Service is a business. Yes there are horror stories everywhere, but most people post bad things, almost never good things. People also seem to feel that prices are not worth what they are.
Lets break it down.
You get an oil change for $30 for your Z, takes 5.2 qt with filter.
$5 oil (5/30 bulk 55gal which is what large shops buy)
$5 OEM filter and washer (their cost, no profit. Actual loss: they pay people to stock the shelves, run the parts department).
Oil Change: start to finish 30m. This includes person who checks you in (service advisor), person who drives car in, tech who works on the car, cashier who checks you out.
So that is effectively $40/hr for labor on the service. Well below their rates.
$40/hr is roughly $80K year...I bet most people on this forum are close to that or over that if they drive a 40K car. If you want equal quality as yourself, why should you not expect to pay equal value? Do you want a $10/hr spanky doing your oil change and hosing it up? Alrighty, check out Jiffy-lube where the odds are better.
So is a $50 oil change really a rip off? I think not. The oil changes are low margin service at high volume for customers. Larger services are more profitable since it takes more time (highest margin is in labor costs), and more parts where there are some markups.
My local dealer charged me $27 or so for the Z's oil change when I brought my own oil. With conventional its $35+tax. More then reasonable.
With any service, I simply itemize it. The 'package' services are typically higher margin as well. Instead of the 30K package, I say do X, Y, Z only. And the break down is reasonable as parts plus exact labor.
Note: I have done almost all of my routine maintenance for 20 years and am pretty experienced. This has saved me a lot of money and helped finance my car habits
While under warranty, given the complexity of modern cars, the Z is the first car I am taking to the dealer while under warranty and letting them do it. Yeah I can save $20 on my oil change, but jacking it up, dealing with the splash pan, crawling under it, etc...takes time.
Sitting in waiting room with my laptop and wireless working == money. Its a value equation I am quite happy with
I still work on the WRX and G35, so all is not lost.
- b