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Re: Anyone buy a new GM?
#101334 07/13/05 12:44 AM
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axiomite
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I learned something, one time, when I hung around the dealer and watched him work on my car. I was in the waiting room, and watched, intermittently, through a window in the door leading to the service bays.

When I pulled my car in for service, I noticed a sign saying something like "Any part of an hour will count as a full hour of labor," or something similar. Being naive, I assumed, and I wager most folks assumed, that meant that if the mechanic worked on my car for an hour and a half, I'd be charged for two hours. OK, I'll buy that.

As I watched, I noticed that the mechanic worked on my car for 15 minutes, then a different car for 15 minutes, another for 15 minutes, and a 4th for 15 minutes. This went on for 4 hours. When my car was done, I was charged for 4 hours of labor, and so were 3 other poor suckers. 4 hours of work; 16 hours of billing charged. Nice business.


Jack

"People generally quarrel because they cannot argue." - G. K. Chesterton
Re: Anyone buy a new GM?
#101335 07/13/05 01:44 AM
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If I would have seen crap like that going on I would have refused to pay all but one hour of labor.Where I have bought the last 5 cars the service dept is of top quality.I once had a map senser go out in a Ford Contour that was not cover by the extended warranty.Well the manager of the of the dealership paid half of the cost and I paid the other.It's things like this that keeps me going back to them.


Rick


"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud

Re: Anyone buy a new GM?
#101336 07/13/05 02:10 AM
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I agree, right there I would have asked to speak to the owner of the dealership.


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Re: Anyone buy a new GM?
#101337 07/13/05 02:14 AM
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connoisseur
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You know that times have changed when you realise that you just paid slightly MORE for your entertainment system than you paid for your first TWO New Cars TOGETHER!!

Re: Anyone buy a new GM?
#101338 07/13/05 02:40 AM
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As far as the service area vs. price question, I shop on price. But I also look at it that I am buying from the larger company (Subaru in my case), so there is no reason I can't take the car to a different dealer for service then the one I bought it from. I drove about an hour away to get my car based on the best price, but certainly would not go back there every time I need service done.

Re: Anyone buy a new GM?
#101339 07/13/05 02:48 AM
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Zarak, You are missing having a good relationship with a dealer. For our good customers, we pick up and drop off their service cars. We give loaners. We wash and vacuum each service vehicle. Being in a smaller area CAN be nice.

Oh - And Subaru (or any car maker) is not the providor of good service. The dealer is.

Re: Anyone buy a new GM?
#101340 07/13/05 04:04 AM
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Me, I've got an independant mechanic I trust. The dealer can have it if I ever get a car with warranty repairs--in other words, ONLY if it's free. Other than that, it goes to my mechanic. I had a Volvo dealer charge me $400 to replace a sensor. It didn't work properly, and he told me it was the computer--for $700 he would replace that. I told him thanks but no thanks. 4 years later, we decided to get it settled once and for all (intermittent check engine light). Our mechanic took it apart, told us it had been put together wrong, fixed it, and charged us way less than $400. The computer is fine.


I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
Re: Anyone buy a new GM?
#101341 07/13/05 12:33 PM
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I'm with you on that note Ken, whenever I have warranty issues I go back to the dealer. I also have a smaller shop that has been around for 25 years. I always have the dealer quote the work and they are always close to double the cost. Last year I had to have the valve cover gaskets replaced on our 95 Isuzu Rodeo. I also had some other things taken care of, it was an all day job. Cars are not as easy to work on as they used to be Anyway, the dealer wanted $1200+ and I got it done for about $650 at the local shop. It is to bad dealers can't be competitive.


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Re: Anyone buy a new GM?
#101342 07/13/05 04:50 PM
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Unfortunately, my choice of dealers is somewhat limited. As with just about anything in Alaska, and they all know it. For the most part, they seam to be reasonable, but salesman are still salesmen, and they need to feed their families too. So price shopping and service do not really go hand in hand. You get what you get, and hope they at least have the decency to use lubricant before they give it to you.

But for the past six years, I get a quote for the vehicle I want, with all the options I want from an invoice dealer. I then take that quote to the local dealers. They get one chance to earn my business by matching the quote, plus shipping charges that I would be stuck paying from the invoice dealer (about $1500). If they match this total price, they get a check and off I go in my new rig. It they don’t, I have the invoice dealer ship it to me. I absolutely detest dealing with salesmen and all the G-dam games that goes along with buying a rig. And every time I do this (about every two years), I get the same BS. With the quote matching I do now, there is no BS, no games and no lying to get my business.


Re: Anyone buy a new GM?
#101343 07/13/05 04:57 PM
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Now that Chevy has extended the employee discount, and Ford and Chrysler have jumped on board, I'm not sure what I'm going to do....We have 2,000 built up on our GM card, so we have been looking at the Trailblazers and Equinox SUV's. However, Ford has the employee discount + upto 4,000 cash back. I guess I'll let my wife decide, as I got the last new vehicle...a Z71 Chevy Silverado Ext Cab...torch red...just put a 3" body lift on it so I can get up there with the big boy's from Dodge and Ford, he he


M80s VP180 4xM22ow 4xM3ic EP600 2xEP350
AnthemAVM60 Outlaw7700 EmoA500 Epson5040UB FluanceRT85


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