Maintaining Your Car and Your Cool in the Service Bay
Dealerships all over the country are getting hit particularly hard by our country's current economic woes. Many consumers are deciding to hold back on buying that new car until they feel more financially secure (or are being forced to do so because of credit issues). In September, new car sales across the industry were down about 23% from what they were in August. It's predicted that many, many dealerships will be forced to close their doors permanently by the end of the year. What does all this have to do with oil changes and tire rotations, you ask? Read on.
Because they're not selling as many cars anymore, dealerships may try to make up for some of these losses in the service bay. The service department -- where every additional vehicle maintenance procedure their customer agrees to helps the dealership's bottom line -- is an area many consumers never think of as a moneymaker for the dealership. They think it's like going to the doctor, right? You make the appointment, tell them you need a regular check-up or you explain your problem, and they take care of it while you drink free coffee and read old magazines. But here's a fact you may not have been aware of: Your service advisor gets a commission on every service you order. Not only does the owner of the dealership make a profit, the person suggesting that unnecessary transmission flush does, too, which is why it's critical to be prepared before you hand over your keys.
As always, Edmunds is here to help. Senior Consumer Advice Editor Phil Reed recently put together an article that walks you through just how to get ready for your next service department trip. It addresses common service desk scenarios, like do you really need that oil change every 3,500 miles? What about "dealer recommended services"? It'll help you keep a clear head when they whip that laminated service package list out and you're in danger of succumbing to the official-sounding spiel.
(With all that said, the goal here is not to prevent any dealership or particular service advisor from making an honest living. Vehicles do need regular, appropriate maintenance performed by qualified technicians. It's really about making sure you don't pay for something you don't really need.)
- Posted by
- Bryn MacKinnon October 21, 2008, 12:00 PM
- Permalink
- Categories:
- Car Maintenance, Car Negotiating
- Technorati Tags:
- Car Maintenance, dealerships, service department
Right on with advice. I worked in the back of the shop doing some of these maintenance recommendations. I was always surprised how much people would get done on their cars, like manual transmission fluid and differential fluid changes.Some things sounded good, but we would never do a diagnostic check or grease the fitting on the chassis. Toyota cars didnt have them and we didnt have a diagnostic machine. If it wasn't broke dont fix it. I dont know what would you diagnose if the car was running fine. Just wasting my time and your money.
Great post! I was recently told by a dealer service center that my 1998 Nissan Maxima (85,000 miles) needed its "24 month" service where they would flush on the fluids, replace, etc. Total cost would be nearly $600!
According to the owner's manual, my car would be due for an "inspection" of such fluids soon - not replacement. In short, dealers are looking to do unnecessary work to boost their bottom lines.
Knowing what your car's manual recommends is at least a good baseline for judging what your dealer or garage is recommending.