Just a warning not to be drawn into a false sense of security by Seat's fixed price servicing...

I recently booked my Alhambra in for its 80,000 mile service with a Seat main dealer. My local dealer who did the previous 7 services has now had its Seat official service centre credentials withdrawn although I personally never had an issue with them. Consequently I was obliged to find another dealership and chose the next closest. I booked via Seat's website which automatically gives me European Breakdown cover and validates my extended warranty. The garage in question seemed very pleasant and went through my previous service history. They pointed out that the brake fluid was due a change and quoted a reasonable £49 from Seat's fixed price list. They then casually mentioned that the gearbox oil was due a change and like a fool I agreed to this without asking for a quote. When I picked the car up later they had billed me a staggering £326 to change the gearbox oil and filter. I queried this obviously and was told that as it was not covered by Seat's fixed price list they were free to charge what they liked. I paid (by credit card) under protest. A quick trawl on the internet revealed that this work was available at VW dealerships for £179 and another Seat dealership for £189 while several independents quote online at between £139 and £169, so the next day I lodged a complaint with Seat Customer Care who advised me that although they had no power to intervene they would be willing to arbitrate on my behalf with the dealership in question. 3 days later they (Seat Customer Care) telephoned to offer me a free of charge minor service (£169) which I have accepted but stating that they could not comment any further on the matter.

So if you book your car in for work at a Seat dealership on their (very reasonable) fixed price servicing terms, be sure to get a proper quote for any extra work the dealer offers. Honest John, the Telegraph's car pundit, described the charge as "outrageous". However I did note that the garage is listed as a previous winner of the Telegraph's "Best local garage" award. Just don't let your guard down ever!

I hope this helps someone out there.