I just brought my riviera to brookdale pontiac to have them do an electrical diagnostic for $108 because my check engine light is on. Results said that it needs a new O2 sensor. The guy was talking to me like I new nothing about cars, so I kinda played along like I was dumb Anyway, he asks if I want them to do the new O2 sensor today. I asked him how much it would cost and he said $255.64! I wanted to slap the mofo but I just acted a little surprised. I said I'll do the O2 sensor at another time but asked him to print out a quote. He printed it out and the quote only said $135. I pointed this out and he got an 'oh shit' look on his face and said "oops". I have a strong feeling that he was purposely charging me more because he thought I was ignorant. What a bitch.

Also, while I was waiting for my car to get done, I heard him talking to some lady on the phone. Her car was at the shop for an oil change and he called her to 'suggest' some other maintenance while the car was already there. It had 60,000 miles on it and he told her she should get a new fuel filter, which I agreed with in my head. Here's the interesting part...he then started saying her fuel system needed to be cleaned since her car "already has 60,000 miles and it hasn't been done yet." He said they put 3 different cans of cleaner through the fuel system to clean it. I saw no problems up to this point, until he told her it costs $124.99. He actually convinced this lady to pay $125 for what is probably just a $20 can of fuel system cleaner.

Be careful at dealerships people. Don't let your g/f, parents, friends, etc go by themselves unless they know a little about cars. They'll get ripped off.

I'm done.

And you didn't already realize most dealerships try to rip you off..... ?

you could have just brought it to any autozone or checker and get the diagnostic done for free.

Hey now, not all dealerships are bad. Dealers tend to be more expensive because they specialize in that product. they can be considered experts at what they fix. I don't care what kind of car i drive i only want the best person on the job. (if i can't do it myself)
It unfortunate in the auto industry that there are "shady" folks working in it. the original esitimate sounded ball park depending on parts prices. $135 sounds like someone other than you were getting robbed.
do people at checker and autozone have ASE certifications to do diagnostic? Just becuse they can tell you what trouble code is in the ecu doesn't really mean that will fix it.
I'm sorry i sound like i'm ranting and raving. I just read the post and felt like i had something to say. sorry you felt ripped off, i would too in your case.
aaron

Or a trip to the library and a paper clip.

yes they do. at least at checker. in order to become a manager you have to have ASE certification.

I will never deal with dealership unless I am ordering oem parts and even then I am extremely careful. Ordered a connector a month ago to check continuity for the end of o2 senser and they said I would have it by now. Now they say it will take another month and no explanation. Great customer service ha. Dealership could not do anything for my car mechanically nor would they want to attempt. I once asked a question about my cas and the service guy said, "that is a aftermarket device". Really happened. I responded by saying, "OK then why dont you order me that oem cas becuase my trigger went bad", I had to get new one. Anyways, it will always be frustrating. Just give them the md# and mention dsm club. Small price to pay, I really enjoy my dsm.

Quote (jd1812, june 5 2004, 10:05 pm)
This is not true, I no regional manager for midwest who oversees 16 stores. It may be advertised, but 80% are not.

Don't forget that the dealerships charge quite high labor rates as well. Plus they are installing oem parts that are more expensive than aftermarket ones (such as checker, autozone, etc. sell).

I have a horror story from Southview Chev that most on here have heard already. They tried to charge us $2900 for a timing belt and head job when their original estimate that we agreed upon was only $1900. We got out of there only paying $2100 (10% over original agreed upon estimate). They lost all their quoted labor time.

Dealers will always be higher because they have specifically trained mechanics and they use oem parts. Some do try to take advantage of people that don't know much about cars, but not all do. It's hard to find one that doesn't but they do exist.

if you don't like the prices that dealerships charge, then fix it yourself with your duct tape and bubble gum.

besides the prices, what's wrong with dealership work? is it the use of oem parts that don't need modification to fit or the guarentee that if something goes wrong that they'll do whatever it takes to fix it and accomodate you.

