trashed my engine? oil everywhere!
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From: texas
dealer
ok guys i have read this post from page one. i have been a dc dealer tech for 23 years now and i agree with hounddog you would be amazed at what dc or the dealer will pay for or warranty. over my years i have rebuilt many a trans or a diff on a truck with mods and it some were obvious ABUSE. i have also seen dc void a few warrantys due to modifications. i myself dont mind at all fixing them i get paid and we keep a customer. you should see some of the new jeep rubicans i repair . 35 inch tires and sides all bashed from rock crawling . blown front axle ujoints clutches and trannys and ring and pinion 's stripped or teeth missing and we fix them no questions asked. i guess when they ( the owner) see the comercial of the jeep on top of the mountain the figure they drove it up there
. i asked our zone tech rep before i bought my new 600 ctd ram about adding a box and he replied that an add on does not VOID the WARRANTY unless we prove it was what CAUSED the damage. we have dealers selling trucks with boxes installed by the dealer . just my 2 cents worth.
d12
. i asked our zone tech rep before i bought my new 600 ctd ram about adding a box and he replied that an add on does not VOID the WARRANTY unless we prove it was what CAUSED the damage. we have dealers selling trucks with boxes installed by the dealer . just my 2 cents worth.d12
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From: Ila georgia
Lots of service writers,service managers are not very business astute.They would rather fight then go with the flo.Lots of FACTORY reps know,sometimes suggest to put the blinders on and some when they suggest this say I don't wanna know but take care of it.Sometimes it dosen't seem fair and others its deserved.I had a Gran Cherokee come in with 113k and some complaints.Had NOT been in our shop(from the looks of it NOT any shop)since 80k.Needed a slew of things.oil leaks,water pump,pinion seal,belts,tune,rear trans seal etc.I gave them a LIST.They said I HAD a FACTORY extended breakdown policy and mark the items that WOULD have been covered.I did.The NEXT day I get a call from D.C.Someone from the 1800-992-1997 no help line.They said TAKE a $100 deduct and ALL the items that would have been covered FIX and run it under the EXPIRED policy.Oh well I said OK but how do YOU ALL come up with THIS.Seems ones that REALLY need it you ALL say NO and ones that DON"T maintain a auto you WANT to help.No rythime or reason sometimes.BUT those folkes did BUY a $1000 worth of MAINTANCE also.bewtten that and the items D.C. paid for it was a GOOD ticket.So what the hay.Obvious MODS that caused a failure or obvious ABUSE is differant.But if POSSABLER give the CUSTOMER the benifit of doudt and MAKE SOME MONEY instead of being a *** and MAKE NOTHING but a irate/pixx off truck or car owner.D.C. and ALL the others are AWARE.The WORST is some JAP manufactures.Isuzu plays hard *** a lot.
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There are good dealers and bad dealers. Bottom line is if CCOUGHRAN can get repairs warranteed more power to him. I will never let DC touch my truck. When I had a Ford PSD I would not let them maintain it, fix it, or touch it either. I don't trust any of the dealers, if you do that is your problem, you are headed into a lions den. They are there to hose customers, that is how they make money, get real folks. I am going to pay whatever they want for a new truck if I can afford. To say that we are all going to pay for someone elses repairs in the future price of a new truck is rediculous. We are going to pay the market price. What Joe Smith gets warranteed has no impact on my future truck price. If they want 50K and I think it's worth it I will pay, if not, I won't. I am not naive enough to think I am dealing with a manufacturer that backs up his product. I waited to MOD my last truck and regretted it. Buy it, BOMB it, and drive it, I am not worried if DC will warranty it or not because I wouldn't trust those guys to fix a light bulb in my trouble light while I worked on my truck. I'll fix it and pay for it. The dealers can go screw. If they warranty the repairs on his truck then he should let them do their job and be on his way, he should not have to kiss their EDIT to get them to do their jobs. If they do not warranty it then he knows what not to do next time. He'll know not to count on a worthless warranty from dealers. JMHO
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From: Ila georgia
Well I had a HUGe customer base.Folks that would not dream of letting a independent work on their auto/truck or do it themselves.Years ago I worked next to a ld G.M. service advisor that had THREE GENERATIONS of customers seeing him.Friends and family sent friends and family.Customer loyalty did have some bearing and how far we would help push out of warranty repairs.Some reps ASK are they a GOOD customer or did they just blow in hopeing for a freebie.Had a OLD car man(had beenin the business 50 plus years)tell me once.That a DEALERSHIP maintained auto is hands down more sound then the best independent maintained auto.Over the years I found this to be very true.
