Can Mechanics & Dealerhsips be Trusted?

JohnnyCash · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:48 am

I don't know how to do mine own repairs, don't have the tools, and don't have a place to do any work.
I absolutely hate the idea of giving my brand new Jeep to the dealer. I took it in for an oil change and they drove it across the parking lot to their other garage, shut the door, and I couldn't stand it.

What happens when they do something like change the transmission fluid? You have to give the tranny some extra time to drain out the fluid, change 2 filters, clean the old filter off the pan, put in a new one, etc, etc, etc. Fill it with the correct fluid-----no substitutes. Be very careful not to damage anything. For all I know they ran out of the correct fluid and dump in a substitute.

Do they do a quality job when they do stuff like this? Maybe my fears are unfounded, but I have almost zero confidence that will do a careful, quality, excellent job. If mechanics read this tell me I'm wrong to think this way. I know from experience they will do extra work that's not necessary if you agree to it, but that's pretty easy to avoid. I love our tire shop out here, Les Schwab. They do all the work in front of big windows where you can watch from the waiting room. That's cool.

Burchie · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:06 am

Do you remember the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"? How they trusted the guys at the parking garage.

:-)r

Burchie · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:14 am

But seriously. You really only have 2 options. Learn how to do EVERYTHING yourself, or find someone you can trust to do the work for you.

Ask around at work or school where people get their cars / jeeps worked on. Ask your tire shop to recommend a shop to you.

Neatus · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:41 am

NO!

Okay, JK,
I do as much of the work on my vehicle as I can but I do leave the tasks that I don't have the tools for or knowledge to the pros. I found a mechanic who I trust very much and have him do all that kind of work. It is a little bit of a drive for me but I feel comfortable knowing this guy isn't going to shaft me every time I bring my KJ in to him.

Ask around and see who your friends use and what their experience is with their mechanics.

About the dealer....your dealer will put in the correct fluids and will change all required filters, gaskets etc... with MOPAR parts. I would not worry to much about that but the dealer is usually a little pricey.

If money is not the issue your dealer should due a quality job on regular maintenance.

With big problems I would recommend getting a second opinion on the problem as the dealers I have been to tend to like to fix things that don’t need fixing sometimes.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:29 am

JC, ask around. Find a dealership tech that people have good things to say about. You can learn to do some things yourself, but for the most part, you will be at their mercy.

chetos · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:54 am

I think that the dealer should to right by you while your in the warranty period. Between that time, find someone you can trust. Your going to have to have something fixed (if you keep it that long). I have learned to do stuff because of this forum. My advice: 1. get a service manual 2. see what you can fix and ask questions here. 3. get the 'right' tools (does not mean expensive).

My sister bought a Kia van 2 years ago. It came with a 10/100,000 warranty. She was getting killed with $$$$$ because of maintenence costs (not covered) because it was hard to even to regular maintenence stuff. There was no way to change the spark plugs because the engine was turned 90* from what ours is unless you would have pulled the motor (This is what her husband said, I never looked).

I feel that I have a decent relationship with my 5 star dealer. They've seen me in there buying some MOPAR parts. They charged me $100.00 to change both axle fluids. I could have done that myself but the time I saved was worth it for me. Plus my garage is filled with woodworking tools that I really don't want to start buying mechanics tools (specialty-large) that will take up space (one car garage) because there are some power tools that I still want to buy.

dgeist · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 10:43 am

JohnnyCash wrote:

I don't know how to do mine own repairs, don't have the tools, and don't have a place to do any work.
I absolutely hate the idea of giving my brand new Jeep to the dealer. I took it in for an oil change and they drove it across the parking lot to their other garage, shut the door, and I couldn't stand it.

I traveled about an hour to go to the dealership that I bought my CRD becuase they had it. They very much impressed with with their knowledge and objective attitude about service/modifications, etc. I still go there for the services that I'm not comfortable doing myself and I'm confident that technically, they will do a good job. Bear in mind that three's a dodge/chysler/jeep dealer within 2 miles of my house and 3 more in the metro area that I live that I do NOT go to because I don't feel the same way about them.

With that said, I still fully expect to have to wipe off greasy handprints and doublecheck the fluids and that's a fact of any maintenance relationship. I do the same thing with my wife's "luxury" car that gets serviced at the dealer. Turns out that people, regardless of what they do, are more likely to make mistakes doing common tasks than complicated ones because it's human nature to fall into a rut and not think about details critically all the time.

