Dealing with Mr. Monkeywrench--need advice

[deerehunter/operator]

If someone would have called me about a blower motor noise (wants it diagnosed over the phone without actually bringing the car in) then yes there are a couple different things that could cause the noise and it sounds like they gave you one of the possibilities (bad bearing in blower motor). Did you take the vehicle in to have it diagnosed so they could find the leaf? So how can you assume that they would have replaced the blower motor without just removing the leaf. You obviously believe that "9 out of 10" places are out to get you and it sounds like all of your examples are WHAT IFS and THEY PROBABLY WOULD HAVES. Its pretty clear that you have it set in your mind that you are always going to get taken so why did you post in here with a title ending in "Need Advice"? Lots of folks have said the same thing I did....give them a chance to correct the problem. They cant do further work without first giving you an estimate. Everyone on this site can give you examples of times that someone was ripped off by a car dealership, restaurant, phone company, etc. That doesnt mean everyone out there is like that.

 

[LD1]

Everyone on this site can give you examples of times that someone was ripped off by a car dealership, restaurant, phone company, etc. That doesnt mean everyone out there is like that.

Along those same lines, I am sure there are thousands of members here that can give examples of times when they WERENT ripped off, and had excellent service. Its just the nature of the beast that people only spread the word when the word is a bad one.

 

[deerehunter/operator]

exactly. We have a bulletin board by our parts department where we hang up cards we receive in the mail from folks saying thanks for the great service. It really feels good to hear that stuff once in a while and not just the "you guys changed my oil and now my left rear tire has a nail in it....what did you guys do to my car"

 

[Bird]

exactly. We have a bulletin board by our parts department where we hang up cards we receive in the mail from folks saying thanks for the great service. It really feels good to hear that stuff once in a while and not just the "you guys changed my oil and now my left rear tire has a nail in it....what did you guys do to my car"

:laughing::laughing: Many years ago, about 1974 or 75, I served on a 6 person jury in county court. A couple of young fellows had a little trucking business with some old, worn out trucks and they had refused to pay a mechanic's bill claiming he didn't do the work right. So the mechanic sued. Those young fellows claims were just about as valid as your comments above.:laughing: It really was incredible. Things like the mechanic fixed a transmission, then a month later in another state, the brakes had to be repaired. When the jury retired to "deliberate" they promptly elected me as jury foreman, I read the charge from the judge, as he had instructed, and asked who wanted to start. One guy said those guys just need to pay their bills, everyone else agreed. I asked again if anyone wanted to discuss any of it; they didn't and I think we told the baliff we had reached a verdict so quick that we surprised the judge and everyone else.:laughing:

 

[crazyal]

Unless it's warranty work I do it myself. Almost everything you need to do to a car or truck can be found on the internet. I use my smart phone for a scan tool, makes it real easy because once the code comes up it asks if I want to search the internet to identify it. The only issues are sub computers like the antilock brakes/ traction control, air bag, transmission, etc. Mfgs try to keep that information to themselves.

 

[JDgreen227]

I have one issue with a local GM dealer that REALLY soured me on the obscene prices they charge for work. When our 2004 Lesabre was new, my wife would take it to the selling dealership for oil changes....after the first four or five times, I filed away the invoices and upon looking at them I realized the dealership was charging her for 5 quarts of oil, even though the 3.8 V6 had a recommended oil and filter change capacity of 4.5 quarts. They were billing her for TEN UNITS per change, a unit being a half quart. I took the invoices and went to the dealership and inquired: "Can you tell me if you are overcharging for a half quart of oil not put in the engine, or are you overfilling it by a half quart?" THEY WOULD NOT GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER. The service manager left and came back with a check in the amount of the 4 or 5 excess half quarts of oil, and apologized and also gave me a coupon good for a free oil and filter change....I gave the coupon to someone else because I had NO intention of ever returning there...any dealership that is scamming customers in little ways like that will most certainly scam them in other ways. I wonder sometimes just how many "half-quarts" they scammed customers out of over the years.

