In light of the recent threads which slammed dealers and quick lubes for being corrupt businesses, I have a good story to tell to balance things out.
I have been driving my friend's '09 Fit for the last few days, and noticed that it has been ~5k since its last oil change. Even though the OLM showed 60% left, I decided to give it an oil change and swirl-o-matic wash before returning it as my token of appreciation.
I showed up at the dealer this morning at 7am, right as they opened. Without an appointment, they took me in and gave me the $19.95 oil change special I requested. They also asked me when the ATF, cabin filter, engine filter and brake fluid were last replaced since they had no prior maintenance history on the car, which is a good practice since many people are not familiar with the maintenance requirements of their car. I told the SA when I last did those items, and she seemed satisfied with the answers and did not try to upsell any services.
I left at 8:30am with 4qt of Genuine Honda 5w-20 bulk, new Genuine Honda filter (not an aftermarket filter, Nissan dealer), new crush washer (which most indy shops do not replace) and a clean car. Paid $23 out-the-door and was not given the upsell for more services upon picking up the car, either. I also purchased a set of front wiper inserts for a discounted price of $11 and the parts guy arranged to have the lube tech installed them for free.
That's how every service visit should go (not necessarily at this low price), IMO, as far as doing the job right the first time and without causing frustration. I just wished that every person got treated that way and it is unfortunate that some business do not treat their customers well and we keep hearing these nightmare stories on BITOG.
Now I understand why some people pay outrageous prices at Lexus and BMW dealers, because even though their prices are high, they treat their customers well and do the job right. It is simply disappointing that many BITOGers here have such a negative opinion of dealers (though some are clearly warranted), as not all dealers are bad and most of the ones that I have been to are actually pretty good-- and better trained and more familiar with the cars they service than an independent shop.
I have been driving my friend's '09 Fit for the last few days, and noticed that it has been ~5k since its last oil change. Even though the OLM showed 60% left, I decided to give it an oil change and swirl-o-matic wash before returning it as my token of appreciation.
I showed up at the dealer this morning at 7am, right as they opened. Without an appointment, they took me in and gave me the $19.95 oil change special I requested. They also asked me when the ATF, cabin filter, engine filter and brake fluid were last replaced since they had no prior maintenance history on the car, which is a good practice since many people are not familiar with the maintenance requirements of their car. I told the SA when I last did those items, and she seemed satisfied with the answers and did not try to upsell any services.
I left at 8:30am with 4qt of Genuine Honda 5w-20 bulk, new Genuine Honda filter (not an aftermarket filter, Nissan dealer), new crush washer (which most indy shops do not replace) and a clean car. Paid $23 out-the-door and was not given the upsell for more services upon picking up the car, either. I also purchased a set of front wiper inserts for a discounted price of $11 and the parts guy arranged to have the lube tech installed them for free.
That's how every service visit should go (not necessarily at this low price), IMO, as far as doing the job right the first time and without causing frustration. I just wished that every person got treated that way and it is unfortunate that some business do not treat their customers well and we keep hearing these nightmare stories on BITOG.
Now I understand why some people pay outrageous prices at Lexus and BMW dealers, because even though their prices are high, they treat their customers well and do the job right. It is simply disappointing that many BITOGers here have such a negative opinion of dealers (though some are clearly warranted), as not all dealers are bad and most of the ones that I have been to are actually pretty good-- and better trained and more familiar with the cars they service than an independent shop.
