Extended Maintenance Intervals Leading To Problems

[MrCritical]

There's a problem with going behind someone else's maintenance of liability.

Like the aforementioned Vibe that left Wally World with no oil in it. If we've both done maintenance on the car, who's to blame when the engine blows?

And techs don't go over the car at the free inspection. A service advisor or helper does that. With time constraints, there's really no chance for upsell. Besides, then the customer wouldn't come back next time for the inspection if they were put through a ringer.

We follow GM maintenance schedules to the letter. There's Maintenance 1 and Maintenance 2. The prices are clearly posted, only diesels and synthetic oils are higher. The Maintenance 2 approaches $100 bucks with tax. Except for some alacarte things like diff services, the occasional injection flush for sticking throttle or low idle concerns, and transmission services if you pull heavy loads often, that's about it.

If you do your own maintenance, fine. We encourage you to keep accurate records. Other than body shop or mechanical breakdowns that's routine maintenance.

 

[XS650]

MrC,

I have no reason to doubt that you work at one of the few honest and competent dealerships in the country. Unfortunately, honesty plus competence is the exception rather than the rule.

Quote:
...., there's really no chance for upsell. Besides, then the customer wouldn't come back next time for the inspection if they were put through a ringer.


If that were the case, most dealerships service departments would be out of business.

 

[Steve S]

Quote:
People are idiots... let's face it.

What Toyota has done wonderfully at is making people think that they are "so smart" for buying a toyota vehicle.

Like buying Amsoil and then changeing it out at 5,000 miles. Even though the last 8 UOAs have come back stellar with the tbn is at 7.

 

[BrianWC]

Yeah, MrC, I wanna know where your dealership is? North LA or south??? Maybe I'd bring in the SAAB if no one topped it off with bulk 10W30.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Yep got to love the old "up's" nothing like trying to hussle someone for a sale when they are getting their car repaired at cut throat prices!!! That makes me want to come back!!! Personely I would love it if all dealerships where elimanated and car's and trucks where sold like TV sets. The only way you would ever get great sales experince consistently at a Dealship is if all the sales staff where on salery instead of commission but it would have to be a good pay rate to keep people that really wanted to sell!

 

[MrCritical]

We tried bulk oil, but our sales figures and the figures "delivered" never matched, so it's bottle oil only.

I don't know how to raise the hood on a Saab, but not too old to learn!

Personally, I like the "customer for life" thing rather than bilk you for all I can get and never see you again.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Unfortunately the way cars are sold and the attitude behind the curtain is just viel. Instead of giveing you a reasonable price for the product they make you fight to get a fair price. The guy selling the car gets paid by the gross profit margin and bonus are assigned if he sells a sales ad vechile for higher then it's advertised price etc.... If you can get them to go for added stuff like rust protection,interior protection or extended warranty their is another bonus for you etc...... If you know you are not going to make squat off the vechile they have in mind then you have to try to get them to move up to a vechile that pays a better commission even if they do not want it through any means that will work etc.....

 

[berge]

haven't been in a GM dealership in years.

Honda, however, is interesting. I took in the Ridgeline for type A/B, or something service, and the smug little XSDK just asked for my keys and told me to sit down.

I, how dare I, asked him what exactly they were doing. It basically came to replace engine oil/filter, rear end oil, rotate tires. and check a zillion things. $350.

I asked for my keys back. I guess they'll only see me for warranty work from now on.

 

[BrianWC]

I must say, I get the same vibe in my Honda dealership. But the funny thing is...anytime you ask THEM a technical question, they have no clue what you are talking about.

 

[MrCritical]

Read your owner's manual. Added rustproofing may void the manufacturer's rust through warranty.

 

[sciphi]

Yeah, it's sad when a bunch of enthusiasts can walk into a dealership and start teaching the sales staff some things about their cars. A few people on some other forums I know of can almost take apart certain cars in their sleep. Needless to say, those cars are beaten on mercilessly and have not been down except for routine maintenance. It's the poor slob driving out there who doesn't know how to open the hood I worry about.

And darn you GM for ever thinking of Dex-Cool!!! People hear "5 years or 100,000 miles" and think they never have to change it!! Or lifetime transmission fill! Gah!

 

[rationull]

I went to my local Nissan dealership to test drive the new Sentra in 2007, and after the test drive when I popped the hood to look around the salesperson said something like "notice the engine is sideways. Nissan is famous for that." Wow. She was great other than that. Not pushy. I think she was new.

 

[BrianWC]

Originally Posted By: rationull
I went to my local Nissan dealership to test drive the new Sentra in 2007, and after the test drive when I popped the hood to look around the salesperson said something like "notice the engine is sideways. Nissan is famous for that." Wow. She was great other than that. Not pushy. I think she was new.

That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while! Reminds me of Homer Simpson's "speed holes."

