Update: Automotive Dealer Service Departments

Qball

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I brought my Dad's car down from WV a month or so ago and dropped it off at a local dealer for some minor repairs to the front suspension after a minor accident he had from a medical condition.

Fortunately there were no other vehicles involved and he wasn't injured. His car ran up on a curb and damaged one front wheel and tire on the driver's side, and both rear wheels and tires.

So I go over today to pick up his car. Reviewed the paperwork and paid the deductible and the balance for a few other items that he wanted done that weren't covered by insurance.

Get home with the car after noticing that it was "walking around" on the road on the way home. I get out and immediately notice that the front and rear tire on the driver's side aren't the same brand tire he had on before.

So I walk around to the passenger side and discover that those tires are the same tires that were on the car before taking it in to the dealer.

The dealer charged the insurance company for two new Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires and installed two Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season tires.

We told the dealer that the tires on the car were just installed a few hundred miles before the accident, therefore, only replace the damaged tires.

So what do they do? They put two new, totally different All Season tires on one side of the car, and leave two high performance stickier summer tires, the Michelin tires, on the other side.

What an asinine thing to do to a very nice performance sedan. Actually, it's asinine to do it to any vehicle that operates on the roads.

I thought I'd seen it all during my three decades in the automotive industry. I guess not.:mad::mad:
 
I would be returning it for correction.Or just let the insurance co crawl up their backside for fraud.

Already called and left a voicemail to the service advisor as soon as I got it home. He never returned my call. Taking it back first thing in the morning.

It's not just fraudulent, it's very dangerous as well.
 
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Agree, let the insurance rep know what they did. If there was an availability problem with the tires they should have called first.
 
I just noticed something else while washing the car. The three new wheels they installed are polished aluminum. His original wheels were chrome.

What a joke.
 
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Agree, let the insurance rep know what they did. If there was an availability problem with the tires they should have called first.

I got on the phone with a buddy of mine who runs a tire store as soon as I discovered this and he said he could have Michelins in two to three days. It's Michelin's latest performance tire for this car.
 
I don't use dealerships for anything but recalls. Service sucks, quality of work done sucks even worse.

Toyota dealership here sold to company that also dealerships across the state, and multiple brands. First visit after the new people took over for a simple oil change on the wife's RAV4, and the jack legs didn't even bother to reset the maintenance required light on the dash.
 
Sounds like they need to cough up a fourth polished rim or find 3 chrome ones as well.Sorry for your troubles.
 
Already called and left a voicemail to the service advisor as soon as I got it home. He never returned my call. Taking it back first thing in the morning.

It's not just fraudulent, it's very dangerous as well.
I wouldn’t bother with the service guy. I’d phone and speak with the owner of the dealership. He’s the one with everything to lose if you hand the story to the local media or blow it up on Twitter.
 
Sounds like they need to cough up a fourth polished rim or find 3 chrome ones as well.Sorry for your troubles.

Just discovered his original wheels were forged polished aluminum. These new wheels may be cast. They definitely look a little different.
 
@Qball
To reinforce my advice...

My brother in law (RIP) owned the top performing Mercedes dealership in the entire country. At one time, it was the top volume car dealership in all of Southern California. Notwithstanding his success and comfortable lifestyle, if something like you described were even hinted at having happened, somebody would have been on their way to Stuttgart...in a pine box.

The owner of that dealership has absolutely nothing more valuable than his brand equity which could drop to zero with the kind of scandal you described.
 
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The owner of that dealership has absolutely nothing more valuable than his brand equity which could drop to zero with the kind of scandal you described.

Trust me, I've been down this road before with a dealership, and I got the owner involved personally and he is a very famous racing team owner.

But you are spot on. My oldest brother who is helping my Dad up in WV is contacting the insurance company first thing in the morning. I do know the insurance company hasn't paid the dealership yet. But I'll be doing my thing down here dealing with the dealership management.
 
Took mine to Statesville for an oil change. Dealership kept my son there for 3 hours after an appointment trying to get my wife on the phone. I got involved and they said we would definetely need to do 5 more things. Total you ask- just $2800.00 plus. Car was four year old Prius in perfect condition with no service lights but standard interval maintenance light.

I told them I would need to get that done a little at a time. Dealership- “oh we have some of parts off so we are discounting it while we are in here.” Me- “ Well I’m broke as hell today so we will need to plan those.” I get off the phone and call my son. “ Go out there and watch them get that car thru the garage. I have paid for the oil and cabin filter change they did without calling.” Later they called for a customer service experience survey. Me- “ Before the purchase of the dealership 6 months ago my son-law, daughter, and wife bought a car there and got service. Now the new owners will never get another dime.” Daughter bought the same manufacturer car a year later but we went to Charlotte. Nobody ever went back for service there again.

Service writers make a bunch of money getting in your worry box.
 
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I've never really used the Dealership for anything except for the last couple of years. I bought the extended warranty on my truck so I take it there for routine maintenance. I realize you don't have to do that however I like my Service Advisor. He's always been good to deal with and get things taken care of when I ask. with that being said, I haven't had any kind of significant issue that needed addressed either. Let's hope I don't have to find out how that goes.
 
