Car Servicing Costs: What Should You Be Paying?

The Make & Model Of Your Car

The first question to be answered is simply what model of vehicle you have. Services cost different amounts because every model is made differently.

Back in 2014, a bunch of manufacturers launched CPS schemes – Capped Price Servicing or even Lifetime Capped Price Servicing – so that you’ll know how much certain scheduled services will cost ahead of time. Under a capped price serciving scheme, a manufacturer will publish a transparent servicing program of your scheduled service before you get the bill, so you can have a greater understanding of exactly what you’re paying for.

The table below shows how long the CPS schemes last for the various major car manufacturers used by Australians:

Your Location

We found in doing the following research that living in certain postcodes predicted that you would pay more or less at the mechanic for the same type and timing of service.

After comparing your service cost with the market, how about your car insurance? The table below displays a snapshot of car insurance policies on Canstar’s database with links direct to providers’ websites. Check upfront with your provider and read the PDS to confirm what sorts of repairs are covered by any particular policy, and whether it suits your needs. Please note this table has been sorted by Star Rating (highest to lowest) and was formulated based on a male aged 30-39 in NSW, without an extra driver under 25 years old.

Type & Timing of Service

When it comes to the type of service your car needs, the main question is how many kilometres your car has done, and whether it’s due for a scheduled service.

The other question is whether any repairs are getting added in or whether it is your run of the mill, oil-and-filter-change service.

In the tables below, we compared the current advertised service charges (as at January 2018) for Holden and Ford, for 2-year-old hatchbacks, sedans and four-wheel drives up to an estimated running life of 360,000km.

We’ve highlighted the major services that will hurt a little more. As you can see, as a car ages, it becomes more expensive to maintain – and the expensive services with repairs and replacements attached come more frequently.

The Highest Priced Services you can expect

• 60,000 km
• 120,000 km
• 180,000 km
• 240,000 km
• 300,000 km
• 360,000 km

Note: Holden’s pricing schedule has taken these additional replacements into account, while Ford’s schedule lists these as optional extras that are not included in the standard price. This is why in some instances Holden’s prices appear to be much higher – make sure to contact a mechanic before servicing your car to get a more accurate price.

Service guide tables

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