Honda stealership tried to upsell during airbag recall visit

[M1Accord]

I took my Fit to the stealership for airbag recall and they told me they are running a special of free state inspection and car wash. I told them no, no, and just do the recall. 1 hr later the se4vice guy stop by and gave me that ‘I need to talk too you' the same way my school principal used to do in the 90's or my secretary does it when the boss needs to complain about something. I was on their massage chair so I was annoyed but decided to play along. He had a laundry list of things I need and highlighted the things I needed to pass state inspection. I smile and say just finish the recall work and toss the inspection checklist as I never authorized it as well as the vehicle sticker still has 5 months left. I had to wait for another 2 hrs and they disobeyed me again by washing the car. I found 2 deep scratches on the body kit but can't tell how they got there but know it is from car wash brush, just not sure if it was this time or back when my crazy wife used to do the wash that way. I am beyond [censored] nonetheless.

Things they wanted to sell:
Fog lights - I have hairline crack on on side

Fluids - brake, ATF, steering (I have electric steering so I am puzzled), coolant. They did say my oil is fine and it is the one actually needed change but I reset my OLM that morning only to realize I needed to do recall first and pick up Fram filter on the way back. So no actual check and just wanted to sell stuffs.

Windshield wipers - I just replaced all 3 less than 7 months ago before the state inspection and a big trip. 6 years seems to be a good time for high usage and I hope Michelin brand is as good as OEM.

All light bulbs - With exception of 4 interior lights which I changed to LED as soon as I drove off the lot in 2012. all bulbs are still OEM but I do have a set for everything ready in my garage.

Tires - I do need want new tires since my wife drives this car. I got a set of Michelin Premier A/S on order from Costco with $130 off. They are pricey but I like them and they seem to be almost as good as the perfect Defender series.

The total cost for these sales were $649.56 for services without the tires and $1779.87 out the door with the 4 tires and spare, which they said needed to be changed regardless of usage every 6 yers and I 1.5 overdue, included.

I am so glad I buy Honda and never have to visit this place or any stealership period. Honda and probably Toyota are made to be maintained on by beginners with little to no skills and limited tools.

 

[das_peikko]

Interesting about the tires. Most dealers don't stock tires nor do they have a way to mount them. They can balance them but not mount or dismount.

 

[The Critic]

While some of the items on their list are clearly in error, some of the statements made in your post does not portray you as a customer that most businesses would welcome.

Originally Posted by M1Accord

Fog lights - I have hairline crack on on side

Sounds legitimate.

Originally Posted by M1Accord

Windshield wipers - I just replaced all 3 less than 7 months ago before the state inspection and a big trip. 6 years seems to be a good time for high usage and I hope Michelin brand is as good as OEM.

Depending on the climate, six months may not be unreasonable for replacing wipers. Do yours wipe streak-free? Michelin wipers are economy wipers made by Python. Definitely not OE quality.

And there is not a single wiper on the market that will last for 6 years.

 

[M1Accord]

Originally Posted by The Critic
While some of the items on their list are clearly in error, some of the statements made in your post does not portray you as a customer that most businesses would welcome.

Depending on the climate, six months may not be unreasonable for replacing wipers. Do yours wipe streak-free? Michelin wipers are economy wipers made by Python. Definitely not OE quality

And there is not a single wiper on the market that will last for 6 years.


I am a typical DIY Honda opener, I buy new and do the basic maintenances, which are more than enough for Honda, and buy tires at Costco or BJ's. Dealerships only see me if there are recalls, which are rare for Honda outside this airbag debacle. Is that what you are implying?

