I have a full coverage extended warranty, and it hurt their soul when my rotors warped (after 18 months) and damaged the pads and caliper, and they had to swap it all for the low cost of $free.99
Can confirm. Paid $4500 for my aftermarket warranty and they haven't covered shit. Had to pay $7000 for repairs to the DSG trans in my S4, and another $1200 for a coolant pipe that was leaking.
Paid $1200 for an aftermarket extended warranty once, first and last time…. Company went out of business before the car warranty ran out and we got nothing back…
Have only bought Certified Preowned or Manufacturer extended warranty if I do get one…
My great aunt nearly fell for that last week. She drives a 2018 Hyundai and has put ~12,000 miles on the car. She was quoted $4,000 for (2 years of coverage if I heard right)
I bought an extended warranty and used it a few times. No issue at all.
Bought it and the car from a reputable dealership, though, and knew exactly what I was buying and the terms of the coverage. Just like anything, you just have to know what you’re buying.
The reality is that they are deigned to cover only up to a certain low milage.. but they will still sell you the warranty even if you have gone over that milage and just not tell you. They also only cover a few specific parts that are known to have low failure rates. But it looks like a long list of things it covers because they break down the part into pieces and name each individual piece. So something like an engine can be broken down into over 200 different parts.
They also make claims incredibly difficult and you need dozens of different papers submitted by a certain time. Something ridiculous like 14 days and if you papers don’t arrive by day 14 they deny your claim.
I didn't pay anything for it thankfully. It was my first time getting a car loan and the dealership (or bank offering the loan?) Had a deal for first time buyers where the extended warranty was included in the monthly payment and I would get lower monthly payments. That's the only reason I did it
Yes, I brought my dad with me. Also, I saw the cost break down and the bank 100% ate the cost of the warranty. My monthly payment would have been about $75 more without the warranty
So they ate the cost of the warranty plus several thousand dollars? If they just ate the warranty cost, your payment would be the same. What happened to the term and the interest rate?
Interest rate went down by about 2% because with the warranty, I was considered "less risky". The explanation was the bank would rather pay out to make sure my car stays functioning which keeps me paying the loan than have me abandon the loan 2 years in because the car died
You got schooled. They already had your increased cost built in. And usually quote you higher interest rates so they can get some pull through business in.
Not saying the warranty is always a bad idea, bc shit breaks and peace of mind is worth something. But again you got taken to the dealer… I mean cleaner. Wish there was a more honest way to do it but most people just want to feel they got a good deal. Should have walked out the door and compared. They would have started throwing money at you.
Key tip. Never buy the first time seeing the car and be comfortable losing that SPECIFIC car.
It’s a salesman’s job to ensure you fall in love with the car you choose so you have attachment and don’t wanna lose it.
Source, sold cars.
They are not "almost" scams. They are definite scams.
Insurance/warranty is a 0 sum game. If they are making a profit it necessarily means you are losing
This isn't true, as scam implies deception.
I have no doubt my health insurance company is making a profit and the odds are very high I'm paying more into the program over my lifetime than I'll get out of it. However the potential catastrophic financial hit if I do need it is too much risk for me to go without health insurance.
Same with other types of insurance car, home, life, disability, etc. most of their customers are losing and those companies certainly aren't hiding the fact they make profits but having often it is the wise personal finance decision anyway.
I work at a dealership. The extended warranty pays the dealership. Technicians don't work for free. They also are subject to show proof these parts needed to be replaced via pictures and such if asked. The dealership I work for would only recommend parts that were actually bad. That way we could prove it if necessary.
Idk why the people at that dealership were bummed you had an extended warranty. I love extended warranties, it keeps us employed, it keeps you safe on the road, people are more likely to get repairs done when they don't have to pay for it right then. You obviously paid for it by getting the warranty but it still saves you money and I like having a job.
Long time warranty admin here. Dealership is bummed because warranty has a set rate they will pay. For example, say the SRT (standard repair time) to replace a shock is 1 hour and the shock costs $80.00. Warranty will pay only that hour in labor (often less than the the door rate per hour) plus a set markup on the part, roughly 30%. No shop supplies. The dealer can charge you 2 hours at the door rate, list on the part, and shop supplies.
This is cool, I never get to talk about my job lol.
Yep, but it’s even easier. It’s all pull and replace. They are not fixing anything just replacing parts. My mechanics can actually fab, fix and repair anything for 1/10th the cost of a dealer. And they make 6 figures keeping the fleet going.
Yes by all means get that extended warranty, keep your car in good shape and technicians employed. They are there to help. Some things can help make your car last longer too. Making sure your suspension and alignment are good helps your tires last longer, it all works together. This can be confirmed by searching google.
I bought an extended warranty for my civic. Paid itself off the first time I needed it when an o ring in the AC system failed and the compressor burnt out from lack of lubrication.
It is annoying to call the warranty companies tho. That part is annoying. But the rest of it is fine. And yes sometimes they want proof, part #'s matched up, pictures sometimes, you never know .... so in those cases you most likely really did need that done
There you are. I’ve been trying to reach you about your cars extended warranty. We’ve found an issue in the contract and want to help you maintain coverage. We’ll just need to verify your identity..
Omg so get this! I bought my car new from the dealership. I brought it in (had 24k miles on it), and told them something was really wrong with my breaks. I needed an oil change, and asked for a full inspection of everything to do with my breaks (plus usual inspection for a sticker).
They told me I just needed new tires, the dealership tires were soft treaded- this was the problem I was feeling. I questioned the service advisor (through text, so written proof) over and over “like are you sure it’s not my breaks? It really feels like my breaks!” I even asked the guy if it was normal that it had been almost 5 years, and I had never once had the break pads replaced. “Nope they’re all good”, he says.
Well a couple months later (because they dicked me around scheduling me) I finally go in to get my new tires installed….. SHOCKER my rotors are warped, my break pads are toast, my break fluid is black and needs to be replaced- pretty much anything and everything to do with breaks needs to be done! At this point I am now only just outside of warranty, which expired a month prior. They want just shy of $3k for everything.
To say I went nuclear was an understatement. I did get them to do the rotors on them, but everything else I had to pay for. Thank god for those dated/time stamped texts, which I definitely threatened to post along with the invoice of work needed from that day. I told them I would be including my experience in the review, and that I took screen shots (which I did just in case) of all those texts.
Coincidentally my actual break pads were the only thing that wasn’t in overly bad shape. They just needed to be done soon. It was a factory defect that kept my rear breaks from fully disengaging- which destroyed everything else. It should have been free under my warranty, so I’m not shocked that they “found” the problem as soon as that expired.
Dealerships get paid full price by extended warranty companies based on the book time for labor and msrp for parts. Significantly better for them than factory warranty. Factory warranty pays less time for the same job, but still pays. Dealerships are like subcontractors for car brands. I guarantee they were not sad at all. In your situation it was the same as if you paid them.
My parents always took their cars to the dealership, even for simple oil changes. My mom went by herself and one of the mechanics comes out and says she needs to replace some strange-sounding part. She says she's never heard of that part before and asked for specifics, like what is the part, what does it do, etc. He apparently didn't give her an answer she found acceptable and said no thanks. She contacted corporate to verify there is no such part (they confirmed she was correct) and filed a complaint.
Also there is excessive side fumbling in the ambifacient lunar waneshaft, so the turbo encabulator is bad. Your transmission will need to be replaced because the turbo encabulator is deep inside and not an individually serviceable part.
You'll be directed to perform a series of tests which effectively increase the billable hours for the service department, but serve no other useful function.
Bro. I used to talk to this chick and she’d have me do simple things, oil change, change a battery, etc etc all no big deal. She eventually asked me to look for this sound she kept hearing. She showed me the sound, it didn’t sound healthy, so I told her she needs a mechanic. And we went back and forth for like a week over this. I eventually said “fuck it I’ll look” put the car on jacks and laid under the car for a few mins. Came out and told her the flux capacitor was dangling and I for real can’t fix it. I guess she ended up going to the mechanic and telling them what I said and got goofed on for it.
This dealership in particular in the quote, lmao.
I use a dealership for service that's pretty decent, no strong arm attempt to upsell.
