Bogus service packages

"LJ909" (lj909) 09/14/2020 at 15:59 • Filed to: Dealerships, service

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I’ve been convinced that dealer service packages are nothing more than overpriced inspections that can lead to even more money out of pocket if something is found wrong. Because then not only do you have to pay for the price of the repair for whatever was found wrong, you also have to pay for the package as well. This package at my local Hyundai dealer took the cake though. I don’t see $1100 worth of work. Do you?

Tripper > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:11

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Lol I will keep my $1100 in lou of a Saturday afternoon

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:14

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“27 point inspection”

*points at car 27 times*

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:16

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Is that just for that *one* service or is the $1100 for both the 60k and 120k services?

Cause honestly, i just added that up in my head and that stuff listed seems to be about $550 of work...

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:16

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That’s terrible. Like such a rip off. I paid for a 60K tune up on my car but they actually did things and it’s a hard car to work on. 

WilliamsSW > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:17

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I was being generous and I topped out at $500.

Some of it is utter bullshit. 

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:18

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Having been a salesman that used to sell them, yes, most of them are trash, designed solely to separate suckers from their money.

BUT!

Th ere are a few out there that are actually useful.

First (and I know I’m going to get an eye- roll here) is the rust protection. In places like MN, where I live, a vehicle can rust through it’s rockers and doors in 3-5 years if not loo ked after. Having a rust protected car from new pretty much guarantees no rust for 10 years. No joke. It works. Now, is it cheaper to go to a shop after buying the car and having it done then? Yes, but if you want to roll it into a payment, it’s more convenient to go through the dealer.

Second, any warranty that never ends.If you’re going to keep a car for a long time, and it has an offer for lifetime warranty, take it. Even if it’s just powertrain, it can easily pay for itself. Heck most powertrain warranties that last 150k miles pay for themselves. Unlimited just goes the extra step of making it viable to own crazy high mileage cars that will always be repaired (until the repair surpasses the value of the car).

LJ909 > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 09/14/2020 at 16:18

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I asked the service advisor. That’s at each interval. They are crazy. 

LJ909 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 09/14/2020 at 16:18

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Literally. 

fintail > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:19

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Most of the work seemed legit (not sure about that “engine treatment” or the fuel system “treatment”, or “clean” brakes) , then I got to the price. This is for a Rolls-Royce, right?

Tripper > WilliamsSW 09/14/2020 at 16:20

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“ We’ll definitely run some kind of “sea foam” product through your engine. Definitely , well def do it, no way were scamming ya here”

Well go ahead and say it at 3 different bullet points on the list to make it look longer.

Also clean and adjust brakes...GTFO

LJ909 > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/14/2020 at 16:21

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Was it at a dealer?

P5guy now GTIguy > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:21

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Whil e the price is insane, I think the craziest part is that they offer financing on service.

LJ909 > WilliamsSW 09/14/2020 at 16:22

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That’s even pushing it. I’m pretty sure labor alone would be that. 

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 09/14/2020 at 16:23

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And adding because I know I’m gonna get called out on in. At normal dealer prices (not saying the car really needs this, but if they do it):

* Oil and filter, $60

* Tire rotation, $20 if you’re lucky

* Fuel system treatment, $15

* Engine treatment, $15 (though probably the same bottle as the fuel treatment)

* Battery cleaning, $20

* Windshield fluid, $15

* Cooling system “flush” (one gallon is nothing), $150

* Fuel system cleaning: at least half an hour of labor assuming they’re taking stuff apart, so $100

* ATF service, $200

* Engine air filter, $25

* Cabin air filter, $50

* Adjust brakes, whatever that means, $50

* Car wash, FREE!

That’s about $650-700 there. 

facw > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 09/14/2020 at 16:24

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But why would I buy a car that rusts through in 3-5 years anyway? That is to say, if it actually works, wouldn’t it be better for the manufacturer to apply it from the start?

ClassicDatsunDebate > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 09/14/2020 at 16:25

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In otherwords...

HammerheadFistpunch > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:25

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yeah, thats $300 of work tops.

LJ909 > fintail 09/14/2020 at 16:26

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Hyundai. I’d expect to see this at Mercedes or something. 

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:28

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Yes, a subaru dealer, I think it was $600 for engine oil, both diff oils, coolant flush, brake flush, plugs, all filters, and a few other things I can’t remember.

LJ909 > P5guy now GTIguy 09/14/2020 at 16:28

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Oh yea they push it on you. Not only are there a bunch of signs posted, but if you come across as unsure, as in I’m not sure this is worth the price/is actually going to be beneficial to my vehicle, they see it as you’re unsure because of the price. Then they go to sell you on it. It’s sick. 

