Our cars are actually very cheap to maintain. As are most cars of the same era e.g Vauxhall Omega, Astra, Ingsignia, Ford Focus, Mondeo etc. This is because a) parts are cheap and b) people no longer pay main dealer rates for work on these cars.
Let's face it, our cars and those above are not the equivalent of a modern Porche, Mercedes, Jaguar, BMW and so on that is maintained by a dealership or a specialist.
Some people would moan at the expense even if the dealers serviced and repaired their cars for free. They would probably moan for the lack of a complimentary wash and polish with the free service. Others would not. Humans are a funny species!
