Expectations

[Chris142]

We just do the requested work.if i see a problem I'll tell the customer . Bringing up too many problems makes the customer think your trying to pull a fast one on them.

I rarely see worn brakes and bad axles here. Most cars here drive 100 miles 1 way everyday to los angelas for work or 200 across the desert and people have figured out that it's cheaper to fix these things before they break.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
The shop was very busy and not on a fishing trip for more work. Also sometimes if a customer never comes in and is paying a hefty bill they tend to hold back on excess work till hopefully the next visit.


This^^^

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Have an expectations dilemma for you guys.

Neighbor's 2008 Elantra went to a local indy tire/repair shop for a timing belt and water pump this morning. I had suggested this service about a 9 mo ago, but they finally got around to it today.

Afterwards, the car came to me for an oil change.

Upon checking the car out, I found the following issues with the car:

- No oil on the dipstick. Had been 9k since last oil change per window sticker.
- Front tires at 3/32", rear tires at 8/32"
- Rear brakes at 2mm.
- Cabin filter was original at 100k.
- L/F axle had bad inner joint, vibrates upon acceleration. Oh, and they were the ones who installed this axle recently.
- Front Sway Bar was making a knocking sound over bumps.
- Front tire pressure at 60 psi, rear tire pressure at 40 psi. Vehicle calls for 32 psi.

Of all of the items I found, the only one that the shop mentioned was the need for a tire rotation.

Personally, I would expect any shop to do a basic inspection whenever a vehicle is in for service. Considering that the car went in for a major maintenance service, I would EXPECT the shop to give the vehicle a semi-thorough inspection to advise on any maintenance that needed to be brought up-to-date.

If this vehicle had gone to a dealer - this would not have happened. Every dealer that I've ever dealt with, does a multi-point inspection with any service.

So here's a question to you BITOGers: if you brought your vehicle into a shop for a major maintenance item or repair, would you expect the shop to do a quick inspection and advise on any items that should need attention?
It's why BITOG types keep track of that kind of thing themselves.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
We just do the requested work.if i see a problem I'll tell the customer . Bringing up too many problems makes the customer think your trying to pull a fast one on them.

I rarely see worn brakes and bad axles here. Most cars here drive 100 miles 1 way everyday to los angelas for work or 200 across the desert and people have figured out that it's cheaper to fix these things before they break.
I agree with the trying not to create a "fast one" imppression - the problem seems to be the result of years of "upselling" by stealers and Drippy Lube joints. For a while around here you couldn't get out of the local "Golden Muffler" shops without somebody trying to sell you ball joints. The AG had to step in.

 

[MinamiKotaro]

It could be that the shop's SOP is to do only what is written on the service ticket and absolutely nothing more. They may have gotten tired of being yelled at by customers for "trying to upsell" every time they mentioned something like low oil, worn brakes, or muddy antifreeze.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: MinamiKotaro
It could be that the shop's SOP is to do only what is written on the service ticket and absolutely nothing more. They may have gotten tired of being yelled at by customers for "trying to upsell" every time they mentioned something like low oil, worn brakes, or muddy antifreeze.
There is, of course, a CYA requirement that an unsafe vehicle not be returned to a customer without giving him/notice that a dangerous condition exists. A good friend of mine ran a repair shop for a number of years, one thing that bugged him was the the beauties who would come in year after year with the same S box and say "just get to pass inspection, I'm going to sell it".

 

[EricF]

Critic, since you live iin CA as well, I'm sure you're aware of the CA law that requires shops to check & adjust tire pressure no matter what service is being performed.

Most indy shops I know of take this approach, if a customer comes in and says I want my 2 radiator hoses replaced. That's all you're going to get, labor for 2 radiator hoses and more than likely, your old antifreeze put back in and then topped off with a little extra if needed. AND a tire pressure check.
If you go in and say, I have antifreeze on the ground, now you pay for diagnosis, the hose that's bad, you'd get a recommendation for the other and you'd get hit up for a flush because "most of the antifreeze is going to be out of the car anyway!". AND you get a quickie inspection, PLUS tire pressure check.
I've run into some shops asking people if they want their tire pressure checked.
I had that asked at the dealership and I said don't touch the tires. was much easier than having to readjust the pressure after I got home. Because what's on the door, isn't what goes in my tires.
A lot of this isn't because a shop isn't trying to be helpful or look for more business, it's california, the sue happy state.
it's all about liability.
If a shop was doing the 2 hoses, and saw a vacuum hose ready to fall off, they'd let it fall off. Because that's how it came in.
Although the customers always pull the line, "it worked before YOU worked on my car".
A dealership will usually call and unload what's wrong tell the customer it can be fixed NOW and this is what it'll cost and they usually use the scare tactics to boot. They're on commission too.. it's their job.
an indy shop, the ones around me would just write it on the invoice so the customer has acknowledged it, by signing the invoice, with the problem on it, there's little to no backlash.
If it's pretty severe, you'll get a call.
A lot depends on the shop though and how well they know their customers.

