I just went to jaguar to get a 30k service on my 2017 f type S - oil change, cabin filter, check everything- and the bill was 2k . Is this just my greedy dealer or have any of you experienced same issue? Thanks

 

Well, the bill for an F-Type oil change at my local dealer is $450 so...

"Check everything" is kind of a broad description. A number of things that would go into my "everything" would require a fair amount of time since it would require removing all the splash guards, and things like that. If they billed each item "by the book" then labor costs add up fast. "By the book" in this case means they look up the labor time for each item and charge for that labor, rather than actual time. Many items will have some or all of their steps the sames and they would effectively be charging you as though they did one thing, put it all back together and did the second thing. As an example -- say the accessory drive belt was worn and needed to be replaced. Doing that requires taking off the supercharger drive belt. Someone doing it themselves is likely going to replace the supercharger belt at the same time since they've already done the work to take it off. A good independent would do the same and just charge you for the belt. A shop charging "by the book" is going to charge bill you the labor hours for the accessory belt change and the labor hours for the supercharger belt change even though there was no actual extra work done to change the supercharger belt.

You should have gotten an itemized breakdown of all the charges, parts, materials, and labor, for everything that was done. That will give you some clue as to whether this is just a case of "yes, having the car serviced at a JLR dealear is expensive" or a case of "dealer is profiting off of shady shop practices".

 

My dealer's labor rates went through the roof about 2 years ago which is why I only use them as a last resort.

 

Checking everything = oil/filter, tire rotation/alignment, brake check, brake fluid change, pollen filter, engine air filter, batteries for keys, battery load test, driving test, front/rear wipers and fuel injection cleaning ....15 parts it says and 2k of work

 

That sounds like a scam. Oil changes are dead easy on this car and it’s about $80 for materials. Maybe $225 if you need to by the oil extractor as well.

I replaced my cabin filter with a $40 OEM part from Amazon and it took me 3 minutes.

so sounds like you paid an exorbitant amount for a wellness check to me. I would look elsewhere for service.

 

I would ask for a refund for any labor related to checking the rear wiper....

 

Even before my free services had expired, I swtiched to an independent shop. They do the job correctly the first time and their prices are generally less than half that of the dealer.

I don't think the overcharging you are seeing is specific to your dealer.

 

All dealers are 'overpriced' compared to an outside shop or doing it yourself, in my state has to do with the way warranty labor works, you can get the factory to pay you whatever you actually can validate that you are collecting in customer pay rates, and since the bulk of the labor you get is warranty, it's worth driving the rates up on CP to increase warranty pay. My area is HCOL but my stores range from $329-$500/hr, even a 3 hour service starts to get crazy right away.

That said, most stores will offer an oil change and filter separate, helping to avoid that generic 'service inspection' labor charge that is largely nothing of value to the customer. Sometimes paying more than it would cost to do it yourself is worth the peace of mind knowing the dealer will stand behind their work and you have some sort of consistency in the service. How much that's worth is a personal decision though.

 

Dealers are never the most cost effective and typically are quite exorbitant. Find a good indy shop that knows Jags.

 

You would have gotten a quote to sign before work commenced so it should not have been a surprise. You could have opted out and taken it to an independent. That said, most of that stuff is DIY or unnecessary. Only thing in that list I value as a dealership item is the 4 wheel alignment which of necessity includes a check of all suspension bits.

 

While what other say about dealer prices being high is quite true, a few things you list are going to relatively expensive (and are also money makers). Going by my dealer's prices, the oil change and alignment will run $750 combined. The are likely going to charge $100+ the pollen filter, and I'm betting over $200 for the engine air filters (there are two, and it is a bit of work to swap them). I'd guess $250-300 for the brake fluid change, and a couple hundred or more for the fuel injector cleaning. That get's you into the $1500 range pretty quick. Drive test was probably billed at an hour's labor. Wiper replacement was probably a hundred, if not more. So yeah, given dealer prices, and the list of things you gave, $2k is entirely in the ballpark.

The things that fall into the "make the dealer money for nothing" category, IMHO, is the pollen filter, key batteries, battery load test, and fuel injection cleaning. The pollen filter can be changed my anyone who can follow simply directions. Same for key batteries. The battery load test -- most autoparts places will do it for free. Most fuel injection cleaning is just dumping a bottle of injector cleaner in the tank. Brake fluid change probably wasn't absolutely needed, but does at least require equipment and time and really does swap all the brake fluid. Wipers are a thing that can be done yourself, but some people hate doing them and/or struggle, so having someone else do it isn't the wrong choice, it's just a choice.

