Comments on: I Loath Car Dealership Service Departments http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service-departments/ A personal finance blog dedicated to discussing such topics as budgeting, asset allocation, 401K, IRA, cash flow, insurance, financial planning, portfolio management, and other areas in personal finance. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:32:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: TESLAASTRO http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service-departments/comment-page-1/#comment-224749 TESLAASTRO Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:49:48 +0000 http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service/#comment-224749 also, in reading some of your comments, I've come to the conclusion that with the cars you drive "into the ground" you may not pay up front, but you pay dearly sooner or later....for the past 12 years, I've leased both mine and my wife's vehicles.....sure, I don't get that "Financial planner 101" benefit of driving my car for years and years and years after its paid off ....but guess what, I've never had to 1) deal with costly repairs or mechanics as my leases are always under warranty 2)pay for anything other than regularly scheduled maintenance which is 90% oil changes at $20 a pop 3)I have the benefit of driving an up-to-date comfortable vehicle with the latest safety improvements every 3 years Folks, keep driving those old clunkers ...theres nothing worse than a car dying on the side of the road late one night in the middle of nowhere...oh yeah I can think of one...that decision you have to make whether or not to pay for the timing belt that just snapped on your clunker.... I am thrifty when it comes to certain things....I wont blow $200 a week on bars and restaurant tabs....I do however have the peace of mind of never having broken down, anxiety about what a repair may cost,or had to miss work while my clunker is being fixed.... also, in reading some of your comments, I’ve come to the conclusion that with the cars you drive “into the ground” you may not pay up front, but you pay dearly sooner or later….for the past 12 years, I’ve leased both mine and my wife’s vehicles…..sure, I don’t get that “Financial planner 101″ benefit of driving my car for years and years and years after its paid off ….but guess what, I’ve never had to 1) deal with costly repairs or mechanics as my leases are always under warranty 2)pay for anything other than regularly scheduled maintenance which is 90% oil changes at $20 a pop 3)I have the benefit of driving an up-to-date comfortable vehicle with the latest safety improvements every 3 years

Folks, keep driving those old clunkers …theres nothing worse than a car dying on the side of the road late one night in the middle of nowhere…oh yeah I can think of one…that decision you have to make whether or not to pay for the timing belt that just snapped on your clunker….

I am thrifty when it comes to certain things….I wont blow $200 a week on bars and restaurant tabs….I do however have the peace of mind of never having broken down, anxiety about what a repair may cost,or had to miss work while my clunker is being fixed….

]]> By: TESLAASTRO http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service-departments/comment-page-1/#comment-224741 TESLAASTRO Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:36:32 +0000 http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service/#comment-224741 maybe it's time to think about a new car????....you cant put a price on the peace of mind you get from having a car that's free from the possibility of breaking down on the side of the road.... maybe it’s time to think about a new car????….you cant put a price on the peace of mind you get from having a car that’s free from the possibility of breaking down on the side of the road….

]]> By: Auto Insider http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service-departments/comment-page-1/#comment-211903 Auto Insider Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:08:08 +0000 http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service/#comment-211903 When you have to enter a car dealership, whether it's to buy or lease a new car, used car, or work with their service or parts department you need to understand that you are a source of money and they want to extract as much as they can. The Auto Insider autoinsidertips.com/blog When you have to enter a car dealership, whether it’s to buy or lease a new car, used car, or work with their service or parts department you need to understand that you are a source of money and they want to extract as much as they can.