And only my longer OEM wiper needed replacement after 6 years of use, the two short ones (14" I recall) were still good but the kit came with all 3 so I put them on and keep the two short ones in the garage as spare since they don't sell that kit anymore and most stores don't stock 14" wiper blades. I may just swap out the two new ones and just run the old OEM down, keeping a new one as spare in the car during winter. I think the long wiper is on the driver side, which is too bad but at least I can get that size just about any where. I am more than impress with OEM parts, even the tires, which was Dunlop, but I got more miles out of it than my Michelin Premier A/S. I recall getting 65k miles out of the Dunlop and could have gotten 10k more as they were only 2 years old but just changed it before state inspection and because my wife drives it. The current Michelin tires has 65k miles also but more worn in the middle while the edges are still good but Michelin tires are known to age better so I would keep driving if it was me as my daily driving is only 0.25 mile each way. How're, this is my wife's car and we do take it on weekend to delay timing belt change on the Accord so I opt for the change while Costco has a $130 off sale. I have seen folks driving around with much worse worn but I don't gamble with my wife's ride.

My Accord still has original water pump, alternator, starter, and fuel pump for a 2002 model with 270k miles. I paid for the timing belt work back at 125k miles but gas been delaying it as the car is beaten cosmetically during my time driving and parking on the city. Brand new tires and rims and all new brake Padres and rotors but those are the key components to be safe. The other stuffs can wait a bit.

 

[sxg6]

Originally Posted by das_peikko
Interesting about the tires. Most dealers don't stock tires nor do they have a way to mount them. They can balance them but not mount or dismount.


I'm curious, what makes you say that most dealers don't have the equipment to mount/dismount tires?

 

[Thax]

So your upset and or shocked that your dealer recommended additional services? If you take you car into a dealership for a recall service, then they will also look over the rest of the vehicle. Its a fact that any service department makes its money from selling and performing services. The way it works is you bring your car in , service advisor writes up a ticket, technician performs the work. In addition as part of their job the technician will also look over the vehicle, this can range from maintenance to state inspection items . It is not personal to the technician , they have no idea if the owner is a hardcore DIY'er or an owner who is not mechanically inclined. Honestly I think you are getting to bent out of shape about getting a recall done. If you dont want additional work done, then don't authorize additional work to be performed. Also as a dealership professional technician , I can tell you that Honda's or Toyota's are not designed to be worked on by "beginners with little to no skills and limited tools". Honestly a real tech spends alot of time training and keeping current with new tech. Their tools are a heavy investment , worth more than your Fit and Accord combined. If you are so darn good at DIY and cant even do a timing belt replacement , it explains why their is a need for legit technicians.

 

[DuckRyder]

The secret phrase is "Do not do a courtesy inspection" I sometimes add "perform the recall, do not touch anything else" they will claim Honda "requires" them to do a courtesy inspection unless you specify not to.

Michelin tires = good. Michelin wipers = not good. If you must replace the factory blades which you can buy very good factory inserts (about $6.00 each) for, Rain-X are better then Michelin IME.

Headlight bulb just burned out in the Acura, it was original (1996)

But:

They recommended a fog light replacement for a cracked fog light - I don't see how this qualifies as stealer.

They recommended tires which you have ordered already - I don't see how this qualifies as stealer. (Guess their crystal ball was broken so they didn't know you had them ordered) Spare aging is a legitimate concern, though it is probably fine. Michelin will tell you 10 years total, 6 in service if you call them.

They recommended replacement of 7 month old lower tier wiper blades - Certainly possible they need replacement. 6 years on wiper blades is not something I would recommend.

If they have never been serviced the ATF and Brake fluid are overdue. Coolant is 10 years or 110,000 on factory fill IIRC.

I don't get the "all light bulbs", that's a little over the top...

Might be worth asking how they plan to change EPS fluid.

 

[Chesterr]

He did not even ask them to do anything extra. He was shocked over the outrageous estimate over things you can mostly do yourself..it is not that hard to change your coolant, atf, ps, brake fluid, wipers etc. We get sick of stealerships trying to blank blank blank customers

 

[Lubener]

He's a service salesman trying to prove his existance at the dealership. Don't hold it against him.

 

[das_peikko]

Originally Posted by sxg6
I'm curious, what makes you say that most dealers don't have the equipment to mount/dismount tires?


