Service Departments

[SHERIFF]

I learned a valuable lesson today. The more products a dealer sells, the bigger hassle you are going to have trying to get repairs done in a timely fashion. My local Cadillac dealership sells Cadillac, Lincoln, Mercury, Nissan, and GMC at the same location. In order to have a 4 1/2 hour dashboard cover replacement and a 1 1/2 hour VIU On Star recall done, they want the car for at least two days. Keep in mind the labor rate manual which calls for 4 1/2 and 1 1/2 hours is probably more time than they take.

To me, this is absolutely ludicrous. I called the Cadillac dealership 60 miles from me, who sells only Cadillacs, and they said to bring the car in one morning and they will fix both while I waited.

Some of you may ask, "why does it matter one way or the other?" Well, I don't want my Cadillac sitting at the local dealership getting banged up with door dings and dents for 2 days. If they can't work in 4 to 6 hours of repairs and recalls in a 8 hour day they shouldn't be selling Cadillacs.

So, I will drive to Richmond, get there by 9:00 a.m., they will pull the car right in and do the repair and recall, and I should be on the way home by 2:00 p.m. Now I understand why Cadillacs in my area have the "Moore Cadillac" sticker on the trunk 3 times more often than they have "Colonial Cadillac" on the trunk. :run:

[duhtroll]

I agree wholeheartedly.

I ask them to look at a window seal that has come apart on my passenger rear door, and I know that it will take all of 5 seconds to look at and decide they will be ordering a new part. They want me to leave the car with them.

We compromised and they did it while doing an oil change, but geeeez!

Why do they need the car for hours or days for something so damn simple? If they are busy, they can schedule it later. Many of us have just the one car, and we NEED it, especially if we don't get a free loaner from them because their salespersons are putzes to the extreme and won't bargain for less than sticker so they lose the sale . . . *gasp*

Anyway, rant over.

-A

[SHERIFF]

I took my company car into a local tire shop for an advertised $14.99 oil change and tire rotation combo. I'm not as particular with the company car. So, along comes a silly looking 16 or 17 year old kid pulling my car into the shop. I knew things had gone south real quick.

Oh yes, even he screwed up something so simple. On the way home the rear axle didn't feel right. Thumping, a shimmy like a tire was badly out of balance, brakes making all sorts of weird noises. The kid had left the driver's side rear wheel lugs loose. Had put them on by hand only I assume.

I tightened the lugs and said the hell with it. I'll never go back there again.

The point being, have you seen some of the people working in Service Departments lately? Sad to say, but it's almost like they too are scraping the bottom of the barrel for employees. That's why they aren't keeping my car for 48 hours or more for a 4 to 6 hour repair.

In another event my brother had taken his 1990 Supercharged Thunderbird in for service. Although old it is in excelent condition and just like new. I spotted it quite by accident on the lower lot one night while looking at new Ford inventory which is also parked on the lower lot out of sight (makes sense, huh? NO!). They had parked my brother's Thunderbird down on the lower lot and out of sight, with the driver's window down and unlocked. That too is why a dealership isn't going to keep my car 48 hours or more if I can help it.