Advice: ask around, talk to people, ask them uncommon question that you KNOW the answers to. If they answer correctly, then you might be able to trust them. If they admit to not knowing, then go find the answer, then you are even more likely to be able to trust them

scoobybri · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:40 am

Finding a mechanic you can trust is like finding a needle in a haystack. These guys get their profit from people who don't know better. If you don't know how your car works, they can tell you anything is wrong without you questioning them. In the past 2 years I went from simple things like oil and brake changes to doing full on engine rebuilds. Yeah, it takes time to learn and the tools will cost you money, but the independence from mechanics is worth every penny. With the exception of a auto tranny rebuild, I know that there is nothing that I cannot fix on any of my cars. And even if you would rather take to car into a mechanic, once you gain the knowledge of how your car works, they can't talk you into unnecessary repairs.

JohnnyCash · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:59 am

I do know a mechanic in the neighborhood that works out of his home. He used to work at a BMW/Mercedes dealership and said he got tired of ripping people off. The boss would always tell him to do repairs that weren't really necessary saying the people had a lot of money anyway.

He seems to be an honest guy, and he'll explain exactly what is wrong and show you what's wrong.
But he doesn't have specialized training like the techs at the dealership.
Is that a big deal?
If you had a choice between the 2 which would be better?

BVCRD · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:48 pm

JohnnyCash wrote:

I do know a mechanic in the neighborhood that works out of his home. He used to work at a BMW/Mercedes dealership and said he got tired of ripping people off. The boss would always tell him to do repairs that weren't really necessary saying the people had a lot of money anyway.

He seems to be an honest guy, and he'll explain exactly what is wrong and show you what's wrong.
But he doesn't have specialized training like the techs at the dealership.
Is that a big deal?
If you had a choice between the 2 which would be better?

A dealer for warranty work. Maybe even after warranty if they had a good tech. I know enough about auto tech so that they can't snow me. Maybe try a ASE shop for work and ask for references.

tommudd · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:48 pm

Just find a good local mechanic, if the guy down the street can do most things and you are comfortable with him go there, he will let you know if there is something that he can not do. Mine has NEVER been inside of a dealership nor will it ever be. I do all my own work and only time it went out of my hands was for an alignment. Took it to a Small local shop that I asked around about and was told they did good work and were honset, also not 75.00 or so an hour. Ask around, dealerships will always be telling you that you need more than what you really need. How do you think they got to be 5 star dealerships?!!Part of it is service but also how many parts etc. they sold!Places like where Lilredlibby work are good honest shops that help people like you that are not all that ready to dig into everything. Oh by the way I used to work in a Ford dealership until I got tired of it, I was the head mechanic there, couldnt stand what they told people :evil:

LiLredLibby · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:57 pm

Well Johnny Cash,that is a pretty good topic for disscusion,but before I start,I just want to tell Scoobybri that I AM THAT NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK.I've been an ASE Tech. for 25 years in an independent shop.We do have the large picture window in our shop because we believe that "honesty is the best policy".We are there for two reasons,(1)to service or repair your vehicle as correctly and for the least amount of cost as posible.(2)To earn a living to provide for our families.
Our belief is that if you can't preform number 1 then number 2 will never happen.On the opinion of dealerships I'm not going to bash them,as I would'nt want them bashing me.Some dealerships may have techs that don't appreciate working on warranty based wages,and therefor may not put forth as much concern for quality work.In turn they are always looking for nonwarranty repairs to improve their quota.We have a lot of good regular customers,and once in a great while we get one that just don't understand the rising cost of parts,schooling,overhead,and I could go on all night,but I won't.My best advice for you is to find a buisy independent shop,take them a dozen doughnuts once in a while,and by showing them that you want to be a good friend and customer,you will in turn get quality work at affordable prices.Did'nt mean to sound cocky or overconfident in my first sentence,but I take a lot of pride in my work and I will do it right or I WON'T do it.

Ron

P.S.....Thanks for the flowers Tommudd!

JohnnyCash · **Posted:** Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:57 am

Quote:

Some dealerships may have techs that don't appreciate working on warranty based wages,and therefor may not put forth as much concern for quality work.In turn they are always looking for nonwarranty repairs to improve their quota.