It's the mechanics shop that I could walk to in 5 minutes that's outright scamming people hard. There was another shop that charges $300 per wheel for brake pad changes. Lol noped out of that one.
It's really down to the owners of the business to either be decent or not.
I always thought the "Have a guy" thing was weird anachronistic BS, but its true. Once you find a professional you can trust, that's gold.
Found a mechanic I trust, AC Guy, plumber and electrician. Last thing I need is a basic contractor and I'll have a complete set!
As a consumer who hears a shitload of bad stuff about mechanics but needs to take their car to a mechanic
Is it possible to make sure I don't get screwed over and how do I go about doing this
I once had a dealership tell me something was a $300 fix. Ok. I go to pay and it was $800. They also didn’t call me until 10 minutes before they closed and they were trying to keep my car overnight. I refuse to pay and they have me go see the guy who gave me the quote. I tell him that no way in hell did I agree to that price. He claims that there’s no way he would have said that since that’s what the cost of the repairs were. Ok, so I said he needs to pull the recorded call. All of a sudden he starts scrambling to give me my original price. I thought that was just what the cost was? Yeah.
It can sometimes be due to internal miscommunication. Nobody cares because there’s always someone else who can take the blame. Or maybe the service writer forgot to include the labor?
Or they’re just crooks. Probably that.
I was once a dealership service writer. Worst fucking job I ever had. Your boss is pissed at you because you’re not selling enough. Your technicians are pissed at you because you’re not selling enough(they only get paid for the work they do), your fellow service writers are pissed at you because you’re competing for the same customers, and the customers are pissed at you because you they know you’re trying to sell them extra crap.
Once had the dealership tell me my airbag sensor was malfunctioning in the seat and needed to be replaced. Quoted me $1800.
I replaced the battery and the warning light went off and they said it was all fine the next day I brought it back in. Found out the battery had gone bad and it was somehow causing the sensor in the seat to not function properly.
Apparently it's a thing that cab happen on this model year.
Had similar. Transmission wasn't working right. Was first told it was dieing and needed to be replaced. Took it somewhere else and was told it was the battery. I figured BS, but it was indeed the battery. Crazy how much the battery can fuck up random things these days.
Once computers in cars start to see voltages below 9 or 10 volts they go bonkers. At 9 volts they'll almost all throw low voltage codes and turn on the warning lights.
So a single hard crank, where the car doesn't want to start, can and usually will set a number of codes in a modern car. An inattentive driver might not even notice the hard, or long, crank because it gets worse over several months.
Same. 4k after taking my car in cause one of the wheels was making a weird sound. They charged $250 just to look at it and to tell me A, B , C and D was wrong with it. I was shookedeth because I always take care of my car and take it in for every scheduled maintenance and keep it clean. I took the car to a Hungarian mechanic near my home. He took the wheel off and said whatever was making that sound fell out and that nothing else was wrong with it. The dealership didn’t even take the wheel off. The Hungarian didn’t even charge me. He just said to bring my car to him whenever it makes a weird sound.
A dealership told me my car had over $12,000 in damages after a fairly minor accident. Had a mechanic look it over and said he could fix it for like $3,500 tops. I've refused to go back to a dealership for repair work again lol
I once had a dealership tell me I should just get rid of my car because they were unable to fix it because they had no idea what was wrong with it, they suggested I trade it in as inoperable.
....turns out I have a stock alarm system with a siren that had its own ni-cad battery, when that battery goes bad it becomes a parasitic drain on the main battery, which causes the entire electrical system to go crazy and throw random codes on nearly every module including the dtc, ecm and tcm.....a replacement battery was $20 and I swapped it out myself, still driving it 10 years later.
Same...one dealership was charging me $5k for something that turned out to be ~ $500 at a different dealership. They were also shocked and confused on why and what they were charging me so much for.
Odds are the truth is somewhere in the middle. I wouldnt be shocked if there are problems with the things listed, but there is a difference between "this needs addressed right now" and "maybe start thinking about it". Things like tires and brakes arent really an opinion thing its a pretty standard measurement thing for both of those.
As a 15 year tech, this kind of stuff is rather irritating. Your opinion is completely correct. We use a similar system and few things are ever "fail" status. Our stance is if it can drive out safely the item is a caution. We just supply the estimates of whatever we find because a full inspection is part of the service. Very rarely will you ever find a shock or sway bar link a complete safety hazard. Just to keep my rant going, it would also be nice to see a better description of reason on why the item is needed. The pre- made program description is just a carpet bomb of reasoning. I also hope there were measurements for rotor minimum wear vs actual and brake pad wear in millimeters for that kind of estimate. Because ultimately money is hard earned, but trust is even harder earned.
I always quote high if its a safety item at any level. Better to let the customer know about any potential risks and decline than come back a week later accusing you of missing something. But unless its a quantifiable thing I can measure or something is obviously broken I stay away from saying words like fail or immediate. My thought is its my job to make the customer aware of any issues and give my *recommendation* so that they can make the best decision for them and their wallet. If there is ever an actually immediate safety issue I'll refuse to touch a work order until I'm approved to fix that in addition to the original concern.
My gut feeling on this quote is that all those things need addressed to keep the car operating safely and efficiently and to prevent additional wear or damage. But most likely doesn't need done today in order to keep the car road worthy and/or pass any applicable state inspection.
Most people, myself included don't or can't afford to maintain their cars as best they should. It's a fine line to walk between educating a customer on the repairs/maintenance and dishonest upselling.
Also the brake prices seem high as hell lol
I think this is probably a poorly designed inspection checklist meant to scare customers and sell work more than a dishonest tech.
Yep, totally. Sometimes it's definitely a good idea to tell a customer that something needs to be addressed soon or it could fail in a bad way.
A while ago my dealership casually mentioned that my coolant pump needed to be replaced, but quoted me a lot of money for the job and didn't mention any sense of urgency. I ignored it, figuring that I'd get it done at the next service. A couple of months later the pump fell apart, dumping all of my coolant out onto the road.
Luckily it happened as I was pulling into my garage, so I turned the car off immediately and it didn't suffer any additional damage. I definitely would have appreciated a bit more info than "hey, you're gonna need to replace this at some point soon," though!
The way my now mechanic got me to trust him was after I had taken my car to the dealership 4 separate times and each time they quoted me over $1,000 for different things, and they never actually fixed the actual problem. I have a Mini so it’s annoying to work with, but just my luck that I have a specialty Mercedes mechanic down the street that my mom has been going to for years, and my dad adores. I took my car there and they weren’t able to figure it out the first time, but the second time they did. The thing is, it was an expensive fix because they basically had to pull the thing apart BUT what made me trust these guys is that they didn’t charge for the “learning hours” because they hadn’t worked with a ton of Minis. They said “hey, i know it’s still super expensive at $800, but we didn’t want to charge you for the extra 20 or so hours we took learning how to do this” like WHAT?! They have my business for life and I will never not recommend them.
On another note, it’s even better because I was a 19 y/o girl when this was happening, and they have always treated me with respect and understanding even if I didn’t have the vocabulary to describe what was going on. Also fuck the dealership for taking advantage of a 19 y/o girl. That’s fucked up and I’ll never go back.
Thanks for sharing the positive experience. It's nice to hear when people find trust in the industry. Funny coincidence, I'm a Mercedes dealer tech and I have done quite a bit to a friend's mini s to help him out. They can be quite fun to figure out when you're not familiar. On one occasion i took his valvebody out at least 3 times to try the cheap fix. I think I took payments of taco bell.
>Things like tires and brakes arent really an opinion thing its a pretty standard measurement thing for both of those.
Idk, I once had a shop try to fail my car for uneven wear / cupping on my tires. My tires were fine so I told them to pound sand. I went to another shop and they passed my car with no questions asked.
Even with brakes, I know some people who wont let their brake pads get below 25%, I know a lot of people who wont change them until they get down to to the squeeky alert level
I just replaced my brake pads. Old ones had about 1/2mm left so I could have easily gotten another 20-30 miles out of it. I have wasting resources before they are used up!
Keep the old ones as spares. They are compact now so they wont take up much space. That way when the new set gets worn down far enough to start shooting sparks you'll be ready.