As far as indy versus dealer. A good indy shop will be cheaper, always. Finding a good indy shop (if you don't already have one) can be very expensive. A bad indy shop can really, really screw things up. Then there is availability of good indy shops. When I still have my BMW 330i, I started the hunt for an indy shop -- BMW is just as bad as Jaguar. The problem was that the good indy shop that was widely recommended was 50 miles away. The dealership was 10 minutes. All that to say, there are plenty of reasons to prefer taking your car to an indy shop. There are also plenty of reasons why choosing to take it to the dealer is "right" for you.

So, did you get fleeced? Not in my opinion. Did you have some things done that would have been fine to skip? Yes. Did you have a fairly normal dealership experience at dealership prices? Yep.

 

I think the "injector cleaning" is low effort, high profit item, and probably just a can of cleaner in the tank. Perhaps I'm mistaken though. If they pull the injectors and really clean and test them, that'd be some real labor. It's never been suggested to me by my dealer. I almost always fill at Chevron, so get a regular low dose of Techron, and I haven't had any misfire issues. The brake fluid was probably worth doing. That's time instead of mileage, and I think it's a 3 year interval.

I expect that every minor thing that comes up adds half an hour to the bill, so it does add up quickly.

For my 2016, there isn't actually any "30K service" so I'm not sure what they were expecting to do. Things are 16K miles or one year, whichever comes first. Depending on the in-service date a 2017 is, give or take, ten years old now.

 

Considering the dealer hourly rate and parts costs, those visits can be painful. As a result, we owe it to ourselves to do as much as we can. Partipating in this forum is a great resource and there are any number of quality YouTube videos to step you through the procedures.
Two of the items on your list are easy DIYs, the oil change and the cabin filter change. Oil changes can be done right from the engine compartment, with an extraction device, like a MityVac. You connect the extraction tube to the built in 'straw' under the oil filler cap and do the extraction. In my area, the dealer charges $450 for the oil change and that's with their bulk JLR spec oil. I buy Liqui Moly and a filter and it's about $100. I've done 3 since the factory coverage ended, saved close to $1500. The cabin filters are easily accessed under a small panel in the engine compartment, it's a 15 minute job at most.
Do consider the others' advice to find a good indie shop. If there is a british car club, or BMW club in your area, most likely those owners will have some suggestions. 3 years ago, I asked a local shop for a second opinion on a pricey, dealer advised brake job for my VW, that 'needed to be done ASAP.'. Shop said, no, brakes are good. This week the VW had another brake inspection, and the brakes are still good. So, you decide!
As for the injector cleaning, these cars have direct injection, which requires a different cleaning process than port injection engines. Fuel additives will not accomplish the level of cleaning DI may need.
DI engines often require intake valve cleaning for carbon buildup (as fuel is sprayed in the cylinder, not on the valves), while PI systems naturally keep valves cleaner because fuel washes over them as it enters the cylinder.
Again, any number of threads here and YT videos that will take you through Intake cleaning.

 

Unfortunately I think the issue is as much scope as it is pricing. Dealers are expensive but I use them for annual service. However I'm very careful on the scope of what they are doing. How much was the keyfob battery change? Battery is a few dollars and one minute to change it. Similarly wipers are about 1/3 of the cost if you just buy and clip them on yourself.
And is fuel injection cleaning a real thing?? I've never done that to any of my four cars - ever - in 30 years of driving...

I even question alignment. My local tire shop will put it on the rig and check current alignment for free. Usually it's fine and no work needed. I bet they charged you $200 whether or not it was needed.

 

All dealers are inflated cost-wise. However my local Jag dealer (West Chester, PA) wanted around $225-250 for an oil change and the general inspection that's done every 10k, a PPI was around $150...they'realso very friendly and not trying to trick you into nonsense. While that's a chunk of change it pales in comparison to Porsche (Cherry Hill, NJ) wanting $650 for an oil change on my Macan...they are awful in many regards.

 

My two cents (or maybe three).
I just yesterday scheduled my 2022 P450 for its annual service on March 20, 2026 and was told that they would have the car for at least 3-4 days before a tech could be assigned to it? At least they provide a free loaner!
There are a couple warranty items that need attention and two of them are on at least their third attempt at being remedied. It's bad enough that my dealership's service department can't fix things right on the first or second try, but they invariably screwed up or damage something else in the process. I am seriously considering invoking the Lemon Law, but the fact that the F-Type is no longer in production is holding me back.

 

Nice color on the f type!

 

lol I’m getting my cars mixed up - you’re right no rear wiper on these

 

that sounds like a classic case of the "jaguar tax" because two grand for just an oil change and filters is definitely on the high side even for a dealer. usually a 30k service should land between $800 and $1,200 depending on your area but dealers often tack on extra "inspections" and flush services that aren't strictly required by the manual.

since your car is a 2017 it is likely out of the free elitecare maintenance window which is why they are hitting you with the full bill now. for future visits you should find a reputable independent euro specialist who can do the exact same work for half the price without the dealership overhead.

 

Oh no I just bought a Macan s as my daily