Warning to Aussies after driver landed with $1,200 ‘shock’ bill: ‘Rise in cost’

A driver who alleges she was duped after paying $1,199 for a recent car service is the latest Aussie to grow suspicious of high repair and maintenance fees associated with car ownership.

Holly Petricevich told Yahoo News she dropped her 2022 MG HS off for its standard 60,000 kilometre service at the MG dealer in Wangara in Perth’s north on April 3. She was under the impression it would cost her roughly $500 and she would be notified if any additional work was needed.

However, when she arrived back to collect her car, she was instructed to pay $1,199. The dealership has since claimed to Yahoo that was the amount she was quoted.

“They said they’d call me if they needed to do anything different, which I was fine with. But then they were like, oh, that’ll be $1,199 please. They said they had to do a little bit to the car but they never consulted me,” Holly claimed. “I was shocked, and I was a bit upset actually.”

After questioning why the service was costing so much, the worker allegedly explained to Holly the service “was a big one” and included making changes to the spark plugs and transmission fluid.

“I just thought, oh gosh, what if I didn’t have the money? I think it’s important to let customers know so they can say yes or no to these things being done to their car,” she said.

Driver questions car service price

MG Wangara provided Holly with a detailed breakdown of the service cost which included $496.49 for parts, $51.60 for petrol, oil and lubricant supplies (POL), $18.01 for miscellaneous, $109 for tax and $523.90 for labour.

Holly explained she was happy to pay the necessary amount for a thorough service but is sceptical about taking her car there again as she felt the cost was much higher than she first expected. “For my next service I’ll be taking my car somewhere else,” she said.

Yahoo News enquired about the price of a 60,000 kilometres service for the same car at the MG service centre on April 10 and was quoted at $1,015 — $194 cheaper than what Holly paid one week earlier. When the price discrepancy was queried, a worker at the service centre said he “just bashed the numbers in the computer” and $1,015 is what appeared on his screen.

The worker claimed Holly was quoted $1,199 prior to her service. However, in response, Holly told Yahoo “they absolutely did not”.

“I never got quoted hence why I was so shocked… They also were meant to return my call four times and never once did, I think that speaks volumes,” she alleged.

Drivers warned over ‘rise in labour and parts costs’ for cars

Henry Man, from Compare the Market, confirmed drivers should always be updated when changes need to be made to a car and given an outline of what the subsequent cost will be.

“Before the dealer even touches your car, you should know the price. They should quote the price for you and outline how much it will cost and consent before they even get the keys to your car,” he said.

While he couldn’t speak to Holly’s specific situation, he did warn that the price of car services have increased in recent years and drivers should ready themselves to dig deeper into their pockets.

“In recent times, we’ve seen a rise in the cost of labour and parts, plus the inclusion of more advanced technologies in some new models,” he told Yahoo.

This has had a knock-on effect to driver behaviour, with recent Compare the Market research finding that one quarter of Aussies admit to servicing their car less due to cost-of-living pressures.

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