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Grit_dog's avatar
Grit_dog
Navigator II
Jun 05, 2019

Dealer Service Rant

Always shyed away from dealer mechanics, actually mechanics in general. Just a good way to set ones self up for frustration and disappointment.
Well, 2 separate recent warranty issues have reinforced that attitude wholly.
Actually have a couple vehicles int he fleet with warranty currently.
Few months ago, the wifes new Charger was low on coolant. Took er in, they verified leaky radiator, new rad installed, out the next day. Great right?
Week later I pop the hood, no coolant in the reservoir tank. On inspection, bottom rad hose is 1/2 off the end of the hose (not leaking though, just cant reach it without tearing some things apart to get there) and the intake tube is connected but clamp is flopping loose.
Great. Filler up with $30/gal purple juice. Have to fill twice and it takes about 3 qts to top off. Basically, noone test drove then topped off the coolant. Had to take it back for the lower hose clamp.

Couple weeks ago, my company truck transmission starts taking a dump.
It's under warranty 1/2 ton Chevy. 3 weeks later they have a new torque converter in it, ready to go... Literally don't make it out of the parking lot and it has the same symptoms as when I brought it in. Service dork says it needs to re-learn, call me back in 1000 miles, lol. The trans is slipping out of gear when the vehicle stops then revs up and slams into gear F or R. Back in the shop....Evidently, they pushed it out of the shop and didn't even take a lap around the parking lot after the first fix, or decided maybe I wouldn't notice the truck doing it's own neutral drop 50x a day!

Wonder why they charge so much for out of warranty work....to cover all the jobs they have to do multiple times before they get er fixed!

BTW, wanted new shocks on the truck while the truck was beached there.
Parts are under $100/shock for the ones I requested, before dealer markup. Quote was $1250 total, installed!!! I just laughed and told him they couldn't make up the labor to R&R the trans on a set of shocks. Dont bother!

That is all....

30 Replies

  • Have been disappointed lately with dealer service. It seems that they find a lot of other items that need attention. Does anyone know if service writers work on commission.
  • Took my Ram in for oil change and fuel filter change a couple weeks ago.
    Ride home I keep smelling fuel.
    Get home look under the truck and there is fuel all over and oil dripping off.

    They couldn't be bothered to take the time to wipe off anything.

    20,000 miles and the underside has to be power washed to get all the dirt and grease off that they left.
  • I can relate to these problems. Anytime I take anything in to be fixed by someone else they break something else. Or they do a half assed job. It’s just not worth it to take it in anymore. Nobody can take any pride in their work.

    I had taken my truck in to get a misdiagnosed leaky rear seal fixed. My transmission never worked right for a year after that. It was like the synchros didn't work. The whole time I had been thinking of random problems it could have been, because the mechanic actually mentioned that I have very expensive transmission fluid and they were going to buy a bottle of that to top it off. And I give them my blessing. As it turns out, they charged me for the expensive transmission fluid but put something else in. Some unknown substance. Because I finally drained out that transmission after not finding any other problems, replaced with the proper synchromesh fluid, and low and behold About 300 miles later, my transmission is fixed. My fluid is a clear substance. A murky brown substance like motor oil is what came out when I drained it. They filled it with some random fluid.

    With my Dodge ram 2500, I had been taking it in to get things done in the interest of saving time. As it turns out, every single time I had to fix something they broke or didn’t correctly do. So it save me no time at all. It’s just wasted my money. And the mark up on the parts is unbelievable. 300% of retail and you know they are buying at a huge discount from retail.

    It’s the same with everything right now. The less and less people know how to fix their own things, the more these people can charge. And the less pressure there is for them to do a good job.

    I, for one am finished with all mechanics. No one is fixing my truck except me. That’s why you will have found me in the corner of an AutoZone parking lot last weekend doing my front brakes. And guess what? No squeaking, no pulling, smooth perfect braking I know I can trust.
  • colliehauler wrote:
    I'm lucky that I have a independent mechanic that I trust. Have all kinds of incompetent dealer stories through the years I could tell.


    Same here. I am very happy with my shop, they always fix the problem on the first try, they are honest, they tell me what I need to do and what I can wait on, they offer ways to minimize costs, and they are nice. Can't ask for anything more.
  • now quit picking on those guys after all last friday they were at wendy,s flippin burgers.I agree I to do most my own work. some times I think they never touch the car and say its fixed.
  • I'm lucky that I have a independent mechanic that I trust. Have all kinds of incompetent dealer stories through the years I could tell.
  • Do all my own work, from engines to transmissions to suspension and tires and wheels. I don't trust any dealer.
  • ^ Yes I typically do 95% of the work myself. To the point that we rarely have vehicles with warranty because I don't even like dealing with this stuff.
    Something like this early trans failure (if it was actually my vehicle) is one thing I'd be stuck with taking to a shop unless I just ate it and bought a replacement trans.

    But fark, its a time waster dealing with this.
    On the upside, I logged about 3000 free miles on the new 2019 loaner truck the last few weeks and they handed over the keys again yesterday.
    If only my toolbox and slip tank were in it...
  • I try to do most of the service work on our vehicles myself, but if I need to outsource and it's not under warranty...it's not going to a dealer.
  • I am in the same frustrated spot as you. Took our 5th wheel in in March to have wheel bearings done since the original owner said he has never done them. Had him go over the rest of the rig as well. Trying to save some time working and camp instead.
    He said seals look good. I went through almost a tube of sealant touching up windows and trim.
    Had him put in my Maxxair fans. Had to reseal them as they weren't even lap sealed in a lot of places.
    The bearings, well not sure what he did there. I have been having issues with the brakes so I adjusted them, A lot!. Didn't help. Pulled a hub last week and there is probably a tube of grease in the thing. The brake pads are wore down to almost nothing. Why didn't he say that?

    So I have new brake assemblies and seals showing up so I can do the job right this time.