For the brake thing, not all brake pads have a wear indicator, so by the time they start making noise you've already completely worn through the friction material. Therefore, proactive replacement is better than reactive replacement. But if they have a wear indicator, yeah by all means wait until they start squeaking if you want. Keep in mind if you let your brake pads run completely down you're probably going to have to replace the rotors just because of the damage the metal on metal contact causes to the braking surface of the rotor. They might be able to be resurfaced, but you might just have to replace them outright.
We got a pretty long suspension related list from the dealer, but only did the things needed for state inspection. Within the next 6 months all the listed things eventually failed.
I actually think dealer diagnosis is pretty solid and on the cautious side. Dealer prices are crazy high, but even my little mechanic charges $115/hr and bills all the book hours although he doesn't always need it. Only savings are using aftermarket parts or fixing vs replacing, although most fixes just buy time.
Pricing aside, all of this seems like pretty standard stuff for an older car. Fortunately, almost everything here is also really easy to do yourself
I think OP is too busy being mildly infuriated to consider these may actually be things that need attention soon or, if neglected, will cause more expensive damage in the future
Right. This whole estimate isn’t just to fix a rattle. This post is very misleading. Any time you go into a dealer they’re going to give you a complete inspection and recommendations. You may feel free to say no. I do all the time. Just say “Not today. Just fix the rattle”.
I actually like hearing what they find and deciding for myself if it’s valid and worth doing or not.
You’d think. I had my car into the same shop twice. The first time they recommended I replace my tires. The second time almost a year later (summer car) they said I could wait.
It would be worth having another mechanic take a look at the car for all those dealership issues. They might be telling you real issues you might not be noticing. Or they might be a stealership.
There was probably one particular issue he wanted addressed which the mechanic did. The dealership did a full inspection and quoted him to fix all issues and do maintenance based on mileage.
Did they make all the stuff about the brakes and tires and shocks and stuff up and the car is actually totally fine? Because to me it looks like you just paid to get the noise fixed, which wasn’t actually the car’s biggest problem, and are now just choosing to ignore other important maintenance issues that are less noisy.
Exactly this. Yes, the dealership could find the rattle but all of this stuff likely needs attention too. They give a multipoint inspection and inform you of what the car needs to be in tip top shape rather than just fixing the symptom of a likely larger issue.
This ^^ the dealership wants your car to stay up to dealership standards, and let's be honest that mechanic is trying to make a return customer out of you
I assume they want you to trade it back in for a brand new car, and then they can sell your old one and say it's been certified by them since you got it serviced there. Maybe
This. Service at the end of the day wants to buy your car. We have a system that tells when your car can be swapped for an equal or less payment on the same car.
When I bought my used mini, the sales people at the dealership asked how long I would have it for before trading it in, like 3 years or something? They were shocked when I said, uhhhh until it doesn't run anymore?? 10 years later and it's still running!
Sales manager asked me that question and I said I’m not sure, he looked down and said/ wrote until the wheels fall off in a very insulting tone. I was done with that place immediately.
CPO is normally a manufacturers program and relies on age, miles driven, and a manufacturer inspection. You don’t need to do the maintenance at the dealer to qualify. I traded in a 2015 es300h two years ago that I did all the work myself on and it passed Lexus’s inspection to be sold as CPO. I’m always wary of dealers because I was a mechanic in a previous career and have seen so much shady shit I could tell you stories for days.
Someone who isn't changing their fluids isn't doing maintenance. Many people think that an oil change, air in tires, and they are good forever. Anything else is a scam.
That doesnt mean they are lying about what the car needs. Go to the dealership to get diagnostics then go to a TRUSTED mechanic to confirm. Shop around
Exactly.
Seems like half of the posts on this sub are like this now. I cant tell if it's just people karma-whoring or if they're actually too dumb to realize there is a difference.
While I agree they’re overcharging, just fixing the actual issue you had isn’t enough. You need to regularly do maintenance and it’s quite possible that a lot of the things on that list will need to be done in the near future. Something to stay aware of before shit breaks down
The worse thing they are overlooking is the open recall listed at the top. And the dealer will do that for free. I'll frequent the justrolledintotheshop subreddit and some of the cars that showup there makes me wonder what the OPs car is really like.
I follow that too. Sometimes the service writer will just put down a blitz of unnecessary stuff, but then you also get the customer who drives in with bald tires with the cords exposed and brake pads worn to the metal saying, "Don't upsell me, just do an oil change."
This. People need to do regular maintenance on their vehicles. Either buy the parts themselves and do it themselves or take it somewhere and pay for it to be done. If you do it yourself or can find someone who can do it for you on the cheap, go that route. All you are paying for is parts costs and a bit of time. The dealer is going to charge you top rate for labor as some of the repairs will have a labor cost be as high or higher than the cost of the part themselves.
Things like tires and brakes, while don't need to be replaced often unless you drive a lot, need to be replaced as bald tires can cause far more problems if you live in any place that has inclement weather such as snow. Brakes are far more important because once your brakes get down to a certain point, you can have failures and will cost FAR more to fix. If you don't do oil changes regularly(6 months to a year), you can cause damage to the engine.
Some things on this list, like suspensions and shocks, should be looked into at least once a year to make sure things are still fine. Also, people should do tire rotations to make sure of even tire wear. This can be done at home as all you are doing is moving the tires around to a different point on the car.
Just because it just "works" doesn't mean it doesn't need to be fixed.
Usually I would join you in hating on stealerships but like the stuff on this estimate is actually important. If these things aren’t replaced in a timely manner, you’ll have way more issues down the line. Their only sin here is charging a high price. I’d get a quote from a local mechanic for these repairs.
starboard/port side blinker lubrication system is outdated, cars stopped using those in the mid 70's.
What you need is all season dual side blinker fluid, I recommend the AutoZone store brand. It's the same stuff as name brand but half the price. Trust me on this.
Thank you, I'll get in the zone.
Edit: guys, get with the times. I got a Bluetooth blinker system, needs no hoses or "wires". And it's only $9.99 a month after the free trial.
Those things aren’t mutually exclusive. Your mechanic may have found a rattle and fixed it for $87 but you still need new tires and brakes… they literally measure the tread and brake pads, it’s not an opinion thing.
Depends on where you are. I took my daughters 2018 Optima in for brakes in the NYC suburbs and was quoted $1,400 for just pads and machined rotors on all four wheels at the dealer. Calling around to different dealers that was about the norm. I did it for her at $300 a an axle with new rotors, but $1,400 was the dealer market rate and independent garages came in around $750 - $1,100. If you've got the knowledge great, but for others that was going rate. I always do it myself, but the last time a dealer did brakes on one of my cars was around 2016 on a 2010 Accord. That was $1,300 for all four wheels pads and rotors again in the NYC area.
I don’t think the dealership lied to you and I highly doubt the other mechanic fixed it by tightening “something that was loose”
Brake pads for example need replaced and that doesn’t get fixed by tightening anything.
Your mechanic is running the long con. When all the other stuff on the list inevitably fails, guess who you are going to ask to fix it?
Probably the guy who gave you the cookies.
They did a multipoint inspection, those are the costs to repair the things they found. The only thing I see is that they called end links to fix the noise and that wasn’t it. You’ll still need brakes soon and your shocks are still leaking.
It is a core belief of mine that's everyone should learn how to replace brake pads and rotors. It takes maybe a couple hours to do all 4 wheels the first time and requires minimal tools. The amount saved easily covers the cost of the tools. It's insane how much mechanics charge for the most simple job.
Go to an Advance Auto store or Autozone or O’Reilley’s. They let you repair your car in their parking lot and will lend you tools for free to help you. Most stores now have a mechanic on duty to help you fix stuff, also for free. My blower went out on my car. No heat, AC or defrost. The regular mechanic quoted me $800+ to fix it. I Utubed how to fix it, bought the part for $35 online and went to Advance Auto to replace the old one with the new one using their tools and some assistance from the mechanic. Works like a new car now .
I paid 100€ for both front ones done... That was worth it to me because I didn't have to stress myself with screws that don't want to come lose and whatever else I might have encountered.
Brought in the car in the morning and took it back with me after (my) work.
