February 21, 200917 yr Yesterday, with over a quarter of a million miles, I put the 4th serpertine belt at a blended GM dealership a little further out since they had a good parts and labor price (about $90). I had a great experience visiting that service department. This is actually the third such experience. a) At a Costco in California, I went in there for a tire rotation. There was this real weird guy who (a) wouldn't rotate my tires front to back as I had requested because he wanted to do the diagonal rotation, but did so after I kept arguing with him, and (b) while talking to him, told me that frequent oil changes (even 3,000 miles) hurt the car more than changing the oil infrequently. I then went to another nearby Costco about 4 months later to get new tires altogether. I told the salesman about this pushy loser at another one of the stores. He told me that this guy had irritated some customers, that he was no longer there, and I got the new tires FOR FREE. b) I was getting a trans fluid change and filter at a GM dealership in Portland that I had used before. They did the job but noticed that the gasket the last time wasn't of the variety that should have been in there, though it had never leaked. He did NOT charge me for the service he did that day...about $ 129. I then used them for other service items (tune-ups, LOFs, etc.) c) Yesterday, I was happy with the price for my serpentine belt and asked about trans fluid changes. He told me that I should only consider the cheaper drop/drain/refill, rather than the recirculating flush, for the car since it is older and is high mileage. I told him "bingo" and that 2 other service advisors over the last 5 or so years had told me the same thing. I've also been to 2 dealerships where they indicated they like to do the pressurized flush and I told them "later, maybe in another life." So, he was right. Yesterday's guy was more interested in giving me good advice rather than get an extra $40 when I came back in the spring for a trans. service. Any good / pro-customer experiences you've had while getting service?
February 22, 200917 yr My local dealership lets me check my car on the bay...... They know I that know my car stuff, so they talk to me like one of the guys......
February 22, 200917 yr Author My local dealership lets me check my car on the bay...... They know I that know my car stuff, so they talk to me like one of the guys...... I try to do this as well, but keep it brief because of the insurance / "line of demarcation" that's posted. I always let the service advisor, and possibly the tech, know that I am conversant in car matters. It has helped a lot!
February 22, 200917 yr 2001 Olds Aurora 3.5 Back in October I brought the car to a GM dealer that we had used for some time. After a $1544.00 repair for the transmission (input turbine sensor and shift solenoids) I was told that my highway vibration was caused by bad wheel bearings and that I needed a brake job ($543 for the front, $546 for the back) along with tons of other work (ball joints, shocks/struts, etc). Based on a neighbor's recommendation, I went to a different dealership (Maritime Motors, Fairfield Ct) to find out my highway shake was out of balance tires ($19.99+tax) and my brakes could be done for less then 1/2 the cost of the previous dealership. I asked about the car and was told "its fine". I also got same day service and a very polite staff. They have earned a new customer in me.
February 22, 200917 yr Tom Manzi Dodge had excellent service. They were genuinely friendly, and would chat with me while I had my car serviced. They also let me in the service bay to show exactly where the problem was when my check engine light was on (leaking fuel pump gasket). I miss them. My regular mechanic let me go in the bay and see what's wrong too, like showing me how bad the tie trod was on the Prizm.
February 22, 200917 yr Tom Manzi Dodge had excellent service. They were genuinely friendly, and would chat with me while I had my car serviced. They also let me in the service bay to show exactly where the problem was when my check engine light was on (leaking fuel pump gasket). I miss them. My regular mechanic let me go in the bay and see what's wrong too, like showing me how bad the tie trod was on the Prizm. It's nice when they let you know what's up....
February 22, 200917 yr Marion Tire Co. in Marion, IA. This was right after the flood had closed off downtown, so I-380 was the only way to get across the flood zone since it is an elevated expressway. Of course, traffic was bumper-to-bumper since it was the only bridge in the city still open. I was getting ready to get on the onramp to head northbound from US 30 when I noticed my car was overheating. Traffic was at a standstill on the onramp, so I merged out and kept going on Highway 30, limping over to Hwy. 151 and stopping at the first service station I found in the suburb of Marion. I had no appointment and they were busy, but they managed to squeeze me in after about a 20 minute wait. Vehicle was repaired after about 30 minutes (gasket leak near the coolant tank). Staff was courteous and they were pretty quick.
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