My eldest SIL is a millwright. My youngest SIL is a fleet mechanic for Rivian and owns a mobile mechanic business. Logan is a devotee of Tim Taylor.
I'm good.
I'm good.
What to do about car dealer ? (*** see Post 27 *** )
- Thread starter Narragansett
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My Class B RV with a Promaster chassis was having recurring transient issues with the lane assist feature. The radio has a computer in it that controls this and a lot of other functions. Took it in three times with no cure.
Then the cruise control started acting up followed by the door locks. Got it to the dealer just before the warranty expired... I thought. The warranty countdown started when the conversion company took possession of the van, not when I bought the finished product. Oh well.
But get this. Now the dealer said the computer in the radio went out, we can fix it. $1,500 please!
Then the cruise control started acting up followed by the door locks. Got it to the dealer just before the warranty expired... I thought. The warranty countdown started when the conversion company took possession of the van, not when I bought the finished product. Oh well.
But get this. Now the dealer said the computer in the radio went out, we can fix it. $1,500 please!
Kody just showed up to change the oil in Ruthie's HR-V. All it will cost is oil, a filter and a meatloaf dinner.
I bought a used F250 in 2018.. two years in I took it to have the yearly State required safety inspection done at a local certified used car dealer. The truck passed, but the inspector said " just so you know your gonna need front brake pads and rotors soon". traded it this August with the same pads that came with it.
UPDATE: another stealership story.
Car wouldn't start in Harris Teeter parking lot yesterday.
AAA tech asked me how long I had had the battery. "It's original. It was in there when I bought the car 5 years ago."
Then I remembered . . . the car had been in the showroom for 6 months, and the battery had died. I insisted they replace the battery, not just charge it. Which the did.
About 2 months ago, I took car to Advance Auto, as starting energy seemed weak. They checked the battery, and declared it 'okay.'
Yesterday - cold day - solenoid just went "click-click-click" when I tried to start it.
AAA man called someone while checking his inventory of batteries to see if he had a replacement in his van. I heard him call the battery I had as a "cheater" battery. He found the battery he needed - I needed - and put it in my car. I asked him what he meant by "cheater battery." He said that the battery in my car was way too small. 290 cca vs 600 he put in.
It became clear then. Stealership didn't replace OE battery with like. They put a cheap, undersized batter in! Even said they were going to apply to Ford as a warranty issue. I bet they cheated Ford, too.
What about Advance Auto? They tested the battery, and it was in spec for WHAT IT WAS, not what it should have been! Had a proper OE battery been in it, their judgement would have been fine. AAA man said old battery was making 235 cca, when I probably needed 400.
So I spent 1.5 hours waiting in H-T coffee lounge because Ford dealership cheated me 5 years ago.
Car wouldn't start in Harris Teeter parking lot yesterday.
AAA tech asked me how long I had had the battery. "It's original. It was in there when I bought the car 5 years ago."
Then I remembered . . . the car had been in the showroom for 6 months, and the battery had died. I insisted they replace the battery, not just charge it. Which the did.
About 2 months ago, I took car to Advance Auto, as starting energy seemed weak. They checked the battery, and declared it 'okay.'
Yesterday - cold day - solenoid just went "click-click-click" when I tried to start it.
AAA man called someone while checking his inventory of batteries to see if he had a replacement in his van. I heard him call the battery I had as a "cheater" battery. He found the battery he needed - I needed - and put it in my car. I asked him what he meant by "cheater battery." He said that the battery in my car was way too small. 290 cca vs 600 he put in.
It became clear then. Stealership didn't replace OE battery with like. They put a cheap, undersized batter in! Even said they were going to apply to Ford as a warranty issue. I bet they cheated Ford, too.
What about Advance Auto? They tested the battery, and it was in spec for WHAT IT WAS, not what it should have been! Had a proper OE battery been in it, their judgement would have been fine. AAA man said old battery was making 235 cca, when I probably needed 400.
So I spent 1.5 hours waiting in H-T coffee lounge because Ford dealership cheated me 5 years ago.
We bought a 2011 Honda CRV front wheel drive for my grandson as a driver. It was formerly owned by the sellers grandparents in AZ. They had the oil changed at a quick/jiffy lube place and gave us the itemized checkout slip. They had certified the fluid levels in the rear differential on a front wheel drive car.
