Hack Lube Tech At Dealership

[The Critic]

Earlier this morning, my friend's 2010 Mazda 3i went in for a 6,000-mile oil change and tire rotation at the local Mazda dealership. This time, I scheduled an 8am appointment as my last experience with the dealership was that if I scheduled a late morning appointment, the wait time would be a few hours.

Because I had an early appointment, the dealership was still rather empty, so I was able to walk to their back car lot to watch the tech work on the car. Good thing I did, as it caused me to do more work after I got the car back.

I asked the tech if he was putting 35psi (cold) in the tires, as recommended by Mazda. He explained to me that since the weather had been wet lately, he is underinflating the tires by a few pounds to give "better traction." I checked the tire pressure after I got the car back, and they were reading between 34-35 psi hot! If he had correctly inflated the tires to 35 psi cold, the tires should be reading about 38psi hot.

Also noticed that he was just hammering on the lug nuts with his impact, no torque wrench or torque limiting extension. Best of all, after the oil change, I didn't even see him check the oil!

To make matters worse, this dealership actually charges a lot for their official "minor service." Their normal price for a "minor service" is $168.88! My price was $46.88 since I used their oil change coupon special and they pricematched another dealer's price for tire rotation. I feel bad for anyone who pays over $100 for this type of shoddy work.

In summary, dealer lube techs can be just as bad, if not worse than some quick lube places. At least the guys at Pep Boys will torque down your lug nuts and not underinflate your tires. I am quite disappointed with the quality of dealership service, to say the least.

Has anyone else experienced a hack dealership lube tech?

 

[Dieseldoctor]

Um i use work at ford dealership. To be honest alot of the time it's the management who sets the guidelines. He prolly makes 6 bucks an hour and has to supply his own tools. Haha most dont even check the air pressure or give a flip. Dealerships are all about volume.. most use bulk oil cheapest they can get.. and as little service as they can get away with..

 

[simple_gifts]

My Mazda sat on the lot for a year prior to my purchasing it (it is a 2006, I bought in May of 2007) I asked the dealer to change the oil and filter and upon my first oil change I did myself,(around 1200 miles) I was unable to loosen the filter with any reasonable force. I have never gone back despite the promise of free lifetime changes.

 

[oilboy123]

Well us BTOG people are kind of picky. Problem is we assume things will be done our way, and they assume they will do us a favor their way!

You have to baby sit everybody now days. I just had new tires put on at the tire shop. When the tires were on I noticed new chrome valve stem caps on old valve stems! What the heck is this World coming to?

About 7 years ago I had tires put on at another place that starts with a P and saw old valve stems. I asked the guy why they were not replaced and he said the other guy trained him not to? I said I ain't leaving till they are replaced. I called the manager when I got home. I also called corporate for the tires that I just recently put on.


It's not where you have your car worked on.....it's who works on your car.

 

[Paul56]

Yep... at the Toyota dealer.

-I specifically tell them twice to fill with synthetic. They fill with conventional. To their credit BOTH times they did this they drained and refilled with synthetic. No harm done other than extended drain time and residual conventional left in the engine each time.

-Another time I pop the hood to quickly scan to discover the dipstick laying across the engine rather than in the tube. I was tempted to walk into the dealership and invite the service manager out to view this... but I figured why bother.

Lesson well learned... ALWAYS give the vehicle the once over BEFORE leaving any service facility.

 

[oilboy123]

Originally Posted By: Paul56
Yep... at the Toyota dealer.

-I specifically tell them twice to fill with synthetic. They fill with conventional. To their credit BOTH times they did this they drained and refilled with synthetic. No harm done other than extended drain time and residual conventional left in the engine each time.

-Another time I pop the hood to quickly scan to discover the dipstick laying across the engine rather than in the tube. I was tempted to walk into the dealership and invite the service manager out to view this... but I figured why bother.

Lesson well learned... ALWAYS give the vehicle the once over BEFORE leaving any service facility.



I have found things laying around in the engine compartment of cars I have worked on more than a few times before. I just did some work on a friend's Aztek and found the AC valve cap laying in the engine compartment. Kind of amazing things stay put sometimes. I can be a space cadet at times....but I am very methodical about working on things like cars and double check things thoroughly.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

It's not where you have your car worked on.....it's who works on your car.


Right, my Toyota is dealer serviced..... by the father-in-law of the guy who sits next to me @ work.

 

[oilboy123]

Wow I'm up to 4000 on my post count.

The Critic has been more active than me though.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
.... I asked the tech if he was putting 35psi (cold) in the tires, as recommended by Mazda. He explained to me that since the weather had been wet lately, he is underinflating the tires by a few pounds to give "better traction." I checked the tire pressure after I got the car back, and they were reading between 34-35 psi hot! If he had correctly inflated the tires to 35 psi cold, the tires should be reading about 38psi hot.

...
Most tires are overinflated by the techs who often put the MAX sidewall pressure in(44). My Yaris rides, drives and handles best with 28psi in the fronts cold rather than the 32 spec on the door jamb. Maybe he did you a favour - Why does my 2300lb car with 185 65R15 need 32psi!?

 

[Vizzy]

...
[/quote] Most tires are overinflated by the techs who often put the MAX sidewall pressure in(44). My Yaris rides, drives and handles best with 28psi in the fronts cold rather than the 32 spec on the door jamb. Maybe he did you a favour - Why does my 2300lb car with 185 65R15 need 32psi!? [/quote]

Probably it squeezes out another .5 MPG....

