Another stealership horror story.....

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So my daughters vehicle in Colorado had a dead battery. It wouldn't jump so she had it towed to a dealership.
Long story short a bad battery cost her $700 after diagnostics, new battery and a Fuel Injector service they talked her into.

Ridiculous. I told her to find a local trusted shop to go to next time.
 
Part of the problem belongs to vehicle owners. Many people don't know how to care for vehicles nor do they have any concept of self advocating for themselves. My adult son just brought this subject up to me. His newer Toyota has lifetime dealer oil changes for $30 with OEM filter and synthetic oil. Fine and dandy, but he grimaces watching people get talked into extra services (the whole point of the cheap oil change).

You failed at mentoring your daughter correctly, LOL. Buyer beware. I raised my kids perfect, :unsure:........NOT! Take care.
 
Did that include the tow?

If so that’s not quite as bad. $500-600 would likely be the tow, troubleshooting, and battery replacement. They probably threw some crummy fuel treatment in there and charged her like $80-100. Add taxes and such you’d be around $700.

I’d ask her to send you invoice the invoice to review. Unfortunately the dishonest types prey on young females the most.
 
"Fuel system service" is one of the biggest scams at dealerships. Took my car to the dealer for one of the "free" oil changes when the car had only 20,000 miles on it. Service advisor finds me in the waiting room and says "We recommend a 4-wheel alignment, wheel balancing, and fuel system cleaning. The total for everything will be $600." I simply said "A car with 20,000 miles on it doesn't need any of that, so no thank you." They proceeded to print on the service order that I "refused" those recommended services, and then proceeded to harass me via daily phone calls and text messages for two weeks after the appointment to come in and get those things done.

GM simply pours a bottle of GM Fuel System Cleaner in it, which is literally rebranded Techron Concentrate. I can buy 2 bottles of that at the auto store for $12.
 
Sorry about your daughter's experience. Ridiculous indeed, rip off. These places have no conscience, taking advantage of the unknowledgeable is SOP.

By convincing her to get the FI "service", they covered themselves somewhat for serious price upcharge. Same as the recent Hyundai thread with similar type service, I suspect a bottle of Techron or similar.

As mentioned, in your daughter's case perhaps a membership to AAA or similar service would be worth it.

Tough lesson, hopefully something learned. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...........
 
Did that include the tow?

If so that’s not quite as bad. $500-600 would likely be the tow, troubleshooting, and battery replacement. They probably threw some crummy fuel treatment in there and charged her like $80-100. Add taxes and such you’d be around $700.

I’d ask her to send you invoice the invoice to review. Unfortunately the dishonest types prey on young females the most.
No tow was 95.00 extra
 
Sorry to hear that ZZman! I've heard numerous stories of people taking advantage of women concerning auto repair etc...
 
"Fuel system service" is one of the biggest scams at dealerships. Took my car to the dealer for one of the "free" oil changes when the car had only 20,000 miles on it. Service advisor finds me in the waiting room and says "We recommend a 4-wheel alignment, wheel balancing, and fuel system cleaning. The total for everything will be $600." I simply said "A car with 20,000 miles on it doesn't need any of that, so no thank you." They proceeded to print on the service order that I "refused" those recommended services, and then proceeded to harass me via daily phone calls and text messages for two weeks after the appointment to come in and get those things done.

GM simply pours a bottle of GM Fuel System Cleaner in it, which is literally rebranded Techron Concentrate. I can buy 2 bottles of that at the auto store for $12.
Toyota isn’t any better. Both of our 10K dealers services they tried to up sell a fuel treatment and oil conditioner for like another $100.
 
So my daughters vehicle in Colorado had a dead battery. It wouldn't jump so she had it towed to a dealership.
Long story short a bad battery cost her $700 after diagnostics, new battery and a Fuel Injector service they talked her into.

Ridiculous. I told her to find a local trusted shop to go to next time.
You leave out a lot of information. What kind of car? What year? Condition of vehicle? Mileage? Why did the battery go dead?

Scott
 
So my daughters vehicle in Colorado had a dead battery. It wouldn't jump so she had it towed to a dealership.
Long story short a bad battery cost her $700 after diagnostics, new battery and a Fuel Injector service they talked her into.

Ridiculous. I told her to find a local trusted shop to go to next time.
Did you call the service manager? if no satisfaction, then call the ADA - that is highway robbery.
Battery and charging diagnosis is typically a freebie.
 
Besides, if your daughter did not call you from the dealership, that is on you both of you. All my relatives know to call me first before authorizing anything on their vehicles.
 
What exactly did, "Fuel Injector Service" comprise of?
I guess it is this:

A high-pressure cleaning solution is attached to the fuel system at the engine. The technician runs the engine exclusively on the cleaning solution which breaks down carbon, grime, and debris build-up on the fuel injectors, and washes any deposits from the rest of the fuel system.
 
Be thankful it was only a fuel injector service and take it as a lesson learned. I've personally seen much, much worse.

Cars are complex, I don't expect my younger sisters or parents to understand what each part is, but they know now to at least research things or ask before agreeing to a service. It's hard to plead the ignorance card when almost everyone is walking around with a smartphone in their pocket these days.
 
Besides, if your daughter did not call you from the dealership, that is on you both of you. All my relatives know to call me first before authorizing anything on their vehicles.
I wish she would have called me.
 
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