Fun at the Stealership!

February 06, 2018, 10:48 AM

Let me preface this by saying I am more amused than angry as my local Honda Dealer is under new ownership (absorbed by a large group) and the games have begun!

I took the mighty Honda in the morning for an airbag recall and was not disappointed that the dealer gave me a courtesy multi point inspection complete with "action plan" and cost estimates.

Some of the highlights include:
Power Steering rack, pump and hoses all leaking - Cost to repair all $1724.00 (I KNOW I HAVE A SMALL PS FLUID LEAK AND 2 SHOPS HAVE SAID IT IS HOSE, UNDER $400.00)

Spark Plugs - I need new plugs based on mileage and inspection. Cost $189.95 (IF THEY REALLY DID INSPECTION THEY WOULD SEE BRAND NEW NGK'S- $35.00 AND 45 MIN OF MY TIME)

Hepa Filter - $69.95 (EXCEPT IT IS 2 MOS OLD)

All in their estimate to keep my from getting killed in a fiery wreck was $4129.00. Most of it is BS and the few items I need to do to finish my 100K service (coolant and trans) I can do myself for well under $100.

I look forward to Honda's survey

February 06, 2018, 10:59 AM

PHPaul

quote:
Originally posted by Kevmo:
I look forward to Honda's survey

I bet that would make entertaining reading...

February 06, 2018, 11:04 AM

Kevmo

quote:
Originally posted by PHPaul:
quote:
Originally posted by Kevmo:
I look forward to Honda's survey

I bet that would make entertaining reading...

I get that they need to make money but what pisses me off is the blatant lies and deceit. They also said they inspected my brake pad/shoe thickness which is a neat trick when the wheels stayed on the car

February 06, 2018, 11:19 AM

BBMW

And what happened when you said "No, just perform the recall and don't do anything else"?

February 06, 2018, 11:24 AM

Kevmo

quote:
Originally posted by BBMW:
And what happened when you said "No, just perform the recall and don't do anything else"?

I was pretty much told that I would be dead within a day when my car blew up and went off the road at the same time and I should also have children, small pets and the elderly removed from my care

February 06, 2018, 11:37 AM

PASig

I love how after the sale, all their wonderful cars become total pieces of shit that need their services all the time just to keep running.

February 06, 2018, 12:12 PM

lkdr1989

Better up your life insurance, just to be on the safe side!

February 06, 2018, 01:40 PM

Skull Leader

An op-ed in your local paper might benefit others that are more naïve.

February 06, 2018, 03:10 PM

shovelhead

Typical any more. Some places pay writers strictly on commission.

On the flush services, we used to call these "wallet flushes" for a reason.

On the leaks,overkill. Why? Because of the customers that you explain that this hose needs to be replaced and maybe a couple weeks later another leak shows up. Instead of the car owner manning up and taking it back for additional work they will go into the service manager's office and throw a tantrum. Manager will give them the additional parts and labor gratis, charge the parts off as good will and backcharge the mechanic for the labor. So "shotgun repairs"are the new norm as nobody wants to eat a comeback that is truly not a comeback.

February 06, 2018, 03:14 PM

GWbiker

I took my '06 Honda Accord to the local dealer for required oil change/filter for several years.

On my last visit, I was informed that I needed rear brake pads. So I said, sure replace them but I want the old brake pads returned to me.

Car was fixed and I was given keys and invoice but no old brake pads.

Honda service manager told me he couldn't find them.

That was my last visit to a Honda car dealership. I found a good independent Honda/Toyota service center who doesn't try to rip off customers.

February 06, 2018, 03:17 PM

HRK

In defense of the dealer, you do have a leaking PS rack, so explain other than suggesting a fix using manufacturers parts and book time to fix it, other than just walking up and telling you the rack is leaking how is that a bad decision on the dealers part.

So would this be a post on, "let me tell you how dealers almost killed me when they ignored my problems", if they didn't mention the leaky PS rack, would we see a "they never inspected my rack to tell me it's leaking, what else did they miss" post?

Just saying it sounds like other than getting the air bag fixed you don't care for dealer service departments period, I get that...

As to plugs, filters pad, my guess is they are going off mileage recomendations to suggest things that would normally be done since 90+% of people (outside of SIGForum_) don't do mechanical work.

Its good business to inform customers of service items and the fact that they pointed out the leaking rack, suggested plugs and a filter all of these responsible suggestions to me would be acceptable protocol.

If you hadn't known the rack was leaking, would you appreciate it (the notice) then? I would.

BTW Recall work is big money makers for dealers, and all big dealers are running service software that looks at every ticket and helps them suggest services that might be needed, it's not Tom the mechanic doing this, it's a sophisticated service based software system designed to increase shop revenue.

Buddy is in the dealer service sofware business, you'd be amazed at the number of competitors and costs dealers put into these systems and marketing, mid five figures a month isn't unheard of.

February 06, 2018, 04:22 PM

NK402

Dealerships would be bankrupt without the cabin air filter to replace, especially with their female service customers.

February 06, 2018, 04:37 PM

We have 2 wonderful Honda dealerships (owned by the same family) in the Raleigh area. They have never suggested work that did not need to be done and are actually a bit 'slow' in replacing things like cabin filters. How do I know, well a couple years ago we had something done at the honda dealer then the tires serviced at the tire store. No surprise, tire store suggested a bunch of "necessary repairs." Up to that point, the tire store had been trustworth (but head mechanic changed). I took car back to the dealership and they patiently and professionally explained why the things suggested by the tire store were not needed (or at least not needed for a number of months).