Guess what my job is? I'm the guy who decides what warranty rate is approved for dealerships. A large part of the time we will match the dealership's retail rate, so they get paid the same whether it's warranty or not. Usually those that don't get a warranty rate equal to their retail rate can only blame themselves. Almost every state has a statute that says a franchise must pay their dealers a warranty rate equal to the dealer's retail rate. All the dealer has to do is notify of us the statute and send a big stack of repair orders, and once we verify their retail rate by auditing the repair orders we'll match it according to the law.

Well anyway LilredLibby it's go to know there are still guys like you out there. My question wasn't to bash dealerships or mechanics; I was just looking for opinions and maybe some inside info on what really goes on at dealerships and garages.

LiLredLibby · **Posted:** Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:38 am

Well JC,I did'nt take it as you were bashing,so no offense taken,but others seam to think that car repair is something that you don't need training for.Depending on the quality of work,I'd say you do.When I go to Alldata for labor estimates,I see a lesser time rate for dealer warranty repairs as opposed to standard rates.This would be upsetting to have to work for less just because of job location.In my opinion,Mechanics jobs are almost as important as doctors.........the only difference being.....We can't just burry our mistakes.And you can call it "bashing"doctors if you want,but it's the cold hard truth.

Ron
P.S...Get out of that office and get your hands dirty.....you might find it enjoyable,I do. :lol:

Skipperb · **Posted:** Fri Apr 27, 2007 8:30 am

I have a question about Colision Centers, is this good or bad.

Just a warning to others .My LJ got hit on March 7 2007. It was taken straight to the Collision center at Bill Heard Chevrolet, Union City Georgia ,4310 Jonesboro Rd, Union City, GA 30291, (770) 964-1311. 50 Days It is still there and every time I go I get something else that they need to fix. 4 weeks and I had 1 call that the parts were on Order .when I went by the Man in charge said frame was bent and twisted, went back and they were painting it ,They sent it for an alignment ,axel bent,next week need to order Axel housing. A lady is in charge now as the man is no linger there.( management let him go ) Lady has done more in the last 2 weeks than they did the first month. Still its been 7 weeks and I don't have it back yet.

chetos · **Posted:** Fri Apr 27, 2007 8:49 am

Skipperb wrote:

I have a question about Colision Centers, is this good or bad.

Just a warning to others .My LJ got hit on March 7 2007. It was taken straight to the Collision center at Bill Heard Chevrolet, Union City Georgia ,4310 Jonesboro Rd, Union City, GA 30291, (770) 964-1311. 50 Days It is still there and every time I go I get something else that they need to fix. 4 weeks and I had 1 call that the parts were on Order .when I went by the Man in charge said frame was bent and twisted, went back and they were painting it ,They sent it for an alignment ,axel bent,next week need to order Axel housing. A lady is in charge now as the man is no linger there.( management let him go ) Lady has done more in the last 2 weeks than they did the first month. Still its been 7 weeks and I don't have it back yet.

Wow. You could either go there every day and camp out and be a nuisance

or you could bring them some doughnuts!

Just kidding LilRedLibby because I feel you are right about building the right relationship. That's exactly what I do by trying to bring in more business by providing the best service no matter what and when a mistake is made, we fix it. Period.

LiLredLibby · **Posted:** Fri Apr 27, 2007 12:39 pm

The first thing I would hope for is that your insurance company is providing you with a loaner vehicle.If so,then they are usually also eager for you to get it back as quick as possible.When a company like this has a large volume of insurance claims,they tend to put people on the back burner so to speak,to play catch-up.Best thing you could do is call them once or twice a week,with a friendly attitude,and tell them how much you miss your jeep.Not to defend them,but sometimes getting parts can be a real P.I.T.A. Let's just hope that when you do get it back,that it was worth the wait. :wink:

Ron

mmmmmmmmmmmmDoughnuts. :lol:

tommudd · **Posted:** Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:41 pm

I can take the hint there LiLredLibby, I will run down a dozen or so doughnuts that you like so well, do you like sprinkles, chocolate......or... :lol:

oh and on the flowers :wink:

I have a local shop up the road from me that sounds about like the place you work at. All the guys will answer any question, take time to talk to you and when they did my alignment they even called me to stop by before they took it off the rack to show me what they had done and why. Guy that owns it used to work for Champion and would test which plugs worked best in which motor,interesting guy to talk to.

Tom

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