I had stuck with the dealer because they gave me free oil changes for life, and I\u2019ve used the same service manager the entire time. He even happened to show up at a gig I was doing once, and he\u2019s been a big fan of a friend\u2019s band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when a new company bought the dealership, I only found out that the new ownership ended my free oil changes for life after I brought my car there and when I went to pay, it wasn\u2019t free. I think that\u2019s cheap and lame. It doesn\u2019t cost them that much and it kept me going there. I\u2019ve also realized the service guy wasn\u2019t as useful as he should have been. The last time I brought the car in for my annual visit (I don\u2019t drive much), it was only after I was there and the tech looked at the car that the service guy came over and said I was due for two other services. I said okay, which had me there for hours longer than I initially planned. If I had known that beforehand, I would have dropped the car off and gotten them to give me a loaner or a ride home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A couple of days later, I couldn\u2019t start my car. There\u2019s a switch on the clutch that prevents starting unless you have the clutch pedal pushed in. It had failed a couple of years ago, and it failed again. The first switch lasted 15 years, the replacement lasted two. When I brought it in to be fixed, I told him I wanted to know why. I understand it\u2019s out of warranty from the two year old repair, but why didn\u2019t the new part last another 15 years? Then the service guy tells me that the tech tells him I\u2019m due for a couple of other regular services, neither of which they mentioned last time, two days\/35 miles ago. And when they fixed the switch, they didn\u2019t have any answer why the part failed. I was pretty pissed at that point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of the services they said I was due for, I looked up and they were right. But why didn\u2019t the service guy catch all of those when I called initially? Why didn\u2019t the first tech tell him about the second two the first time? I put all of those on the service guy. When I called him for my annual visits, I\u2019d always ask him what I\u2019m due for. Then he\u2019s telling me he wants all tens or whatever when I get surveys about the visits, and even though I report that he\u2019s good and I like him, anything less than a ten reflects on him anyway. Well, that\u2019s not my problem that the company does it that way. And frankly, I\u2019m tired of businesses begging for reviews. I might give them to small ones that need my help, but definitely not some conglomerate-owned one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had been a mostly happy customer for all these years. There was one time when I brought the car in and it needed more service that would take another but I had a loaner, then I had to chase the service guy on the phone to find out what was up and when it would be ready. IIRC, when I got him he told me it was ready. Why did I have to chase him for that? But, I chalked it up to him being busy or one of those things. Also, one of the last times I was there, a lady at the desk behind him seemed to be talking to an angry customer who was telling her they wouldn\u2019t be dealing with that service guy anymore. The service guy was telling the lady \u201cI explained to them this\u201d and \u201cI told them about that\u201d but it seems like this service guy isn\u2019t so great after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today I had a small problem with my car where the brake lights were stuck on. I brought it to a local shop and the guy comes back and says, your brake lights are fine, they\u2019re not on.\u201d \u201cHuh?\u201d He was like, “I fixed it, I’m not charging you for that. It was just a little piece I had to put in there to make it work again.\u201d Thanks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think I know where I\u2019m getting my car serviced the next time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I had stuck with the dealer because they gave me free oil changes for life, and I\u2019ve used the same service manager the entire time. He even happened to show up at a gig I was doing once, and he\u2019s been a big fan of a friend\u2019s band. But when a new company bought the … <\/p>\n