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I agree with both sides of the story. The only problem is that it's getting considerably harder to find a good dealer that cares about customer service and loyalty. I'm 19 so it's even harder to get respect out of these guys. I could tell yall several stories of experiences of when I brought the truck in for warranty and when my dad did. I've been to 3 different dealerships in 3 different towns. With the little bit of experience I've had with the one here in College Station, they seem alright. We'll see what happens when I need some warranty work. I had one dealership say my fuel pump and stainless lines caused my cruise control to stop working and that the truck surged. When I asked to talk to the guy who actually worked on the truck, he was taking his 3rd lunch of the day. I let my dad take it in to a different dealer, I had it back in 3 days problem fixed no questions asked. That same dealer (the one my dad took it to for the cruise control problem) said my fuel pressure gauge killed my stock lift pump. I ended up jumping down the managers throat and threatened him with a lawyer and the magnuson-moss act to get a freaking fuel pump changed. Now come on. I shouldn't have to put up with that. I'm sure there are good dealers out there (the local chevy dealers are pretty cool), I just haven't found any. And don't say it's because I'm 19. I should get the same respect and treatment as a 50 year old especially since I'm gonna be buying a new truck later on down the road and you can guarantee that I will remember how that dealer treated me and that will influence my decision.
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From: Ila georgia
Not to offend you or anyone and you may be mature but my personal experiance is thats not usually the case.I found young working women easier and more mature to deal with then young men.Lots of the young men I deldt with over the years wanted t be know it all jerks and drove advisors nuts.Not all but a lot.Just my obversations of the years.They also tinkered and screwd with a lot of THINGS.The rice rocket crowd for the most part are a pain.
Thats MR Hoss to you buddy!
Joined: Jul 2001
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From: Central Texas
Wow...this thread has turned hostile. 
Here's the bottom line the way I see it. If you are going to modify your truck then you need to be willing to pay for repairs if your mods mess something up. Certainly you can try to convince the dealership to pay for it, but you cannot expect them to cover the costs of repairs caused directly (or indirectly) by your mods.
Put yourself in their shoes. If you design a truck and offer a warranty on it and then the buyer goes and changes everything....would YOU want to pay for the repairs for the damage that their changes caused?? I think not.
On the other hand, dealers have an obligation to do their due diligence in determining what the problem is and what caused it. They shouldn't automatically void your warranty if they raise the hood and see an Edge EZ stuck to the top of your fuse box.
Here's the bottom line the way I see it. If you are going to modify your truck then you need to be willing to pay for repairs if your mods mess something up. Certainly you can try to convince the dealership to pay for it, but you cannot expect them to cover the costs of repairs caused directly (or indirectly) by your mods.
Put yourself in their shoes. If you design a truck and offer a warranty on it and then the buyer goes and changes everything....would YOU want to pay for the repairs for the damage that their changes caused?? I think not.
On the other hand, dealers have an obligation to do their due diligence in determining what the problem is and what caused it. They shouldn't automatically void your warranty if they raise the hood and see an Edge EZ stuck to the top of your fuse box.
