Creeper
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Warning: This is a long detailed rant about my car dealer trying to rip me off!
Is there such a thing as a car dealer service department that is reliable, honest, and fair priced?
If you read my post about my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee you know why I am asking?
I have had a few escapades with my Jeep dealer but this last one has me ready to explode.
A month ago I got in my car and started it. I heard an awful noise from the engine compartment. It was like a rubbing thumping noise almost like a fan belts was pulling on a pully of a seized compressor or steering pump. I shut off the car opened the hood to see what was up. I didn't see any smoke or belt abrasions so I closed the hood and started the car again. This time there was no sound so I pulled out of my driveway and drove to the store. On the way back a warning messaged appeared on my dashboard display. "Air Suspension System needs immediate servicing". Some SUVs have suspension systems that raise and lower the body of the car as you drive and park for convenience and to lower air resistance. A small air compressor pumps air into the shocks to make this happen.
Since this sounded like a dealer issue I called local dealers to make an appointment to bring my Jeep in for servicing. One dealer had no appointments until late November! The other said they could get me in October 21, which was 3 weeks from when I called. I took the earlier appointment but should have realized there was a reason this dealer had an earlier appointment. Anyway, I brought the car in last Thursday as scheduled.
That night they called me back to tell me they could not look at my car until the next day. I said fine. The next afternoon, Friday at 3:30pm, they called me to tell me they put my car on the computer and there is something wrong with the Air Suspension system but they couldn't tell me what. No poop Sherlock! They needed to run more diagnostics but wouldn't get to it until Monday. They told me I could come get my car and bring it back Monday. I told them keep it because I feared if I took it back they would start working on other cars before they got to mine. In retrospect, I should have taken my car back and kept it.
Monday they called me back to tell me they found a problem in my rear brakes. They needed to fix it before they test drove the car which they needed to do while the computer was hooked up to their analyzer because this is what would tell them what was wrong with the car. The problem, they said, is one rear wheel was sticking and they were concerned it would seize up while they were driving it. They had to take the wheel off to figure out the issue. But they could not diagnose the suspension problem until they fixed the wheel.
I get another call back later that day with some nonspecific BS about my emergency brake, rotors, this that and the other thing and it would cost me $995 to fix. I told them I had new brake pads and rotors installed only 2500 miles ago so it is not possible I needed new rotors. And if I did then I would take the car to the guy who installed them and have him replace them. I know when I had them replaced they were new because I checked them out when I got the car back from him. I got out the receipt to show the exact mileage when the rear brakes were done. In fact, my Jeep dealer replaced my rear rotors only 18,000 miles ago. So the service guy told me okay but they still needed to fix the problem with the wheel sticking and that would require some parts which would take 2 days to get.
Today, I get a call that the parts are in and they would fix the rear wheel sticking. That was this morning. By the afternoon I get another call about bad ABS tune rings, whatever that is, and they were missing teeth and needed to be replaced for $401. Oh, and they think I should replace my rotors because they are rusty and pitted. Again I told them no. I will take the car back to the guy who sold me those rotors. So now my bill is almost $1400 without new rotors and they still have not looked at what is wrong with my air suspension system. I suspect that problem is the compressor crapped out and it will cost $2000 to $2500 to replace.
So now I am looking at possibly $4500 in repairs for a car that might be worth $8000 as a trade-in on a new car. $10,000 if I sell it myself.
Needless to say I am done with this dealer. And I am done with Jeep. I would buy a Yugo before I would buy another Jeep and all because this dealer is, IMO a crook- and Jeep allows it. But when I talk to my friend about their experiences with other makes of car they tell me similar horror stories.
I read somewhere that dealers make much more money on servicing their cars than they do selling them. I can understand how this is possible.
Is there such a thing as a car dealer service department that is reliable, honest, and fair priced?
If you read my post about my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee you know why I am asking?
I have had a few escapades with my Jeep dealer but this last one has me ready to explode.
A month ago I got in my car and started it. I heard an awful noise from the engine compartment. It was like a rubbing thumping noise almost like a fan belts was pulling on a pully of a seized compressor or steering pump. I shut off the car opened the hood to see what was up. I didn't see any smoke or belt abrasions so I closed the hood and started the car again. This time there was no sound so I pulled out of my driveway and drove to the store. On the way back a warning messaged appeared on my dashboard display. "Air Suspension System needs immediate servicing". Some SUVs have suspension systems that raise and lower the body of the car as you drive and park for convenience and to lower air resistance. A small air compressor pumps air into the shocks to make this happen.
Since this sounded like a dealer issue I called local dealers to make an appointment to bring my Jeep in for servicing. One dealer had no appointments until late November! The other said they could get me in October 21, which was 3 weeks from when I called. I took the earlier appointment but should have realized there was a reason this dealer had an earlier appointment. Anyway, I brought the car in last Thursday as scheduled.
That night they called me back to tell me they could not look at my car until the next day. I said fine. The next afternoon, Friday at 3:30pm, they called me to tell me they put my car on the computer and there is something wrong with the Air Suspension system but they couldn't tell me what. No poop Sherlock! They needed to run more diagnostics but wouldn't get to it until Monday. They told me I could come get my car and bring it back Monday. I told them keep it because I feared if I took it back they would start working on other cars before they got to mine. In retrospect, I should have taken my car back and kept it.
Monday they called me back to tell me they found a problem in my rear brakes. They needed to fix it before they test drove the car which they needed to do while the computer was hooked up to their analyzer because this is what would tell them what was wrong with the car. The problem, they said, is one rear wheel was sticking and they were concerned it would seize up while they were driving it. They had to take the wheel off to figure out the issue. But they could not diagnose the suspension problem until they fixed the wheel.
I get another call back later that day with some nonspecific BS about my emergency brake, rotors, this that and the other thing and it would cost me $995 to fix. I told them I had new brake pads and rotors installed only 2500 miles ago so it is not possible I needed new rotors. And if I did then I would take the car to the guy who installed them and have him replace them. I know when I had them replaced they were new because I checked them out when I got the car back from him. I got out the receipt to show the exact mileage when the rear brakes were done. In fact, my Jeep dealer replaced my rear rotors only 18,000 miles ago. So the service guy told me okay but they still needed to fix the problem with the wheel sticking and that would require some parts which would take 2 days to get.
Today, I get a call that the parts are in and they would fix the rear wheel sticking. That was this morning. By the afternoon I get another call about bad ABS tune rings, whatever that is, and they were missing teeth and needed to be replaced for $401. Oh, and they think I should replace my rotors because they are rusty and pitted. Again I told them no. I will take the car back to the guy who sold me those rotors. So now my bill is almost $1400 without new rotors and they still have not looked at what is wrong with my air suspension system. I suspect that problem is the compressor crapped out and it will cost $2000 to $2500 to replace.
So now I am looking at possibly $4500 in repairs for a car that might be worth $8000 as a trade-in on a new car. $10,000 if I sell it myself.
Needless to say I am done with this dealer. And I am done with Jeep. I would buy a Yugo before I would buy another Jeep and all because this dealer is, IMO a crook- and Jeep allows it. But when I talk to my friend about their experiences with other makes of car they tell me similar horror stories.
I read somewhere that dealers make much more money on servicing their cars than they do selling them. I can understand how this is possible.