Because I worked at a Toyota dealer and all they had was a balance machine.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by sxg6
Originally Posted by das_peikko
Interesting about the tires. Most dealers don't stock tires nor do they have a way to mount them. They can balance them but not mount or dismount.

I'm curious, what makes you say that most dealers don't have the equipment to mount/dismount tires?

One of the more laughable things I have read here.

OP, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. They saw an old car with a cracked fog light and bald tires and assumed that it wasn't up on maintenance. I'd have done the same.

 

[demarpaint]

That's his job, and he probably gets paid a commission. I politely say no to everything, occasionally several times. Thankfully I only visit them for warranty and recall work.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted by das_peikko
Interesting about the tires. Most dealers don't stock tires nor do they have a way to mount them. They can balance them but not mount or dismount.


I frequently hear the advertisements on the radio how the Ford dealers will meet or beat any deal that you bring in when purchasing new tires.
It's also one heck of a money-maker as they charged my mom $40/tire to fill them with nitrogen. I really don't know how they can sleep at night when they do that to an elderly woman.
I didn't see the ticket until weeks later.

 

[MoneyJohn]

Originally Posted by M1Accord
I took my Fit to the stealership for airbag recall and they told me they are running a special of free state inspection and car wash. I told them no, no, and just do the recall.

Maybe folks are reading 'quickly', so I have highlighted to help everyone that failed to read. No need to be so quick at bashing the OP.
He asked them to do recall and nothing else. Why this should be so difficult to understand? Totally get it where he is coming from.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I would have done the same thing and refused all the service. Dealerships are know to be quite high on prices and you may be better off having a reputable mechanic do the work elsewhere.

 

[ls973800]

I found 2 deep scratches on the body kit but can't tell how they got there but know it is from car wash brush, just not sure if it was this time or back when my crazy wife used to do the wash that way. I am beyond [censored] nonetheless.


Sounds like he was just looking for things to complain about at this point. 2 scratches which he admits he has no idea how they got there or even when or where, yet he is sure they are from the car wash!

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by das_peikko
Interesting about the tires. Most dealers don't stock tires nor do they have a way to mount them. They can balance them but not mount or dismount.


Huh? Every dealer I've ever visited has had a tire machine. They generally don't stock tires, because the price changes frequently, but they can usually have what you want same or next day. My Chrysler dealer sells tons of tires, but they don't stock them for this reason.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
Originally Posted by sxg6
Originally Posted by das_peikko
Interesting about the tires. Most dealers don't stock tires nor do they have a way to mount them. They can balance them but not mount or dismount.

I'm curious, what makes you say that most dealers don't have the equipment to mount/dismount tires?

One of the more laughable things I have read here.

OP, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. They saw an old car with a cracked fog light and bald tires and assumed that it wasn't up on maintenance. I'd have done the same.


Yep, that's my take too. The OP doesn't visit the dealer, ergo, they don't know him from Jobe. They have no idea that he believes that Honda's and Toyota's only require tires and fluids to last 20 million miles. They saw a car rolling on worn rubber with what was obviously original fluids in most locations, a broken fog light and assumed that basic services had not been performed. The OP has confirmed that this is indeed the case, because of his belief system regarding the brand not requiring it.

The Service Manager and tech did what they thought was their due diligence based on what was observed. They aren't psychics or mind readers, they had no idea the guy that blew in for a recall and was now nestled in their massage chair was of the belief system that he has presented here, nor does it seem he mentioned that to them during the initial conversation

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by das_peikko
Interesting about the tires. Most dealers don't stock tires nor do they have a way to mount them. They can balance them but not mount or dismount.

Every (new) car dealer around here sells, stocks, and installs tires.

 

[Ifixyawata]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by das_peikko
Interesting about the tires. Most dealers don't stock tires nor do they have a way to mount them. They can balance them but not mount or dismount.

Every (new) car dealer around here sells, stocks, and installs tires.


I bought a set of 4 tires at a Ford dealer local to where I bought my Mountaineer. The dealer price-matched them and everything.