I love dealerships

[PonyUP]

So after my cruise control problems at the dealership, they gave me a $49 credit. The Marauder was do for an oil change, so I decided to take it there. A cheap oil change and they come back with $400 worth of "recommendations"
Apparently there is an oil leak, but they need an engine guy to look for it, uh hum, ********e
Throttle body is dirty and they want $80 to fix that, bull****a
And they recommend an alignment (there's no alignment issue, they just said there was some weird wear on the tires, guess they aren't familiar with the Marauder) I didn't even let them price that
And lastly they want to clean the fuel injection system for $160

Forget the fact that this is the best the Marauder has run since I have owned, I said I'll take my oil change and be on my way.

I love dealerships

[tbone]

That's why they advertise cheap oil changes and are quick to give them away for free. Just to get you in the door.

[RacerX]

Outa curiosity, I wonder what all that would cost at a Lambo or Ferrari Stealership? :D DIYFTMFW! :beer:

[ntd]

That's not just the dealerships the is every automotive repair shop. Thats how a sales orented buissness keeps the lights on and keeps the employees paychecks from turning to rubber. Most shops loose money on oil changes so the push the techs to up sell "maintenance work" by giving a bonus for every up sell.

[LIGHTNIN1]

Know what you mean. I bought a maintenance contract to cover oil changes on my Nissan for 75K miles. Thought it would be nice. Every time I take it in for an oil change I have to fight them off on their expensive recommendations like you mentioned. Next time no maintenance contract and I take it elsewhere.

[kmastl]

The sad thing is I know of plenty of people that would have actually paid for all that BS.

[tbone]

The sad thing is I know of plenty of people that would have actually paid for all that BS.

My ex-wife does. Stupid.

[PonyUP]

The sad thing is I know of plenty of people that would have actually paid for all that BS.

that's the truth. Thankfully I found a pretty trustworthy place down here in Atlanta. Unfortunatey my cruise problem had to be fixed at the dealer, and if it wasn't for this credit, I would have never gone there. But I have the will power to say no thanks.

I love it though, the oil change guy says he found a leak, but the engine guy has to look for it. If you found a leak, what they hell do you need to look for? Oh I get it, you want $100 for a diagnoses, um I'm only holding up one finger, how about you diagnose my response.

[PonyUP]

That's why they advertise cheap oil changes and are quick to give them away for free. Just to get you in the door.

You're right, and for novices that don't know any better (and I include myslef in being a novice) they can be talked into it, because car problems are a huge fear. But thats how they make money, the funny thing is, if their pricing was more reasonable, they would probably make more sales this way then they do with these outlandish prices. I mean the guy essentially wanted me to spend an extra $500-$600. If it would have been say $150-$200, who knows I may ahve said go ahead.

[tbone]

My son needed a new u-joint on his Camry steering column. Toyota wanted $1000 to fix it. Corner shop did it for $150. Go figure.

[duhtroll]

Thankfully, I have a mechanic that I marvel at how LITTLE I pay him for all the great work he does.

If he comes to me with a recommendation, it is because whatever it is has damn near fallen apart and really needs to be done. That happens very rarely and only on my beater.

Never a dealership shall touch any vehicle I own, save for warranty work. Every time a dealership has recommended a repair (the ones that actually needed to be done), my mechanic gets it done for under half what the dealer said it would be.

An o2 sensor on a Nissan was supposedly $900! The part *is* expensive but seriously?

This thread makes me keep thinking of the Seinfeld "Twix" episode.

"Here we go with the old screwgie..."

[88LTDCV351]

I'm sure what stealership really wanted to do was talk you into buying a Taurus SHO and selling your Marauder so some kid can buy it used and crash it.

[Vortex]

As long as they are just "advising " you I dont have a problem. In 39 years of driving I can remember maybe once, or twice Ive ever actually needed an alignment. You can tell yourself by just looking at your front tires. As for fuel injection cleaning, Ill do that when my car doesnt run and that is determined to be the cause. Oil leak - well that depends. Id just keep an eye on it, if you car has a puny oil leak, who cares? If it gets worse, fix it. Re oil changes, I always use the dealer. Waay cheaper than Jiffy Lube for just an oil/filter job. My local Ford dealer built this new Express Lane thing and you can watch em do it, they are pretty quick I must say. For my 05 Dodge truck, when I bought it I got 14 free oil/filter changes so Im still working those off!

[Fosters]

Heh, I took my excursion in for a tranny flush (was due for it, and they came in line with other shops and figured they probably had the correct fluid instead of using GM fluid + additives). While there, I remembered I had a fuel filter in the back seat that I got lazy about. Asked them to put it on expecting to pay another 10-15 bucks for the 1 minute labor it takes to reach under the driver seat, unclip 2 ends of a hose and pop another filter in. 49 dollars labor.

Lesson learned...