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Hounddog,
Can't say I agree with you about the maintenance between individual and dealer maintained vehicles. I do agree there are probably good dealers out there, but I haven't found any yet. I have called the one I bought mine from in Sanford, NC for a few very small problems and could tell right off the bat that I was wasting my time. For instance, sidewall separation. They told me to take it to Goodyear. Well, I didn't buy the truck from Goodyear I bought it from Dodge. The tires only had 20K on them and were coming apart. I wasn't looking for a handout, but at least pro-rating would have been nice. Here's another example. In the winter we had a bad snow storm and I had it in 4X4, no trailer. The tranny guage was installed and it was colder than a witches you know what out. The trans temp light kept coming on the dash and the truck would automatically go into limp mode and downshift. The answer I got from the service manager was that once the tranny temp hits 180 degrees the light comes on and your truck is in the limp mode, nothing you can do about it. If that is correct then I have been driving my truck in the limp mode for the last 20K since whenever I hook a load it gets over 180 in about 15 minutes. What I am saying is the folks at the dealers have about as much knowledge as the guys that work at the Wal-mart auto service department and they know as much about vehicles as the lady serving hot dogs and pretzels in the food court.
You aswered your own question about getting treated different because you are 19. You bet you will, it's just their crappy attitudes at most dealerships. I have a friend that sold me my truck and he was a new salesman and has bought a few vehicles from me so I returned the favor, he's a good guy. That's the only thing I like doing at a dealer buying a new vehicle. After that I won't have anything to do with them.
As far as a good Chevy dealer, there might be one out there and I might even consider using them if they sold new Cummins Diesels!!
Can't say I agree with you about the maintenance between individual and dealer maintained vehicles. I do agree there are probably good dealers out there, but I haven't found any yet. I have called the one I bought mine from in Sanford, NC for a few very small problems and could tell right off the bat that I was wasting my time. For instance, sidewall separation. They told me to take it to Goodyear. Well, I didn't buy the truck from Goodyear I bought it from Dodge. The tires only had 20K on them and were coming apart. I wasn't looking for a handout, but at least pro-rating would have been nice. Here's another example. In the winter we had a bad snow storm and I had it in 4X4, no trailer. The tranny guage was installed and it was colder than a witches you know what out. The trans temp light kept coming on the dash and the truck would automatically go into limp mode and downshift. The answer I got from the service manager was that once the tranny temp hits 180 degrees the light comes on and your truck is in the limp mode, nothing you can do about it. If that is correct then I have been driving my truck in the limp mode for the last 20K since whenever I hook a load it gets over 180 in about 15 minutes. What I am saying is the folks at the dealers have about as much knowledge as the guys that work at the Wal-mart auto service department and they know as much about vehicles as the lady serving hot dogs and pretzels in the food court.
You aswered your own question about getting treated different because you are 19. You bet you will, it's just their crappy attitudes at most dealerships. I have a friend that sold me my truck and he was a new salesman and has bought a few vehicles from me so I returned the favor, he's a good guy. That's the only thing I like doing at a dealer buying a new vehicle. After that I won't have anything to do with them.
As far as a good Chevy dealer, there might be one out there and I might even consider using them if they sold new Cummins Diesels!!
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Originally posted by gdh11
.....What I am saying is the folks at the dealers have about as much knowledge as the guys that work at the Wal-mart auto service department and they know as much about vehicles as the lady serving hot dogs and pretzels in the food court....
.....What I am saying is the folks at the dealers have about as much knowledge as the guys that work at the Wal-mart auto service department and they know as much about vehicles as the lady serving hot dogs and pretzels in the food court....
I added that to my dealer tech quote list. It's not the best one I've heard, but in the top five. We get a chuckle out of these at work. Maybe I'll make it my signature !
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From: texas
dealers
hey gdh11 try pep boys maybe they could be better than the pertzel lady at walmart . your the kind of customer i DONT want pulling up on my service drive. you are probably also the guy that pulls up and asks to look at a service manual so you can go home and fix it yourself wich i dont mind because i know i will see it come back in on a WRECKER to get what the customer screwed up repaired. remember guys there is a big difference between sales men ,service advisors and trained techs.
d12
. your the kind of customer i DONT want pulling up on my service drive. you are probably also the guy that pulls up and asks to look at a service manual so you can go home and fix it yourself wich i dont mind because i know i will see it come back in on a WRECKER to get what the customer screwed up repaired. remember guys there is a big difference between sales men ,service advisors and trained techs.d12
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are you implying that only service techs can work on cars and that they're better than everyone else? 
