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Auto Service: What Would You Do?

ernest_t_bass
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Jkwellborn

Jkwellborn 6713

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You are getting grunge fucked. Never take shit to the dealer unless it’s warrantied.

Newer Ford trucks are a bitch to change the plugs. I’m not sure if they’ve fixed that or now. But from around 06 up I think it’s a big job.

They have a scanner that will tell them the issues. I don’t have an issue with changing fluids on schedule like the coolant stuff, but you most likely got robbed on the coils and wires running to the plugs.

They’re gonna tell you it’s an injector next.

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phdhorn

phdhorn 6224

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Yeah, the lesson here is

NEVER EVER take your car to a dealership unless it's under warranty.
What you've described here is a textbook dealer (and shitty mechanics') business model.

Yeah would guess you know that by now, but don't ever from now on...

2 weeks without the truck is a fucking abomination.  That's a 2-3 day job, max, with other cars to service, etc.

My guess is like Twice said, you might be liable for the expenses at this point since you acquiesced to leaving the truck there to rot.. er, get worked on.

I would take it to the service manager, if he gives you shit then just say fine, you'll write about it on Yelp and whatever... and do so (although you'd have a lot of company).  But maybe at least you can use the 2 weeks as a bargaining point.  But man this entire story is textbook getting hosed, I'm sorry.

There are plenty of decent mechanics, if nothing else Yelp has always worked for me, I now it's not bulletproof, but I generally trust it.

There are 1-2 service depts. at dealers I actually like (Howdy Honda on Ben Whits is one), but generally no way, none.

Good luck next time around.  Just stay away from the dealer.

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Jerry Callo

Jerry Callo 8704

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Find an independent mechanic.  Yeah, $1400 is a bunch on money that you could have saved it you had any sense at all, but it's cheaper than a new truck.  I have a suburban with 220,000 miles and have never been to the dealership.  I can fix most things and have a mechanic that can fix the rest at a reasonable cost.  At this point, I only need the suburban for another 5 years until my daughters (no pics) move out.  I'm hell bent on keeping the suburban for five more years.  $1400 is cheaper than a new car payment, so I don't mind dropping a couple grand a year in repairs.

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Sandman

Sandman 3403

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The problem with an independent mechanic is their availability. There's a shop down the street from me, great reputation but when I called to have my daughter's car checked out, he couldn't see it for a week. I'm not letting her drive around with a CEL for a week. The dealership got it done in 2 business days. I can't even say I paid more because the independent guy couldn't quote me a price without seeing it, and he couldn't look at it for a week.

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Incredulity

Incredulity 11675

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On 8/2/2018 at 7:53 PM, Gil Bang said:

Pepsico owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC.  

When I order a bucket of Extra-Crispy at Taco Bell, they fuck it up every-single-time and give me a bag of tacos.  Motherfuckers are the same business entity and only a mile apart.  I'm fucking pissed about the shitty chicken at Taco Bell. 

No,they don’t.

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deft

deft 6857

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OP, I’m a teacher and I can’t afford to pay that kind of money. Learn to do it yourself. I replaced the alternator on my 4Runner back in June. 2 weeks later and the ac clutch went out. You bet your ass I had an ac shop vac the Freon and I relaxed the compressor and condenser myself. $350 and an afternoon of turning wrenches beats $1000+

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Anton Chigurh

Anton Chigurh 3319

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OP, I’m a teacher and I can’t afford to pay that kind of money. Learn to do it yourself. I replaced the alternator on my 4Runner back in June. 2 weeks later and the ac clutch went out. You bet your ass I had an ac shop vac the Freon and I relaxed the compressor and condenser myself. $350 and an afternoon of turning wrenches beats $1000+


Cool that you found a shop willing to do that. I do all my own stuff as well and that’s one of the few things I would have to let someone do (the evac and recharge part). Luckily I haven’t had to do any AC stuff on any vehicle yet.
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Sandman

Sandman 3403

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3 hours ago, Jkwellborn said:

You could have gotten a reader or went to a parts house and had them scan her car. Then decided if it was worth letting it ride till the mechanic could see it.

