Grand Cherokee Independent Mechanic/Garage

Reasonable distance from where????

WHOOPS! :) Watford, Hertfordshire

Why did you buy a vehicle without knowing how much servicing costs? If you did know in advance, why hadn't you already got a mechanic who would do it sorted out?

700 sounds about right from a main dealer, they were quoting 600 several years ago when I thought about having a little cherokee ltd.

MrCheerful

Try northern dealers - I found a cheap bmw one a while back - their labour was 1/2 the rate in Herts. Unfortunately, they got taken over and upped their prices :-( Alteratively check out the Bosch service centres - they are usually a lot cheaper on labour than main dealers.

What grieves me the most is that, on many vehicles, the 600 quid service only covers oil/coolant/filter changes and a "check" of other parts - ie. it can escalate quickly if you need anything like brakes pads, brake fluid, belts etc etc

Good luck,

Steve

Huh? What has that got to do with anything? And who says I wasn't aware of the serviving costs?

If you

Are you on a different planet? I want to maintain the service history ideally with Jeep, however if it was of massive finanical benefit I would put up with a INDEPENDENT Jeep specialist .

I can imagine you need something a little bigger that a Jeep Cherokee to fit your attitude into :)

Yes 700 quid is the going rate (give or take a few pounds) for 60,000 mile Jeep service as it's a major one. The next service at 67,500 miles is sub

200 pounds. Far cheaper than any service on my BMW.

I noticed :)

Now I know why I didn't buy one !!

MrCheerful

You mean you can afford the petrol and insurance for a thing like that but you quibble over the servicing?

I've never paid near 700 quid for an inspection on my E39. Perhaps if it needed extras like brakes, etc, but I do those myself. Nor does it cost

200 for an oil service - and that's at a London main dealer who charges over 100 quid an hour, valets the car, and collects/delivers it.

I've often wondered why they were called GRAND Cherokees.

From here, of course.

Rob Graham

Blimey, one quid fifty a mile just for insurance! 50p for tax. Looks like another quid fifty for first service. That's a _jolly_ expensive car to run!

clive

The petrol is not a problem as I don't do that many miles in it, it's a second car so I only do 30 to 40 miles a month in the jeep. The insurance is pretty cheap only £600.00, which is half the price of my 02 M3!

I do not have a problem paying £700 for a 60,000 mile service. The original point was if I could find and independent Jeep specialist who could do it cheaper. I do not go through life paying the first price I get quoted.

I started to avoid main dealers on my 2000 Grand Cherokee after the

30,000 mile service. Helpfully, the service handbook details exactly what has to be inspected and replaced where necessary. I found a local mechanic with an excellent reputation who gave my car a full service for £175 which also included replacing all belts. He also pointed out that the warped front discs were probably the result of Jeep having replaced the wheel nuts way WAY beyond the recommended torque - apparently a common problem with these vehicles which Jeep recognised a couple of years back with a worldwide advisory!

Depends where you have it done. Get a quote from the bmw dealer in Tring Herts or Parkwest bmw on chiswick high road for a 6 cylinder E46 - parkwest was 180 for the oil change 2 years ago. I got quotes for an inspection 2 ( without any extras such as brake fluid change ) from an independant bmw specialist in StAlbans herts and I'm pretty sure that was 400 minimum.

The cheapest independant I found wanted 300 quid for an inspection 2 including brake fluid change. Incidentally, they dont do much for that its basically : oil/filter airfilter pollen filter coolant change checks.......and thats where the fun starts :-(

Steve

If they do what you've paid for, ie the BMW scheduled inspection, it's a great deal more than this. You should get a check list from them after an inspection. Of course, how carefully it is done is anybody's guess...

I've got a Bentley manual which says it gives the bmw schedule and, although I dont have it in front of me, from what I recall, it isnt more than this - everything else is charged extra - eg. brake fluid change, belt change....

What else should they be doing - I wonder if Bentley have got it wrong.

Steve

It's called an inspection because many things are checked. Of course, a careful owner might well do many of these himself as a routine - like checking the spare tyre etc.

I'm sure if you went to a main dealer they'd give you a check sheet - IIRC, they don't have a serial number or anything. But I'm pretty sure it's all covered in the car service book anyway.