.
The short answer
Labour is £60 an hour. A franchised dealer charges £120–£180 for the same hour on the same car. A full service starts at £129, a cambelt at £450 with the water pump included, a clutch at £480. No VAT to pay on top — the price you are quoted is the price you pay.
Diagnostic investigation is £45 and is refunded against the repair. Collection and delivery is free within 5 miles if the vehicle runs and drives, and priced per postcode further out. Prices below are guides — the vehicle, the parts and the state it is in all move the number, which is why you get a written quote first.
Why publish prices at all?
Because "prices on request" is how people end up feeling caught out. If a garage will not indicate what a cambelt costs until it has your car, you have lost your negotiating position before you have started.
Nothing here is a bait price either. The figures are what jobs on ordinary cars actually come to. A big diesel with a dual-mass flywheel and seized subframe bolts will cost more than a Fiesta, and Erdi will say so when he quotes rather than discovering it halfway through.
| Job | What that covers | Guide price |
|---|---|---|
| Full service | Oil change, air filter, oil filter, fluid and component inspection, wheel alignment check, brake inspection | £129from |
| Oil and filter change | Correct-specification oil for your engine, plus a visual check | £69from |
| Interim service | Oil, oil filter and a 30-point check — for high-mileage cars between full services | £89from |
| Major service | Full service plus spark plugs, fuel filter and a brake fluid change | £219from |
| Job | What that covers | Guide price |
|---|---|---|
| Cambelt replacement | Belt, tensioner, idlers AND the water pump — 4-cylinder engine | £450from |
| Clutch replacement | Front-wheel-drive hatchback, 3-piece kit | £480from |
| Dual-mass flywheel + clutch | Common on diesels over 100k | £850from |
| Job | What that covers | Guide price |
|---|---|---|
| Front brake pads | Fitted, including brake cleaner and grease | £95from |
| Front pads and discs | Quality-brand discs, not the cheapest available | £195from |
| Brake fluid change | Pressure bleed, DOT4 or DOT5.1 | £55from |
| Suspension arm / bush | Plus a four-wheel alignment check | £120from |
| Job | What that covers | Guide price |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic investigation | Refunded against the repair | £45from |
| Timing chain replacement | Chain, guides and tensioner | £650from |
| Gearbox removal & refit | Labour — parts quoted separately | £380from |
| Engine rebuild | Quoted individually after inspection | Quoted |
What moves a price up
- The vehicle. A transverse four-cylinder in a hatchback is a different job from the same work on a van or a longitudinal six.
- Parts choice. There is usually a genuine option, a good aftermarket option and a cheap one. You get told the difference in price and the difference in expected life, and you choose.
- Condition. Corrosion is the big one. Seized and sheared bolts on a vehicle that has spent ten winters on salted Mendip roads add real time.
- What is found once it is apart. Which is exactly why work stops and you get a phone call, rather than the invoice quietly growing.
What is not on the bill
- No VAT. MB Auto is not VAT registered, so nothing is added on top. Against a VAT-registered garage that is 20% before you compare anything else.
- No charge for a quote. Ever.
- No "shop supplies" or "environmental levy" line. Consumables are part of doing the job.
- No diagnostic charge if Erdi does the repair. The £45 comes straight off.
- No collection charge within 5 miles for a vehicle that runs and drives, and outside it, a figure agreed before booking rather than discovered afterwards.
Fleet and multi-vehicle rates
Three vehicles or more gets a discounted labour rate, agreed in advance and applied across everything rather than just servicing, plus consolidated invoicing and a planned schedule. Vans and fleet maintenance.
Paying
Whatever suits you, on collection or when the vehicle is returned. No deposit for ordinary servicing and repairs. Larger parts orders occasionally need paying for up front, and you will be told that at the point of quoting rather than the point of paying.
Payment
- Cash Cash is king — use it or lose it.
- Bank transfer Details on the invoice. Clears same day from most banks.
- Card Card reader in the workshop — debit or credit.
No VAT to pay on top — the price you are quoted is the price you pay.
The guarantee behind the numbers
Four things that make a quote mean something
- A written quote before anything is touched. The price doesn’t move unless something new turns up and you say yes to it first.
- Your old parts, kept for you. Bagged up in the boot so you can see exactly what came off and why it needed to.
- Diagnostic time refunded against the repair. £45 to find the fault, knocked off the bill when Erdi fixes it. You never pay twice for the same problem.
- “It doesn’t need doing” is a normal answer here. Plenty of cars go home with a smaller bill than the owner expected.
Straight answers
Money questions
Do you collect and deliver the car?
Yes. If the vehicle runs and drives, collection and delivery is free within 5 miles of the workshop — Erdi picks it up from your home or workplace, does the work, and brings it back. Further out, and still running and driving, call or text your postcode and he will price the trip before you commit to anything. If it will not drive at all it needs recovering rather than collecting, and he will say so and point you at someone local.
How do I know I am not being overcharged?
Three things. You get a written quote before any work begins, and the price does not change unless something new is found and you agree to it first. Old parts are kept for you to see. And diagnostic time is charged at £45 and refunded against the repair, so you are never paying twice to find the same fault.
Are you cheaper than a main dealer?
Considerably. The labour rate here is £60 an hour against £120–£180 at a franchised dealer, and the same manufacturer-spec parts are used. On a cambelt or a clutch that difference is usually several hundred pounds.
Will servicing here void my manufacturer warranty?
No. Under EU Block Exemption rules — retained in UK law — you can have a vehicle serviced at any competent independent garage without losing the manufacturer warranty, provided the correct schedule, correct-specification parts and correct oil are used and the work is recorded. All three are standard here, and your service book gets stamped.
How do I pay?
Cash, bank transfer, or card on the reader in the workshop — whichever suits, paid on collection or when the vehicle is returned to you. Cash is king and always welcome. There is no charge for a quote, and no deposit for ordinary servicing and repairs. Larger parts orders may need paying for up front, and Erdi will say so at the point of quoting.
Next step
Got a quote you’re unsure about?
Send it over. Erdi will tell you whether it is fair — including when it is, which happens more often than people expect.
No VAT · free collection within 5 miles if it runs & drives · written quote first