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
[/quote] Most tires are overinflated by the techs who often put the MAX sidewall pressure in(44). My Yaris rides, drives and handles best with 28psi in the fronts cold rather than the 32 spec on the door jamb. Maybe he did you a favour - Why does my 2300lb car with 185 65R15 need 32psi!?


It could be a load issue. Without doing the calculations, it is difficult to say whether or not 28 psi is sufficient to properly support the vehicle's weight while still providing a reasonable margin of error.

The same probably holds true for the Mazda 3. 35F/35R is recommended, likely for numerous reasons. This vehicle is also known for its sharper handling, so the higher pressure probably allows for crisper cornering as well.

 

[Spector]

I had a coolant flush at a Toyota dealership years ago, I popped the hood to look at the job and saw coolant all over the engine, a mess. Retrieved the service manager to observe it and he volunteered to get it cleaned up. I said it is your job to assure the job is done right and told him to stick his service and cleaned it up myself and never went back

 

[Vizzy]

Originally Posted By: Spector
I had a coolant flush at a Toyota dealership years ago, I popped the hood to look at the job and saw coolant all over the engine, a mess. Retrieved the service manager to observe it and he volunteered to get it cleaned up. I said it is your job to assure the job is done right and told him to stick his service and cleaned it up myself and never went back


The Service Manager is the final line of defense in catching any problems before giving the repaired car back to the customer. Most shops I have worked in (new car dealers) have always had the service manager test drive/inspect EVERY car to confirm that the needed repairs were done correctly and the car is delivered back to the customer in pre visit condition (no grease on interior, no oils or coolant spashed on engine compartment, ect) It is beyond me as to why so many Service Managers will not do their job!!!!!!!! Although unfortunately it appears that most of these guys are very lazy today.

 

[Cutehumor]

wow, critic. how many rides are you supervising on maintenance?

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Vizzy
Originally Posted By: Spector
I had a coolant flush at a Toyota dealership years ago, I popped the hood to look at the job and saw coolant all over the engine, a mess. Retrieved the service manager to observe it and he volunteered to get it cleaned up. I said it is your job to assure the job is done right and told him to stick his service and cleaned it up myself and never went back


The Service Manager is the final line of defense in catching any problems before giving the repaired car back to the customer. Most shops I have worked in (new car dealers) have always had the service manager test drive/inspect EVERY car to confirm that the needed repairs were done correctly and the car is delivered back to the customer in pre visit condition (no grease on interior, no oils or coolant spashed on engine compartment, ect) It is beyond me as to why so many Service Managers will not do their job!!!!!!!! Although unfortunately it appears that most of these guys are very lazy today.


I have never heard of a service manager doing final inspection of all cars coming through the shop. Maybe at a small independent shop, but definitely not at a large-volume dealership.

Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
wow, critic. how many rides are you supervising on maintenance?

Only the ones of my closest friends, so 4?

 

[Vizzy]

Originally Posted By: The Critic

I have never heard of a service manager doing final inspection of all cars coming through the shop. Maybe at a small independent shop, but definitely not at a large-volume dealership.



I should have clarified..either the Service Manager or his assistant at the larger stores. Some dealers use the service writers but many of them aren't actually technically savvy enough to actually determine if the jobs are done correctly . LOL

 

[ahoier]

Yea, I seem to get better service at WM for my oil change than at the stealership, and there's quite a price difference. Dealer charges 32.95+tax, WM? 30$ + tax, comes out to about $32. And to add to to that, I got the lifetime balance/rotate at WM so I have them do all that too, while they are changing the oil.

Also nice that WM tops off all the fluids (transmission, windshield wash, brake fluid, etc.) + vacuums the carpet and washes the windshield At the dealer, it's simply a strict overpriced "Oil and Filter Change".

Only time I take it to the dealer is when I need a second opinion (hear an odd noise, etc....) and for minor inspections.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: ahoier
Also nice that WM tops off all the fluids (transmission, windshield wash, brake fluid, etc.) + vacuums the carpet and washes the windshield At the dealer, it's simply a strict overpriced "Oil and Filter Change".

This dealer does a courtesy hand wash upon request, if you push them. And since it was early in the morning and the porter was free, they did a half-decent vacuum job as well.

 

[MCompact]

I'm VERY lucky. My local BMW dealer(Swope BMW. Louisville) delivers outstanding service at an extremely fair price. My local Mazda dealers(Neil Huffman Mazda and Oxmoor Mazda) have pathetic sales, service and parts departments. I use Kings Mazda in Cincinnati. I also have a great independent BMW shop as well as an indie shop that handles work I don't have time to tackle on my Jeep.
Having said all that, I do most of the maintenance myself.

 

[Paul56]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: ahoier
Also nice that WM tops off all the fluids (transmission, windshield wash, brake fluid, etc.) + vacuums the carpet and washes the windshield At the dealer, it's simply a strict overpriced "Oil and Filter Change".

This dealer does a courtesy hand wash upon request, if you push them. And since it was early in the morning and the porter was free, they did a half-decent vacuum job as well.


I had to be a pessimist but that provides the monkey doing the washes the opportunity to screw up your paint job... with swirls, scratches, etc.