[tbone]

As long as they are just "advising " you I dont have a problem. In 39 years of driving I can remember maybe once, or twice Ive ever actually needed an alignment. You can tell yourself by just looking at your front tires. As for fuel injection cleaning, Ill do that when my car doesnt run and that is determined to be the cause. Oil leak - well that depends. Id just keep an eye on it, if you car has a puny oil leak, who cares? If it gets worse, fix it. Re oil changes, I always use the dealer. Waay cheaper than Jiffy Lube for just an oil/filter job. My local Ford dealer built this new Express Lane thing and you can watch em do it, they are pretty quick I must say. For my 05 Dodge truck, when I bought it I got 14 free oil/filter changes so Im still working those off!

I like watching them. Many years ago I watched at Jiffy Lube as the tech was about to put tranny fluid in my engine. I asked him what he was doing and the guy below screamed out "Not again"! I think the kid got fired that day. :banana:
Recently I was changing the oil on my wife's Explorer and realized they never tightened the bolt on the oil pan at the last oil change.:mad2: Not sure how that bolt stayed in for 3000 miles........

[justbob]

LOL $160 to clean injectors. Double that price for brand new ones.

[mrjones]

I like the $80 to clean the throttle body. I thought Ford said don't clean the throttle body, because you may ruin the special coating on the throttle body that's there to keep the throttle body from getting dirty!?!

[PonyUP]

Yup it was a nice experience, thank god I was wearing boots, because it was getting deep in there

[TFB]

That's why they advertise cheap oil changes and are quick to give them away for free. Just to get you in the door.

Yep I was given free oil changes for my '07 Grand Marquis... I've owned it almost three years, yet to even drive by that dealership(about 18 mi from me)...

[GAMike]

Too funny Brad... Gwinnett Place Ford huh:rolleyes:

When I got my first Marauder, I would get my oil changed at the local (now out of biz) Lincoln Mercury dealership on occasion.

Similar scenario...... Service Advisor comes out and says my "transmission is leaking". Wants $800+ to fix it....... I politely decline as I was going to the Marauder breakfast the following weekend, and knew I would be meeting Scott Levine for the first time. Figured since he came so highly reccomended, I should let him take a look and offer his thoughts.

Well that next Saturday, car goes up on the lift at Team Toyland, and Scott see a minor amount of fluid coming from a drainplug that has a rubber o ring seal......... He replaces the o ring, and no more leaky... Charged me $0 since he had a bunch of o rings in his bench.

Its so easy to do wrong by your customers in the automotive repair business. These guys play the % that most people don't "walk" their vehicles regularly, and try to play the trusted advisor role, without ever earning the ability to be considered one.

That is why when you find a good and knowledgable tech, you make sure all of your friends local know about him. That way he can earn a living and stay in the community to continue his good work.

Peace of mind knowing you have a tech like Scott Levine in your corner is worth paying for. So many want Scotts reputation, few are willing to work for it.:burnout:

[PonyUP]

Very well said Mike. Reputation means so much in the automotive business. When you earn a good rep, you earn customers for life

[CBT]

Very well said Mike. Reputation means so much in the automotive business. When you earn a good rep, you earn customers for life
Word, homie. I drive past one Ford dealer/service center on my way to one in the next town over, just because they rock. And they love love love to see the Marauder, cause that means someone gets to drive it. The local place, they could care less. They don't even tell you when your vehicle is finished. You be sleeping in the lounge and your car has been done for hours.

[Peter]

This reminds me of the time when I went to have my parking brake cables fixed(replaced). Shouldn't be a problem, it's under extended warranty. I went to the local dealer: Donway Ford(AVOID!!!) and they told me they would do it. A week later(my MM was held a week for cables they supposedly ordered) they told me it will cost $500 to replace, because it is not covered under the warranty. I asked for my MM back and they tried to make me pay a $120 diagnostic fee. I refused to pay it because the cables were covered. They let it go, and I left the dealer and never went back.

A month later, they called asking to pay for the rental(also covered under my extended warranty) for the 8 days I used it. I never called them back.

I went to another dealer, Heritage Ford, and they did an excellent job repairing the cables/ They did a very thorough inspection(over three hours) and noticed that my windows were going slowly down, and the LCM was on the way out. They had all the parts in stock and replaced all the parts in a very efficient manner. <-- That dealer is top-notch, unlike Donway.

So, chose your dealer wisely, and stick with the good ones, even if they are a bit of a drive.

[ctrlraven]

I'd have it checked out for the leak anyways, could be the oil filter adapter gasket/seal leaking. Mine started out of nowhere luckily SmokdMercMarauder is my trusty mechanic.

[PonyUP]

I'd have it checked out for the leak anyways, could be the oil filter adapter gasket/seal leaking. Mine started out of nowhere luckily SmokdMercMarauder is my trusty mechanic.

A good point, and I will have it checked, just not at this dealer, there are a couple of reputable guys in Atlanta that won't want my first born. Though I am still calling BS, as I don't think there is a leak, but I'll have it checked.