The Auto Insider
autoinsidertips.com/blog

]]> By: David G. http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service-departments/comment-page-1/#comment-210299 David G. Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:51:47 +0000 http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service/#comment-210299 Being involved in the Auto repair business for several years both as a Mechanic and Business owner I feel qualified to comment on this post. Are All Mechanics Crooks? No not all of us are, in my opinion "most" are just uneducated about what they do, they guess at problems and when wrong you still get to pay for the improper diagnosis including parts but truth is there are crooks. The key phrase to watch for in high volume service centers and dealerships is "recommended", "we Recommend", "the Manufacturer Recommends". The Key word here is "Recommend". In several service/repair lawsuits I was involved in as an expert witness the consumer would lose their case based solely on the fact that the high pressure "commission paid" service writer only "Recommended" a service or repair. So my advise is the next time you are confronted by a service writer or mechanic who explains all the problems with your car simply ask; Is this a "Needed" repair/service or a "Recommended" repair/service and wait for a reply. If it is "Recommended" listen for any strong emphasis on "Recommend". Funny thing is the more times you can get the writer to say "recommend" the more likely it is something you could do without. David G. Being involved in the Auto repair business for several years both as a Mechanic and Business owner I feel qualified to comment on this post.

Are All Mechanics Crooks? No not all of us are, in my opinion “most” are just uneducated about what they do, they guess at problems and when wrong you still get to pay for the improper diagnosis including parts but truth is there are crooks.

The key phrase to watch for in high volume service centers and dealerships is “recommended”, “we Recommend”, “the Manufacturer Recommends”. The Key word here is “Recommend”.

In several service/repair lawsuits I was involved in as an expert witness the consumer would lose their case based solely on the fact that the high pressure “commission paid” service writer only “Recommended” a service or repair.

So my advise is the next time you are confronted by a service writer or mechanic who explains all the problems with your car simply ask; Is this a “Needed” repair/service or a “Recommended” repair/service and wait for a reply. If it is “Recommended” listen for any strong emphasis on “Recommend”. Funny thing is the more times you can get the writer to say “recommend” the more likely it is something you could do without.

David G.

]]> By: DBS http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service-departments/comment-page-1/#comment-210210 DBS Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:48:06 +0000 http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service/#comment-210210 I also have a shady mechanic story to share. I went to a Firestone place, had a diagnostic test, and they found some leaks from the AC that might have caused my car to stop abruptly somewhere on the road. There were some other things that had to be fixed, and I agreed to all of those. My problem is that I don't really understand anything about cars; in addition that was my first car ever, so I guess I had to learn a lesson. The mechanic place had the problems fixed, i paid $600 for this thing and thought that everything was fixed. Needless to say, just 2 days later on my way to work my car stops working at a busy intersection, showing the SAME sympthoms that the Firestone auto mechanic told me would happen to my car if I didn't fix it with them. Towed my car back there, told them about the crappy job they have done. That was a stupid decision on my behalf though. They informed me the next day that it wasn't their fault that my car froze down on me at a busy intersection, wanted to charge me again for a diagnostic check, and had $600 worth of fixes to do. I said no, and just had my car towed to a mechanic that some friends had recommended, and who they have used for years. The mechanic fixed the car ( it realy cost about $500, but over the past 7 months, the car has been working just fine). I have recently began acquianted with a different independent mechanic, whose wife has worked with my boss before at my company. He informed me that the Firestone people, and actually all commercial auto mechanic places have just one goal: to Sell Sell Sell.. I am really not happy with Firestone, and I would never go there again. I might not know a lot about cars, so if you want to cheat me out of my hard-earned money, i am going to be out of here and you will lose me as a customer! I also have a shady mechanic story to share. I went to a Firestone place, had a diagnostic test, and they found some leaks from the AC that might have caused my car to stop abruptly somewhere on the road. There were some other things that had to be fixed, and I agreed to all of those. My problem is that I don’t really understand anything about cars; in addition that was my first car ever, so I guess I had to learn a lesson. The mechanic place had the problems fixed, i paid $600 for this thing and thought that everything was fixed. Needless to say, just 2 days later on my way to work my car stops working at a busy intersection, showing the SAME sympthoms that the Firestone auto mechanic told me would happen to my car if I didn’t fix it with them. Towed my car back there, told them about the crappy job they have done. That was a stupid decision on my behalf though. They informed me the next day that it wasn’t their fault that my car froze down on me at a busy intersection, wanted to charge me again for a diagnostic check, and had $600 worth of fixes to do. I said no, and just had my car towed to a mechanic that some friends had recommended, and who they have used for years. The mechanic fixed the car ( it realy cost about $500, but over the past 7 months, the car has been working just fine).
I have recently began acquianted with a different independent mechanic, whose wife has worked with my boss before at my company. He informed me that the Firestone people, and actually all commercial auto mechanic places have just one goal: to Sell Sell Sell..
I am really not happy with Firestone, and I would never go there again. I might not know a lot about cars, so if you want to cheat me out of my hard-earned money, i am going to be out of here and you will lose me as a customer!

