Why not the dealer

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

I love it when the technicians talk to the customers and explain to them what's going on with their car. It makes my job a lot simpler and it instills a sense of genuine customer service to the customer, because the technician, who doesn't necessarily have to talk to the customer, does by his own choice.

[gdwriter]

Originally Posted by I~LUV~Caddys8792

I love it when the technicians talk to the customers and explain to them what's going on with their car. It makes my job a lot simpler and it instills a sense of genuine customer service to the customer, because the technician, who doesn't necessarily have to talk to the customer, does by his own choice.

That's something I really appreciate about my mechanic. He explains what needs to be done or has been done in the repair. I'm not an idiot, and he never treats me like one. I know enough about how a car works to understand what's needed in a repair; I simply don't have the skills or tools to do the work myself.

[orconn]

Originally Posted by ewill3rd

RT, they never should have installed the part if it was bad out of the box.
They can put it back in the box, parts can submit a claim on a damaged part and they can reorder it, let you know that the car is ready to pick up and apologize that GM sent them a piece of junk.
The rub here is the tech won't get paid, so the tech puts the part on the car, gets paid for the job, then reorders another one so he effectively gets paid twice to do the job once.

I'd agree there could be a lot going on in the shop and there are a lot of factors that come into play getting a job to a tech. A sharp tech, advisor, or salesman (whoever ordered the part) could tell the parts department to notify them when the part came in so they could inspect it BEFORE you bring the car in for service. (I usually do that if possible to avoid wasted trips)

Face it, you just need to move to DC

Let's face it, if Tight Turn moves to DC car service will be the least of her problems. Just getting an apointment within a week or two at Moore Cadillac was the norm. Usually there was a two week wait for an appointment. Then ofcourse there living with some of the worse traffic and drivers in the country.

[dkozloski]

On the flip side is when a tech tries to BS a knowledgeable customer. More than once it was obvious that the tech didn't have a clue what he was doing and without the customers help would still be struggling with the problem. The guys working on cars today are the same guys that were working on cars fifty years ago. By that I mean they have roughly the same upbringing and background. About 10% are outstanding, about 10% are worthless, and the rest are competent but not brilliant troops. In a well managed shop, the troops do not hesitate to seek counsel with the top guys. Some guys just naturally have better troubleshooting skills than others. Some guys are really good at the mechanics of removing and replacing parts. Some guys couldn't hit a bull in the ass with a shovel full of rice.

[ewill3rd]

Actually housing would probably be her only issue (besides traffi), she can bring her car here anytime and we'll get her fixed right up

I usually communicate with customers through my advisor, but I find that a lot gets lost when it goes through someone.
In situations that start going bad I usually pick up the phone and call the customer myself, after that things usually go just fine.

[RightTurn]

Originally Posted by orconn

Let's face it, if Tight Turn moves to DC car service will be the least of her problems.

@ "tight turn".

Originally Posted by ewill3rd

Actually housing would probably be her only issue (besides traffi), she can bring her car here anytime and we'll get her fixed right up

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

I can't believe your dealer didn't give you a loaner for a warranty repair. They must want bad CSI.

[RightTurn]

Chevy owners don't get loaners; they get to ride the VoTGU. When I dropped Babe at the same dealership for the recall, I got a new '08 CTS to drive. Cadillac ownership has its perks.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

We give loaners, they're free for the first 24 hours, and under GM warranty, they're free for three days.

[ewill3rd]

Chevy has a pretty tight policy regarding loaners.
When I worked for them the car HAD TO BE undriveable to justify a loaner and if you went over a day you'd better have a good reason. Cadillac is much more liberal on their loaner policy.

RT, I see you are a BG fan, nice!
"So say we all".

[TSS]

Originally Posted by ewill3rd

I appreciate all responses, I am actually looking for information to form an opinion on why dealers seem to be "drying up" so to speak.
So far the responses are great, pass the word on, the more info here I see the better.

I bring my cars to the dealer for everything, including oil changes. However, I think that sometimes people don't go to a dealer for an oil change, because they can just pull up and drive through the quickie lube. Then, while there, driver is alerted of perhaps a leak, bad exhaust, etc, and figure "I am already here....", thus dealers lose out on more than the oil change. That is my speculation...further cars are now much more reliable than they were years ago, which means less service needed. 100K tunes-ups, stainless exhausts.....etc.

And, side note, I have said it over and over, treat your service advisor well and it will come back to you ten-fold when your car has just gone put of warrantee and a problem arises or your 9 year old accidentally kicks off the rear climate control knob and it disintegrates. A gift card and a note that says "thanks for always taking such good care of my cars" is all it takes.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Another reason I like going to the dealer over an indie shop is because at the dealer, I can peruse their new car selection, sit in whatever I want, and grab as many brochures as I want, while I mingle with other M-B owners. At my indie shop, I sit in a chair, in their tiny waiting room/lobby and try and not "wig out" (for lack of a better word) due to the boredom.

[orconn]

Originally Posted by I~LUV~Caddys8792

Another reason I like going to the dealer over an indie shop is because at the dealer, I can peruse their new car selection, sit in whatever I want, and grab as many brochures as I want, while I mingle with other M-B owners. At my indie shop, I sit in a chair, in their tiny waiting room/lobby and try and not "wig out" (for lack of a better word) due to the boredom.

I don't know about M-B dealer cost in the Twin-Cities, but in CA and VA I'd take a book and go to the indie and save a bundle. Ofcourse it doesn't have quite the cache of sitting in the show room cars at the dealership .......although I've always been able to do that for free when ever I've been in the dealer's meighborhood!

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

To avoid having to deal with salespeople, and to make going there all that more special, I only like to look around when I have a reason to go to the dealer, instead of driving 25 minutes out of my way to grab some brochures.

[pompste]

I use my Cadillac dealership only when my smaller independent service center recommends i take it to the Caddy dealership.Recently my trusted local mechanic could`nt pinpoint the source of my A/C problem-----suggested i take it to the Caddy dealer.Long story short,my compressor and a few related parts were bad on my 1995 Sedan Deville----$1200 total with labor.They did a good job.
The Caddy dealership now charges $95 an hour labor,my local Meineke service center charges $70 an hour labor.It`s a no brainer.
One thing i found real bizarre---our HARVEY CADILLAC dealership here in GRAND RAPIDS,MICHIGAN has no "plastic seat protectors at all" to cover my leather seats---they don`t carry them at all even for customers who request them.Can you believe that? They sell/service $50,000 and up Cadillacs with expensive seat coverings and can`t put on a 20 cent plastic seat cover to keep potential grime/grease from mechanics clothing off the seats.Luckily i had a spare seat protector in my trunk i got from MEINEKE SERVICE CENTER to use.