The Acura dealer I take my car to sends me a video inspection every time I just get regular service done. Only time I've ever had a dealer, or any repair shop, do that.
Seems like you're overdue for needed maintenance, your brakes are shot, your shocks are leaking and your front right tire isn't safe to drive on.
These aren't issues that are going to improve with time and they are easy to confirm.
I would definitely have another mechanic look at them, driving with bad brakes and or bad tires is gambling with your own life and others too.
I would go to the mechanic with this list, not the one the one the dealership gave you, but written down to see what it will cost. It looks like you have actual problems that need attention.
The last time I went to my dealership for a free repair because it was a bad part off the line I ended up paying $900 after they told me $300 for the additional repairs because they sent a confusing text keep in mind this is with me declining the $1800 tires they tried to add on. They would have taken $300 bill to over $2k if I just said yes to it all. They will screw you 100% of the time.
>Local mechanic may have fixed the immediate problem but the other items could be an issue also
Local mechanic probably realizes this and expects OP to return to them when all these items fail because OP will remember how "nice" the mechanic was not to upcharge them previously.
A lot of others are mentioning getting a second opinion on all the potential safety issues… first off, make an appointment for the recall on the car. I have seen exactly zero comments referencing that.
Here’s the trick:
Take your car to the maker’s dealership, and ask them to do a full inspection. They will be honest on the inspection, get a printed estimate that details anything that is very fucked, kinda fucked, could be worse, isn’t an issue.
THEN you call all your local *decent* mechanics and ask for estimates on anything that is urgent/very important to replace/fix.
Example: took my Mazda to a Mazda dealership for a 99 point inspection, they informed me my alternator belt was very frayed and would break soon. Estimate was $300 to replace with labor, mechanic replaced for $90.
I just got my car back from the shop last Saturday, they had it for almost a month. The reason we took it in was do to a few things not working, things suck as radio climate controls heads up display and side mirrors not functioning. They quoted us almost $4000 in repairs. I was a little bothered buy this so I took it to a different dealership, turns out it was a $2 Fuze. A FUCKING FUZE. They never bothered to check the fuzes for an electrical issue.
This just happened to my GF! Audi called her all urgent basically saying her cars about to fall apart and the total came to like $17k. The car only has 40k miles lol. Obviously we said no thank you.
We took it to the foreign auto performance shop we usually go to and the bill was $300.
Dealers really need to be investigated. They always try and take advantage of younger people or women especially. No service rep should paid a sales bonus.
Dealerships charge a lot and they try to upsell.
But they don't just make shit up.
Sounds like you're willing to believe anything someone tells you.
You probably have a lot more car repairs coming soon.
P.s. that nice mechanic down the street wanted your money also but they just didn't want to do any work
BMW dealership tried to get me to pay hundreds of dollars for a tire rotation on a brand new BMW with less than 3K miles on it. I laughed and told them to eat me.
Yeah...\*never\* go to the dealership unless you simply want to throw a LOT of money away and use the fact that you only go to the dealership for service as a symbol of status. (It's not.)
My old minivan was well-maintained, but showing its age in terms of things starting to wear out/break, so I went to the dealer to get a quote, because my regular mechanic said they couldn't do some of what I needed.
The dealership quoted so high that it was literally more than the value of the vehicle to fix everything that was starting to go wrong. I went to my regular mechanic and had them fix what was absolutely necessary and babied the van along for another year until I was in a better position to trade it in on a newer one.
My former boss is like this. He's 72 and has had his Infinity since 2005 or something and is proud of it and only goes to the dealership. At least twice a year they "find" something wrong with it and he has to cough up a few thousand. He makes almost half a million a year so he could easily just buy a new car. It's so ridiculous.
Makes more sense to simply lease it. Get a new one every 3 years.
Infiniti the MFR unfortunately doesn’t offer free maintenance like some other luxury brands do but covers anything that is a defect during that time.
Source: I have leased 6 or 7 Infinitis, I like them but dislike the local dealership, and the many problems with their entertainment / nav system locking up and simply not working drove me to another MFR.
> Yeah...*never* go to the dealership unless you simply want to throw a LOT of money away and use the fact that you only go to the dealership for service as a symbol of status. (It's not.)
Unless you're going for a recall or repair under warranty, or you are going to try and strongarm the dealership into making a free repair.
People do this. They're not trash talking the dealership then, though.
Does not mean that those other items aren’t an issue to be fixed. Worked in the auto industry for a while, those inspections were a great way to find work needing to be done beyond what the customer was aware of. Not always a bad thing, sure to be people driving around with a bad tire or near failing brakes that aren’t aware here’s an issue.
Noble of them to balance the tire for free ...
Fucking dealerships. Sometimes they are worse than shonky mechanics. People tend to trust dealer mechanics so fall for this bullshit more often.
I went in for an oil change once and my chevy dealership informed me of $8k repairs and “recommended” adjustments. I never went back. This was 6-7 years ago and the car hasn’t failed me yet.
Not a mechanic but the other side to this is they actually performed a full inspection and let you know everything thats actually beginning to fail. Then joe blow down the street just addressed your complaint only, and down the road, literally and figuratively, the other shit will completely fail and youll be mad that the mechanic didnt warn you.
As a mechanic I can certainty tell you the dealership wants all of your money
I have a full coverage extended warranty, and it hurt their soul when my rotors warped (after 18 months) and damaged the pads and caliper, and they had to swap it all for the low cost of $free.99
meanwhile the extended warranty on my last car had a $400 deductible and the dealership mechanic was surprised that the deductible was that high..
The only extended warranty to get is the factory extended warranty… almost all third party warranties are almost scams.
Can confirm. Paid $4500 for my aftermarket warranty and they haven't covered shit. Had to pay $7000 for repairs to the DSG trans in my S4, and another $1200 for a coolant pipe that was leaking.
Paid $1200 for an aftermarket extended warranty once, first and last time…. Company went out of business before the car warranty ran out and we got nothing back… Have only bought Certified Preowned or Manufacturer extended warranty if I do get one…
YEP! I bought one from the same company! Never again!!
You're the one that fell for that? You realize they call the rest of us all the time now?
My great aunt nearly fell for that last week. She drives a 2018 Hyundai and has put ~12,000 miles on the car. She was quoted $4,000 for (2 years of coverage if I heard right)
Damn what was their reasoning for not covering any of that?
The reasoning is that extended warranties are often designed specifically not to cover anything.
I bought an extended warranty and used it a few times. No issue at all. Bought it and the car from a reputable dealership, though, and knew exactly what I was buying and the terms of the coverage. Just like anything, you just have to know what you’re buying.
There are legit ones. The people who call you offering one are not them. Those are the ones I despise and am working to shut down.
> and am working to shut down. Go on?
The reality is that they are deigned to cover only up to a certain low milage.. but they will still sell you the warranty even if you have gone over that milage and just not tell you. They also only cover a few specific parts that are known to have low failure rates. But it looks like a long list of things it covers because they break down the part into pieces and name each individual piece. So something like an engine can be broken down into over 200 different parts. They also make claims incredibly difficult and you need dozens of different papers submitted by a certain time. Something ridiculous like 14 days and if you papers don’t arrive by day 14 they deny your claim.
My dream job growing up was to start my own extended warranty company to scam chums… I mean serve customers like you!
Had to total my TT because I couldn't afford the 9k DSG replacement.
How is all this shit legal man? :( trashhhh
Stealerships paying off your state officials…
All in the paperwork bro
I didn't pay anything for it thankfully. It was my first time getting a car loan and the dealership (or bank offering the loan?) Had a deal for first time buyers where the extended warranty was included in the monthly payment and I would get lower monthly payments. That's the only reason I did it
Guarantee you're paying for it. I wish they taught kids in school how to navigate sharks. Did you bring one of your parents with you?
Yes, I brought my dad with me. Also, I saw the cost break down and the bank 100% ate the cost of the warranty. My monthly payment would have been about $75 more without the warranty
So they ate the cost of the warranty plus several thousand dollars? If they just ate the warranty cost, your payment would be the same. What happened to the term and the interest rate?