 

[Bird]

I have one issue with a local GM dealer that REALLY soured me on the obscene prices they charge for work. When our 2004 Lesabre was new, my wife would take it to the selling dealership for oil changes....after the first four or five times, I filed away the invoices and upon looking at them I realized the dealership was charging her for 5 quarts of oil, even though the 3.8 V6 had a recommended oil and filter change capacity of 4.5 quarts. They were billing her for TEN UNITS per change, a unit being a half quart. I took the invoices and went to the dealership and inquired: "Can you tell me if you are overcharging for a half quart of oil not put in the engine, or are you overfilling it by a half quart?" THEY WOULD NOT GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER. The service manager left and came back with a check in the amount of the 4 or 5 excess half quarts of oil, and apologized and also gave me a coupon good for a free oil and filter change....I gave the coupon to someone else because I had NO intention of ever returning there...any dealership that is scamming customers in little ways like that will most certainly scam them in other ways. I wonder sometimes just how many "half-quarts" they scammed customers out of over the years.

So when they tried to make it right and satisfy you, you got mad, and said you'd never go back there? Doesn't make sense to me, but maybe to others.

 

[JDgreen227]

So when they tried to make it right and satisfy you, you got mad, and said you'd never go back there? Doesn't make sense to me, but maybe to others.

Bird....why were they scamming me in the first place? They got caught and no amount of apologies can make it right. I told several other people who own a GM car with the same engine to check their oil change invoices....same overcharge by the same dealership. GM has sold millions of those engines....I have a hard time understanding why anybody in the auto service business cannot read and understand the factory recommendations. Want to hear about the time I blew the whistle on a major GM dealership that was charging a document preparation fee on GM employee purchases although the rules of the GM employee purchase plan clealy stated document prep fees could not be charged on GM employee purchases? Several people at the dealership got fired for that.

 

[Bird]

Bird....why were they scamming me in the first place? They got caught and no amount of apologies can make it right. I told several other people who own a GM car with the same engine to check their oil change invoices....same overcharge by the same dealership. GM has sold millions of those engines....I have a hard time understanding why anybody in the auto service business cannot read and understand the factory recommendations. Want to hear about the time I blew the whistle on a major GM dealership that was charging a document preparation fee on GM employee purchases although the rules of the GM employee purchase plan clealy stated document prep fees could not be charged on GM employee purchases? Several people at the dealership got fired for that.

Scamming you, or an honest mistake. Many years ago, cars held a certain number of "quarts"; no partial or half quarts. Now-a-days maybe they all use bulk oil and pump our some predetermined amount instead of opening a number of cans. I don't know what happened. It just sounded to me as if they tried to make it right with you. If I know I'm not going back to a place, I guess I can understand telling them so, though I probably wouldn't; I'd probably just go on. But you said you went there to talk to them. They gave you a check and a coupon for a free oil change. What could they have done to make it right for you? And satisfy you? Or what do you think they should have done?

I think (hope?) we all know that there are some number of dishonest people in every occupation/profession in the world. I believe them to be in the minority, while some assume they're the majority. Sure hope I've right instead of those who look for crooks everywhere.:laughing:

Incidentally, after one oil change on my Ford Ranger, I noticed on the dipstick it was halfway between the add and full lines and I told the service writer. A guy came from the back with a quart of oil and filled it to the full mark. And when I sent an e-mail to their manager later, they gave me a free oil change. But a service writer told me that Ford uses the same dipstick for some different engines and for my engine, if they put in the amount of oil the manual calls for, it'll be in the middle on the dipstick. So, yep, it's been that way since, but I don't have to add oil between changes, so I haven't complained. And I still use that dealer.

 

[Peacock]

Tell you guys just why I am so skeptical of repair shop ripoffs, one example: My cousin's daughter had a GM car that always ran hot, she took it to a shop and they told her the water pump was bad and the radiator needed replacing...big bucks. I took a look at it and determined the problem was simply air in the cooling system and all that was needed was to keep bleeding air from the system and replacing the air with coolant. Both water pump and radiator went several more years before she sold the car. And here is a "what if" example...

My 2004 Lesabre was just out of warranty and my wife told me the heater fan was making a terrible noise, she called dealership and they told her the heater fan needed replacing. Well, I took a plastic cover off the firewall area and found this HUGE dry oak leaf stuck in the heater fan blower wheel...how it got there in one piece I have no idea. Removing the leaf cured the issue. Now, had we taken the car to a shop I bet 9 out of 10 places would have removed the leaf and then billed us for replacing the heater fan. There are simply too many ways shops can screw over the customers and get away with it to make me trust them.

I can just about guarantee you that only a very small number of individuals would pull such a stunt.

As a dealer tech of 12 yrs I'm a little bit offended by how some people think most dealerships are run. I can honestly say most dealer techs really do try to do the right thing and take great pride in the fact that they are generally the best in the business.