Prices compared: Authorized car service vs Outside garage

A common assumption is that neighborhood garages provide cheaper parts & labour, but that is not always the case.

BHPian 2000rpm recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi Guys,

I was recently in a dilemma on whether to give my vehicle for repair at FNG or OEM. I think all of us would be thinking about the same when having a major repair in mind.

I am starting this thread so that we can share whatever information we have like Official Spare parts pricing (vs FNG Quoted prices), Overall repair/service costs etc which can help people trying to make this decision.

Format for posting:

• Vehicle Model - <OEM_Model_Variant_Manufacturing Year?
• Repair Type - <Describe the repair type>
• OEM Price (in INR) - <OEM Quoted Price>
• FNG Price (in INR) - <FNG Quoted Price>

I think as this thread populates, we will be able to help people to make this decision better.

Disclaimer: The readers need to be cognizant of the fact that the prices members will share, will be a point-in-time price and may change basis revisions.

Let me do start off:

Vehicle Model - Volkswagen Polo 1.6 Highline Petrol 2011

Repair Type - Instrument cluster replacement

• OEM Price (in INR) - Instrument cluster - 8870; Associated Coding - 1250
• FNG Price (in INR) - Instrument cluster - 12500; Associated Coding - 4500 (without negotiation)

As you can see, I was surprised to see VW quoted prices to be very reasonable compared to FNG. I think since these jobs are very niche, people in the open market are charging a premium for the same.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

There is a major difference primarily with European cars. Japanese cars, you can still send to the authorised workshop (I sent my Civic even in its 8th year to Solitaire Honda). But with high-end Germans, it's a big no-no. Just to give an example = the engine mounts of my C220 wore out prematurely at 40,000 km. The Mercedes dealer wanted 30000 to change them. I got the OEM parts from outside for 10-12k (installed). That's 1/3rd the cost!

The ABS unit of my 5-Series gave up due to low voltage (Low voltage situations & weak batteries | The bane of German cars). Official pricing was 2.5 lakhs, I got a used one from a salvage car for 60000 bucks.

Ditto with my Civic. Its ABS unit had failed too and Honda had priced the part at 50 - 60k. No way I'm spending that on an old Civic whose resale value is 3 lakhs. I got a used one from chor bazaar for 12k.

Here's what BHPian Sahil had to say on the matter:

FNG = Friendly Neighbourhood Garage.

I don't clearly have a formatted case to share at the top of my head now. However, my learning has been that "FNGs" have a bigger advantage in German and other luxury cars as the service centre margins on parts as well as labour are fat. For japs I have often found that the price advantage is not as large.

Overall the biggest advantage of FNG is when the dealer refuses to repair and only replace it with luxury cars, this is usually the norm.

More so I guess because the dealers have very slim margins on-sell cars in the cutthroat discount-driven market, the service is where they milk it.

I once had a Mercedes dealer tell me-I can't match the price the other dealer is offering on your purchase cause I am going at a loss, buy it from him but send it to me for service, please.

Here's what BHPian abhishek46 had to say on the matter:

Thank you for such an excellent thread!

I would like to share one more perspective on the FNG, which may tilt the scales in some cases.

Two Examples:

1. The Fuel Intake Pipe of My Erstwhile Polo had developed a hole & Petrol was spraying all over like a garden fountain.

• Cost if fixed at the ASC: ~Rs1000 & 2 days of time wastage.
• Cost if fixed at the FNG: Rs200 & 15 minutes.

In my case, the FNG (The very trustworthy Raam Cool Cars) simply removed the pipe, inspected it thoroughly and concluded that it is a localized rat bite.

Since the cut had happened at the very end of the pipe, the mechanic simply trimmed the end of the pipe by 2cms. And re-attached it.

2. The Driver side Door Handle Bracket on my Polo had cracked into two, due to external impact.

This bracket sits inside the Door frame and holds the Door handle in place.

• Cost if fixed at the ASC: ~Rs12000 + Labour & 2-3 days of time wastage.
• Cost if fixed at the FNG: Rs250 & 2 Hours.

In the above case, the FNG suggested using 'Araldite' and glue together the Bracket, considering the 'Princely' Sum of Rs 12000 for a small 15cm piece of plastic.

The Araldite worked like a charm, and the Bracket was put into operation, with absolutely Zero Issues.

Here's what BHPian ninjatalli had to say on the matter:

This is a dated update but still relevant so sharing

Vehicle Model - Volkswagen Vento 1.6 Highline Diesel 2011

Repair Type - Injector replacement (X 4)

• OEM Price (in INR) - Injectors - at least 1L+; labour charges - additional (dealer refused to share details)
• FNG Price (in INR) - Injectors - ~0.9L (22.5k per injector); labor charges - included (no negotiations done)

Reference post with details

Vehicle Model - Volkswagen Vento 1.6 Highline Diesel 2011

Repair Type - Suspension overhaul

• OEM Price (in INR) - parts - 0.6 - 0.7L; labor charges - additional (no details shared)
• FNG Price (in INR) - only required parts- ~0.3L ; labor charges - included (no negotiations done)

Reference post with details

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.