80LS1T Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Well I have been turning wrenches "professionally" for 5+ years now. I am an ASE Master Tech and have a 2 year Associates Degree in Automotive Technology so I guess you could say I have some expertise in the automotive world. I would like to consider my self as a very good tech with a very good reputation but I always want to know more about cars and how they work. So there I was at work the other day and just thinking to myself if only people knew what really goes on at the dealership when your car is there being maintained or fixed, maybe just maybe they would appreciate what a good dealership does for them. First things first...not all dealerships are money hungry. Sure there are always exceptions to the rule. The first dealership I was at this was not the case. It was a Dodge dealership and for the most part the only thing that mattered was getting the customer to pay. They would oversell flushes and service like it was going out of style. I never really bought into all those services and only recommended what was really needed. The Nissan dealership that I am at now is just the opposite. We only recommend what the factory recommends for service/maintenance items. If any fluids look bad we test them if we can before we recommend service. This is the way it should be done. Tune-ups are done when the factory recommends it, not when we feel like it. Everyone seems to think that you can't bring your car to a dealership if it's been modified in anyway for fear of the warranty being voided. When I worked at Dodge this was not the case. We did not care what was done to the car. If you brought your Dodge 2500 Diesel in with a fuel/timing controller on it and the engine was blown, guess what...you got a new engine. It was money in the dealerships pocket so why do they care? Sure we would have made more money if the customer was paying but they probably would have just taken it down to "Joe's Fix It Shop" and had it done for less that we would have done it for. At the Nissan dealership I work at now we don't care either. Bring in your 350Z with a turbo on it. Check engine lights on for a failed O2 sensor, we wont say the turbo caused it, we'll just replace it. There are dealerships out there at will void your warranty but you should be able to figure out if the dealership your taking your car to one of them or not. Usually, the no pressure to buy stuff service writers are the ones would just don't care whats been done to your car. The one's who try to sell you everything under the sun while your in their shop service writers are the one's who are going to void your warranty, they only car about $$$! Not all mechanics are hacks. I have worked with my fair share of good and great mechanics. Then there are those hacks. I would say that 1 out of 3 mechancis is a hack. Guys who only care about what a job pays and how fast they can do are the ones who take short cuts where they shouldn't. This isn't the guy you want fixing anything on your car(especially if its electrical). The guys who are willing to take that extra 2 minutes to do the job right and not have the come back are the guys who you want working on your car. Sure those 2 minutes add up over a pay period but who cares, at least the car isn't coming back for something you should have done right the first time. The mechanic that will go for a ride with you so that you can show him what's wrong with your car is also someone you want fixing your car. I have worked with guys that refuse to ride with customers. These guys are lazy and just want to throw parts at your car until it's fixed. When a service writer tells you that we can not verify your concern it's not because we don't care, it's because your car either isn't doing what you said it was doing or we can not duplicate the concern. If your concern is really bothering you, go for a ride with the tech to show him what to do to make it do what your complaining about. This works out for everyone. Now for my do's and dont's list!! Do's.... *Do drop your car off if your have problems that may be hard to diagnose. If you wait around for it to be fixed the mechanic will be rushed to find the problem and it may not get fixed right. *Do show up on time. not early and not late...ON TIME. This is a huge problem. When you show up 30 minutes early/late you are taking time away from someone else's vehicle. I know you wouldn't want your vehicles time to be diagnosed to be rushed because someone else couldn't make their appointment on time! *Do bring small gifts. If you have some major working being done don't be afraid to bring in a box of cookies, no I'm not joking. I can't tell you how much of a difference this small gesture does for me as a tech and for the service writer. I know I think to myself, "wow that was nice, I really going to go the extra mile for this guy to make sure everything is in tip-top shape for this repair/service" When you do stuff like this it really puts a mental note in the service writers head to make sure that your car gets handled with extra care because you are showing him that your a nice guy/gal. Trust me on this! Donts.... *Don't assume that getting your oil changed at a dealership is too expensive. You really get what you pay for. When you take it to a dealership you get someone who works on your make/model every day, we know what goes wrong with your car pretty often and usually can alert you before it becomes a bigger problem. We also don't use aftermarket oil filters, only factory filters. *Don't bring your car in on a weekend. There are usually young inexperienced lube techs working. They are usually underpaid and really could care less about your car. This is when oil is not put in cars and when lug nuts are not tightened. Not only that but who really wants to be at work on Saturday? *Don't bring your attitude. This does nothing for you. You will piss off the service writer who in turn tells the tech who in turn does a half as job on your car. Case in point we had a customer who every time he had his car service he would say we wrecked something. We never did but he would find a small scratch or normal wear and tear on something and blame it on us. After replacing parts on his truck a few times we finally pulled the plug on his little parade and now we refuse to do warranty or maintance work on his vehicle. I'm not saying don't complain, just that if your going to don't raise your voice and swear. This will not get you anywhere. Talk it over with the service writer or service manager and get it handle like 2 adults. Not only does this usually work but next time you come it we won't think of you a an A-Hole! You know the old saying "you catch more bee's with honey than vinegar!" couldn't be more true! *Don't be the last appointment for the day. If they close at 5:00PM and your appointment is at 4:30pm, chances are that your car will be rushed because most guys want to get out of work on time. If you can't make until then because of work, schedule your car to be dropped off early in the day and have a shuttle come pick you up from work. Most dealerships have a shuttle service and it's free! Drop your car off before work and get a ride from the shuttle service and have them come pick you up after work. This greatly