Why do dealerships require you to make an appointment for everything now?

[Gary Fowler]

Even worse when you have an appointment and drive your truck 30 miles to town and they say sorry out diesel tech went home early today. Come back next month because we're booked up now.

Something similar happened to my wife at a dealership in Ft. McMurray Canada. Had to book an appointment and wait 2 weeks to get in. Wife came down with the flu but still got out of sick bed and took car in for some minor fix. Shuttle took her home so at least she didn't have to wait. Well, I got in from work and we went to pick up here SUV and was told sorry we couldn't get to it and you will have to book another appointment which was going to take another 2 weeks. Wife went ballistic on them and sought out the manager, coughed on him a few times and told him in many choice words that cant be put on this site how screwed up their service was. Short story form, she got her appointment for 7am the following day and at 8am the car was fixed and ready for pickup. They even sent the courtesy van to our house to pick her up.
Service was like that in every business in Ft. McMurray due to the oil boom and the fact that we were 500 miles to any other dealer or town for any services, so one just had to suck it up when it came to services.

Restaurant service personnel were just as bad and you were very lucky if you got good service. The going rate in 2002 for a waitress was $25 per hour + tips and the owners couldn't keep enough staff to serve their customers. If you had a party of more than 4 people, you better have a reservation or you wouldn't get a table.

 

[davesl708]

I had to take my Chevy Trailblazer in for warranty work on the fan switch. Would only run at one speed.
The dealer did give me a loaner Suburban. It took them eight days to find the problem with the fan switch. Incredible.
They did call me on day four to ask how many miles I had put on the Suburban. I told them I was using it as usual and that was 80 miles a day for work and one trip to the lake on the weekend (400 miles round trip)

 

[MoKelly]

Made an appointment a few months ago to change the valve stem nuts on my car a few months ago. Should not have been a big deal and been an hours job tops. I walked and had lunch and then walked around home Depot for a while. I was there over 4 hours before they finally tell me I need 2 new sensors at a cost of $500. After causing a scene I was pulled aside and told they did not have the valve stem rebuild kit in stock and would not split some from a new sensors. Two hours later I had two new sensors under warranty for a total of 6 hours for an hour job. Why start a job for a waiting costumer without making sure you have the parts, why 4 hours to dismount 2 tires. Luckily if I had not been waiting and caused a scene they probably would not have warrantied the sensors.

Unless I am reading this wrong, seems to me the dealer is commiting fraud. First, tried to sell you sensors you did not need. Then, claiming you needed them under warranty from the manufacturer?

You use this dealer?

MoKelly

 

[lutt]

I remember the days when dealership service departments didn't require you to make an appointment for basic things like oil changes and tire rotations and things like that. I have so many "free" services with my 2014 Silverado and it's more of a pain than anything because now the dealerships are so swamped with vehicles that you need to make an appointment to get anything done and you STILL have to sit there for 2-3 hours waiting on your truck. Some dealerships don't even give you a loaner vehicle anymore, they have some stupid shuttle bus thing where they claim they will take you anywhere you need to go. My schedule isn't a clear cut schedule, it's very hard for me to make appointments days in advance because I never know what I'll be doing days from now. I'm used to the days where I could just showup for an oil change or a haircut and get it done on my free time when I had it, now it's "make an appointment". The problem with that is even though you have an appointment it still takes forever and your morning is basically shot sitting around a dealership. It's not just GM, Toyota is just as awful as I take my mother's Camry in for service and it's the same thing. I think the next time I buy a new car and the finance manager tries to sell me on "service plans" or "extended warranties" I'm just going to be blunt. "Look, your service department sucks, you're slow and forcing me to make appointments is inconvenient and when I do make appointments I still have to wait for hours. I also have no use for your courtesy van mess. You couldn't GIVE me any warranty or extended service plan for free right now." I'll be so happy when these free services are up so I can do my own work on my truck and mother's car. I just hope no warranty claims come up because it'll be "make an appointment, it'll take all day".

Both dealers I use, the Chevrolet place here in town, and the place I started using twenty or so miles away have started that mess with some meet and greet bs and appointment maker. But, since we live in farming country, they both will provide loaner late model GM fwd crew cab pickups. Which is nice for me checking cows. I still don't like my truck tied up very long though! All my tools and fencing supplies are in it! LUTT

 

[bigtiller]

When i was a teenager i could carry a flat tire into any gas station in town and someone would stop what they were doing and fix it. Today, if you can find a place that fixes tires, you have to leave it there until it is time for the mechanic to "do" flat tires.