 

[doitmyself]

The Critic,

As you have learned venturing from your other personal stances, i.e.- using non OEM parts, results vary and it is not black or white.

Kudos for considering other opinions and hopefully not join the ranks of the self righteous, judgmental curmudgeons.

The root problem in this case is an irresponsible vehicle owner. To ask any service facility to make up for this is like asking school teachers to make up for poor parenting.

With that said, I leave you with:

 

[punisher]

Originally Posted By: The Critic


Personally, I would expect any shop to do a basic inspection whenever a vehicle is in for service. Considering that the car went in for a major maintenance service, I would EXPECT the shop to give the vehicle a semi-thorough inspection to advise on any maintenance that needed to be brought up-to-date.

If this vehicle had gone to a dealer - this would not have happened. Every dealer that I've ever dealt with, does a multi-point inspection with any service.

So here's a question to you BITOGers: if you brought your vehicle into a shop for a major maintenance item or repair, would you expect the shop to do a quick inspection and advise on any items that should need attention?


Nope.

Nope.

....and Nope.

All you can expect is the work agreed to is done correctly and on time. If you REQUEST a tech to inspect the car, then either it will be done gratis (sometimes) or the customer will be charged for it.

EDIT: If it is a BLATENT safety concern, then it is addressed. Example, I notice a leaking fuel line under the hood while doing the original job.

 

[MCompact]

I have a couple of dealers as well as several indie shops that I can use when I don't do the work myself. Any of them will let me know if they spot a problem, and it is never a case of upselling unnecessary work. That said, If I'm stuck using a shop that I'm not familiar with I prefer them to leave everything else alone. Here's why...

Several years ago I was on my way to a family vacation in Hilton Head and I hit a pothole, ruining the RF tire. I was driving the Club Sport, which does use a bit of oil(1 qt. every 2500-3000 miles or so), so I had checked the oil at every fuel stop AND when I got to Hilton Head. I NEVER needed to add any oil. Fast forward three days-I'm at the Hilton Head Tire Kingdom having my tire replaced. On the way back to the condo the CEL illuminates and I begin to smell burning oil. I pull over, pop the hood, and find that my oil filler cap is missing. I call Tire Kingdom and they treat me like an idiot- "Sir, you need to go back to the shop that changed your oil. We never opened the hood." That's funny; I drove the car from the KY to SC and never smelled any oil or noticed the CEL... Luckily, I found the cap laying on top of the top strut mount. After an hour of scrubbing and a roll of paper towels the engine bay was presentable again. My guess is that some idiot at Tire Kingdom thought the car was in for an oil change and got ready to pull the drain plug when someone yelled "No, Goober! That 'uns jest here to git the tar changed." So, Goober closed the hood without replacing the cap.

Morons.

 

[KitaCam]

There's a lot of conjecture here so here's mine...

The shop took one look at a willfully/woefully neglected machine and wanted NONE of it...so much neglect to lay at the feet of a mechanic, that the shop had only one thing in mind...do what we're being paid to do and....getitoutahere....

 

[Anduril]

Had a (sl)Eazy Lube try to sell the wife a timing belt change. On an engine that uses a chain. They also managed to strip out her oil pan which leaks from the drain plug to this day.

Honda dealership told me I needed the oil pan on an old Accord replaced because it was leaking. I told them I could do that myself. When I took the car home and wiped the oil off the side of the pan, it never reappeared and nothing ever leaked under the car. Either they "staged" the leak, or someone there wasn't careful and someone else thought it was leaking.

Was told by Pep Boys that my CV boots were torn. Went home and checked them. 3 years later they are still not torn.

 

[rjundi]

The last four visits for my wife's car for a simple oil change have averaged $500. Our trusty Subie tech found oil dripping(valve cover gasket) on the turbo exhaust smoking like crazy, seized caliper, bad ignition coil,and bad starter.

My wife did state after each find it a cloud of smoke/stench early am(oil leak), random vibration on highway(stuck caliper),skipping on occasion, and loud noise starting. Yet only said change the oil.