Do you folks not know how to inspect a vehicle before signing and re-taking delivery?? THAT's when you discover things not done, or not done correctly, not at home in the driveway. Sounds like you're keyboard cowboys and afraid to confront someone face to face....
 
Dealerships are bad but they are worse when it is a fleet vehicle. I dropped my company truck off for an inspection. After about 6 hours of it not being done I called them up and told them I was coming to pick it up. They said they were waiting for approval to replace the tires, it passed inspection and they were well about the wear bars they were just trying to milk it for as much as they could.
 
When we were unfortunate enough to own. Hyundai Santa Fe (pre reorganization) it would spontaneously blow some sort of high pressure hose every few months. From the first visit to the dealership they tried to duck and dodge doing any of the work under warranty and when they finally gave in and did it they screwed it up in the same way the factory did the first two times.

When we took it in for a third time they refused to accept it as warranty work and threatened to sue us. We got on the phone with Hyundai and got all the way up the US service manager (iirc) who passed it up the line. Hyundai ended up reaming the dealer out for us and had us take the car to a different, competent dealership a good bit further away and sent us a gift card to cover the gas and time.

Can't remember the dealer name. They do VW and Hyundai out the same dealership, but when it came time for a new car we skipped Hyundai so as not to have to deal with them anymore.
 
I take both of our vehicles to the dealership for service but I stand where I can watch every move they make while it's in the bay. Normal service is oil and filter change, refill with the oil of MY choice and I want to see the oil that comes out and see the filter being changed. If tires are being rotated I watch that as well and I listen for the click of the torque wrench because I won't let them use the torque sticks that are known to warp rotors.

Yes, I'm a PITA but they have never refused me service and they KNOW I'm watching..... Basically I trust no one....
 
I take both of our vehicles to the dealership for service but I stand where I can watch every move they make while it's in the bay. Normal service is oil and filter change, refill with the oil of MY choice and I want to see the oil that comes out and see the filter being changed. If tires are being rotated I watch that as well and I listen for the click of the torque wrench because I won't let them use the torque sticks that are known to warp rotors.

Yes, I'm a PITA but they have never refused me service and they KNOW I'm watching..... Basically I trust no one....

Nothing about this shocks me. ;)
 
I knew I was in trouble when I took a vehicle in for warranty service several years ago. No longer do you have the working class service manager sitting out in the service bay behind that tall metal desk. Now he wears a tie or at least a company polo shirt and you're escorted to a service administrative area with cubicles that look just like the sales cubicles out front. They tried to tell me the work was out of warranty until I showed them the letter from the manufacturer and then they tried to get for over $600 worth of additional unnecessary work, as I had just had it serviced a week earlier somewhere else. I don't trust dealers at all.
 
I don't take my own vehicles in for service anywhere for anything except tire, alignment, inspection, warranty, and AC issues.

But this car belongs to my 87 year old Dad and the last time I was at his house, he didn't have an alignment rack or tire balancing equipment and I don't think his insurance would pay him to do the work if he did have that equipment.
 
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Dealerships are like doctors, dentists, LGS, lawyers and any other service provider. There are good ones and bad one and if you are lucky to get a good one, you are good to go. If you get a bad one, let everyone know while you fight them any way you can. Local and small repair shops are the same way. I've gone in for an oil change only to have and issue pop up a week or 2 later that was unrelated. I always suspect the repair shop of somehow "fixing it" to fail soon. Not usually items that will cause great danger but enough to spend $300-$400 on a "needed" item. It pays to find a good shop.

The shop I found a few years ago is not cheap but not over the top expensive either. When they inspect your car, they take pictures to email you and tell you
if it needs attention now, in a few months or 6 months or so out. They rely on you coming back for the normal "needed" work like brakes, tires, etc. If they rape you once, they lose you forever. If they treat you right, they get you for a long time. You can usually tell when you walk in. Clean, professional and a clean lot and appearance usually means pride and honesty. Ragged shop, ragged employees, dirt everywhere, stacks of used parts and empty oil cans and boxes scattered around, a lot of beaters laying around the back, etc. means unprofessional and a good chance of cheating you if the rent is due or momma wants a new purse. You do get what you pay for with many things except for dealers. They charge the most and rip you the most. Not all of them but more than should.
 
I take both of our vehicles to the dealership for service but I stand where I can watch every move they make while it's in the bay. Normal service is oil and filter change, refill with the oil of MY choice and I want to see the oil that comes out and see the filter being changed. If tires are being rotated I watch that as well and I listen for the click of the torque wrench because I won't let them use the torque sticks that are known to warp rotors.

Yes, I'm a PITA but they have never refused me service and they KNOW I'm watching..... Basically I trust no one....

Maybe I’ll learn two things today.
Can you explain how a torque stick can warp a rotor?

The rotor on most vehicles are sandwiched between the hub and wheel surface. I don’t see how that can happen... before stripping the lugnut, if at all.
 