I did and it was a thermostat. I didn't feel like gambling with it, so we took it to the dealer.

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shakahorn

shakahorn 1645

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Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, Jersey Man10 said:

Check engine light? Go to Auto Zone or O'Reilly and check it out. Google the code and see if its serious. Sometimes it could be something so simple like a loose gas cap.

 

OP, what dealer have you been going to? Specifically.

 

 

 

Or buy an OBD scanner yourself.  I got a cheap one off of Amazon for less than $20.  Googling the code told me it was something with the emissions that was probably a loose gas cap.  I reset the code and it never came back.

 

You can get make-specific scanners for less than $200 which appear to be much more advanced in the info obtained and reset capabilities, but honestly I've never tried one.

Edited by shakahorn
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Anton Chigurh

Anton Chigurh 3319

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Or buy an OBD scanner yourself.  I got a cheap one off of Amazon for less than $20.  Googling the code told me it was something with the emissions that was probably a loose gas cap.  I reset the code and it never came back.
 
You can get make-specific scanners for less than $200 which appear to be much more advanced in the info obtained and reset capabilities, but honestly I've never tried one.


I use one of the WiFi ones with the OBD Fusion app on iOS. I also bought the Toyota specific stuff for like $10.

It works pretty well. I use it to monitor stuff on road trips (I usually take a few 3,000 or so mile road trips a year). I like to see exactly how much fuel I have left too when I am on those trips.
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deft

deft 6857

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Cool that you found a shop willing to do that. I do all my own stuff as well and that’s one of the few things I would have to let someone do (the evac and recharge part). Luckily I haven’t had to do any AC stuff on any vehicle yet.



Yup. Small little operation here in round rock where the owner cusses like a sailor and insults you indirectly but in a caring manner. Charged me a flat $100 for the vacuum and then filling it after. He even threw an ounce of dye in to help me find a leak if I had one (I didn’t).

The point I was getting to is that I have a new condenser, compressor, and alternator for roughly $500 and a days worth of work spread out over different weekends.
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936horn

936horn 910

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I have nothing to add other than the last time I ever took a car to the dealership for service was back when I drove a BMW that was slowly leaking oil coolant. I knew I was getting rid of it not long after so I just wanted to get the coolant topped up and not actually fix the issue. I pull into BMW The Woodlands and some hot shot lookin dude walks up and says he can help. Tells me he can top her up right then and there if I wanted to just stand there with him. This mother fucker waltzes back over with a new bottle of coolant, proceeds to open the ENGINE OIL CAP and is about to pour it in when I stop him. Mother fucker almost dumped coolant directly into the engine oil. If I hadn't been standing there that dumb shit would have ruined my engine and no doubt I would have been on the hook for it. 

As others have said, only time any of our cars will go to the dealer would be warranty work. Even then, I don't trust those goobers any more than Billy Bob down at Jiffy Lube.

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RDCanecutter

RDCanecutter 26454

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Yo OP: You teach? Betcha some of your students know good mechanics. I get all my local intel (including more than you'd ever want to know about the kitchens of local restaurants) by surveying my classes.

In a moment of exasperation with one mechanic, I asked the guys down at the Express Oil Change if they did mechanical work. Well yes, they do. Lots of them were just out of the military and went after it with a mission, some of the best value I've ever gotten. They treat my car like they are the ground crew for a vintage airplane. Been using them for ten years now.

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ernest_t_bass

ernest_t_bass 1196

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After lots of thought, and speaking to quite a few people, I will be negotiating this bill, or paying none of it at all.  I will feel comfortable (honest) paying for: coolant flush, trans flush, oil change, spark plug change, and 1 coil (#3) change.  With a 15% discount that I had going in.  After I OK'd the 1st coil to be replaced, that is when everything went to fucking hell, and I lost my truck for 2 weeks (or more).

