Am I way off base here?

[Daryl333]

Not exactly the same thing but...
When I supercharged my car and got gauges I couldn't keep my eyes off them. I was taking my car in and asking inane questions about how it was running. The guy that tunes and maintains my car told me to smarten up. Also told me stop looking for problems. IE: why is my AFR fluctuating around Stoic I asked.
Old adage if it ain't broke... On the other hand being careful and aware to an extent doesn't hurt.

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[chesster51]

It's obvious that you've never worked in product development. Jesus.

JR

What the hell does product development have to do with this? Jesus.

 

[jacknifetoaswan]

What the hell does product development have to do with this? Jesus.

The statement about $1200 exhaust systems.

Things cost money. The companies charging $1200 for a set of cat-backs aren't just sticking a bunch of crap together in a barn and selling it with shit welds and aluminized steel pipe. They're doing research, testing, development, and building quality parts to sell to consumers with warranties and support. That costs money. They need to spread the development costs of X number of products until they break even, then they start making money. That's how business works.

JR

 

[1958cyclist]

Well, I agree with many of the statements above about paying for services rendered. They are a business, and truth be told, service is where many make a larger percentage of their operating margin since margins on sales are low. The fancier nameplates make it up in the cost of the vehicle and the higher labor and parts costs after the honeymoon. I'll never forget what a neighbor had to pay for new rotors, pads and associated labor once his BMW was out its grace period.

 

[frank s]

I've heard about many more of these types of dereliction by dealerships than I've actually seen. My idea is that if one approaches the interface personnel with dignity and understanding, and shows an expectation of similar treatment in return, it is possible to minimize the potential taking-of-advantage in the transaction. Works for me, so far.

The one I worry about, and which is likely to result in a serious complaint-procedure chain, is what they used to call the "Ultra Violet Treatment": the face-to-face person agrees to whatever you want, and the car is parked in the sun for a couple of days, then returned to the owner as "fixed".

"Dignity" acknowledges the need to make a living; "Understanding" refers to recognizing the various pressures on all parties.

 

[Brian_S550]

And the techs are going to get paid for what ever they do that is a moot point.

I'm taking about the dealer a small town dealer that I have history with. Bought two new vehicles in two years have all service, recalls and oil changes done by them. And I just wanted them to look at my car and tell me everything was a-okay.

Who is paying the techs, though? Ford (the manufacturer) doesn’t pay warranty rates to dealers for doing routine maintenance or “quick inspections”. Either you have to pay or they do that work for free. There is no hourly wage in that field.

The shop did get paid by Ford for performing those recall fixes on your cars. How many of those past oil changes did you get for free, besides ones that were covered by Ford specifically? The bottom line is that consumer behavior in the internet age has made it nearly impossible to make any gross profit on new car sales, so the service and parts departments are now required to be the major moneymakers for any dealership.

 

[Torched10]

Okay so my one year of ownership comes to a close April 30, I've got less than 10k miles on the car. The car has performed flawlessly but nearing the one year mark I thought I’d see about taking the car in and have them check it out and make sure everything was work properly and check the alignment.

Okay I know things are vastly different now from when Dealers use to sweep out your car and wash it when returning it to you when you had service done (Ah the good old days of a bygone era). But I’ve bought two new vehicles from them in two years a 2017 4x4 F150 and then in 2019 my GT.

So I asked if they would do a one year diagnostic check to make sure there were no problems and the service manager said sure for $126.

“What? Really.”

“Well yeah I have to pay someone to do the checkup and I have to pass that cost on to you. I can’t do it for free.”

So okay I told no thanks. And my next vehicle would not be coming from them. Now this is a small town dealership so I expected a little more from them. Am I wrong? Do I live in a fantasy world? Is this the way it is now?

Thanks for hearing me out, I’m curious what everyone else thinks

Rex

Okay so my one year of ownership comes to a close April 30, I've got less than 10k miles on the car. The car has performed flawlessly but nearing the one year mark I thought I’d see about taking the car in and have them check it out and make sure everything was work properly and check the alignment.

Okay I know things are vastly different now from when Dealers use to sweep out your car and wash it when returning it to you when you had service done (Ah the good old days of a bygone era). But I’ve bought two new vehicles from them in two years a 2017 4x4 F150 and then in 2019 my GT.

So I asked if they would do a one year diagnostic check to make sure there were no problems and the service manager said sure for $126.

“What? Really.”

“Well yeah I have to pay someone to do the checkup and I have to pass that cost on to you. I can’t do it for free.”

So okay I told no thanks. And my next vehicle would not be coming from them. Now this is a small town dealership so I expected a little more from them. Am I wrong? Do I live in a fantasy world? Is this the way it is now?

Thanks for hearing me out, I’m curious what everyone else thinks

Rex

Next time,or even this time,call your salesman,and get him to have service manager do it for free.tell him the way it is now you won't be buying the next car from here.the price is fair,ive had cars checked that i was selling.

 

[speedfrk]

The average dealer loses money on every new car they sell. That's average- they make money on some, lose money on others. With internet search literally all over the country and cheap flights or delivery, everything has changed in the past 20 years. They have to keep them rolling off the lot to stay in business but they stay in business on financing, extended warranties, used cars and service and they rely on the manufacturer to pay them sales incentives for units sold. Small town dealers are at a big disadvantage to mega dealers. If you have a small town dealer that takes care of you and are basically honest, it's OK to pay them for their time or pretty soon you won't have a dealer in town. Most dealers right now are in survival mode and will be for quite a while.

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