Stealership strikes again!

Drew99GT · Mar 31, 2009

We just had our 07 Impala in for a bunch of warranty work - radio display went dead, steering intermediate shaft replaced, the oh so infamous GM brake rotors resurfaced due to vibration, and a busted air vent control. The car has 35,000 miles and the OLM is at 50%.

The [censored] got my mom for an oil change and a transmission flush - a $160 transmission flush! The owners manual states 100,000 miles!

I'm tempted to just leave it be since they did a good job on everything else and could have haggled us.

Oh well.

daves87rs · Mar 31, 2009

The transmission fluid couldn't have looked that bad..unless it was 100 percent stop and go...even then..

Drew99GT · Mar 31, 2009

It was nice and red and smelled fine - I checked when we got the car at 20,000 miles.

Billy_D · Mar 31, 2009

If she is planning to keep the car for a long time, it is always a good idea to have fresh ATF fluid at the 30K mark. Don't sweat the $160.

Drew99GT · Mar 31, 2009

Originally Posted By: Billy007
If she is planning to keep the car for a long time, it is always a good idea to have fresh ATF fluid at the 30K mark. Don't sweat the $160.

Dexron VI is a proven fluid and is lifetime fill on some GM models.

chet2 · Mar 31, 2009

i think they are f------ for doing a trans flush on 2 year old car

Billy_D · Mar 31, 2009

Same with Mercon V, I still got it converted to a full synthetic Mercon V on one of my vehicles after few thousand miles. Ford doesn't recommend changing the ATF on F150 until you hit 150K if you don't do any towing . It won't hurt anything to get it changed early.

XS650 · Mar 31, 2009

Originally Posted By: Billy007
If she is planning to keep the car for a long time, it is always a good idea to have fresh ATF fluid at the 30K mark. Don't sweat the $160.

That's like saying don't sweat a pickpocket stealing $160. There was no reason for the flush except to flush some money into the stealership.

Billy_D · Mar 31, 2009

She agreed to have the transmission flushed, no one stole her money.

TooManyWheels · Mar 31, 2009

Being taken advantage of is being taken advantage of. The amount of deception is the same between the pick pocket and the service manager.

hal · Mar 31, 2009

i wouldn't consider an ATF flush at 30k a bad thing. that's preventative maintenance. although that price is pretty high especially if it just takes Dexron VI

Drew99GT · Mar 31, 2009

Originally Posted By: hal
i wouldn't consider an ATF flush at 30k a bad thing. that's preventative maintenance. although that price is pretty high especially if it just takes Dexron VI

They through in the $30 BG additive without mentioning it.

AzFireGuy79 · Mar 31, 2009

I would agree that a 30K flush is only going to be beneficial for this car. I dont see the DEX VI lasting 100K without some type of ultra fine filtration. I would have flushed it myself at 30K just to be on the safe side. You live and you learn.

The Critic · Mar 31, 2009

Your mom agreed to the work, so I don't see it as "robbery."

$160 is cheap for a transmission flush, especially with Dexron-VI. Does it shift any better now?

cousincletus · Mar 31, 2009

A GM master mechanic once told me that if you're going to keep the car a long time, at least do the first change @30K. You can blow off the maintenance after that if you want, but the important one if the first one. I guess there are more particles after the first 30K than any other time in the life of the transmission. Was told by a transmission mechanic a long time ago that the GM FWD automatics are the best of any manufacturer, regardless of price.

01rangerxl · Mar 31, 2009

The transmission flush might not have been a bad idea. I have a hard time trusting these 100K intervals for ATF, even the good stuff. I'll be flushing out my full synthetic transmission fluid once it has 30K on it.

Spector · Mar 31, 2009

Upselling to the uninformed is one of my biggest complaints agains stealerships and chain operations. Everyone else does it is not an excuse. Last time they tried to do this to me I wrote corporate and compalained about the service dept.

mstrjon32 · Mar 31, 2009

It could be worse. Some 9 years ago, my mom brought her 1995 Chevy Lumina to Jiffy Lube, where at ~80K miles, they convinced her to change the transmission fluid. Well, 1000 miles later, the transmission died. Most vexing, since the car had been basically flawless up until then. Looking it to it, Jiffy Lube had printed, "Drain Transmission Fluid and Refill with Mercon" on the receipt. Enough to kill the transmission? Apparently.

It got replaced with a junkyard transmission from a (I think) '96 Cutlass by a friend who was a mechanic, and of course, filled with DEXRON III. I don't think the transmission fluid was ever changed again, and when the head gasket in that car went at 216K miles it was still shifting fine.

Johnny · Mar 31, 2009

I would be more ticked about the chemical additives than the trans service.

On the post above, Mercon and Dex III are the same thing.

mpvue · Mar 31, 2009

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Your mom agreed to the work, so I don't see it as "robbery."

when I 1st got my VUE, we brought it back to the dealer for the 1st oil change. the bill was like $90 or so; they called it some chrap like 6000 mile service (you know, check fluids, inspect brakes, etc).
'agreeing' to the work is something the customer has no choice about after the fact, not all service writers (if any) outline the total cost before the fact. and they pull the same bullying techniques as the quicky places and many people cave out of fear.

Stealership strikes again!

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