 

[Drew2000]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
The local Ford dealership here is very good to deal with as well. Back when I had my Explorer, I don't recall them EVER trying to sell me ANYTHING other than what I had asked to be done......



Same here. Several of the local Ford dealers near me seem to be honest. We bring in both personal and company vehicles for service and never get the upsell. They do fill out a vehicle inspection report that may say "time for brakes soon" etc. but no hard sell.

The import dealer service esp. Toyota and Honda seem to be more rip-off artists and especially hassle you about any warranty service stuff.

Drew

 

[Jeffdc5]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
People are idiots... let's face it.

What Toyota has done wonderfully at is making people think that they are "so smart" for buying a toyota vehicle. Then people follow the Toyota recommendations lock, stock and barrel, come in and get all the expensive services, and dont think twice about being ripped off. They are "so smart", but dont really know why...
its kind of like the emperor's new clothes...

Meanwhile someone goes to GM and they are told that their Dexcool is due for a change, and the are sure that they are being ripped off... they just know it. They know better, somehow.

IMHO, Ive seen this pattern more times than I can count, and there is an association with "intelligence" that not only drives the vehicle choice, but also the behaviors when the vehicle has been owned for a while...

Now, free checks - that does usually associate with the upsell at a jiffy lube, etc. The only way Id find that to be a neutral this is if the basics were checked at some sort of a roadside pull-off... someplace that is not the dealer, not the garage, etc. but then that has its safety issues too...

JMH


that is so true my parents used to take my little sisters corolla to the dealership for the blue green and whatever other clever services they could find they would be spending upwards to 300 dollars at a time and the paperwork never clearly stated what they did. Now i take car of it.

 

[berge]

Originally Posted By: BrianWC
I must say, I get the same vibe in my Honda dealership. But the funny thing is...anytime you ask THEM a technical question, they have no clue what you are talking about.


the service 'advisors' are useless. the parts dept., however,
is usually much better at providing information.
never understood why that is.

 

[BrianWC]

Actually,I have the trouble with the parts people there as well. I recently bought a new acessory belt pulley tensioner to have on hand b/c the V's has started to make a periodic squeak. A quizzing of the guy at the parts counter was not very productive

Even more hilarious was a visit last winter to the local Caddy/Hummer/SAAB dealer. I thought at the time I needed new lines to my tranny oil cooler. I tried to describe them to the parts counter guy. After about 5-10 minutes of him giving me vacant glances, he finally picked up his monitor, turned it toward me, and pointed to the schematic of the transmission system for the 9-5 and said, "Can you just point to what you need???"

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: Drew2000

The import dealer service esp. Toyota and Honda seem to be more rip-off artists and especially hassle you about any warranty service stuff.


Toyota constantly runs radio ads in this area for the "summer AC/cooling check", the "tire rotation/oil change package", etc.

No other automaker runs ads like that. The "Toyota suggested" prices aren't that great either.

 

[javacontour]

Ford and GM run them in this market as well as Toyota.

Ford's big one recently was buy your tires for your Ford at your local Ford dealer.

Toyota was running the same type of ad.

These are manufacturer ads, not local dealer ads.

So a fair number of carmakers are running this sort of ad, including Toyota.

 

[Junior]

Originally Posted By: MrCritical
I guess it's human nature at work.

Ever since GM has gone to extended maintenance intervals, we've tried to educate the public about keeping a check on their fluid levels/tire pressures, ect. in between oil changes and whatnot.

So far, it's a losing proposition.

The dealer offers FREE check and top off of your underhood fluids and tire pressures if we do the scheduled maintenance at any time, without an appointment. He advertises it on his service invoices.

We thought we might have some folks abuse the privilege. Quite the opposite. We can't beg them to come in.

The dealer has the techs key in the vitals from the routine maintenance service, and since I work the invoices, I see them all.

Rarely do 2 tires have the same pressure, let alone 4. Oil down some after 5000 miles. No washer fluid. Evidence of rat and squirrel nests being built under the hood.

We've done everything we can to implement the program. It's not set up as an upsell, as time in and out is important for the customer. I would say the average in and out time has been 5 minutes or less. Did I mention it was FREE?

GM has touted lower maintenance on it's vehicles. But all the customer hears is "no maintenance".


One of my favorite engineering sayings is "I can't fix stupid."

You indeed sound like the exception. One of the local Ford dealerships tried to sell me all sorts of maintenance items. I politely explained I do all my own maintenance and in fact had just changed the tranfercase fluid 2 weeks earlier. They now only report worn, damaged or broken items.

Honda dealer tried to sell me an oil change at 3000 miles. I asked them why considering the manual recommends longer intervals. Same here, they now only report worn, damaged or broken parts.

I know there must be good dealers out there but I just haven't found one yet.