Time for a rant

[suzyj]

What is it with car dealership workshops?  Why must they always try it on?  Every stinking time my car goes anywhere near these people they come up with the most incredibly ridiculous garbage that needs to be done "but you understand it isn't covered by warranty".  At the 20k service they wanted to change the brakepads.  I refused to authorise it.  Sure enough, they were less than 1/3rd worn.  I went to a specialist mechanic for the 40k service, who was a nice guy, only charged me for what needed doing, and actually did what he said he did.

But today I had to take the car to the dealer for a recall.  Apparently one of the computers needs new firmware, or else it might spontaneously combust (actually the headlights could turn off by themselves, but that doesn't befit a rant).  Sure enough, the phone call at lunchtime - this time it's brake lights.  I guess they've gotta pay for their "concierge" somehow.  ffs, how can they possibly expect to be taken seriously when they have a concierge.

That's one good thing about bike mechanics - I've never, ever, had a bike mechanic try one on.  Always just helpful advice, friendly service, and no BS.  Maybe it's because biker women are more mechanically inclined than cager women.  Maybe it's because I've never owned a gixxer or harley.  Whatever it is though, I'm liking it.

[gino]

Give them heaps Suzyj Both barrels !!!!

[DUCMONROB]

concierge??

What do you expect when you own a Ferrari!

[Spider]

Don't worry Suzi, this shit will stop soon....

we have a WOMAN as PM.

Gillard: The Shit Stops Now!

 

[loony888]

Don't worry Suzi, this shit will stop soon....

we have a WOMAN as PM.

Gillard: The Shit Stops Now!




riiiight.............
we'll all be wearing little pinafores, and frilly knickers in no time!
watch this country go straight down the gurgler, the next election can't get here quick enough, if it was a year away we'd have to repay foreign debt with bake sales and fetes with bouncy castles



paul.

oh, yeah, i hate car dealerships too, don't have a toyota by any chance do you?

 

[ungeheuer]

Really?? Are car dealerships really like that?  I take the Ford... (hahahaha) to it's dealership with monotonous regularity and it never, ever costs me anything. Ever.

[spotcom]

I've had that rear brake pad trick pulled on me too.  I now go to a local mechanic (non-dealership) who does all the log book servicing on the car. He's also a keen motorcyclist & has done a few trackdays with me - so even better! 

[cokey]

If you can work on a bike you can work on a car..  google is your friend..  you can learn to take your engine apart...  these places are getting so bad, everyones forced to be their own machanic..

[goldFiSh]

I agree Suzy, find a good local mechanic and stick with them! I am very lucky to have one such person in the inner west of sydney, who is honest and reliable. So he gets my business no matter what car I have (and all my companies business too). 

[ducmeister]

If there is stuff that needs to be done at a dealer do you have the option of going to another dealer?
I know that when I had a lease car I had the opposite problem.  I struggled to get them to do anything.  The car did 60000km before they even rotated the tyres.
I now take it to a local mechanic who I have a great working relationship with. 

[CairnsDuc]

Car Dealers are the biggest Rort!

The pricing from Dealers are ridiculous, One local Dealer for a large Car brand here in Cairns only has about 5 Qualified Mechanics and the other
30 to 40 "Mechanics" are Apprentices. I understand that these guys need training, but they are stretching the truth a bit thin when
they say genuine factory trained mechanics work on your vehicle and charge you top dollar for the work.

I watched my Car (Toyota Echo) go in for it's first service, He replaced the oil but no Filter, tightened a loose belt I had mentioned, had a poke around under the car
for about 10 mins, then drove up and down the street, parked it, walked in and handed the Keys back to the service desk, did his paperwork
and went back to the workshop, all up about 20 mins. They call me over to the Desk, they run me through the bill, consumables, oil, filter (not fitted)
Tire rotation (Which he didn't do), On the Diagnostic computer (He didn't do that either) and 3 hours Labour!!!!!!!!

I asked how I can be charged for 3 hours work, when it wasn't even 9 in the morning and they didn't move the car into the bay until 8:30 (It was booked
for a 8am appointment) I pointed out all the other things on the invoice they didn't do, the Service manager got involved, he wanted to know how I knew
what was done and not done, I pointed out the fact that I was in the waiting room, and there new flash waiting room had a very large window out to the workshop.
and the mechanic that did the job, had his bay right next to the window.

He stared at me for about 5 seconds.... Gives me the keys, stamps my warranty book and tells me to have a nice day and this service is on them.
Cheeky make the beast with two backsers got caught out.

I worked in the Aftermarket Car Accessory industry for 6 years, I could go on and on for pages and pages with some of the dodgy, scary and unsafe things I have seen
Car Dealers do all for the sake of making/saving money.

[dragonworld.]

And you forgot about that handy, dandy little column that says "SUNDRY'S".!! 

Usually $20-$30 for naff all, just an extra charge for nuts, bolts, windscreen detergent and other stuff that wasnt even used!! 

I've worked in the auto/bike industry also and there is a shitload that people get cherged for on a regular basis that they havent recieved!

And some places dont even use apprentices, they use "trade assistants" who dont have any sort of training and are basically low paid labourers! 

[gino]

Got my Toyota serviced at Sydney city Toyota  Waterloo. Looked under the bonnet, like i always do, to make sure i got what i paid for and' Bingo' the old dirty oil filter [of which i paid a new one ] was still there ! Caught red handed 

[CairnsDuc]

Car Air conditioner repairer I used to work for in Townsville was a shocker, 3 to 4 times a week he would quote on a replacement
Compressor for the system (Roughly $1000 to $1500 for a new compressor)

They would pull the old one out, clean it up and pull the back off the unit, if it was just a noisy bearing that would be replaced
paint the unit silver and put it back in the car, less than $100 in labor and parts, and 9 times out of 10 it would just be a bearing
developing a rattle in the Compressor.

If it was worse, they had a massive collection of old compressors out the back in a separate shed that they would go and raid
parts out of to get the customers original compressor up and running again. same routine, paint it silver and put it back in.

I think the entire 12 months I was there, we only fitted approx 10 genuinely new compressors, and they were purchased from
whoever was the cheapest, they didn't care what brand it was, if it was a cheap Chinese copy of the original part, even better,
because that made it cheaper!

Thankfully they went out of business, but that place never ceased to amaze me just how low they would go to make a dollar or two!