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The next time someone comes in here and asks a question that's clearly
and plainly answered in the owner's manual, I'm going to laugh my ass off knowing they're getting the royal treatment when they take the car in for service: - - - Dear Tom and Ray: I have a mechanicsı ethics question for you. I drive a 2009 Nissan Rogue. I love this car. I was getting ready for a road trip, and I realized that there were three minor recalls on the car and that it was time for the 30,000-mile service. So I take the car to the dealership, the guy tells me the service package they offer and then charges me $500. I tell my wife, who gets upset that I need $500 worth of service on a relatively new car. I call the guy back, and he tells me that this is the ³premium² service package, and that they already started so I canıt change it. I ask him why he only offered me the premium service package, and he says that I didnıt ask for any other service packages. Did my dealershipıs mechanic take me for a ride, or does he not need to tell me the options? I now know that I can download all my suggested maintenance requirements, broken down by mileage, from the Nissan website, and I plan to do this from now on. I guess I feel this is partially my fault for not being an informed consumer, but I also think the mechanic should have explained the ³premium² service to me in more detail. What do you think? Dave Tom: I think youıre exactly right, Dave. Your mechanic was not entirely honest with you and you should have been a more informed consumer. Ray: Your wife also is right. A car with 30,000 miles on it should need almost nothing certainly not $500 worth of regular maintenance. Tom: A lot of dealerships make a lot of money by adding extra services to the scheduled maintenance routines. You have the right to decline these extra flushes, inspections and fuzzy-dice rotations. But in order to do that, you need to know what is required. Ray: That information is available not only online, but also in the back of your ownerıs manual (thatıs the rectangular thing wrapped in cellophane in the bottom of your glove box, Dave). Tom: You also have the right to take your car to someplace other than the dealer for its scheduled maintenance, even if itıs still under warranty. Simply present any mechanic you like with the list of required maintenance from the back of your ownerıs manual and ask for an estimate. You can compare that price with what your dealer is charging for the same services and decide from there. Ray: We also recommend that customers ask whoever does the service to stamp or sign the spot in the back of the manual that indicates that the scheduled maintenance has been performed. Youıll probably never need proof, but if you do have an engine warranty claim someday, itıs good to have that. Tom: And as far as your dealershipıs mechanic is concerned, he was sleazy on two counts. First, he absolutely should have explained to you that there are several levels of service. Once he does that, he can take his best shot at persuading you to opt for the more expensive one. But the choice should be yours. The fact that he didnıt do that lands him squarely on our fecal roster. Ray: And second, when you called him and asked him to stop the work, he should have said, ³Iıll have them switch you to the basic service, and even if theyıve already done some of the work, weıll only charge you the lower price.² That could have earned your loyalty as a customer for years. But instead, he was more interested in taking in a few extra bucks. Tom: But you also bear some responsibility, in this case, for being an uninformed consumer, Dave. Now you know better. So next time, youıll not only go somewhere else for your service, but youıll bring with you your Nissan-approved list. And maybe a couple of large friends with baseball bats. |
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"Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in message
news:elmop-ECAF7F.09393718092010@62-183-169-81.bb.dnainternet.fi... > The next time someone comes in here and asks a question that's clearly > and plainly answered in the owner's manual, I'm going to laugh my ass > off knowing they're getting the royal treatment when they take the car > in for service: What if they lost their owner's manual or never got it when they bought a used car? Shit happens. Not everybody bothers to order a new one. |
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![]() "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in message news:elmop-ECAF7F.09393718092010@62-183-169-81.bb.dnainternet.fi... > > Ray: That information is available not only online, but also in the > back of your ownerıs manual (thatıs the rectangular thing wrapped in > cellophane in the bottom of your glove box, Dave). My favorite quote. |