February 06, 2018, 05:08 PM

bendable

kinda sounds like a Firestone dealer,

drive around back and see if there is a firestone sign back there

February 06, 2018, 05:22 PM

Kevmo

quote:
Originally posted by HRK:
In defense of the dealer, you do have a leaking PS rack, so explain other than suggesting a fix using manufacturers parts and book time to fix it, other than just walking up and telling you the rack is leaking how is that a bad decision on the dealers part.

So would this be a post on, "let me tell you how dealers almost killed me when they ignored my problems", if they didn't mention the leaky PS rack, would we see a "they never inspected my rack to tell me it's leaking, what else did they miss" post?

Just saying it sounds like other than getting the air bag fixed you don't care for dealer service departments period, I get that...

As to plugs, filters pad, my guess is they are going off mileage recomendations to suggest things that would normally be done since 90+% of people (outside of SIGForum_) don't do mechanical work.

Its good business to inform customers of service items and the fact that they pointed out the leaking rack, suggested plugs and a filter all of these responsible suggestions to me would be acceptable protocol.

If you hadn't known the rack was leaking, would you appreciate it (the notice) then? I would.

BTW Recall work is big money makers for dealers, and all big dealers are running service software that looks at every ticket and helps them suggest services that might be needed, it's not Tom the mechanic doing this, it's a sophisticated service based software system designed to increase shop revenue.

Buddy is in the dealer service sofware business, you'd be amazed at the number of competitors and costs dealers put into these systems and marketing, mid five figures a month isn't unheard of.

HRK, I understand where you are coming from but if you re read my post, I knew I had a leaky PS hose and have had two people look at it to confirm, the second time after detailing the engine bay so it was clear where the leak was coming from. In the dealers case they are telling me I need a rack, hoses and pump, basically a whole new steering system.

As far as the rest of it, I know some is based on mileage but there were certain things they said they "inspected", which if they did they would have seen they were new/recent.

I have no issues with a dealers service dept as long as they are honest. In this case the dealer used to be a really cool older guy and his service dept was top notch then he sold to Berkshire Hathaway after he realized his idiot son was incapable of running the place. It went from being a good neighborhood dealer to a this almost overnight.

February 06, 2018, 06:44 PM

GWbiker

quote:
Originally posted by NK402:
Dealerships would be bankrupt without the cabin air filter to replace, especially with their female service customers.

Yep. A $20 filter installed in less than 5 minutes can turn into a $75 mark up for the Honda dealer.

February 06, 2018, 07:21 PM

ridewv

Local Subaru/Nissan dealer plays the same game. Friends Nissan Murano was in for a recall and he was informed his PS fluid was low which was due to a leak in the steering rack, which they would correct for something like $2,000.

Since he had inspected all fluid levels a couple months earlier and they were all near full, and there were no drips on his garage floor he told them not to repair anything, just do the recall.

Over the next year and a half he specifically monitored the PS fluid and it never dropped.

Guess what the bullshit service dept tryin to dick him backfired on the dealership. He loved his Murano but come replacement time last year he looked at everything OTHER than another Nissan. Ended up with a Ford Edge.

February 06, 2018, 07:34 PM

Dresden

quote:
Originally posted by Kevmo:
Let me preface this by saying I am more amused than angry as my local Honda Dealer is under new ownership (absorbed by a large group) and the games have begun!

I took the mighty Honda in the morning for an airbag recall and was not disappointed that the dealer gave me a courtesy multi point inspection complete with "action plan" and cost estimates.

Some of the highlights include:
Power Steering rack, pump and hoses all leaking - Cost to repair all $1724.00 (I KNOW I HAVE A SMALL PS FLUID LEAK AND 2 SHOPS HAVE SAID IT IS HOSE, UNDER $400.00)

Spark Plugs - I need new plugs based on mileage and inspection. Cost $189.95 (IF THEY REALLY DID INSPECTION THEY WOULD SEE BRAND NEW NGK'S- $35.00 AND 45 MIN OF MY TIME)

Hepa Filter - $69.95 (EXCEPT IT IS 2 MOS OLD)

All in their estimate to keep my from getting killed in a fiery wreck was $4129.00. Most of it is BS and the few items I need to do to finish my 100K service (coolant and trans) I can do myself for well under $100.

I look forward to Honda's survey

Autonation? Wife took her CR-V in for the airbag replacement. Ok, when she got it back, she was told that it had to have new shocks and struts because it was unsafe at any speed. They knew because when they were under the car the boots were cracked. I checked the bounce, and no problem. I also got underneath it and checked the boots and didn't see any cracks. I took it in to a different dealer about two weeks later for an oil change and multi point inspection. No mention of the shocks/struts issue and nothing about the boots. I asked the service advisor if they had checked that, and he said that they had. Hey Autonation. . . Liar, liar, pants on fire!

February 07, 2018, 12:35 AM

Copefree

Did you buy the warranty for your warranty.?

February 07, 2018, 12:11 PM

JALLEN

I don’t think I have spent $4500 total, fluids, filters, tires, batteries excepted, on my Lexus LS430, and it’s a 2004!

Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.

When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown