This is why I got rid of my Audi.

I tried a couple of different shops for brake pads. Not pulling the engine or transmission. Brake. Pads.

Both shops told me I had to bring the car to an Audi dealer because the job required special tools that were too expensive for them to justify purchasing.

quote:

Originally posted by CoolRich59:
This is why I got rid of my Audi.

My independent Mercedes shop recently told me that, excluding exotics, the two most expensive brands for maintenance cost were BMW and Audi...yup, more than Porsche...it is just something to keep in mind when you decide on which car to buy

very timely thread. have an old buick that the low beam headlight went out. was more than i wanted to mess with because the access is ridiculous. stopped by the dealer, said he had to drop the bumper- $160 . more than i felt was appropriate. went to auto supply and got the bulb for $12. took to my local inde-changed in about 15 min and I gave him $30

quote:

Originally posted by nasig:
very timely thread. have an old buick that the low beam headlight went out. was more than i wanted to mess with because the access is ridiculous. stopped by the dealer, said he had to drop the bumper- $160 . more than i felt was appropriate. went to auto supply and got the bulb for $12. took to my local inde-changed in about 15 min and I gave him $30

Umm. You're just supposed to "deal with it" and bend over I guess. How dare you deprive that noble dealer of his $160!

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmepiphany:

quote:

Originally posted by CoolRich59:
This is why I got rid of my Audi.

My independent Mercedes shop recently told me that, excluding exotics, the two most expensive brands for maintenance cost were BMW and Audi...yup, more than Porsche...it is just something to keep in mind when you decide on which car to buy

Great. My wife and I are both screwed. Luckily they are both new and under maintenance plans for a few years. Will hopefully be able to find a good independent by the time it is needed.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RobC2,

Every time I go to the local dealers I am in a bad mood. I just left so guess how I am feeling. Though smile a bit knowing when I replace it will only cost $210. They wanted $585 installed. Got to find the silver lining somewhere.
Yes, I get the argument that the dealer has X amount of overhead beyond an online supplier and their business models are different.

So how does one explain that my local Toyota dealership wants $318 for the redesigned intermediate steering shaft for the Highlander that will alleviate the ever annoying and worsening steering clunk but I can order the EXACT same part from a brick and mortar Toyota dealership half way across the country for $210???
Though brake pads were the exact same price.

When I owned MB Diesel cars, I bought filters via mail order from shops who dealt with parts from Germany/Austria that were not boxed with the MB star.

Savings were usually 40-50% when compared to the local MB dealer's parts dept.

When I switched to Audi, I found an independent shop with labor rates that were more than half that of local Audi dealer. Again, mail order German/Austria parts at a great discount.

Then I bought a 2006 Honda Accord. In 9 years of ownership, nothing broke. Usual wear items of one set of rear brake shoes, a set of tires, three batteries and the usual oil/filter change.

My 06 Mercedes had to have the balance shaft replaced. This is an engine out service. MY preferred independent mechanic quoted me ~$4500. The dealer quoted me almost 9 grand. I then asked my the dealer about the class action lawsuit regarding the bad part and the settlement agreement. Now that the repair was covered under warranty (pro-rated for mileage) The quote for the service magically dropped to about $4700, with MB picking up about %60 of that. I asked why the difference and was told that the warranty rate was different. I said sarcastically "so, you pay the mechanic less to perform warranty work".

It pissed me off that dealer played dumb regarding the class action settlement on the issue, especially since the service guy knew exactly what I was referring to when I brought it up with a copy of the settlement in hand. I would have liked to have had the independent mechanic fix it, but the out of pocket difference was just too much. Besides, it was the independent mechanic that told me about the lawsuit and settlement and that the dealer would probably be the best option.

I will say that other than feeling like they tried to screw me, it was the absolute best service experience I've had. Super friendly, very quick in and out and got to drive a much newer and nicer Mercedes for two weeks since they ran into issues and had to keep it longer than expected. They even rented me a car for a a few days since I had to take an out of state trip and their insurance wouldn't let their loaner cars go out of state.

quote:

it is their business model.

Gillette Business Model

quote:

Originally posted by RobC2:

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmepiphany:

quote:

Originally posted by CoolRich59:
This is why I got rid of my Audi.

My independent Mercedes shop recently told me that, excluding exotics, the two most expensive brands for maintenance cost were BMW and Audi...yup, more than Porsche...it is just something to keep in mind when you decide on which car to buy

Great. My wife and I are both screwed. Luckily they are both new and under maintenance plans for a few years. Will hopefully be able to find a good independent by the time it is needed.

If your anywhere near Raleigh, I highly recommend The Car Place. They are good honest people. They're not the cheapest out there, but they are much, much better than the dealer.

Every time someone asks amount they think is high ~ they are stealing from you?
Just do the job yourself or go elsewhere.
Why cry so much?

quote:

I make $40/hr.

You are paid too much ~ you must work for a stealership.

The issue overall is dealers not making nearly the profit they used to on sales so they are looking to the back end to be the new profit center. With it you have get super aggressive "service advisers" who are, in many cases, no better than car salesmen.

I took my Honda into a local dealer that was recently bought out by Berkshire Hathaway for a simple LOF. I walked out with a 2 page estimate for approx $1800 and them trying to convince me I would die a horribly painful death if I ignored the list which would have been nice if anything on the list was actually valid.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:
The issue overall is dealers not making nearly the profit they used to on sales so they are looking to the back end to be the new profit center. With it you have get super aggressive "service advisers" who are, in many cases, no better than car salesmen.

I took my Honda into a local dealer that was recently bought out by Berkshire Hathaway for a simple LOF. I walked out with a 2 page estimate for approx $1800 and them trying to convince me I would die a horribly painful death if I ignored the list which would have been nice if anything on the list was actually valid.

Nowadays service advisors are graded in many different metrics. Perform as required or get fired. My locally family owned Toyota dealership was bought by a big mega dealer and now it sucks. Adios MF!

Who takes their vehicle to the dealer for out of warranty repairs, anyway?

A local independent will always be less expensive for the same damn work.

Is this not widely known or understood?

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Who takes their vehicle to the dealer for out of warranty repairs, anyway?

A local independent will always be less expensive for the same damn work.

Is this not widely known or understood?

From as many folks that the Toyota dealership rolls through the 2 times I have been there clearly a lot.

Information that is concealed from common knowledge:

1) BMW's are expensive.


2) Dealer service is expensive.

Dirty bastards, hiding this information!

My local tire shop changed the plugs in my Corolla for 40 bucks. Too much, but convenient.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Who takes their vehicle to the dealer for out of warranty repairs, anyway?

A local independent will always be less expensive for the same damn work.

Is this not widely known or understood?

I take my vehicle to the dealer for out of warranty maintenance. The local shops here charge $90 an hour, they look in the same book and charge the same amount of hours. Two different ones have done minor damage to my vehicle while doing above said maintenance. The dealer's price is virtually the same price as the independent shops.....and guess what I don't have a scratch here or a knick there....... I used to be a mechanic at my dad's shop many many years ago, I don't want to do that type of work on my own vehicle. I also want Ford fluids and parts in my vehicle, which the dealership ONLY uses. And, if there's an issue the dealer stands behind it....not a 30 minute dissertation about the 4" scratch on the top of the fender that wasn't there before.....On some things the dealer is actually cheaper......And NO, they have never tried to get me to do any work that wasn't needed or blow smoke up my ass and my vehicle is 9 years old with 95k miles on it.

Here's a perfect example. My vehicle takes 7 quarts of oil and a filter to do an oil change. Ford charges $39.95 to change the oil, rotate the tires and check everything. It costs me $26 for the oil and filter (or more) and I have to go buy it, then take the used oil to Advanced Auto to dispose of it (2 trips). The dealer never charges me extra for the extra 2 quarts. Independent shops charge the same or more just for the oil change, then want to charge to rotate the tires......

I had a chain tire store counter "professional" tell me point blank that I should not buy anything but Michelins and the tire I inquired on was "junk", his exact words.

Yeah, my choice was "junk" because, number 1, he did not stock it and number 2, he probably was getting spiffed on Michelins, not Firestones like I asked for.

Problem with his sales tactic is that I have been in car dealership parts departments since 1970 and I think I know my way around that product a little more objective and open minded than he was.

Reminds me of a insurance claim I once made, a three month old car got sprayed with brake fluid while on a cross country trip. By the time I found out what happened and was able to wash it off, the paint was ruined.

Insurance adjuster argued with me at the claims center, telling me that I had a factory defect (?) in it as brake fluid could not harm paint. So I handed him a business card. At that point,he told me that the guy that gave me the card was a typical car dealer employee that would deny any fault and I needed to call the factory.

I smiled and told him "Maybe before you open your mouth you should read the name on the card and compare it to the name on the claim". Wow, my claim got processed real quick and quietly by him.

Not all of us in dealerships are crooks, please remember that.

quote:

Not all of us in dealerships are crooks, please remember that

This is very true also I don't consider them crooks as they have always up front with their prices. I just don't get the extreme discrepancies in prices at least that I have experienced.

Oddly enough after owning Ford, Toyota, and Audi the best service and prices were at Audi.

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
Insurance adjuster argued with me at the claims center, telling me that ... brake fluid could not harm paint.

How about this scenario?

Shovelhead: "OK, let's prove that you're right. I have a can of brake fluid here, let's just pour it on your car."

Insurance adjuster: "Uh, wait. Let's take another look at that estimate."