Some things in the Universe are a constant, I guess

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove) 09/07/2017 at 14:47 • Filed to: mini rant

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random photo I found on the internet

Just got back the car from warranty service. Has there ever been a dealer mechanic shop in the history of the automobile that did not do some combination of:

1. Change the radio presents

2. Change the environmental controls

3. Change the memory seat presets

4. Use up all your gas

Funny thing is that they asked me to return the loaner with the same gas in it as I got, which is fine. So, I replenished the 1/8 tank I used. Then, start up mine to find they used up my last 1/4 tank. First thing I had to do was go to the gas station.

I’m not mad, because they fixed everything and handled it all in a professional manner otherwise. These little things just make me chuckle and shake my head.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 14:50

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What station type did they set it to?

Here it is always rap or punjabi radio.

HammerheadFistpunch > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 14:53

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whenever I had warranty work done they would wash my car at least. Sometimes I got a full tank of gas, but not often. At the lexus dealer where I had them replace a lug (it was the closest cheapest place I trusted) they washed it AND vacuumed it...for A stud replacement!

functionoverfashion > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 14:53

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Is this because they consider step 1 to be “disconnect battery” for just about any job including refilling washer fluid? I mean, not the gas thing, but the rest.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 14:54

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It’s funny, but the Lexus dealer I take my DD to has actually *never* done any of those things. I always get the car back with the seat all the way back (but the preset is still ok), and the radio off (but otherwise unmolested).

The BMW has been to virtually every dealer in the Chicagoland area at some point in its life, and they ALL mess with it. I’ve been lucky if the car doesn’t come back filthy (fuck you Fields BMW).

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 14:55

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I took our 12-year-old dirty-ass Odyssey in for routine maintenance and my service rep washed it because he said it looked so bad sitting on the lot.

I spent a summer working for a car dealership while I was in college. I never once changed a radio preset on a customer’s car.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 15:06

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You’re right, that’s not exactly fair. I’ve never thought about it, but if they’re going to ask you to replace their gas they should at least top up yours close to where it was when you brought it in.

Sure, they have to road test it and that’s part of the service... but they shouldn’t have to use up a quarter tank on you.

My bird IS the word > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 15:19

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Why do they need to change the preset? can’t they just leave it wherever after seeking for it?

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 15:21

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I’lL admit to messing with HVAC controls on customers cars (sorry Betty, it’s 95 out and I have to sit in the car during the car wash, 80 isn’t gonna fly) but unless I forget, which I admittedly have, they get put back to what the customer had set when I park it.

I have to move seats too because 6'4" me doesn’t quite fit in 5'1" Betty’s seating position. Who the hell messes with memory seat settings though?

Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 15:22

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I hate that too, which is why I have a “radio power off when pulled into shop, only to be powered on for check/diagnostic” standing rule.

I’ll usually go to great lengths to avoid moving a seat, too (I hate it when someone moves my seat at service). Unfortunately, it’s not always feasible. Had an older woman in a CTS a few years ago come in for an estimate. It was late fall/early winter, a cold driving rain falling, so I asked to pull the car in the shop to write everything up. She obliged, and handed me the keys. I hopped in the car quite comfortably, started it up, and things immediately went south. The CTS seems to have some nice comfort/memory options. When you exit the vehicle, power tilt and telescopic steering column fully retracts, and the seat goes all the way back. Plenty of space for ingress and egress. Start it back up, and it returns to the previous memory position. Unfortunately, I’m about 6' tall, and my customer was about 4'10".

I ended up moving her seat back, and apologized profusely when I handed the keys back over. She immediately realized what happened when I started the car, and nearly fell on the floor laughing.

Party-vi > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 15:25

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I think my local BMW dealer specifically hired some 7'8" knuckle dragger to park my car after service; the seat is always fully back and reclined, as if they were napping after they moved it out front.

Chariotoflove > Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever 09/07/2017 at 16:29

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That’s completely reasonable. You have to sit comfortably to test drive it properly. I’m talking about changing my seat memory presets. That’s weird.