improves your likely hood of your car's work done properly. Nobody likes to be rushed! *Don't be afraid to ask questions about what is being done to your car. If you don't understand something the service writer is telling you ask more questions and have them "dumb it down" if they have to! They are there to answer questions, it's their job! That's all I can think of right now, but other tech's please feel free to chime in on more "dos and donts" Guy:biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X64v Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 That was a really good read, thank you. I always try to be a nice guy but wouldn't have thought of something like cookies or donuts for major service. Thanks for the tips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 That was a really good read, thank you. I always try to be a nice guy but wouldn't have thought of something like cookies or donuts for major service. Thanks for the tips. Same here. Didn't know that there was a shuttle service either, but I do know that there might be a chance that they might not have such a service. I know that some do offer loaners. Good advice. When I have work done, I usually expect it to take a couple days anyways, just in case, and make arrangements. Sometimes I do yell as someone because of something, but always clarify that its not them that I'm mad at, its just the frustration of being in that situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Purple240zt Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 If I had a car that the dealership would even touch, I would consider taking it there LOL. Nice writeup, your list is applicable to almost every side of the service industry. Your dead on about cookies etc.. When I was a car audio installer, we had a couple customers that I would literally bend over backwards for. They always did nice things for us, and really appreciated the work we did. A+ Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jknc90 Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 I work at an independent shop, not a dealership, but this goes for both. If you are having some type of work done that requires the techs to use access panels inside, try to have your car clean inside. I'm not saying it needs to be detailed, just not covered in trash. We had a BMW in there one day and we had to get to part of the evap system that was in the spare tire well, and the owner had trash, dishes, old food, books, clothes, everything in their trunk. It just makes it easier to work on and more likely to be done right because they work be frustrated before they even get to the repair aspect because they had to wade through your trash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tombarace14 Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Agreed Im a Hyundai/Mitsubishi tech and have been a tech far too long, but I can say without a doubt. A clean car, some cookies, or a personal thank you gos a long way. Some of my customers that only deal with me will do things like this. So when they spend good deal on money taking care of their car, I hand wash it myself! It goes to show if youre nice and easy going, your tech will go the extra mile for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannyvig Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Great write up. I have been working for Nissan for almost 5 years now and have definately seen ups and downs. I dont know how many people that I have met with a 350z that has the SES light on and wont bring it in because of an intake and exhaust. I don't care, most of the time I (the tech) will be the only one who knows this. And I do love getting treats. Once a guy brought about 25lbs of Egg Rolls from his restaurant for the whole dealership. Needless to say he is pretty much set on whatever he needs. One thing that sort of bugs me is cvustomers who hound me while I am trying to work. I know you are concerned about your car and want only the best but do not just stroll into the shop and start looking through my tool cart and stand there arms crossed seeking for a mistake. First off you are most likely not allowed into the shop and second that is rude. It is kinda nerve wracking to be looked down upon like that. I love it when someone carries a conversation with me while I work on their car but not when they scowl waiting for a slip up. I am fine speaking to you about your car in the lounge and I can escort you into the shop (with saftey glasses) and show you everything on your car. I will sit there and explain how something works or show you how to set the memory. I do not mind that at all. Also if you have wheel locks for the car toss them in the cup holder or somewhere obvious. I dont want to waste time searching through your car looking for it just as much as you dont want me to be going through everything. That is just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett76Zt Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Guy, so how do you find out if your local dealership is a "cool" one or not when it comes to voiding warranties due to Mods and whatnot? I mean it would be nice to just walk back into the garage, introduce yourself to the techs and ask them, but generally its just a service manager that you deal with . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Guy, so how do you find out if your local dealership is a "cool" one or not when it comes to voiding warranties due to Mods and whatnot? I mean it would be nice to just walk back into the garage, introduce yourself to the techs and ask them, but generally its just a service manager that you deal with . . . Good question. I would like to know as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Guy, so how do you find out if your local dealership is a "cool" one or not when it comes to voiding warranties due to Mods and whatnot? I mean it would be nice to just walk back into the garage, introduce yourself to the techs and ask them, but generally its just a service manager that you deal with . . . Well here's how I would go about finding out if your dealership is cool with mods... Let's say you own a 350Z and want to put an intake and exhaust on it. Take it in for an oil change and once it gets back in the shop, ask the service writer if its ok for you to go back and take a look under your car while it's up in the air. Once your in back by the tech, start asking questions about installing aftermarket accessories. If the tech seems cool with it ask him if he thinks the dealership will frown on these types of mods. If he says "oh god no we don't care, we'll fix anything" then you know your good to go. If he says "ehhh I don't know maybe...?" Then you might want to ask some other techs while your back there about installing mods. You can usually find a "young" tech who is really into cars and wants to do work like this(I'm that guy! LOL). Just try to get buddy buddy with one of the techs and your probably going to be good to go with the dealership. The techs usually know what goes and what doesn't go as far as mods and warranty. And they usually won't go tell there manager that your going to do "X" mod and that they should void your warranty. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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