Unauthorised brake fluid change

[cuttsy]

I am wondering what people's stand on the following is?

My wife's Mini went in for its first service at two years old with less than 10K on the clock recently, it has the TLC pack. She double checked everything was covered under the service pack, they confirmed there would be nothing extra to pay. We received one of the dealers videos saying all OK nothing to pay and my wife picked up the car. Since then we have had a call to say they did a brake fluid change and we owe them £130!

We have told them we didn't authorise the work and they have gone to talk to their service manager.

The AA website has the following info...
Specific authorisation

If you authorise a garage to carry out only specific work, and to do no other work without further permission, then the garage is not entitled to claim payment for any extra work done.
If the garage has done extra, unauthorised work, they may remove any unauthorised replacement parts fitted provided the old parts are properly re-installed on your vehicle. If this is no longer practicable, the garage should bear the loss.
Unless such limited authority is in writing, it is open to dispute what instructions were actually given.

I am tempted to say put the car back to how it was whilst I get alternative quotes and see what they do!

[FrazerD]

I wouldn’t jump the gun and let them come back to you after speaking to the service manager. In my mind, they can’t charge for the job as it wasn’t authorised and it wouldn’t be possible to drain the new fluid out and fill it back up with the specific oil that came out of your car as it would of just been drained into a bulk drum.

Cheers

[cuttsy]

I wouldn’t jump the gun and let them come back to you after speaking to the service manager. In my mind, they can’t charge for the job as it wasn’t authorised and it wouldn’t be possible to drain the new fluid out and fill it back up with the specific oil that came out of your car as it would of just been drained into a bulk drum.

Cheers

That’s my thoughts exactly fingers crossed for a free brake fluid change...

[Surrey Sam]

I'm sure you'll be fine and she won't have to pay anything. Does the Mini even need brake fluid changing that early? Most modern cars are first replaced at 3 years and every 2 years thereafter.

[black cat]

Yeah,why is it at 3 years and then every 2? do they use some sort of magic fluid we cant buy?

[cuttsy]

I'm sure you'll be fine and she won't have to pay anything. Does the Mini even need brake fluid changing that early? Most modern cars are first replaced at 3 years and every 2 years thereafter.

I found some info on the mini website that says 2 years... Still waiting to hear back I think we can put that down to a free change.

[FrazerD]

Has this been sorted out yet?

Cheers

[Keenum]

I'm in love with these shakes for weight loss and sure you'll be fine and she won't have to pay anything. Does the Mini even need brake fluid changing that early? Most modern cars are first replaced at 3 years and every 2 years thereafter.

I found some info on the mini website that says 2 years... Still waiting to hear back I think we can put that down to a free change.

This happens to me once. Not with the break fluid, but the work on the car wasn't authorized. It ended up being free. I hope it was like that for you too.

[cuttsy]

Has this been sorted out yet?

Cheers

Never heard back from the dealer not even a call to say no charge.

[FrazerD]

Never heard back from the dealer not even a call to say no charge.

Spot on customer service then

Cheers

[MartayMcFly]

While I'd say not to chase it up, I can't imagine a single scenario where it's in anyone's interest to change anything from how it currently stands. They did unauthorised work (required or not, it wasn't ok'd), they said there was nothing to pay when you collected the car (so how did a magical charge suddenly appear?), and if they want to push the matter and it defaults to 'returnthe car to how it was' they'd have to change the brake fluid back to the fluid they removed (which is definitely not decanted into a bottle with your wife's reg on it so effectively impossible) and that work would be at their cost as well.

The scenarios in their workshop are either someone did something they thought was required but actually wasn't so they've tried to be cheeky and get you to pay for their mistake, or someone's clicked the wrong button or ticked a wrong box somewhere and it's generated a charge that shouldn't even exist. Either way, the service manager has probably just looked at it and said "Doesn't really matter if we did it or didn't, we weren't meant to so they won't pay. Lesson learned."

Also £130 for brake fluid on a Mini is crazy.

[PaulF]

I've just paid £95 for brake fluid change on a Cayenne at a Porsche main dealer. I bet that uses a bit more fluid than a Mini and their labour rates are the cheapest.