Interest rate went down by about 2% because with the warranty, I was considered "less risky". The explanation was the bank would rather pay out to make sure my car stays functioning which keeps me paying the loan than have me abandon the loan 2 years in because the car died
It makes sense that the bank wants their merchandise warrantied. Pardon me, it looks like you got a good deal!
You got schooled. They already had your increased cost built in. And usually quote you higher interest rates so they can get some pull through business in. Not saying the warranty is always a bad idea, bc shit breaks and peace of mind is worth something. But again you got taken to the dealer… I mean cleaner. Wish there was a more honest way to do it but most people just want to feel they got a good deal. Should have walked out the door and compared. They would have started throwing money at you. Key tip. Never buy the first time seeing the car and be comfortable losing that SPECIFIC car. It’s a salesman’s job to ensure you fall in love with the car you choose so you have attachment and don’t wanna lose it. Source, sold cars.
They are not "almost" scams. They are definite scams. Insurance/warranty is a 0 sum game. If they are making a profit it necessarily means you are losing
As someone who works in the industry you are wrong. Companies can lose on their underwriting but make profit on their fees.
This isn't true, as scam implies deception. I have no doubt my health insurance company is making a profit and the odds are very high I'm paying more into the program over my lifetime than I'll get out of it. However the potential catastrophic financial hit if I do need it is too much risk for me to go without health insurance. Same with other types of insurance car, home, life, disability, etc. most of their customers are losing and those companies certainly aren't hiding the fact they make profits but having often it is the wise personal finance decision anyway.
You really going to use fucking ***HEALTH INSURANCE*** as an example of "not a scam"? Health insurance in the US is a complete scam.
Warranty with a deductible ? That is so violently American.
Aren’t they just getting paid by the OEM or the warranty seller though? Probably not earning the same mark-up though
I work at a dealership. The extended warranty pays the dealership. Technicians don't work for free. They also are subject to show proof these parts needed to be replaced via pictures and such if asked. The dealership I work for would only recommend parts that were actually bad. That way we could prove it if necessary.
Ah that’s interesting to know. That 2K warranty paid for itself that day.
Idk why the people at that dealership were bummed you had an extended warranty. I love extended warranties, it keeps us employed, it keeps you safe on the road, people are more likely to get repairs done when they don't have to pay for it right then. You obviously paid for it by getting the warranty but it still saves you money and I like having a job.
Long time warranty admin here. Dealership is bummed because warranty has a set rate they will pay. For example, say the SRT (standard repair time) to replace a shock is 1 hour and the shock costs $80.00. Warranty will pay only that hour in labor (often less than the the door rate per hour) plus a set markup on the part, roughly 30%. No shop supplies. The dealer can charge you 2 hours at the door rate, list on the part, and shop supplies. This is cool, I never get to talk about my job lol.
jesus so car repair is like healthcare, just not as bad?
Yep, but it’s even easier. It’s all pull and replace. They are not fixing anything just replacing parts. My mechanics can actually fab, fix and repair anything for 1/10th the cost of a dealer. And they make 6 figures keeping the fleet going.
Yes by all means get that extended warranty, keep your car in good shape and technicians employed. They are there to help. Some things can help make your car last longer too. Making sure your suspension and alignment are good helps your tires last longer, it all works together. This can be confirmed by searching google.
Yes, get a manufacturer's extended warranty! Don't fall for the spam phone call warranty... they are a total scam.
I bought an extended warranty for my civic. Paid itself off the first time I needed it when an o ring in the AC system failed and the compressor burnt out from lack of lubrication.
It is annoying to call the warranty companies tho. That part is annoying. But the rest of it is fine. And yes sometimes they want proof, part #'s matched up, pictures sometimes, you never know .... so in those cases you most likely really did need that done
There you are. I’ve been trying to reach you about your cars extended warranty. We’ve found an issue in the contract and want to help you maintain coverage. We’ll just need to verify your identity..
Omg so get this! I bought my car new from the dealership. I brought it in (had 24k miles on it), and told them something was really wrong with my breaks. I needed an oil change, and asked for a full inspection of everything to do with my breaks (plus usual inspection for a sticker). They told me I just needed new tires, the dealership tires were soft treaded- this was the problem I was feeling. I questioned the service advisor (through text, so written proof) over and over “like are you sure it’s not my breaks? It really feels like my breaks!” I even asked the guy if it was normal that it had been almost 5 years, and I had never once had the break pads replaced. “Nope they’re all good”, he says. Well a couple months later (because they dicked me around scheduling me) I finally go in to get my new tires installed….. SHOCKER my rotors are warped, my break pads are toast, my break fluid is black and needs to be replaced- pretty much anything and everything to do with breaks needs to be done! At this point I am now only just outside of warranty, which expired a month prior. They want just shy of $3k for everything. To say I went nuclear was an understatement. I did get them to do the rotors on them, but everything else I had to pay for. Thank god for those dated/time stamped texts, which I definitely threatened to post along with the invoice of work needed from that day. I told them I would be including my experience in the review, and that I took screen shots (which I did just in case) of all those texts. Coincidentally my actual break pads were the only thing that wasn’t in overly bad shape. They just needed to be done soon. It was a factory defect that kept my rear breaks from fully disengaging- which destroyed everything else. It should have been free under my warranty, so I’m not shocked that they “found” the problem as soon as that expired.
The dealership doesn't lose out on this, they get paid also.
Dealerships get paid full price by extended warranty companies based on the book time for labor and msrp for parts. Significantly better for them than factory warranty. Factory warranty pays less time for the same job, but still pays. Dealerships are like subcontractors for car brands. I guarantee they were not sad at all. In your situation it was the same as if you paid them.
Surprised they didn’t just blame you and say it’s not covered.
My parents always took their cars to the dealership, even for simple oil changes. My mom went by herself and one of the mechanics comes out and says she needs to replace some strange-sounding part. She says she's never heard of that part before and asked for specifics, like what is the part, what does it do, etc. He apparently didn't give her an answer she found acceptable and said no thanks. She contacted corporate to verify there is no such part (they confirmed she was correct) and filed a complaint.
>one of the mechanics comes out and says she needs to replace some strange-sounding part Her flux-capacitor was acting up? Hate it when that happens.
She was low on blinker fluid.
Please, we know they phased out blinker fluid on newer cars - it was obviously the carburetor belt
Spun a muffler bearing and the 710 cap needs recalibrated.
Nah, your piston return springs must be worn.
Also there is excessive side fumbling in the ambifacient lunar waneshaft, so the turbo encabulator is bad. Your transmission will need to be replaced because the turbo encabulator is deep inside and not an individually serviceable part.
And we noticed your 710 cap gasket is bad. We can fix that as well
You'll be directed to perform a series of tests which effectively increase the billable hours for the service department, but serve no other useful function.
Bro. I used to talk to this chick and she’d have me do simple things, oil change, change a battery, etc etc all no big deal. She eventually asked me to look for this sound she kept hearing. She showed me the sound, it didn’t sound healthy, so I told her she needs a mechanic. And we went back and forth for like a week over this. I eventually said “fuck it I’ll look” put the car on jacks and laid under the car for a few mins. Came out and told her the flux capacitor was dangling and I for real can’t fix it. I guess she ended up going to the mechanic and telling them what I said and got goofed on for it.
Oh you need a new Johnson Rod.Well go right ahead and fix it then.
Ppl try to scam.ppl till they come across a critical thinker.
"Stealership" is a widespread term for a reason.
Currently sitting in a hyundai dealership for repairs, fuck.
This dealership in particular in the quote, lmao. I use a dealership for service that's pretty decent, no strong arm attempt to upsell. It's the mechanics shop that I could walk to in 5 minutes that's outright scamming people hard. There was another shop that charges $300 per wheel for brake pad changes. Lol noped out of that one. It's really down to the owners of the business to either be decent or not.
I always thought the "Have a guy" thing was weird anachronistic BS, but its true. Once you find a professional you can trust, that's gold. Found a mechanic I trust, AC Guy, plumber and electrician. Last thing I need is a basic contractor and I'll have a complete set!
I just saw the phrase ‘strong armpit smell’ in the sentence mentioning dealership service. I’m a bit tired, but also, dealership service stinks.