Dont need dealership help and waist of money. Beyond their comprehension of understanding. From what I hear from everyone they have a hard enough time working on stock cars, how are they going to understand a race car with stand alone computer, stonger quality engine parts along with complicated turbo system, etc. I use them for only oem parts ordering and I am very careful at that. I do all my work with own expensive tools. Engine building done by real engine builders who work on race engines. Tuning done on dyno chasis, etc. Most guys on this forum do all their work because they know what they are doing and have way more tools then any dealership would have. This is not nickle and dime business building a fast car it is expensive and want only compitent individuals near are cars. You cannot make a car go fast with oem parts or a mechanic who thinks inside the box. Have to think outside the box, innovation does not happen at the dealership. They sell cars and warranties to keep you coming back. We make are cars stronger, faster, smarter, better handling, better braking, better looking. Use expensive aftermarket parts to replace oem parts to achieve true performance. We are after performance! :3gears:

I guess I agree that dealerships should be allowed to charge way more for their work. But the reason I felt ripped off here is because when he first told me that $255.64 estimate he had it down to the penny and was ready for me to pay right there, until I told him I wasn't going to do it that day. Then all of a sudden the price drops in half. I'm not saying all dealerships or their employees are bad, just pointing out that these particular ones tried to rip me off.

yes they do. at least at checker. in order to become a manager you have to have ASE certification. [/b][/quote]
lol.... im ase certified... what a joke that is .... i never studied for the test... and still passed with flying colors..... it was a waste of a time... but hey i got a pretty patch for my work shirts lol....

I believe the parts ASE is alot different than the mechanic ones. correct me if i'm wrong?

That stuff can happen at any mechanic, not just dealers. It all depends on the manager or the shop policies. Some are very honest, some do needless work to bring in some money. The most common one is the fuel system cleaning. Most cars wouldn't ever need that until at least 150K miles unless the gas was run til empty several times. A simple bottle of fuel cleaner every 30K miles or so with a fill-up should take care of it forever.

I had the opportunity to witness a muffler shop that was advertising a $9.99 oil change. I was in getting my car done and the shop manager told every single person that their fuel filters needed to be replaced. I asked him when he told me mine needed it as well how he could tell it needed to be replaced. He said because there was corrosion on the outside of it(it was an external filter). I then informed him that I'd replaced it not even three months before. Needless to say he was a little embarrassed. The next three people after me passed on the filter as well after overhearing our conversation. ;)

first off, dealerships are not speed shops, nor do they pretend to be. you won't find any dyno chasis, (or do you mean a chassis dynometer), or anyone building race engines at any of them. what you will find are techs that have $10,000 invested in tools specifically designed to fix absolutely anything that breaks on any model that the manufacturer ever produced.

you're right, you can't make a car go fast using oem parts. what you can do is build a car that will last 10+ years, and perform the way it was designed to without having to mess around with it all the time.

how is it possible to think outside of the box when someone wants something fixed? the car cranks but doesn't start. hmm, i know i'll put on a 50 trim with a 100 shot to spool it up fast, that way when it does start i'll be at 10k rpm instantly, and should be able to run a 10 flat a couple of times before the tranny explodes.

dealerships usually sell cars. they also tend to service the same make of car at that same location. some people might call it a business.

what i find really amusing is when "performance" cars come in with thousands of dollars in credit card debt pounded into them, and they can't figure out why their car runs like crap or better yet, something basic such as a light that doesn't work.

Dealerships are, IMO, the place to go to get something fixed right. its routine for them, they dont have to rip apart your whole car (for the most part) to find a problem, they see the same problems over and over, and typically dont mess up more than it came in for trying to find a problem that an aftermarket place wouldnt find.
This is especially true with newer vehicles. basically all cars are going to CAN networks these days, and to replace a simple window switch, radio, insturment cluster, rear view mirror, you also need to do a software download for that part to function. Basically all aftermarket repair facilities will probably be eliminated in the future due to this.

260 or whatever seems good for an 02 sensor, when he gave you the second quote, im guessing labor / or the part was accidentally not on there....

labor rate at the place i work is now 110, not sure what the domestics are at, but im sure they cane be too far back...

no, the dealer is not a place to hot rod your mitsubishi, for that you have a nice array of local shops to do that for you.

maybe im biased...but whatever...

adam

260 is good for an O2 sensor?

I once took my old GST to a oil change place as well and when they where done they not only told me they replaced my air filter (which was a brand new K&N), but they tried to tell me they capped off my washer fluid. If they would have put a stock filter in I would have beat them with my schorchers. But when I asked the guy how he put in washer fluid without me opening the hatch he just had the dumbest look on his face. It was great but it made me wonder if he put it somewhere else.

for the sensor and installation, yeah.

it is 1.5 hours labor and about 350 for the part at volvo....so we usually charge a tad under 500, but then again the parts prices and labor are gonna be different