I can't tell you how many Ford techs I know that ask ME for technical assistance!! LMAO!!!
Forrest <-- been messin' w/ fords since I was a kid
a car is a car and a truck is a truck... it's a motor, a tranny, a differential or two, and some wiring... if you understand one of 'em, you understand all of 'em
I can't tell you how many Ford techs I know that ask ME for technical assistance!! LMAO!!!
Forrest <-- been messin' w/ fords since I was a kid
a car is a car and a truck is a truck... it's a motor, a tranny, a differential or two, and some wiring... if you understand one of 'em, you understand all of 'em
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Durango12,
I wouldn't want to appear to be coming across persoanally but since you took it to heart I must be onto something. I couldn't stand it if someone that works at a dealership had their feelings hurt. But, here's a few more examples, to backup my point.
About a year ago I had a 99 Ford F-250 PSD that I had bought new, after I got over 150K I put bigger tires on and wanted the dealership to recalibrate the computer to get the speedometer accurate. Got the revolution count for them to make it easy. After talking to two techs and a service writer that couldn't figure out what the he(( I was talking about I asked to see the Service Manager, "I'm sorry sir that work can't be done, there's just no way to do it." One guy was crawling all over my truck getting the mileage to see if it was still under warranty even after I told him it was not warranty work. The truck had 150K+ on it at the time, obviously out of warranty. I must have been there on training day?! I asked them all to step away and I will be on my way, never to return. Ordered and installed a tru-speed in less than an hour and dialed it in with a GPS. You guys just don't like informed customers and when you say something you cannot admit that you are wrong, there is just no way a customer could know something that you don't, right?
Then theres the tech at Ford in Sanford, NC that told me that I shouldn't run propane on a diesel and if I did I would blow it up. Been running LP since 00 and haven't blown anything up yet. Run it all of the time.
Another friend took her minivan a Honda Odessey(sp?) in because her check engine light came on, van had 85K. They scanned it and said it was a transmission code and it needed to be rebuilt - cost to her only $5000, or she could trade it in since they had a nice selection of new ones. Here van is a 98 model, I could buy another van for around $5000 for her.
I hear stories like this constantly and it all goes back to what said before. You guys are in business to rip people off, you're fishing for idiots. I am not making these stories up, they are hard to believe. It's also hard to believe you guys are serious. I can go on with more but why bother? From my experiences at dealerships I will take my chances on doing my own work to my truck. If I screw it up or the job is over my head then I will take it to an independant mechanic that I trust and pay him, it will never go to a dealership. In my mind I KNOW that everyone that works at a dealership has no intention of doing the right thing, whether you are looking or not. Even asking advice from the dealership is worse than going to PEP boys. I have a real problem having someone that makes less per year than my truck is worth do any work to it. Thats how little I think of folks that work at dealerships. The ones I have met are about as good as the people at McDonalds that cant take your order right at the drive through and give you a Fish Fillet when you order a Big Mac. Don't get too twisted, there are plenty of idiots that think you guys are the bomb and will continue to go to a dealership for service & repair. They'll pull their pants down, bend over and walk in backwards. Don't fret your jobs are very secure. Just my opinion. Have a good day working at the dealership.
I wouldn't want to appear to be coming across persoanally but since you took it to heart I must be onto something. I couldn't stand it if someone that works at a dealership had their feelings hurt. But, here's a few more examples, to backup my point.
About a year ago I had a 99 Ford F-250 PSD that I had bought new, after I got over 150K I put bigger tires on and wanted the dealership to recalibrate the computer to get the speedometer accurate. Got the revolution count for them to make it easy. After talking to two techs and a service writer that couldn't figure out what the he(( I was talking about I asked to see the Service Manager, "I'm sorry sir that work can't be done, there's just no way to do it." One guy was crawling all over my truck getting the mileage to see if it was still under warranty even after I told him it was not warranty work. The truck had 150K+ on it at the time, obviously out of warranty. I must have been there on training day?! I asked them all to step away and I will be on my way, never to return. Ordered and installed a tru-speed in less than an hour and dialed it in with a GPS. You guys just don't like informed customers and when you say something you cannot admit that you are wrong, there is just no way a customer could know something that you don't, right?