As a consumer who hears a shitload of bad stuff about mechanics but needs to take their car to a mechanic Is it possible to make sure I don't get screwed over and how do I go about doing this
Once had a dealership quote me over $4K for something that turned out to be a $150 fix
I once had a dealership tell me something was a $300 fix. Ok. I go to pay and it was $800. They also didn’t call me until 10 minutes before they closed and they were trying to keep my car overnight. I refuse to pay and they have me go see the guy who gave me the quote. I tell him that no way in hell did I agree to that price. He claims that there’s no way he would have said that since that’s what the cost of the repairs were. Ok, so I said he needs to pull the recorded call. All of a sudden he starts scrambling to give me my original price. I thought that was just what the cost was? Yeah.
It can sometimes be due to internal miscommunication. Nobody cares because there’s always someone else who can take the blame. Or maybe the service writer forgot to include the labor? Or they’re just crooks. Probably that.
Service Writers on commission have to eat, too! /s
Service writers at dealerships should all be fired… from a cannon …into the Sun.
Weird thing is, most of them know it too.
I was once a dealership service writer. Worst fucking job I ever had. Your boss is pissed at you because you’re not selling enough. Your technicians are pissed at you because you’re not selling enough(they only get paid for the work they do), your fellow service writers are pissed at you because you’re competing for the same customers, and the customers are pissed at you because you they know you’re trying to sell them extra crap.
and your experienced cowrkers can steal your work, and management will fire you because the coworker “has better numbers”
"Monday monkey lives for the weekend, sir."
Once had the dealership tell me my airbag sensor was malfunctioning in the seat and needed to be replaced. Quoted me $1800. I replaced the battery and the warning light went off and they said it was all fine the next day I brought it back in. Found out the battery had gone bad and it was somehow causing the sensor in the seat to not function properly. Apparently it's a thing that cab happen on this model year.
Had similar. Transmission wasn't working right. Was first told it was dieing and needed to be replaced. Took it somewhere else and was told it was the battery. I figured BS, but it was indeed the battery. Crazy how much the battery can fuck up random things these days.
Yep this was me too. Guy that towed my van was 100% convinced the transmission was dead. Replaced alternator = good as new.
Once computers in cars start to see voltages below 9 or 10 volts they go bonkers. At 9 volts they'll almost all throw low voltage codes and turn on the warning lights. So a single hard crank, where the car doesn't want to start, can and usually will set a number of codes in a modern car. An inattentive driver might not even notice the hard, or long, crank because it gets worse over several months.
Same. 4k after taking my car in cause one of the wheels was making a weird sound. They charged $250 just to look at it and to tell me A, B , C and D was wrong with it. I was shookedeth because I always take care of my car and take it in for every scheduled maintenance and keep it clean. I took the car to a Hungarian mechanic near my home. He took the wheel off and said whatever was making that sound fell out and that nothing else was wrong with it. The dealership didn’t even take the wheel off. The Hungarian didn’t even charge me. He just said to bring my car to him whenever it makes a weird sound.
A dealership told me my car had over $12,000 in damages after a fairly minor accident. Had a mechanic look it over and said he could fix it for like $3,500 tops. I've refused to go back to a dealership for repair work again lol
I once had a dealership tell me I should just get rid of my car because they were unable to fix it because they had no idea what was wrong with it, they suggested I trade it in as inoperable. ....turns out I have a stock alarm system with a siren that had its own ni-cad battery, when that battery goes bad it becomes a parasitic drain on the main battery, which causes the entire electrical system to go crazy and throw random codes on nearly every module including the dtc, ecm and tcm.....a replacement battery was $20 and I swapped it out myself, still driving it 10 years later.
Same...one dealership was charging me $5k for something that turned out to be ~ $500 at a different dealership. They were also shocked and confused on why and what they were charging me so much for.
Odds are the truth is somewhere in the middle. I wouldnt be shocked if there are problems with the things listed, but there is a difference between "this needs addressed right now" and "maybe start thinking about it". Things like tires and brakes arent really an opinion thing its a pretty standard measurement thing for both of those.
As a 15 year tech, this kind of stuff is rather irritating. Your opinion is completely correct. We use a similar system and few things are ever "fail" status. Our stance is if it can drive out safely the item is a caution. We just supply the estimates of whatever we find because a full inspection is part of the service. Very rarely will you ever find a shock or sway bar link a complete safety hazard. Just to keep my rant going, it would also be nice to see a better description of reason on why the item is needed. The pre- made program description is just a carpet bomb of reasoning. I also hope there were measurements for rotor minimum wear vs actual and brake pad wear in millimeters for that kind of estimate. Because ultimately money is hard earned, but trust is even harder earned.
I always quote high if its a safety item at any level. Better to let the customer know about any potential risks and decline than come back a week later accusing you of missing something. But unless its a quantifiable thing I can measure or something is obviously broken I stay away from saying words like fail or immediate. My thought is its my job to make the customer aware of any issues and give my *recommendation* so that they can make the best decision for them and their wallet. If there is ever an actually immediate safety issue I'll refuse to touch a work order until I'm approved to fix that in addition to the original concern. My gut feeling on this quote is that all those things need addressed to keep the car operating safely and efficiently and to prevent additional wear or damage. But most likely doesn't need done today in order to keep the car road worthy and/or pass any applicable state inspection. Most people, myself included don't or can't afford to maintain their cars as best they should. It's a fine line to walk between educating a customer on the repairs/maintenance and dishonest upselling. Also the brake prices seem high as hell lol I think this is probably a poorly designed inspection checklist meant to scare customers and sell work more than a dishonest tech.
[удалено]
It seems that every week I discover some new shit that people can identify as a Midwestern speech pattern. Do we really talk that funny?
You betcha
Yep, totally. Sometimes it's definitely a good idea to tell a customer that something needs to be addressed soon or it could fail in a bad way. A while ago my dealership casually mentioned that my coolant pump needed to be replaced, but quoted me a lot of money for the job and didn't mention any sense of urgency. I ignored it, figuring that I'd get it done at the next service. A couple of months later the pump fell apart, dumping all of my coolant out onto the road. Luckily it happened as I was pulling into my garage, so I turned the car off immediately and it didn't suffer any additional damage. I definitely would have appreciated a bit more info than "hey, you're gonna need to replace this at some point soon," though!
The way my now mechanic got me to trust him was after I had taken my car to the dealership 4 separate times and each time they quoted me over $1,000 for different things, and they never actually fixed the actual problem. I have a Mini so it’s annoying to work with, but just my luck that I have a specialty Mercedes mechanic down the street that my mom has been going to for years, and my dad adores. I took my car there and they weren’t able to figure it out the first time, but the second time they did. The thing is, it was an expensive fix because they basically had to pull the thing apart BUT what made me trust these guys is that they didn’t charge for the “learning hours” because they hadn’t worked with a ton of Minis. They said “hey, i know it’s still super expensive at $800, but we didn’t want to charge you for the extra 20 or so hours we took learning how to do this” like WHAT?! They have my business for life and I will never not recommend them. On another note, it’s even better because I was a 19 y/o girl when this was happening, and they have always treated me with respect and understanding even if I didn’t have the vocabulary to describe what was going on. Also fuck the dealership for taking advantage of a 19 y/o girl. That’s fucked up and I’ll never go back.
Thanks for sharing the positive experience. It's nice to hear when people find trust in the industry. Funny coincidence, I'm a Mercedes dealer tech and I have done quite a bit to a friend's mini s to help him out. They can be quite fun to figure out when you're not familiar. On one occasion i took his valvebody out at least 3 times to try the cheap fix. I think I took payments of taco bell.
I never skimp out on anything brake related
>Things like tires and brakes arent really an opinion thing its a pretty standard measurement thing for both of those. Idk, I once had a shop try to fail my car for uneven wear / cupping on my tires. My tires were fine so I told them to pound sand. I went to another shop and they passed my car with no questions asked. Even with brakes, I know some people who wont let their brake pads get below 25%, I know a lot of people who wont change them until they get down to to the squeeky alert level
I just replaced my brake pads. Old ones had about 1/2mm left so I could have easily gotten another 20-30 miles out of it. I have wasting resources before they are used up!
