Does Anybody Wonder Why I do My Own WorK ?
 

Well that sucks.... That is the dealer that my wife takes her car to.
Time to change!

The real issue/problem is that GM won't take any responsibility for the behavior of their dealers.

This gets national attention - such as on the Nightly News...or 60 minutes...I bet Chevy will change their tune.

With all the small guys who do great work (like Fast Fred) it's puzzling why folks use dealers so much.

:rolleyes:

dicks!!

Must be a dealer by dealer thing, in all the years I wrenched for GM I never saw anything like this. In fact things like road tests and etc were very strictly supervised. We had no monkey business that I remember ever. Everyone is so busy trying to make book that you don't normally have time to fool around.

We had a shag once that was stoned to the bejesus and backed a Deville out of my rack with the door open, but that was about the worst of it. No one even went after the liquor in the back of the limos.

For the most part I despise dealers but there are some good ones out there.

Was coming home from work one day and see a 190 SL coming the other way.

Spin around to catch up and chat with the guy.

He pulls into the big MB dealer down the street and drives straight into the shop.

I park and stroll in. Was a tech driving the car. Guy looks to be close to 70. There are 2 more 190's sitting there that he is working on.

The tech was solely dedicated to working on the older cars.

Was quite impressed that a dealer would make that effort to service 40-50 year old vehicles.

My worst dealer experiences have been with Ford and GM. But generally speaking they all suck in my experience. I'm sure there's some good ones out there, I just haven't been to them.

BTW, haven't businesses figured out yet that the internet makes it much harder to screw consumers? Especially on big ticket items such as cars that are consumers are likely to research.

This story is really making National news...hoping for a great turn out for the Camaro's owner.

Don't just leave. Call to make an appt. Then 5 minutes after you appt. starts, call them and tell them why you're not bringing your car in.

Wow, a quick search indicates this thing has gone viral, and good! Looks like they've even taken down their facebook page. Hah, serves them right!

Why does anyone go to a dealer for non-warranty work? I'll never understand it.

By coincidence, a family member phoned me today to ask how my wife likes her Kia. I told them our experience with the car, and then told them why to steer clear of that dealer. If my family member decides on a Kia, you can bet your arse it will not come from that dealer.


Rick - my wife goes there (or used to) because the dealer runs loss-leader oil change specials that are below the cost of me buying the oil and filter for a DIY job.

Same for me. Our 180k km 2001 Odyssey goes to the dealership for oil changes. It came with a coupon book with tons of $10 off coupons - costs me under $50 including tax for an oil and filter change. It would cost me at least $40-45 for oil and filter if I bought it myself, so for someone to do it for me for an extra $5, yeah, I'll pay that. Funny, I enjoy even routine maintenance on the 911, but I have no desire to get underneath the van.

I had a Ford dealership suction power steering fluid out of my little sister-in-law's Mercury and tell her that the pump was shot. I had checked all fluids the day prior so I knew it was full, I refilled the fluid and all was well. Same dealership also left her dome light on, drained the battery, then tried to sell her a new one. After a jump the battery was fine.

POS no good scumbags trying to take advantage of a teenage girl. THAT is why I do my own work, even if it costs me MORE than taking it somewhere. People suck.....

I took my e46 to the stealer when the battery was dying, thinking it was covered under the CPO warranty. After they had the keys, they said batteries were not covered. So I asked for the car back. The guy was incredulous. I said I'd go get a battery at AutoZone and put it in myself. He said batteries and brakes were the two things I should ever ever consider going aftermarket. I told him BMW doesn't make their own batteries or brakes and laughed, took my keys and left.

People like that give people like me a bad name.

How can you tell that their names were Rick?

Sorry, could not help myself.

Are you including the cost of a new clutch in that comparison?

A Camaro clutch here and there are what pays for those cheap oil changes!

Based on the updates at the bottom of the page, looks like GM has had a change of heart and bought back the Camero. It's amazing to me the service manager or the general manager didn't take care of this immediately so they'll reap what they sow. People already distrust dealerships and anytime the media gets wind of a story like this, it takes off like a wildfire.....Ray Charles could have seen this coming.

UPDATE 1: General Motors says in a statement that if the recording is valid it does not condone the behavior described, and that it is "actively working closely with the dealer to resolve this situation to the customer's satisfaction."

UPDATE 2: According to Clark, the dealership has bought back the Camaro at a price somewhat above its value, and any proceeds from the transaction will be donated to charitable causes.

GM should revoke their dealership agreement, IMO.



Dealership in Camaro-thrashing story buys back car from satisfied owner
Motoramic – 2 hours 17 minutes ago

South Carolina resident William Clark's standoff with a dealership he accused of abusing his 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS while in for service has ended in a settlement, with Clark and the dealership saying the Camaro was bought back and that the profits will be donated to charity. But judging by the feedback he received -- and we as well -- Clark's story hit a nerve.

Best Chevrolet of Easley, S.C., says in a statement to Motoramic that the Camaro will be auctioned for the March of Dimes. For his part, Clark says the dealership bought the Camaro back at more than Blue Book value -- with Clark saying his proceeds will also be donated to charity.

But Best Chevrolet also offers a defense of sorts to Clark's secret recording, which an attorney for the dealership had called "misleadlingly edited" and pushed to have taken down. While Clark captured tire-squealing driving by the technicians at Best Chevrolet and their discussion of making him pay for a new clutch, the dealership contends Clark drove the Camaro just as hard once it was in his possession.

"A car of that style needs to be driven hard to test for the problem he stated. It is a high performance car and is not likely to be damaged in such a way," the dealership said in a statement. "In his own words, his vehicle already had been damaged at another location."

Indeed, Clark did say another dealership had damaged the Camaro at some point -- which is why he hid an audio recorder in the door pocket. After getting into a standoff with the dealership that nearly escalated to a lawsuit, Clark says the dealer's buyback offer was generous, and he has taken the audio off YouTube.

Judging by the nearly 4,000 comments on our story and emails to Motoramic, Clark isn't alone. Untangling mechanical problems with a car can be a fraught process for both sides; one look at the Reddit thread of "Just rolled into the shop" provides a glimpse of how some owners abuse and neglect their vehicles for years. The tough economy has made people more likely to hold onto their old clunkers, leading to more fights at the service desk over what's urgent versus what's affordable.

Instead of secretly recording every person who touches your car, we'd suggest doing some extensive vetting before taking your ride into a shop; many sites offer reviews of dealerships and independent mechanics, not to mention the Better Business Bureau. It's better than spinning your wheels after the fact.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/8uc2slg



So, Best Chevrolet's defense is twofold. A) that their mechanics should be allowed to drive the piss out of the car because the owner has also driven it hard, and (B) that a high performance car NEEDS to be driven that hard to find the problem.

Really?