Why Can't They Just Be Honest?

[Ross]

Took my car into the dealer for an oil change yesterday. When it came back, it had the standard dealer "multi point check" or whatever they call it. You know, a piece of paper saying that they checked tranny fluid, washer fluid, tire pressure, etc. Well, my paper said that they had checked my tire pressure and it was 32 lbs. all around. WRONG! I have the Wes Chain tamper proof valve stem caps on my wheels, so without the adapter they couldn't have taken the caps off to check the pressure! Didn't see this until I got home, so I couldn't confront the service advisor ( a nice enough guy) right away. I will call him today, though. Why can't they just tell the truth? I guess enough people don't look that they can get away with telling a lot of lies besides this one. :down:

[O's Fan Rich]

the service advisor is just taking the "tech's" word for it. The tech puts the check mark and info on the sheet. The SA may not be aware of the issue. Perhaps a friendly call to politely point this out will help the advisor.
When I worked parts in various dealerships, there was always the "short cut" guy out in the shop. Looking for ways to pick up a tenth here and there so he made good time numbers. Sometimes it was legit, caused no harm, and made money for him and the shop. Other times it was totally selfish and anti-customer.
I'd suggest finding out who the best , reliable, and honest tech they have on staff and request him/her at all times.

[Ross]

Talked to my service advisor. He seemed to be glad that I told him about it and said that he would go have a talk with the tech and let him know that he got caught.

[dok]

I am very lucky in that frdwrnch from this forum works in the service department where I bought my MM. All I have to do is make sure he is working that day and I don't need to worry.

[2003 MIB]

Talked to my service advisor. He seemed to be glad that I told him about it and said that he would go have a talk with the tech and let him know that he got caught.

Muchos Kudos Ross!!!!- Most folks don't say anything and the practice continues. It creates future bad service for everyone. Management awareness is critical to the improvement process and I think you did what you could to start that process.

[merc406]

Don't cha know they can kick the tire to figure the tire pressure ? :lol:

[duhtroll]

Can we kick *them* to see if they've checked it?

:P

Thanks,
-A

[jgc61sr2002]

I agree you can't blame the service advisor even though he is ultimately responsible. The tech was using a short cut and got caught. The more jobs the tech does the more $'s he or she makes. IMO it is up the the service advisor or the service manager to make sure you vehicle is serviced correctly.

[RF Overlord]

Management awareness is critical to the improvement process and I think you did what you could to start that process.

Unless management is the CAUSE of the problem...many places have "quotas" they must fill and the pressure to upcharge the customer and/or get more jobs done comes FROM management...

God, I'm a cynical bastard... :rolleyes:

[Bluerauder]

Unless management is the CAUSE of the problem...many places have "quotas" they must fill and the pressure to upcharge the customer and/or get more jobs done comes FROM management...

God, I'm a cynical bastard... :rolleyes:

Part of the problem rests squarely on management. Shops around here have recently scaled back their allowance for "standard" type jobs. For instance, if 30 minutes was allowed before for an oil change and multi-point ... it may only allow 20 minutes now. This permits the service department to schedule more jobs for a given tech in a day. However, if it takes him 30 minutes to do the multi-point check right, he still only gets paid for 20 minutes. Same applies to more complex jobs. If the managers are stingy with their time allowances, techs are almost "forced" to cut corners. Not sure if the allowances account for levels of experience as well.

Anyway, you can see my point. The service time allowances ought to be realistic and achieveable by the average qualified mechanic. The good/efficient ones will be ahead of the game. The real slackers will starve to death. The point is that the average Joe doesn't get penalized unrealistically. :fire:

Unfortunately, when repair techs cut corners for whatever reason, it is the customer that suffers ... and pays. :nono:

[MarauderMark]

Hope they didn't took them off and on with vise grips..oooooo.. :fire: :mad2:
Did you check them for damage?

[mtnh]

I just had a great experience, like Ross. My dealer could not align my 03 300A, so they called the dealer close by me to see if they could do it. They said yes. (the original dealer claims to have lost the 18" wheel adapters) The car had worn out the inside edge of the front tires. After the alignment, I pick up the car, and they said that they faxed the results to the referring dealer. The car was "in spec." They handed me the "courtesy checklist" where I noted that they checked all my fluids. I left, drove around the block to get a small amount of groceries, and came out and saw a nasty belt-buckle or zipper scratch over the right side front wheel fender. I brought it back, asked the service advisor if anyone reported scratching my paint, and brought him out to show him the problem. He then said that nobody opened my hood. I opened the door, pulled out the courtesy checklist, and asked him how they checked all of those things without lifting the hood. The guy goes, "Are you trying to prove to me that I am a liar? Because I don't need that!" I could have said, "You pretty much proved that yourself," but I opted to just drop it and leave. The problem was that I had just driven myself there in my LS, for an alignment for that car in the morning. I decided that I could not have them touch another car of mine, so I went back after 8 pm and picked it up with my spare keys, and left a note that I had decided against using their technicians for any more work on my vehicles, and that I would return today to pick up the keys after conferring with management about the marauder's scratch. So I got back today, (and this is where it gets good) and spoke witrh the service manager. He told me that he talked to teh tech that worked on my car, and that he was a really good tech, who would always report problems he was responsible for, and he would have stepped forward, if he did any wrongdoing to my car. "But," the SM says, "he said that he did nto do any work from the right side of the car when checking fluids, he just reached from over the front of the car!" i I said, "fine, whatever, it's always going to be a he-said/she-said thing in matters like these, but a place like this should look out for car owners' interest and use fender protection when needed." He stated that they do use them. I turned to leave and told the SM, "The next time you see a full-size Panther car in the garage with the hood open, see if you can pull and replace the transmission dip-stick without coming around the side of the car."
What a bunch of crap. The SM lies to protect the lying SA, and the lying technician. Dealing with car dealerships is such a life-shortening experience.
I wish I was an attorney, like Ross, but I would rather not talk to someone who does nothing but lie. I would just as soon turn away and cut my losses.

Just exactly how does the transmission fluid get checked on a cold transmission, by the way? Anyone?

Oh yeah, the dealer is in Derry, NH, in case anyone is interested.

Mike

[Donny Carlson]

When I took my car in for its first alignment, only to be turned away because my dealer couldn't do it, they, too, had done a courtesy check along with an oil change. At that time, all the check boxes were "green." Even though the inner front tires were seriously abnormally worn. 3,000 miles later I take it back for another oil change, only this time the fronts had been swapped sides (taken off the wheels and swapped, inners now outers) so the worn patch was on the outside. This time it was noted, and he writes "abnormal wear on front tires - alignment needed." No :censor: Sherlock.

I guess the first tech must have been Helen Keller, because he didn't see no stinking wear on those tires.