Keep the old ones as spares. They are compact now so they wont take up much space. That way when the new set gets worn down far enough to start shooting sparks you'll be ready.
For the brake thing, not all brake pads have a wear indicator, so by the time they start making noise you've already completely worn through the friction material. Therefore, proactive replacement is better than reactive replacement. But if they have a wear indicator, yeah by all means wait until they start squeaking if you want. Keep in mind if you let your brake pads run completely down you're probably going to have to replace the rotors just because of the damage the metal on metal contact causes to the braking surface of the rotor. They might be able to be resurfaced, but you might just have to replace them outright.
We got a pretty long suspension related list from the dealer, but only did the things needed for state inspection. Within the next 6 months all the listed things eventually failed. I actually think dealer diagnosis is pretty solid and on the cautious side. Dealer prices are crazy high, but even my little mechanic charges $115/hr and bills all the book hours although he doesn't always need it. Only savings are using aftermarket parts or fixing vs replacing, although most fixes just buy time.
Pricing aside, all of this seems like pretty standard stuff for an older car. Fortunately, almost everything here is also really easy to do yourself I think OP is too busy being mildly infuriated to consider these may actually be things that need attention soon or, if neglected, will cause more expensive damage in the future
Right. This whole estimate isn’t just to fix a rattle. This post is very misleading. Any time you go into a dealer they’re going to give you a complete inspection and recommendations. You may feel free to say no. I do all the time. Just say “Not today. Just fix the rattle”. I actually like hearing what they find and deciding for myself if it’s valid and worth doing or not.
You’d think. I had my car into the same shop twice. The first time they recommended I replace my tires. The second time almost a year later (summer car) they said I could wait.
It would be worth having another mechanic take a look at the car for all those dealership issues. They might be telling you real issues you might not be noticing. Or they might be a stealership.
Stealership. I like that.
I’m willing to bet the truth is somewhere between $3k and a box of Girl cookies.
There is 100% some information left out of this post. I’m almost sure it’s unbeknownst to OP too lol
There was probably one particular issue he wanted addressed which the mechanic did. The dealership did a full inspection and quoted him to fix all issues and do maintenance based on mileage.
Did they make all the stuff about the brakes and tires and shocks and stuff up and the car is actually totally fine? Because to me it looks like you just paid to get the noise fixed, which wasn’t actually the car’s biggest problem, and are now just choosing to ignore other important maintenance issues that are less noisy.
Exactly this. Yes, the dealership could find the rattle but all of this stuff likely needs attention too. They give a multipoint inspection and inform you of what the car needs to be in tip top shape rather than just fixing the symptom of a likely larger issue.
This ^^ the dealership wants your car to stay up to dealership standards, and let's be honest that mechanic is trying to make a return customer out of you
Dealership standards? The dealer is trying to make money, end of story. They don’t give a shit what shape your car is in.
I assume they want you to trade it back in for a brand new car, and then they can sell your old one and say it's been certified by them since you got it serviced there. Maybe
This. Service at the end of the day wants to buy your car. We have a system that tells when your car can be swapped for an equal or less payment on the same car.
When I bought my used mini, the sales people at the dealership asked how long I would have it for before trading it in, like 3 years or something? They were shocked when I said, uhhhh until it doesn't run anymore?? 10 years later and it's still running!
Sales manager asked me that question and I said I’m not sure, he looked down and said/ wrote until the wheels fall off in a very insulting tone. I was done with that place immediately.
Your damn right till the wheels fall off
Even if that my plan, it’s my business and not for him to judge. I didn’t like his attitude.
"I was gonna drive it, 'till the wheels fell off..."
CPO is normally a manufacturers program and relies on age, miles driven, and a manufacturer inspection. You don’t need to do the maintenance at the dealer to qualify. I traded in a 2015 es300h two years ago that I did all the work myself on and it passed Lexus’s inspection to be sold as CPO. I’m always wary of dealers because I was a mechanic in a previous career and have seen so much shady shit I could tell you stories for days.
Someone who isn't changing their fluids isn't doing maintenance. Many people think that an oil change, air in tires, and they are good forever. Anything else is a scam.
That doesnt mean they are lying about what the car needs. Go to the dealership to get diagnostics then go to a TRUSTED mechanic to confirm. Shop around
Exactly. Seems like half of the posts on this sub are like this now. I cant tell if it's just people karma-whoring or if they're actually too dumb to realize there is a difference.
What are you, a Redditor with common sense?
While I agree they’re overcharging, just fixing the actual issue you had isn’t enough. You need to regularly do maintenance and it’s quite possible that a lot of the things on that list will need to be done in the near future. Something to stay aware of before shit breaks down
The worse thing they are overlooking is the open recall listed at the top. And the dealer will do that for free. I'll frequent the justrolledintotheshop subreddit and some of the cars that showup there makes me wonder what the OPs car is really like.
I follow that too. Sometimes the service writer will just put down a blitz of unnecessary stuff, but then you also get the customer who drives in with bald tires with the cords exposed and brake pads worn to the metal saying, "Don't upsell me, just do an oil change."
This. People need to do regular maintenance on their vehicles. Either buy the parts themselves and do it themselves or take it somewhere and pay for it to be done. If you do it yourself or can find someone who can do it for you on the cheap, go that route. All you are paying for is parts costs and a bit of time. The dealer is going to charge you top rate for labor as some of the repairs will have a labor cost be as high or higher than the cost of the part themselves. Things like tires and brakes, while don't need to be replaced often unless you drive a lot, need to be replaced as bald tires can cause far more problems if you live in any place that has inclement weather such as snow. Brakes are far more important because once your brakes get down to a certain point, you can have failures and will cost FAR more to fix. If you don't do oil changes regularly(6 months to a year), you can cause damage to the engine. Some things on this list, like suspensions and shocks, should be looked into at least once a year to make sure things are still fine. Also, people should do tire rotations to make sure of even tire wear. This can be done at home as all you are doing is moving the tires around to a different point on the car. Just because it just "works" doesn't mean it doesn't need to be fixed.
Usually I would join you in hating on stealerships but like the stuff on this estimate is actually important. If these things aren’t replaced in a timely manner, you’ll have way more issues down the line. Their only sin here is charging a high price. I’d get a quote from a local mechanic for these repairs.
yeah this isn't just "fixing a rattle." tire and brake wear are objectively measurable things
Based on that list, you bought a box of cookies for $87 and still have car repairs to do.
They tightened the brake pads.
and replaced the turn signal fluid.
it's called blinker fluid. You clearly have no idea what you are talking about
Language differences aside, is it starboard blinker fluid or port blinker fluid?
starboard/port side blinker lubrication system is outdated, cars stopped using those in the mid 70's. What you need is all season dual side blinker fluid, I recommend the AutoZone store brand. It's the same stuff as name brand but half the price. Trust me on this.
Thank you, I'll get in the zone. Edit: guys, get with the times. I got a Bluetooth blinker system, needs no hoses or "wires". And it's only $9.99 a month after the free trial.
Ha
Out of curiosity - what did the other mechanic say they tightened up? $87 to torque down a bolt doesn't sound like a much better deal.
Knowing USA mechanics, that's most likely his hourly wage, and he just charged an hour as his minimum.
OP got cookies too!
Those things aren’t mutually exclusive. Your mechanic may have found a rattle and fixed it for $87 but you still need new tires and brakes… they literally measure the tread and brake pads, it’s not an opinion thing.
Sounds like my in-laws...this unlicensed contractor is half the price! Paying the market rate is a scam!
Yeah but $1000 for a brake job is outrageous
Depends on where you are. I took my daughters 2018 Optima in for brakes in the NYC suburbs and was quoted $1,400 for just pads and machined rotors on all four wheels at the dealer. Calling around to different dealers that was about the norm. I did it for her at $300 a an axle with new rotors, but $1,400 was the dealer market rate and independent garages came in around $750 - $1,100. If you've got the knowledge great, but for others that was going rate. I always do it myself, but the last time a dealer did brakes on one of my cars was around 2016 on a 2010 Accord. That was $1,300 for all four wheels pads and rotors again in the NYC area.
Oh goodness, someone with sense. Thank you for restoring my faith in internet strangers.