]]> By: » Roundup: I Will Never Shop At Bailey Banks & Biddle on Blueprint for Financial Prosperity http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service-departments/comment-page-1/#comment-210042 » Roundup: I Will Never Shop At Bailey Banks & Biddle on Blueprint for Financial Prosperity Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:46:23 +0000 http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service/#comment-210042 [...] This week we have a duo of car trouble issues. The first is just a straight up story about dealing with car troubles and the importance of an emergency fund. The second is a recount of JLP’s experience dealing with a mechanic who tried to sell him $1,600 that really only costed around $800. [...] [...] This week we have a duo of car trouble issues. The first is just a straight up story about dealing with car troubles and the importance of an emergency fund. The second is a recount of JLP’s experience dealing with a mechanic who tried to sell him $1,600 that really only costed around $800. [...]

]]> By: JLP http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service-departments/comment-page-1/#comment-209985 JLP Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:08:52 +0000 http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service/#comment-209985 denon said: <em>"I realize everyone loves to share their stories of shady mechanics, but it is quite possible that one can know more than their customer does."</em> No doubt. I understand that mechanics know more than I do. But that doesn't mean they should use their knowledge to take advantage of their customers. denon said:

“I realize everyone loves to share their stories of shady mechanics, but it is quite possible that one can know more than their customer does.”

No doubt. I understand that mechanics know more than I do. But that doesn’t mean they should use their knowledge to take advantage of their customers.

]]> By: denon http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service-departments/comment-page-1/#comment-209676 denon Sun, 13 Jan 2008 05:54:25 +0000 http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service/#comment-209676 Ah ic. If you're talking the main engine rear seal, you may not want to just write off your mechanic as a crook. Sometimes it can leak into your transmission housing, and you might not see if for quite a while. It's probably worth getting another opinion, or taking a closer look yourself. I realize everyone loves to share their stories of shady mechanics, but it is quite possible that one can know more than their customer does. :) Ah ic. If you’re talking the main engine rear seal, you may not want to just write off your mechanic as a crook. Sometimes it can leak into your transmission housing, and you might not see if for quite a while. It’s probably worth getting another opinion, or taking a closer look yourself.

I realize everyone loves to share their stories of shady mechanics, but it is quite possible that one can know more than their customer does. :)

]]> By: JLP http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service-departments/comment-page-1/#comment-209665 JLP Sun, 13 Jan 2008 05:39:43 +0000 http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service/#comment-209665 denon, Crack in the manifold and a leak in the rear seal - two separate things. denon,

Crack in the manifold and a leak in the rear seal – two separate things.

]]> By: denon http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service-departments/comment-page-1/#comment-209659 denon Sun, 13 Jan 2008 05:32:23 +0000 http://allfinancialmatters.com/2008/01/10/i-loath-car-dealership-service/#comment-209659 I don't get it -- you're talking about an exhaust manifold leaking? Exhaust doesn't generally pool up on the garage floor as a liquid when it leaks .. I don’t get it — you’re talking about an exhaust manifold leaking? Exhaust doesn’t generally pool up on the garage floor as a liquid when it leaks ..

]]>