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![]() "Cameo" <cameo@invalid.invalid> wrote in message news:i72vde$b0s$1@news.eternal-september.org... > "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in message > news:elmop-ECAF7F.09393718092010@62-183-169-81.bb.dnainternet.fi... >> The next time someone comes in here and asks a question that's clearly >> and plainly answered in the owner's manual, I'm going to laugh my ass >> off knowing they're getting the royal treatment when they take the car >> in for service: > > What if they lost their owner's manual or never got it when they bought a > used car? > Shit happens. Not everybody bothers to order a new one. Again, if they lose it, that's their responsibility. If they bought a used car or lost the one they had, it's their responsibility to get a new one (or download the information or whatever so long as they have it). |
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In article <i72vde$b0s$1@news.eternal-september.org>,
"Cameo" <cameo@invalid.invalid> wrote: > "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in message > news:elmop-ECAF7F.09393718092010@62-183-169-81.bb.dnainternet.fi... > > The next time someone comes in here and asks a question that's clearly > > and plainly answered in the owner's manual, I'm going to laugh my ass > > off knowing they're getting the royal treatment when they take the car > > in for service: > > What if they lost their owner's manual or never got it when they bought > a used car? > Shit happens. Not everybody bothers to order a new one. The problem here isn't used cars. It's the "my 2010 FancyDan XLE needs its 15,000 mile service; the dealer says it'll cost $600. Is that a good price?" or "I just bought this 2011 Family Truckster with the undercoating and the sport trim package. What does this button on the dash here do?" questions that reveal the need for a Bitch Slap. |
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On Sep 18, 1:34*pm, "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <el...@nastydesigns.com>
wrote: > In article <i72vde$b0...@news.eternal-september.org>, > > *"Cameo" <ca...@invalid.invalid> wrote: > > "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <el...@nastydesigns.com> wrote in message > >news:elmop-ECAF7F.09393718092010@62-183-169-81.bb.dnainternet.fi... > > > The next time someone comes in here and asks a question that's clearly > > > and plainly answered in the owner's manual, I'm going to laugh my ass > > > off knowing they're getting the royal treatment when they take the car > > > in for service: > > > What if they lost their owner's manual or never got it when they bought > > a used car? > > Shit happens. Not everybody bothers to order a new one. > > The problem here isn't used cars. *It's the "my 2010 FancyDan XLE needs > its 15,000 mile service; the dealer says it'll cost $600. *Is that a > good price?" or "I just bought this 2011 Family Truckster with the > undercoating and the sport trim package. What does this button on the > dash here do?" questions that reveal the need for a Bitch Slap. Well, yes, but there are some clever maintenance advisers out there. I took my wife's Jeep into a dealer, in Dallas, with the maintenance manual in hand, to do an oil and filter change, and check something. He showed me where there was a "A" and a "B" service, and one was for dusty conditions and should be done because this was Texas. Well, Dallas is hardly the wild west - it's a big city, so I changed to a local shop. Also in California I took my wife's Jeep in for the 60K service, book in hand, and the shark pulled out a big plastic covered list of what he said was "what we do for the 60K service. It had replacing every fluid in the car. I asked him if I got a blood transfusion with that, and I left there, never to come back. We now have a 2010 Honda Pilot Touring (to get this on subject) with the countdown to oil change meter reading about 20% so I am about to take it in to the dealer from which we bought the car (through a buying service) and see if they recognize their own maintenance manual. That's the real problem. They know what has to be done, they just add on things that the owner doesn't know about, but usually relents thinking they must know something that he, and the manual, does not know. |
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"billzz" <billzz@wildblue.net> wrote:
> That's the real problem. They know what has to be done, they > just add on things that the owner doesn't know about, but usually > relents thinking they must know something that he, and the manual, > does not know. My Honda dealer also had their own scheduled maintenance to-do list that included much more items than what was in the owner's manual. They also told me almost every time that my wheels needed realignment ("You must have hit some curbs or bumps.") Eventually I got tired of it and switched to an independent shop that does not play that game. |