Chariotoflove > functionoverfashion 09/07/2017 at 16:31

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Yes, when the Mazda guys would change the battery on my RX-8, it would reset all the electronics to factory (the clock, the beeps, the presets, etc.). I knew that. The funny thing on this car is that there were new presets that were not mine. What’d he do, take a road trip? :)

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW 09/07/2017 at 16:32

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You have a prized unicorn in that Lexus mechanic. Keep him on your Christmas card list.

Chariotoflove > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 09/07/2017 at 16:33

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Yeah, you have to set the seat for yourself to drive properly. And, you do have the right to set the A/C and heat while you’re in it. That’s the most minor thing out of the four, actually. The presets changing seems weird to me. If it were me in his place, it wouldn’t even occur to me to do that.

Chariotoflove > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 09/07/2017 at 16:35

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I had an Olds shop do that on my Cutlass. They used up most of a tank while they had it. I made them refill it for me. But I was younger and full of piss and vinegar then (and also poorer).

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 16:37

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I live 5 minutes from one dealer, but always take the car to the dealer I got it from, 30 minutes away. The nearby dealer is terrible (at least sales is, IDK about service there), but the one I go to has been a treat to deal with, from start to finish.

I think that, in general, Lexus dealers take very good care of their customers - better than most. HammerheadFistpunch’s comment doesn’t surprise me.

Was this your first service trip to a Kia dealer? How was it overall?

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 09/07/2017 at 16:37

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Haha! They are all supposed to run the cars through the wash, but he had to include a little dig free of charge, eh? Like driving an old Odyssey isn’t penance enough for whatever you may have done in a previous life.

Good on you. You are a person of great integrity. But I knew that.

Chariotoflove > HammerheadFistpunch 09/07/2017 at 16:37

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Smart business on their part!

HammerheadFistpunch > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 16:39

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yup.

Chariotoflove > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 09/07/2017 at 16:40

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I lost my 80s stations. Here, you always get country, Mexican language radio, or Top40 (which is mostly hip hop now).

We had a guy who worked in our lab in Michigan who constantly played punjabi rap on the stereo. That stuff is just American gangsta thug rap with an Indian beat overlaid. Don’t miss it at all.

Chariotoflove > Party-vi 09/07/2017 at 16:40

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Maybe he was.

Chariotoflove > My bird IS the word 09/07/2017 at 16:40

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That’s what confuses me. It would never occur to me to do that.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 16:41

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This was the first time they had ever washed my Oddy. They haven’t done it since.

That summer job was actually pretty cool. I worked for the leasing division of a Chevy dealership, and we leased all sorts of terrific cars (not Chevys). Whenever a customer’s car needed service, I would drive out to the customer’s home or business, pick up the lease car, and leave them a loaner to drive (usually a Isuzu Chevy Spectrum). When the work was done, I had to wash/wax the cars before returning them. I got to drive some really great cars, and, apropos to the FP article, I even cranked somebody’s bright red Porsche 911 up to 100 mph on the interstate when I was taking it back to the dealership. Oops. Not sure how that happened....

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 16:42

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Really? The Indian radio that I’ve heard up here is more your standard bollywood stuff (Bhangra). It’s great sounding to be honest, world’s catchiest tunes.

My bird IS the word > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 16:42

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Boggles my mind. It takes additional effort to change a preset. I honestly wouldn’t care that they changed the station, but the preset is some bizarre crap.

Mr. Plastics powered by GreyGoose > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 16:43

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Wow, guess I’ve been lucky. My Lexus never even has the radio dial moved.

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW 09/07/2017 at 16:46

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This was my second visit. The first was to replace those blown tires before the body work. They actually have special K900-only techs and treat you well. They needed to get a new wheel bearing for me and overnighted such that they only had the car a day and a half. Overall very professional so far. My wife has been bringing in her Sedona for the past two years for regular maintenance, and thinks the service is fine as well. The only thing is that they do seem to keep you waiting a long time for even an oil change. I think that is down to being very busy all the time.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 09/07/2017 at 16:48

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Any dealership for even the most proletarian models should run the car through as a matter of course.