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Clintonaldo

Clintonaldo 2575

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4 hours ago, ernest_t_bass said:

After lots of thought, and speaking to quite a few people, I will be negotiating this bill, or paying none of it at all.  I will feel comfortable (honest) paying for: coolant flush, trans flush, oil change, spark plug change, and 1 coil (#3) change.  With a 15% discount that I had going in.  After I OK'd the 1st coil to be replaced, that is when everything went to fucking hell, and I lost my truck for 2 weeks (or more).

LOL. You will be paying for everything you authorized. 

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Okie State

Okie State 3821

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giphy.gif

Well...I mean the guy is already out his truck for two weeks and has a bill over $1K...and counting. I get it, but this is why I don't trust anyone with my property.

 

Took my truck in once for a simple hub replacement and they broke an unrelated part that was on backorder. I ended up changing the other side out for $100 and a few hours of my time.

 

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Eastwood

Eastwood 4394

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After lots of thought, and speaking to quite a few people, I will be negotiating this bill, or paying none of it at all.  I will feel comfortable (honest) paying for: coolant flush, trans flush, oil change, spark plug change, and 1 coil (#3) change.  With a 15% discount that I had going in.  After I OK'd the 1st coil to be replaced, that is when everything went to fucking hell, and I lost my truck for 2 weeks (or more).
You'll be random dude #107 that has tried that on them and failed this year alone.
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immamac

immamac 42869

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Don't ever take a truck to a dealership even for warranty repairs. Independent mechanics are still able to do warranty repairs with OEM replacement parts under warranty. There is literally no reason to go to dealership mechanics unless it's free oil changes and car washes. 

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ernest_t_bass

ernest_t_bass 1196

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Picked it up today.  Running fine.  Service writer said they fixed the catalytic converter, and "he paid for it out of his own pocket... because he valued me as a customer."  

I said, "Why would you do that?  That makes zero sense. It has nothing to do with you.  You didn't touch the car."

SW "Well [manager] didn't sound like he was going to be willing to take care of it."

ETB, "That's bullshit.  If you are, indeed, telling the truth, that makes no sense.  I'll be setting up a meeting with him, as well as the owner."

SW, "No, no, don't do that.  I'll talk to the owner tomorrow."

 

I smell a ton of bullshit.  I'm under the full assumption that he wants to get all of his ducks in a row, and his story straight before I talk to the manager and owner.  I also requested a bill from the muffler place they took the truck to, to get the catalytic converter fixed.

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Jerry Callo

Jerry Callo 8704

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12 hours ago, ernest_t_bass said:

The cat. converter was what was causing the check engine light to come one, apparently.  Mind you, this was all 100% after they put their fucking hands on it.

The cat. converter will do that.  My suburban had emissions codes that went away when the cat. converter was changed.

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Rimbo

Rimbo 25985

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On 8/2/2018 at 1:35 PM, tokamak said:

I too have learned the painful and expensive lesson that dealerships are the biggest scum on the face of the Earth. I'll never take another one of my cars to a dealership for anything unless it's warranty stuff or free oil changes or whatever. Even then I'm kind of leery. Fuck dealerships.

I had an issue with my car that nobody was able to figure out, until I took it to a dealer. They had it fixed in 45 minutes. The reason they knew what was wrong? Because they see that particular issue on my particular year/model of car several times per month. The scary thing is, it was the kind of thing you'd think was easy to diagnose -- something in the turbo was leaking, and it was venting into the engine compartment, so I was using all the gas and getting none of the power.

Also, you absolutely want to use OEM parts for certain things. Coolant and oil filters, for example. That just means you buy OEM parts and take 'em somewhere else (or use them yourself), but if you need that part today, you're going to be going to a dealer to get it.

Also also, this brand of fuckery isn't limited to dealerships. Jiffy Lube in particular makes dealers seem like straight-shooters. They will straight out fuck you with 100% bullshit "upsells" -- and then completely fail to actually replace your oil, or worse, fuck it up completely.