I agree that too many of these places just mail it in and see which sucker bites.
I agree that too many of these places just mail it in and see which sucker bites.
Repeater
Member
I went to a local Ford dealer because we had water leak damage to the computer. It was well documented and plain to see. Got the leak fixed, the computer replaced, and the dealer (in East Greenwich, RI) told us that the lower ball joints were dangerous and needed replacing...21K miles!
So I said go ahead, replace them...it's still under factory warranty. All of a sudden, it wasn't a problem anymore. Go figure.
Transport to 15 years later and we traded it in on another vehicle...with those same lower ball joints in place.
Trust but verify.
So I said go ahead, replace them...it's still under factory warranty. All of a sudden, it wasn't a problem anymore. Go figure.
Transport to 15 years later and we traded it in on another vehicle...with those same lower ball joints in place.
Trust but verify.
Fleecing the Sheep with Diagnostic Fee
2007 Silverado Classic
Tailgate does not open.
Pull handle - does not release.
Stealer wants $159 for Diagnostic Fee before starting work.
I told the service manager that I had already Diagnosed -"Failure to Release" for FREE!
Bekeart
2007 Silverado Classic
Tailgate does not open.
Pull handle - does not release.
Stealer wants $159 for Diagnostic Fee before starting work.
I told the service manager that I had already Diagnosed -"Failure to Release" for FREE!
Bekeart
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- Apr 29, 2012
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- 4,619
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- 7,838
The most recent galling dealer shenanigans I ran into was the Honda dealer wanting $90 for a cabin air filter.
It's behind the glove box. You empty the glove box, push inward on the sidewalls and the glove box folds down towards the floor. Two spring loaded snaps on the air filter box cover. Remove, replace. No tools are even required.
OEM filter $20. After market $12. Sheesh.
It's behind the glove box. You empty the glove box, push inward on the sidewalls and the glove box folds down towards the floor. Two spring loaded snaps on the air filter box cover. Remove, replace. No tools are even required.
OEM filter $20. After market $12. Sheesh.
LVSteve
Member
Wish they were all that easy. The filters on my wife's SUV are in all kinds of odd places. On our BMW 3-series it is accessed from the passenger footwell such that I always have to rearrange my ribs after lying across the door sill. I can change all three filters from under the hood on my Mercedes ML. Oddly, the manual says to change the inner pair by disassembling all sorts of stuff inside, which is totally unnecessary.
smoothshooter
Member
Why would anyone take their car to a high-labor-cost dealership for something as mundane as an oil change?
smoothshooter
Member
I have refused to buy more than one vehicle because of where components that require occasional servicing were located, and the difficulty in dealing with them.
LVSteve
Member
In that case you will be buying from an ever shrinking pool. Just changing a headlight bulb on many cars involves major disassembly.
Maybe I'm nuts, but I have been using the Cadillac dealer for almost all required service on my cars since 2002. They maintained my 2008 Acadia and five different Cadillacs during that time. I have never felt cheated, I know I paid a few dollars extra for oil changes. That said however, when my Acadia needed new headlamp assemblies after 80,000 miles, they told me where to find them at a discount and installed them for me. When the same vehicle had the transmission go at about the same time frame, they discovered that there was as service bulletin on that and I got a new replacement transmission at no cost. When my 2009 CTS needed a timing chain at 60,000 miles, out of warranty, I reminded them that all service was done on that vehicle by them according to the schedule they provided and that they should talk to Cadillac since that should not have occurred. All I paid for was the oil. And this was two different Cadillac dealers during that time. One in Florida, the other in PA. Did I pay a little extra for routine service, yes. Did it pay dividends, Absolutely. I did all manner of mechanical work on cars over the years including several complete engine rebuilds back in the day. Today, I leave it to the dealer.
Last edited:
Doug M.
Member
*
May impact warrantee, and we bought lifetime changes on our last couple cars. My Legacy got so many miles I was getting monthly service and the dealer took a beating.
I take my 98 Crown Vic to the dealership for an oil change because it has to go in the air for the suspension to drop to get the filter out.
I don't have to deal with the mess and waste oil.
They'll tell me if I have any issues as they try to upsell and if I ask they'll let me look at what they find.
To me, all that is worth the cost.
But if I didn't have to get the car in the air, I'd do it myself.