That sounds like a fun summer job, perhaps the best there is.

Chariotoflove > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 09/07/2017 at 16:48

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It must have just been the rap.

Chariotoflove > Mr. Plastics powered by GreyGoose 09/07/2017 at 16:50

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Then you are the proverbial exception that proves the rule. Enjoy your unicorn status!

Also, from what people are saying, Lexus dealers really have their act together in this regard.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 16:53

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That’s pretty good, then. Long waits at dealers seem to be par for the course, for whatever reason. Lexus is the same way, the services to this point don’t amount to much more than an oil change, yet I end up there for ~90 minutes anyways.

Just curious because I’ll probably be at least checking out Kia in the spring (Stinger) - of course your dealer could be way different from what’s around here.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 16:55

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My boss was a bitch, but generally, it was a fun job. I also had a small fleet of Toyota Chevy Nova rental cars to maintain. One time, a customer left a pair of shoes in the car. My boss took them home and gave them to her son. The next day, the customer came looking for their shoes. I directed them to my boss.

After the loaner cars were out for a while, they had to be returned to the sales fleet as demos. Often, that meant replacing the carpet. One car came back with a fantastically shitty job on the carpets; crooked, fake sewn-in mats, glue strings on the dash. I told the sales manager that it didn’t look good and he refused to accept it on my word. My boss was pissed that I didn’t lie for her. And so it goes.

In some ways, it was difficult, since I was the only college-educated guy working on the lot. The salesmen treated us all like morons (and many of the lot guys were), but I built a good relationship with the sales manager.

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW 09/07/2017 at 17:41

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Of course, dealers are different, and quality of sales and service departments at a single dealership can be completely different. However, Kia is everywhere these days; so, you get to shop around.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 09/07/2017 at 17:43

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My boss took them home and gave them to her son. The next day, the customer came looking for their shoes.

Outstanding. Well, the best thing about summer jobs is they’re only temporary.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 17:51

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Very true - - around here, it doesn’t seem like Kia dealers have good reputations (generally), so I’m kinda curious as to what to anticipate. I have zero tolerance for high pressure sales tactics, and am hoping that Kia has been working on improving their dealer network - since they’ve been starting to target higher priced sales with the K900, etc.

DipodomysDeserti > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 19:42

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My BMW dealership is always good at leaving everything as I left it (minus the broken stuff) they even give it an actual wash with tire shine and everything. I’ll probably never buy from anyone other than a Penske dealership again. My local Chrysler dealership sucks.

Chariotoflove > DipodomysDeserti 09/07/2017 at 22:39

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That’s as it should be from a luxury dealer. Glad you found a good one.

Chariotoflove > DipodomysDeserti 09/07/2017 at 22:40

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That’s as it should be from a luxury dealer. Glad you found a good one.

DipodomysDeserti > Chariotoflove 09/07/2017 at 23:30

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I grew up in my family’s business. We didn’t have a corporate safety net, so I was taught that you treat people right whether they spend a lot or a little with you. And if they try to take advantage of you, you cut their balls off.

My local Subie dealership was always solid. The service department was run by kids with modified WRXs so that helped.

functionoverfashion > Chariotoflove 09/08/2017 at 09:35

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Right, that’s what I don’t get. Why on Earth would you EVER change a preset, let alone several, on someone else’s car? I mean, like ever?

Chariotoflove > functionoverfashion 09/08/2017 at 13:51

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Update. I found that the new presets were on another preset menu (my car’s infotainment system has two). My original presets were still preserved on the second. So, no one wiped my old presets, which is good. Why anyone would put a new preset in a car I have no idea, but it’s happened on my cars before.

Chariotoflove > DipodomysDeserti 09/08/2017 at 13:54

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I also fine that treating your service rep like a person you are glad to see when you visit is as important to the relationship as the rep treating you the same way. When the rep respects the time and trust you invested in his work, and you respect the expertise and effort he put into your car, everyone is happier.

DipodomysDeserti > Chariotoflove 09/08/2017 at 14:19

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Exactly. With my Subies and BMW I got/get the same rep every time so we have got to build a relationship.