Auto Express – July 30, 2019

10 SpecialIssue http://www.autoexpress.co.uk

Batteryreplacementcharges

PAYINGover£1,248isastaggering

amountforarelativelysimple

batteryreplacement.Ifyousearch

online,thesamejobatatypical

branchofHalfordswillonlycost

you£165forpartsandlabour.

Whiletheirbatterywon’tbean

officialpart,Halfordsisareputable

high-streetretailerandthesavingit

offersshowsitpaystoshoparound.

TristanShale-Hester

Consumer reporter,AutoExpress

OPINION

Jonathan Burn

[email protected]

@Jonathan_burn

OVERCHARGED?

£1,250 to replaceand

fitanew carbattery?

REPLACINGacar’sbatteryissomething
thatmanybuyerswillfaceatsome
point.Buthowmuchdoesitcoston
theUK’smostpopularnewcars?And
arebuyersgettingafairdeal?
AnAutoExpressinvestigationcanreveal
thatsomecarownersarebeingchargeda
staggering£1,250forbatteryreplacement,
whileothersfacebillsaslowas£98.
AutoExpresscompiledalistoftheUK’s
20best-sellingvehiclesandcontactedthree
franchiseddealernetworksacrossthe
countrytogetapriceforpartsandlabour.
Theonlyinformationdealersrequested
wasthevehicle’sregistrationdetails.
Ownersofthecurrent-generation
MercedesC-Classareinforthebiggest
shock,becausewewerequotedafee
of£1,248forareplacementbattery.
Aseconddealershipquotedapriceof

£1,098.90forthesamejob,whileathird

waschargingonly£315.To checkthisfigure

wasnotananomaly,wecontactedtwo

moredealershipsandagainreceived

quotesof£1,111.80and£1,198.80.

AMercedesspokespersontoldAuto

Express:“Webelievethemajorityof

retailersyoucontactedhavequotedfora

lithium-ionbattery, andonequotemaybe

fora12vbattery.We canonlyrecommend

aretailpricefortheseparts,whichmeans

therecouldbeavariationacrossretailers.”

Bycomparison,pricesforareplacement

batteryonacomparableBMW320istarted

from£296.98androseto£392.57.

TheVauxhallMokkaXwasalsoamodel

thathadabigdisparityinprice,withsome

dealersofferingpartsandlabourforaslittle

as£98.46,whiletwootherdealersquoted

£248.40and£262.80.“Webelievethatthe

costofthelowest-pricedbatteryquotedto

yourresearcherwasbasedonaunitthat

wasnotofcomparablequalitytotheother

EXCLUSIVE We reveal the big pricedifferences –and sheer cost –you

could face when afranchise dealer quotes to replaceparts on your car

EXCLUSIVEINVESTIGATION

unitsforwhichquoteswerereceived,”

aVauxhallspokespersontoldus.

VolkswagenTiguanownersalsofacequite

adisparityinpriceforabatteryreplacement,

rangingfrom£190.66upto£320.66–a

differenceofmorethan68percent.

Thefairestandmostconsistentpricing

wastobefoundwiththeToyotaYaris;

allthreefranchiseddealersquotedthe

same£105feeforpartsandlabour.

IndustryregulatorMotorCodestoldAuto

Expressthattheresultshighlightedthe

importanceofbuyersshoppingaround

ifvehiclerepairsarerequired.“When

purchasingand/orhavingareplacement

partfitted,such asabattery, wealways

advisemotoriststoshoparoundandto

spendtimedoingtheirresearch.Astheretail

priceofbatteriesisn’tregulated,thismeans

thatthebrandssuppliedandthecosttothe

consumerwillvarybetweenretailersfor

therecommendedtechnicalspecifications

advisedbythevehiclemanufacturer.”

Motor Codes

CarsinorderofUKsalesfigures *Mercedespricesvariedsowidelythatweobtainedtwoextraquotesof£1,111.80and£1,198.80fromotherdealerships

Car Dealership1Cost Dealership2Cost Dealership3Cost Difference

Ford Fiesta1.0EcoBoost Bridgend £199 Nottingham £208 Bristol £186 11.28%

VolkswagenGolf1.5TSISEEdition5dr Loughborough £194 WestLondon £244 Swansea £250 28.86%

Ford Focus1.0EcoBoostautoStyleMaidstone £181 Gravesend £218 Cambridge £193 20.44%

VauxhallCorsa1.4Design5d NorthLondon £284 Bristol £249 Manchester £237 19.83%

MercedesA-ClassA180SE Manchester £322 Loughton £444 Coventry £377 37.88%

NissanQashqai1.2DiG-TAcentaNottingham £129 Birmingham £132 NorthLondon £130 2.32%

VolkswagenPoloSE1.0TSIBristol £234 Newport £212 Ashford £192 21.87%

Ford KugaTitaniumX1.5TDCi Manchester £206 Swindon £202 Liverpool £228 12.87%

KiaSportage1.7CRDiISG2Solihull £286 Leeds £215 Cardiff £309 43.72%

MINIHatchbackCooperSClassic3dLiverpool £357 MiltonKeynes £232 Coventry £224 59.37%

MercedesC-ClassC200SE* CentralLondon £1,248 Cambridge £315 Harrogate £1098.8 296.44%

VauxhallMokkaecoTECXDesignNav1.4i Tonbridge £248.40 Burnley £98.46 Leeds £262.8 166.91%

VauxhallAstra1.4Design Crawley£135.00 Birmingham £134.4 Carlisle £136 1.19%

VolkswagenTiguan2.0TDI150SENav Maidstone £190.66 Coventry £320.66 SouthWestLondon £235.66 68.18%

AudiA3Sportback1.5TFSI Whetstone £405.46 Leicester £336.6 Harrogate 388 20.45%

ToyotaYaris1.0IconTech Ashford £105 Cheltenham £105 Rotherham £105 0%

BMW1Series118iSportEssex £332.57 Boston £292.57 Newcastle £271.27 22.59%

BMW3Series320iSE Eastleigh £296.98 Coventry £300.77 Doncaster £392.57 32.18%

HyundaiTucson1.6GDiSENav Maidstone £289.76 Bristol £321.18 Sunderland £298.38 10.84%

Fiat5001.2Lounge Crawley £207 Chesterfield £192 Glasgow £193 7.8%

“When purchasing parts,

we alwaysadvise motorists

to shop around and spend

time doing their research”