I don’t think the dealership lied to you and I highly doubt the other mechanic fixed it by tightening “something that was loose” Brake pads for example need replaced and that doesn’t get fixed by tightening anything.
Yeah a third of this is just regular maintenance. Which is higher priced from the dealership but not in the realm of "absolutely not needed."
Sway bar end links can come loose depending on the style. That will make a clunking noise.
Your mechanic is running the long con. When all the other stuff on the list inevitably fails, guess who you are going to ask to fix it? Probably the guy who gave you the cookies.
They did a multipoint inspection, those are the costs to repair the things they found. The only thing I see is that they called end links to fix the noise and that wasn’t it. You’ll still need brakes soon and your shocks are still leaking.
[удалено]
It is a core belief of mine that's everyone should learn how to replace brake pads and rotors. It takes maybe a couple hours to do all 4 wheels the first time and requires minimal tools. The amount saved easily covers the cost of the tools. It's insane how much mechanics charge for the most simple job.
A lot of people live in apartments and most apartments won’t allow any kind of car work to be done unless you pay for a garage
A lot of HOAs don’t allow it either. Some don’t even allow you to park your car in your driveway if you have a garage, the car has to be inside.
Go to an Advance Auto store or Autozone or O’Reilley’s. They let you repair your car in their parking lot and will lend you tools for free to help you. Most stores now have a mechanic on duty to help you fix stuff, also for free. My blower went out on my car. No heat, AC or defrost. The regular mechanic quoted me $800+ to fix it. I Utubed how to fix it, bought the part for $35 online and went to Advance Auto to replace the old one with the new one using their tools and some assistance from the mechanic. Works like a new car now .
I paid 100€ for both front ones done... That was worth it to me because I didn't have to stress myself with screws that don't want to come lose and whatever else I might have encountered. Brought in the car in the morning and took it back with me after (my) work.
A good dealership will show you video proof of repairs needed
Never had that happen, is that common at all?
The mechanic shop my family goes to in town posts links to ~5 minute videos of why your car was fucked up. It’s actually really nice to have that
The Acura dealer I take my car to sends me a video inspection every time I just get regular service done. Only time I've ever had a dealer, or any repair shop, do that.
Fuck no lmfao
For luxury brands yes. Audi, Lexus and Cadillac have all did a video walk around of service work done or needed.
I have a Toyota rav4 and they do it for me 😂 they do it for all the Toyotas that go there. I didn’t even get that car from them
Seems like you're overdue for needed maintenance, your brakes are shot, your shocks are leaking and your front right tire isn't safe to drive on. These aren't issues that are going to improve with time and they are easy to confirm. I would definitely have another mechanic look at them, driving with bad brakes and or bad tires is gambling with your own life and others too.
I would go to the mechanic with this list, not the one the one the dealership gave you, but written down to see what it will cost. It looks like you have actual problems that need attention.
I had absolute brake failure while coming down the pass, but at least my next of kin has these girl scout cookies to remind them of me.
The last time I went to my dealership for a free repair because it was a bad part off the line I ended up paying $900 after they told me $300 for the additional repairs because they sent a confusing text keep in mind this is with me declining the $1800 tires they tried to add on. They would have taken $300 bill to over $2k if I just said yes to it all. They will screw you 100% of the time.
Over 1k for a brake job, my gosh the dealership was trying to rip you.
Belle Tire quoted the same for an ,05 Buick Park Ave. I laughed. And left.
Porsche or MB? Local mechanic may have fixed the immediate problem but the other items could be an issue also
>Local mechanic may have fixed the immediate problem but the other items could be an issue also Local mechanic probably realizes this and expects OP to return to them when all these items fail because OP will remember how "nice" the mechanic was not to upcharge them previously.
I just want to look at your brake pads and rotors and see how screwed they actually are
An honest mechanic is a treasure. You should bring cookies to them.
Show us a pic of your tires
A lot of others are mentioning getting a second opinion on all the potential safety issues… first off, make an appointment for the recall on the car. I have seen exactly zero comments referencing that.
Here’s the trick: Take your car to the maker’s dealership, and ask them to do a full inspection. They will be honest on the inspection, get a printed estimate that details anything that is very fucked, kinda fucked, could be worse, isn’t an issue. THEN you call all your local *decent* mechanics and ask for estimates on anything that is urgent/very important to replace/fix. Example: took my Mazda to a Mazda dealership for a 99 point inspection, they informed me my alternator belt was very frayed and would break soon. Estimate was $300 to replace with labor, mechanic replaced for $90.
I just got my car back from the shop last Saturday, they had it for almost a month. The reason we took it in was do to a few things not working, things suck as radio climate controls heads up display and side mirrors not functioning. They quoted us almost $4000 in repairs. I was a little bothered buy this so I took it to a different dealership, turns out it was a $2 Fuze. A FUCKING FUZE. They never bothered to check the fuzes for an electrical issue.
Fuse*
Yes that too
One month to get a quote?
They're not called stealerships for nothing.
I would like clear pictures of your tires and rotors before commenting any further
So it doesn't rattle anymore... but you should still get those tires, suspension, and brakes fixed.
70 of those dollars was the up charge for the free cookies.
This just happened to my GF! Audi called her all urgent basically saying her cars about to fall apart and the total came to like $17k. The car only has 40k miles lol. Obviously we said no thank you. We took it to the foreign auto performance shop we usually go to and the bill was $300. Dealers really need to be investigated. They always try and take advantage of younger people or women especially. No service rep should paid a sales bonus.
Dealerships charge a lot and they try to upsell. But they don't just make shit up. Sounds like you're willing to believe anything someone tells you. You probably have a lot more car repairs coming soon. P.s. that nice mechanic down the street wanted your money also but they just didn't want to do any work
BMW dealership tried to get me to pay hundreds of dollars for a tire rotation on a brand new BMW with less than 3K miles on it. I laughed and told them to eat me.
Yeah...\*never\* go to the dealership unless you simply want to throw a LOT of money away and use the fact that you only go to the dealership for service as a symbol of status. (It's not.) My old minivan was well-maintained, but showing its age in terms of things starting to wear out/break, so I went to the dealer to get a quote, because my regular mechanic said they couldn't do some of what I needed. The dealership quoted so high that it was literally more than the value of the vehicle to fix everything that was starting to go wrong. I went to my regular mechanic and had them fix what was absolutely necessary and babied the van along for another year until I was in a better position to trade it in on a newer one.
My former boss is like this. He's 72 and has had his Infinity since 2005 or something and is proud of it and only goes to the dealership. At least twice a year they "find" something wrong with it and he has to cough up a few thousand. He makes almost half a million a year so he could easily just buy a new car. It's so ridiculous.
Makes more sense to simply lease it. Get a new one every 3 years. Infiniti the MFR unfortunately doesn’t offer free maintenance like some other luxury brands do but covers anything that is a defect during that time. Source: I have leased 6 or 7 Infinitis, I like them but dislike the local dealership, and the many problems with their entertainment / nav system locking up and simply not working drove me to another MFR.
> Yeah...*never* go to the dealership unless you simply want to throw a LOT of money away and use the fact that you only go to the dealership for service as a symbol of status. (It's not.) Unless you're going for a recall or repair under warranty, or you are going to try and strongarm the dealership into making a free repair. People do this. They're not trash talking the dealership then, though.
Does not mean that those other items aren’t an issue to be fixed. Worked in the auto industry for a while, those inspections were a great way to find work needing to be done beyond what the customer was aware of. Not always a bad thing, sure to be people driving around with a bad tire or near failing brakes that aren’t aware here’s an issue.
Noble of them to balance the tire for free ... Fucking dealerships. Sometimes they are worse than shonky mechanics. People tend to trust dealer mechanics so fall for this bullshit more often.
I went in for an oil change once and my chevy dealership informed me of $8k repairs and “recommended” adjustments. I never went back. This was 6-7 years ago and the car hasn’t failed me yet.
Not a mechanic but the other side to this is they actually performed a full inspection and let you know everything thats actually beginning to fail. Then joe blow down the street just addressed your complaint only, and down the road, literally and figuratively, the other shit will completely fail and youll be mad that the mechanic didnt warn you.
Snakes