Why not the dealer

[ewill3rd]

So I was wondering, I hear stories from all over the country with dealers running out of work, going out of business, techs not being able to turn hours and take care of their bills, etc...
I have noticed a slowdown in business, although not as bad as some places we are shorter on work than we have been.
Some of the best techs I know in the business can't make it and they are leaving, going to other industries which in the long run is really going to hurt consumers. (but that is another story)

I was just wondering if you'd care to vote and maybe share your thoughts on why you don't use your local dealer or why you don't take your car in for service, generally speaking.
Thanks for the feedback.

[urbanski]

massive markup on parts and labor
incredible ability to scratch, ding, gouge, dent, aubse, and break multiple parts of the car (especially parts nowhere near that one needing fixed)
poor workmanship/laziness/incomplete fixes
no customer engagement/concern/caring
lying/deceit/warranty hassles/runarounds

want more?

^^^some are the mechanic's fault. most are leadership's fault. Lindsay clearly has a leader who has hired staff of all types who have integrity and character.

[ewill3rd]

Sooooooo... I guess you are saying you don't trust your dealer?

[cooncat]

I will answer as to why to take my car to the dealer. As I mentioned in the past. I bought my at Ed Morse Cadillac in Tampa. I have found them to be excellent. Repairs are always done professionaly and well done. My service advisor is wonderful and always keeps me informed and the car is washed and vacumned everytime.

[jono6406]

I agree with Cooncat.Since I have owned my STS I have had it serviced at Ed Morse in Tampa also and they are 1ST RATE.I will continue to have my car serviced there and only there. (Warranty until 100k).

Jono

[submariner409]

Other.......20 years ago I would probably have done 80% of my work here at home. Now, I do the relatively non-technical stuff such as light bulbs, oil/filter, plugs, simple hoses, fuses, wash/wax, and other general maintenance. Anything out of my field/physical capability goes to Fitzgerald Cadillac in Annapolis. Tires, rotation, balance all done at my local Western Auto (Hunter Road Force installation).

So I'm probably close to the average modern wrencher when it comes to car ownership.........Granny, who uses the dealer exclusively, is not in these forums, so the poll results will most likely be skewed toward the DIY owner.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

As a service advisor, it's interesting to see what you guys have to say about the parts/service departments of your respective dealers. Man, I hope my dealer doesn't suck that bad, but then again my CSI score is above zone average...

[c5 rv]

I have two cars under warranty, SRX & MKZ, and one car out of warranty, Allante. Obviously, any repair work on the warranty cars is done at the dealer. If it needs an oil change at that time, I also have the dealer do that. If a warranty car only needs an oil change, I take it to a good local oil change place.

For my Allante, I take it to a local mechanic that used to work on my vette. He did sub the Allante's convertible top work out to the dealer. The dealer's $250 estimate turned into a $600+ job that took 3 visits to get right.

[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.

[orconn]

It all depends on what needs to be done. General maintenance (oil change, fluid changes, brakes and straight forward mechanical work) I have performed by a nearby non-GM garage. For more complicated diagnoses and repair, particularly electrical and where component waranty is important I take it to my Cadillac dealler. This is for two reasons: one is distance; the closest Cadillac dealer is 20 miles away; two is that the dealer hourly rate and other fees have become expensive, particularly for light mechanical and mainteneance, especially since it has been my experience that the book hours for the job greatly exceeds the time the job actually takes a skilled mechanic to perform.

I might mention the last time I enquired about a problem, which I thought might be a head gasket leak, I was told by the service rep that the dealer didn't replace head gaskets and the the only thing they would do is put in a new engine and that would cost $11.000. It was about that time I came to the CF looking for information and found out that there were alternatives to a new engine. Following this experience my confidence in the dealer has been greatly undermined and I try alternatives for my Cadillac repair and maintenance. By the way, it turned out that I didn't have a head gasket problem, but rather a failing coil.