 

[PILOON]

One beef I have is that for SB's and recalls I have to do all service at the dealer as they don't send any notifications.
Otherwise said I could kill myself as nobody would notify me of any recall or SB.
And, YES I did register at the manufacturer's site but when at dealer they actually did some 4-5 SB.s.
Now that I'm past warrantee I no longer wish to use the dealer as the last time they replaced parts that were not needed and did not cure the problem that I was reporting.
Seems like they 'shotgun' replace parts until they get lucky.
Heck they wanted to charge me for a road test.
and would re install my good used (not needed) parts at $80/hr.
These days if the computer can't diagnose a problem the simply replace until they get lucky.
VIVA a good old fashioned mechanic that likes dirty hands!
(Luck me I did find one!) and his boss has more parts on hand than the local auto parts, plus I can be along side while he works and be the helper.

OK. I feel better now that I have vented. LOL

 

[farm boy00]

One beef I have is that for SB's and recalls I have to do all service at the dealer as they don't send any notifications.
Otherwise said I could kill myself as nobody would notify me of any recall or SB.
And, YES I did register at the manufacturer's site but when at dealer they actually did some 4-5 SB.s.
Now that I'm past warrantee I no longer wish to use the dealer as the last time they replaced parts that were not needed and did not cure the problem that I was reporting.
Seems like they 'shotgun' replace parts until they get lucky.
Heck they wanted to charge me for a road test.
and would re install my good used (not needed) parts at $80/hr.
These days if the computer can't diagnose a problem the simply replace until they get lucky.
VIVA a good old fashioned mechanic that likes dirty hands!
(Luck me I did find one!) and his boss has more parts on hand than the local auto parts, plus I can be along side while he works and be the helper.

OK. I feel better now that I have vented. LOL

For us it's all us working on our trucks mostly. But don't do transmissions or replace engines. But we are sending out our duramax to the local shop for oil change fix the power steering

 

[clemsonfor]

it helps them manage thier schedule and books better and makes for happier customers as the waits should be less

 

[ddbackhoe]

I remember the days when dealership service departments didn't require you to make an appointment for basic things like oil changes and tire rotations and things like that. I have so many "free" services with my 2014 Silverado and it's more of a pain than anything because now the dealerships are so swamped with vehicles that you need to make an appointment to get anything done and you STILL have to sit there for 2-3 hours waiting on your truck. Some dealerships don't even give you a loaner vehicle anymore, they have some stupid shuttle bus thing where they claim they will take you anywhere you need to go. My schedule isn't a clear cut schedule, it's very hard for me to make appointments days in advance because I never know what I'll be doing days from now. I'm used to the days where I could just showup for an oil change or a haircut and get it done on my free time when I had it, now it's "make an appointment". The problem with that is even though you have an appointment it still takes forever and your morning is basically shot sitting around a dealership. It's not just GM, Toyota is just as awful as I take my mother's Camry in for service and it's the same thing. I think the next time I buy a new car and the finance manager tries to sell me on "service plans" or "extended warranties" I'm just going to be blunt. "Look, your service department sucks, you're slow and forcing me to make appointments is inconvenient and when I do make appointments I still have to wait for hours. I also have no use for your courtesy van mess. You couldn't GIVE me any warranty or extended service plan for free right now." I'll be so happy when these free services are up so I can do my own work on my truck and mother's car. I just hope no warranty claims come up because it'll be "make an appointment, it'll take all day".

How about make an appointment for your very first (5000 mile) oil change. Wait two hours past appointment, drive less than 1/4 mile and engine quits. Yep, they forgot to put oil back in. Then have to wait over two months for them to get all of the parts to build another engine. Thanks Toyota of Waldorf.

 

[ultrarunner]

I have only bought one new vehicle for myself.

At the time I bought it the Dealer was touting their express lane oil service at 59 minutes or less.

I do all my own work but the maintenance was included with the BMW for 4 years so why not?

Boy have things changed... found I needed to make a trip from Oakland to Olympia and was due for a change and stopped by the Dealership... learned it would be 7 days before they could fit me in for an oil change and appointment required and figure hours... but they do have a shuttle to the mall and Bart station which does me no good.

24 bays plus lube service and cars on all of them... asked what was going on and learned they are booked solid for recalls... like the airbag recall...

Which they still do not have for my car and it will be a year soon.

Anyway, 7 days to book an oil change from the Dealer I bought my car... just crazy... have not been back since...