For non-warranty work that requires real time or an engine lift, I got a mechanic I like to use. I'm convinced his bloodstream is 3% coffee grounds and he has some odd ideas about aliens and the Great Pyramids, but he's cheap and doesn't bullshit about the car.

So, while avoid the dealer is a good general rule, it's not always avoidable and some of them aren't that horrible. 

That said, I don't even allow anyone else to change my oil. Again, it's something simple you'd think, but everyone else somehow manages to fuck up such a simple task, either by over-tightening the oil pan plug or forgetting to replace the washer or using the wrong goddamned oil...

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Rimbo

Rimbo 25985

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14 hours ago, ernest_t_bass said:

The cat. converter was what was causing the check engine light to come one, apparently.  Mind you, this was all 100% after they put their fucking hands on it.

They must have really goofed bad if they ate the cost of that thing. Those things are not cheap.

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RDCanecutter

RDCanecutter 26454

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16 hours ago, ernest_t_bass said:

I smell a ton of bullshit.  I'm under the full assumption that he wants to get all of his ducks in a row, and his story straight before I talk to the manager and owner.  I also requested a bill from the muffler place they took the truck to, to get the catalytic converter fixed.

What do you win, if you win?

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25978

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50 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

I had an issue with my car that nobody was able to figure out, until I took it to a dealer. They had it fixed in 45 minutes. The reason they knew what was wrong? Because they see that particular issue on my particular year/model of car several times per month. The scary thing is, it was the kind of thing you'd think was easy to diagnose -- something in the turbo was leaking, and it was venting into the engine compartment, so I was using all the gas and getting none of the power.

Also, you absolutely want to use OEM parts for certain things. Coolant and oil filters, for example. That just means you buy OEM parts and take 'em somewhere else (or use them yourself), but if you need that part today, you're going to be going to a dealer to get it.

Also also, this brand of fuckery isn't limited to dealerships. Jiffy Lube in particular makes dealers seem like straight-shooters. They will straight out fuck you with 100% bullshit "upsells" -- and then completely fail to actually replace your oil, or worse, fuck it up completely.

For non-warranty work that requires real time or an engine lift, I got a mechanic I like to use. I'm convinced his bloodstream is 3% coffee grounds and he has some odd ideas about aliens and the Great Pyramids, but he's cheap and doesn't bullshit about the car.

So, while avoid the dealer is a good general rule, it's not always avoidable and some of them aren't that horrible. 

That said, I don't even allow anyone else to change my oil. Again, it's something simple you'd think, but everyone else somehow manages to fuck up such a simple task, either by over-tightening the oil pan plug or forgetting to replace the washer or using the wrong goddamned oil...

Yep.  Nobody understands the problems with a particular model, especially a recent model, like the dealership.  And by "dealership", I'm referring to one that actually sells that make of vehicle. 

Edited by Gil Bang
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Rimbo

Rimbo 25985

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1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

Yep.  Nobody understands the problems with a particular model, especially a recent model, like the dealership.  And by "dealership", I'm referring to one that actually sells that make of vehicle. 

Yep. I mean, it was obvious to everyone the turbo was leaking somewhere. But we couldn't get it to happen if the car wasn't rolling; we couldn't just rev up the engine and hear where it was coming from -- there just wasn't enough exhaust pressure being generated to spin it up fast enough to cause the issue to occur. So anyone else would've had to spend quite some time trying to find the leak in the first place. This particular dealer was all, "Oh, another one of these, eh?"

(tl;dr, the pipe from the turbo to the intercooler would expand over time from heat)

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NeverMarryAStripper

NeverMarryAStripper 21907

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If the problem was that common to that model, then a little googling would identify it pretty easily.  There are plenty of brand specific forums on the web that contain a lot of good information.  I ran into a problem like that with my explorer.  A little reading on a ford explorer forum and I was pretty sure that I was running into the same problem that many owners were.  I took it to my independent mechanic and told him what I thought it was.  He confirmed it, and fixed it for much less than a dealer would have charged me.

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