Then theres the tech at Ford in Sanford, NC that told me that I shouldn't run propane on a diesel and if I did I would blow it up. Been running LP since 00 and haven't blown anything up yet. Run it all of the time.
Another friend took her minivan a Honda Odessey(sp?) in because her check engine light came on, van had 85K. They scanned it and said it was a transmission code and it needed to be rebuilt - cost to her only $5000, or she could trade it in since they had a nice selection of new ones. Here van is a 98 model, I could buy another van for around $5000 for her.
I hear stories like this constantly and it all goes back to what said before. You guys are in business to rip people off, you're fishing for idiots. I am not making these stories up, they are hard to believe. It's also hard to believe you guys are serious. I can go on with more but why bother? From my experiences at dealerships I will take my chances on doing my own work to my truck. If I screw it up or the job is over my head then I will take it to an independant mechanic that I trust and pay him, it will never go to a dealership. In my mind I KNOW that everyone that works at a dealership has no intention of doing the right thing, whether you are looking or not. Even asking advice from the dealership is worse than going to PEP boys. I have a real problem having someone that makes less per year than my truck is worth do any work to it. Thats how little I think of folks that work at dealerships. The ones I have met are about as good as the people at McDonalds that cant take your order right at the drive through and give you a Fish Fillet when you order a Big Mac. Don't get too twisted, there are plenty of idiots that think you guys are the bomb and will continue to go to a dealership for service & repair. They'll pull their pants down, bend over and walk in backwards. Don't fret your jobs are very secure. Just my opinion. Have a good day working at the dealership.
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From: Ila georgia
I know or have come acros a LOT of techs and Service advisors in 25 years in dealers.your correct about a lot are no better then pep boys PEP boys or WALLMART.BUT there are LOTS out there that have been working on those SAME products year after year for a LONG time.I know TECHS at dealers that can CLEAN house on the TOTAL auto/truck from the headliner to the valve stem.I know middle of the road dealer techs that have got more hands on and knowledge about the product liner they work on then the BEST independent tech you can come up with.Service advisors also.I did Datusn/Nissan 15 years and ate,lived and slept them.Some of the techs I worked with did the same.I worked in a Pontiac dealer that had TECHS that had GROWN sons working beside them and when they started they wern't even married!I bet some of those FORD techs after the 6.0 KNOW were every bolt/groumett etc is on those trucks blindfolded! My old shop foreman is at a Nissan store in a town near me.He did BRITISH/LEYLAND(mg's/trumphs)for 15 years and Datsun since 1971.He can take a 300 or a sentra and clean house on one no matter WANTS wrong in short order.The problem is is finding those pros in a sea of half asses.Brand NEW model years with BIG changes give all of THEM fits for a while.Thats a given.Then it becomes OLD HAT.I will stand that a GOOD REGULAR dealership maintained auto is always in better condition then a independent maintained car.Just like a GOOD MERCEDES customer or VOLVO customer wants it FIXED.From window welts or oil seepage etc.Its just hard to find the PROS.Even more so it seems in the last 10 years.I got a 1985 Chev.Caprice Classic with 211k as of last night that needs NOTHING.Its been maintained at the Caddy dealer my wife has written service at for 11 years.Not a AFTERMARKET part on it.Even the window felts are less then 18 months old.7 techs their have got 10 plus years in.3 have 15 plus.In the late 80s through the early 90s I wrote 550k to 600k worth of parts and labor a year and scanned evey TSB and recall that was printed as they came out.I didn't give a rat were it was bought or if Warranty/Internal/customer pay/insurance just fix it and PAY US.That was the hard part most of the time.I could tell you all some stories about CAR and PEOPLE.I seen them(cars/trucks)shot,rolled/sunk/wrecked/full of drugs/hidden weapons/porno/interiors destroyed by racoons/great stuff explosions in the summer heat/wiring harness's melted from taillight to headlight and it goes on and on.They all got REPAIRED!