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"Cameo" <cameo@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:i73i9b$lj6$1@news.eternal-september.org... > "billzz" <billzz@wildblue.net> wrote: > >> That's the real problem. They know what has to be done, they >> just add on things that the owner doesn't know about, but usually >> relents thinking they must know something that he, and the manual, >> does not know. > > My Honda dealer also had their own scheduled maintenance to-do list that > included much more items than what was in the owner's manual. They also > told me almost every time that my wheels needed realignment ("You must > have hit some curbs or bumps.") Eventually I got tired of it and switched > to an independent shop that does not play that game. When I call to set my appointment, I ask them to list each specific task included in their service package and how much each costs. Then I ask them what's the minimum service required to maintain the warranty. Most of the time, they realize that I'm hip to the game and give me the straight dope. If not, it's pretty easy to tell when they're trying to game me. I prefer to do it by phone, because if I suspect they're not being straight with me, I just hang up without making an appointment. Then I do some research and call back once I've decided exactly what I want done to my car. Another advantage hashing this out over the phone (rather than when you arrive in person) is that I usually get another service rep when I call back and don't have to deal with the first one who was trying to game me. |
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![]() "billzz" <billzz@wildblue.net> wrote in message news:029b844e-3eca-4fc5-be91-1226b5f204b3@l25g2000prn.googlegroups.com... > On Sep 18, 1:34 pm, "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <el...@nastydesigns.com> > wrote: >> In article <i72vde$b0...@news.eternal-september.org>, >> >> "Cameo" <ca...@invalid.invalid> wrote: >> > "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <el...@nastydesigns.com> wrote in message >> >news:elmop-ECAF7F.09393718092010@62-183-169-81.bb.dnainternet.fi... >> > > The next time someone comes in here and asks a question that's >> > > clearly >> > > and plainly answered in the owner's manual, I'm going to laugh >> > > my ass >> > > off knowing they're getting the royal treatment when they take >> > > the car >> > > in for service: >> >> > What if they lost their owner's manual or never got it when they >> > bought >> > a used car? >> > Shit happens. Not everybody bothers to order a new one. >> >> The problem here isn't used cars. It's the "my 2010 FancyDan XLE >> needs >> its 15,000 mile service; the dealer says it'll cost $600. Is that >> a >> good price?" or "I just bought this 2011 Family Truckster with the >> undercoating and the sport trim package. What does this button on >> the >> dash here do?" questions that reveal the need for a Bitch Slap. > > Well, yes, but there are some clever maintenance advisers out there. > I took my wife's Jeep into a dealer, in Dallas, with the maintenance > manual in hand, to do an oil and filter change, and check something. > He showed me where there was a "A" and a "B" service, and one was > for > dusty conditions and should be done because this was Texas. Well, > Dallas is hardly the wild west - it's a big city, so I changed to a > local shop. > > Also in California I took my wife's Jeep in for the 60K service, > book > in hand, and the shark pulled out a big plastic covered list of what > he said was "what we do for the 60K service. It had replacing every > fluid in the car. I asked him if I got a blood transfusion with > that, > and I left there, never to come back. > > We now have a 2010 Honda Pilot Touring (to get this on subject) with > the countdown to oil change meter reading about 20% so I am about to > take it in to the dealer from which we bought the car (through a > buying service) and see if they recognize their own maintenance > manual. That's the real problem. They know what has to be done, > they > just add on things that the owner doesn't know about, but usually > relents thinking they must know something that he, and the manual, > does not know. Information is readily available to everyone, and many places will always try to maximize revenue.....Caveat emptor. |
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![]() "Cameo" <cameo@invalid.invalid> wrote in message news:i72vde$b0s$1@news.eternal-september.org... > "Elmo P. Shagnasty" <elmop@nastydesigns.com> wrote in message > news:elmop-ECAF7F.09393718092010@62-183-169-81.bb.dnainternet.fi... >> The next time someone comes in here and asks a question that's clearly >> and plainly answered in the owner's manual, I'm going to laugh my ass >> off knowing they're getting the royal treatment when they take the car >> in for service: > > What if they lost their owner's manual or never got it when they bought a > used car? > Shit happens. Not everybody bothers to order a new one. - And with a new Lexus, you get a "one size fits all" manual, covering every possible configuration of the vehicle. Takes quite a while to figure out what your car has. |
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