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Do You Trust The Dealership Garage?
I was picking up a new key at my local dealership the other day (mine got dropped overboard at the lake) and some lady was complaining about how she doesn't trust the dealer garage as it always seems they find some unusual and expensive problem when she brings her vehicle in. My thought was maybe they just know what they're seeing better than a general garage that deals with every make under the sun…what do you think?
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Do I trust dealership
Do I trust dealership garages or general automotive workshops? Absolutely not. I've found that approximately 80% of them will try to rip you off. My solution? Ask for past customer feedback from anyone you can, friends, neighbors and co-workers, and then talk to the people that work at the place or places you are thinking of dealing with beforehand to get a feel for it first, before trusting any of them with your car or your money. Then, once you have found an honest and reliable one, stick with them! I know this is a rather cautious approach, but it's just far too easy for them to rip you off and I have seen them do it, especially if you know nothing about fixing cars!
Fortunately, we do most of the mechanical work ourselves on all of our cars because we have the skill and knowledge to do it, but I can only imagine what it would be like for someone to always have to rely on bringing their car in somewhere for regular maintenance or repair.
I trust mine
I've had dealerships in the past that were horrible but the one that I bought my present vehicle is terrific. They almost always find a way to squeeze me in when I need something done and they have never tacked on extra charges. They charge a bit more for labor than what I was paying at a local mechanic but I've never had a problem with their work.
I used to trust them and
I used to trust them and never, ever, would take my car to a none dealership place. Till this week, when the ‚policy‘ of the local place meant that they insisted on changing the entire exhaust instead of just the small bracket (a $35 piece of metal) that had broken.
I think it is policies like this that make people not trust them. Yes, I'm sure that they make out more work than is there.
I'm with you on that.
I'm with you on that. I think that a dealership garage tends to look for every little thing they can find to tack on more money to the bill. I've had local garages tell me if they find anything else and ask if I want them to fix it too. But, I have had dealership garages go ahead and fix something I wasn't aware of and just add it on to the bill. When we got rid of the air suspension on my Lincoln the dealership wanted to charge me $400 plus labor. I ended up finding the kit to fix it on ebay for $95 and got a local garage to install it for $80. So, needless to say, I don't go to a dealership unless it's a last resort and a part can't be bought anywhere else.
~stangchic~
I went to another place.
I went to another place. Turns out that the dealership doesn't to pipe bending, and that's what needs to be done. Shame they couldn't just tell me that instead of claiming that there is NOTHING else can be done other than replacing the whole thing.
It's being done tomorrow for $70 approximately, I had it looked at today.
I would never take my car
I would never take my car to a dealer unless it is warranty work. I have a garage that I've been going to for over 10 years and they always give me a good deal and do fantastic work. The one time I did have a problem with the repair they made it right with no questions asked and for free. They will even tell me if it is a warranty repair so I know when to take it to the dealer. The also work with me to make payment arrangements if it is something huge.