[urbanski]

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums...r-service.html

[dkozloski]

In all my years as a Cadillac owner I have never gotten anything from a dealer that he didn't absolutely have to give me. I have NEVER had so much as the windows wiped let alone a wash or vacuuming. Simple repairs and recalls take weeks to a month or more even when scheduled as much as a month in advance. I have NEVER gotten a loaner. I once got a rental car that I had to pay for out of pocket full bore. My wife got a loaner once and then had to wait additional days for the work to be completed even though it had been scheduled weeks in advance. Every dealer within a thousand miles is exactly the same and has the same attitude; since you bought a Cadillac you have more money than good sense so you're a pigeon ripe for plucking. I did get a cheesy cap with my CTS and a heritage badge that I discarded with my STS.
Why then would I buy a Cadillac? Because the dealers for the other makes are even worse so If I'm going to be pooped on I might as well have a nice car.

[RightTurn]

OK, my experience TODAY at the Cadillac/Chevrolet dealer where I bought my 2007 CTS and a 2008 Tahoe about a month ago. So my 'Hoe is a month old and the small woodgrain "door" on the front compartment of the center console is warped. It sags in the middle and the two outside edges have a slight upward "curl." The dealer ordered a new part and I took the truck in at 7 this morning to get it fixed. Later this afternoon, the goon from the service dept. called me and said the replacement part was warped, too...but they swapped it out anyhow. I asked why he bothered since he could see the replacement was warped right out of the box. (Obviously a rocket scientist.) He said I could come pick up the 'Hoe and bring it back another day; he will "check others in the lot" to see if they look like mine and "possibly swap it out with one of those."

I advised him that I would NOT be picking up the vehicle until it was fixed as promised. There is no reason to go get it and then turn around and take it back ANOTHER DAY to swap out the part from one of the 10,000 new units still sitting on his lot. Why do dealership service departments have to be so damned AGGRAVATING???? Now it's Friday at 5 p.m., so obviously I won't have my 'Hoe till sometime Monday...maybe. Dang.

Do you SUPPOSE he could have proactively checked other Tahoes on his lot and gone ahead with the swap to make a customer happy?? I have only spent close to $100k at that dealership in the last couple of years. Frack.

[dkozloski]

Originally Posted by RightTurn

OK, my experience TODAY at the Cadillac/Chevrolet dealer where I bought my 2007 CTS and a 2008 Tahoe about a month ago. So my 'Hoe is a month old and the small woodgrain "door" on the front compartment of the center console is warped. It sags in the middle and the two outside edges have a slight upward "curl." The dealer ordered a new part and I took the truck in at 7 this morning to get it fixed. Later this afternoon, the goon from the service dept. called me and said the replacement part was warped, too...but they swapped it out anyhow. I asked why he bothered since he could see the replacement was warped right out of the box. (Obviously a rocket scientist.) He said I could come pick up the 'Hoe and bring it back another day; he will "check others in the lot" to see if they look like mine and "possibly swap it out with one of those."

I advised him that I would NOT be picking up the vehicle until it was fixed as promised. There is no reason to go get it and then turn around and take it back ANOTHER DAY to swap out the part from one of the 10,000 new units still sitting on his lot. Why do dealership service departments have to be so damned AGGRAVATING???? Now it's Friday at 5 p.m., so obviously I won't have my 'Hoe till sometime Monday...maybe. Dang.

Do you SUPPOSE he could have proactively checked other Tahoes on his lot and gone ahead with the swap to make a customer happy?? I have only spent close to $100k at that dealership in the last couple of years. Frack.

It'd take about 30 seconds with a heat gun to warp it back where it's supposed to be but they wouldn't get reimbursed by GM.

[RightTurn]

Don't be absurd, Koz. That solution is too sensible and so would never be an option. Now I'm nervous that all that dicking around with the console will leave it rattley and scratched up...which will initiate a very ugly scene in the service bay. Frackin' Chevy.