It’s that time of year again….time to put the snow tires on. The snow has arrived early this year. Typically we see snow in Vancouver for a few days once or twice during the winter. This year it seems to have arrived very early!

I scheduled a maintenance visit combined with putting snow tires on. One visit to the shop rather than two. Theoretically it would be a small ‘check up’ type visit….I thought it would come with a small bill.

The customer service was excellent, a phone call to discuss a couple things that should be done (but were not on the original specs), a call when the car was ready for pick up and a shuttle that picked me up and took me to the shop. The bill however, was not small. I mentally assessed the costs to add up to approximately $350 to $400. I was a tad surprised when the total presented was $640. Ouch. The client advisor cheerfully explained that next year would just be oil changes and very cheap in comparison. Because we drove a manual, it was much cheaper ($150 less) to service the transmission compared to an automatic. We also use synthetic oil as it is supposed to be increase the vehicle’s longevity – slightly higher cost but favourable for long term maintenance.

It’s all there, in black and white. $100 to put the snow tires on, $130 for the service (+ $50 additional for synthetic oil), $60 for rear brake service, $35 for a new cabin air filter (no, we do not have a private jet), a light etc. etc. By the time all the parts, disposal fees and labour are added on, it doesn’t take much to total $640.

Although it may seem like a big bill, the car is 4 years old and we have not (fingers crossed) had to pay for anything other than oil changes, small services and seasonal tire changes. Not too bad. Also, it’s in the budget….$200 per month for insurance, car maintenance and tires (when needed).