Maybe I’ll learn two things today.
Can you explain how a torque stick can warp a rotor?

The rotor on most vehicles are sandwiched between the hub and wheel surface. I don’t see how that can happen... before stripping the lugnut, if at all.

How dare you question the all knowing!
 
Qball, out of all you fellers I have met, is the least confrontational of you. But incompetent when it comes to automobiles is not something I would ever accuse him of. If you even had a lick of knowledge of his background you wouldn't either.
 
I swear I am Not trying to poke you with a sharp stick...I swear. I just want to make sure I understand correctly. Do you really feel this way?

When it comes to automobile servicing, yes...

Maybe I’ll learn two things today.
Can you explain how a torque stick can warp a rotor?
The rotor on most vehicles are sandwiched between the hub and wheel surface. I don’t see how that can happen... before stripping the lugnut, if at all.

Torques sticks are designed to bend at a "certain" torque but when have you ever seen a mechanic stop the impact wrench when a nut comes tight. Over torquing has, and will warp a rotor. I've had it happen in the past and grew tired of paying to have rotors turned to get them back to true. A warped rotor will send a "pulsing" feeling back to the steering wheel. If you've ever felt this pulsing, you'll know what I mean.. If not, carry on...
 
Maybe I’ll learn two things today.
Can you explain how a torque stick can warp a rotor?

The rotor on most vehicles are sandwiched between the hub and wheel surface. I don’t see how that can happen... before stripping the lugnut, if at all.
Another way of saying it would be that uneven torque leads to warped rotors, and torque limiting impact wrench extensions (torque sticks) aren't accurate enough to prevent this.

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yeah, only learned one thing today.

I’m not picking up how 4 flat mating surfaces can warp by over torquing . I don’t see it scientifically or practically.
 
yeah, only learned one thing today.

I’m not picking up how 4 flat mating surfaces can warp by over torquing . I don’t see it scientifically or practically.
It's a matter of uneven torque applied. Tightening one lug nut tighter than the others places uneven stresses on the rotor, causing it to wear unevenly and warp.

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I learned of the importance of proper lug torques back in 1990 while working for Toyota. they had a "brake campaign" basically a warrantee claim/ preemptive recall" if you came in with warped rotors. just about every late 80s camry suffered this.
 
When I go to a restaurant, I stand at the door of the kitchen and stare at the staff as they prepare my meal. That way I know if they mess anything up. Ain’t been kicked out yet.


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I take my new diesel truck to the local dealership to be serviced. I don’t have a way to get rid of 16 quarts of oil and if anything happens to it, I want it on record that Ford has done all the service work. Diesels are expensive! Anyway, 2 weeks ago, I go through their “Fast Lane” service. It only took 2 hours to change the oil. During that time, I’m bombarded with, your fuel filters need changing, your cabin filters need changing, the DEF fluid needs topped off... I’d just had all of that done the last time I was in, making a $120 oil change a $350 oil change. I usually change my own cabin filter and change the fuel filters every other time. Anyway, after waiting 2 hours, I pay, get in my truck and leave. The steering wheel feels a little greasy. I get a cloth and wipe it off. I pull into the Sam’s parking lot and start to go in, shut the door and notice black oil all over my hands. I open the door and I see oil all over my black console, all over the door panel and steering wheel, all over the door and running down the inside of the drivers door. I look down and my week old 5.11 shirt has oil all over the sleeve, all over my hand, and all over the floor mat! You talk about pissed! I call the dealership and light into their ass, they want me to bring the truck back, I’m late for an appointment, have a ruined shirt, and I’m pissed off to boot! I stripped off the shirt in the parking lot, and went back anyway. I tear into their ass again, this time to the service manager. I told him that I want my vehicle serviced by Ford, I pay big prices for the vehicles I buy there, I pay premium prices for damn poor service and I could get poor service for half the price at Walmart! I told him that the service has been increasingly bad and getting worse, and I can’t understand how they got oil all over me and my truck! Apparently the guy doing the work had oil all over his shirt and slopped it all over my vehicle. I can understand it happening, I can’t understand how it gets out the door! No quality control! They offer to pay for my shirt and detail my truck and next oil change for free. I get home and start to mow the grass. I look for the new pair of Bose ear buds that I had just gotten. Can’t find them anywhere! I remember where I had them last...tearing the Ford dealer a new ass in the parking lot of Sam’s! They had come off my shirt when I’d stripped it off in the parking lot! I ordered a new shirt that night and print the receipt, the receipt for the ear buds was still in the back seat with the box and I took them both back to the dealer and demanded they be paid for. I left the dealer and drove back to Sams and low and behold, laying in the parking lot was my ear buds, ran over several times! I got a call from the service guy 2 Saturday’s ago saying that they’d cover them but have yet to see the check! Last time I’m using Clonniger! I’ll take it to Statesville! I’ll go somewhere else for vehicles as well! You would think that these dealerships would roll out the red carpet for you when you buy an $78k truck! It’s not the case anymore.
 
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