LJ909 > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/14/2020 at 16:30

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Damn that’s a good dealer. This place wants $240 just for plugs. 

fintail > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:31

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I have a feeling it is no more expensive even with west coast rates, and my local indy MB shop is probably cheaper.

P5guy now GTIguy > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:32

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Bananas. But I recently learned on r/askcarsales that service writers are commissioned so it makes sense that they get pushy with it. 

WilliamsSW > Tripper 09/14/2020 at 16:34

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Yeah I had that in for $5 total on line items 3, 5 and 8.  And that’s actually $4.95 more than it’s worth. 

LJ909 > P5guy now GTIguy 09/14/2020 at 16:35

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Yea they are. Back at my old dealership, I found out that they got cuts off oil changes. That’s when I started to realize these places were greedy from the top down and in nearly every department. 

ttyymmnn > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:36

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I don’t know. If they inspect ALL twenty-seven points, then it might be worth it. If they only do twenty-five or twenty-six, no way.

Then again, when they offer to finance a service appointment, you might want to be a little careful. 

MonkeePuzzle > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:37

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WilliamsSW > Tripper 09/14/2020 at 16:37

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I used to work in parts at a nameless dealer 30 years ago. Techs would take all the parts charged to an RO, and would stockpile stuff they didn’t use. Then try to “return” them for credit to buy parts for their side jobs.

We had some off brand fuel system cleaner on every 15/30k service. I swear the techs NEVER put that in the tank. They just charged for it. We eventually stopped giving them credit for that crap so they stopped stockpiling it.

True story.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > facw 09/14/2020 at 16:39

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Yeah, but then they’d have to split the lines between north and south regions. No point spending the extra money if the car is going to Texas.

Fun Fact: Almost every car company has a rust warranty, but when they sell cars in MN/WI/other northern states, they make it null and void. EXCEPT for VW. Th ey paid a shitload of money a few years ago in a suite because they had rusty ass cars. Weirdly, companies like Mazda (notorious 3 rust) and GM (notorious everywhere rust) have never had to do this.

ranwhenparked > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:43

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I question how much of it they actually do, especially if the customer decides to stay in the waiting room instead of dropping it off the night before and leaving it for a day. 

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:43

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Yeah I worked at the lube place as a teen so I know how this goes:

Generic oil and filter change. Semi Synthetic ? Pft Full synthetic or bust

Tire rotation (done only if fronts are noticeably more worn than rears).

Fuel System treatment: D umps a bottle of STP in the tank .

Battery Corrosion? Wipe off terminals. Battery Pad? Has one? Acid? No, skip .

1 Gal of coolant is like 1/2 the system capacity... of a compact car.

Spray and wipe throttle body

ATF exchange isn’t actually too bad but you’ll still have the old trans filter if it’s the sump pickup

Replace air filter (only if dirty)

Replace cabin air filter (only if easy and dirty)

Spray brakes with brake clean. Does the parking brake work? Yes? Good to go.

I mean really they could get away with maybe a hundred dollars of work depending on the condition. I could do this for as cheap as $150 retail i n consumables and an afternoon .

LJ909 > ranwhenparked 09/14/2020 at 16:44

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Same. I get suspicious if they get done with something like this in 30-45 mins. 

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 16:44

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That's more than what Lexus wants for their 90k service interval.

LJ909 > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com 09/14/2020 at 16:46

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They are pretty much screwing over people. Especially clueless women and seniors. I wouldn’t be surprised they get finished with the car within 15 minutes of taking it into the bay and then let it sit for 2 hours to make it seem like thorough work was done. 

LJ909 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 09/14/2020 at 16:47

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My point exactly. 

WilliamsSW > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 09/14/2020 at 16:57

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I did the exact same thing and came out similar - a bit lower because adjusting brakes at 0 and nah on the “fuel system cleaning” because I bet that’s just dumping in a bottle of fuel system cleaner in the tank. 

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 17:10

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Yes,

It wouldn’t be bad if they actually did the work as described and replaced everything but you know that they’re going to find a clean engine air filter, and the customer is still charged for a “replacement” on that 2min check. Many of those services listed are just quick visuals that can be skipped or quick labour that can be charged to pad out that $1100 price. Customers are for sure getting dinged on consumables not replaced ...

I f they have the exchange machine for coolant y ou can do a near complete exchange but you’ll need at least 8quarts for even the small cars (we did minimum 12qt if I remember for our service ) , a gallon is just skimpy so it makes me question if they even bust off a rad hose or do something shyster, like evac the coolant reservoir and claim it’s changed...

Brickman > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 17:35

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I can do all that at home. Maybe $150 in oil, filters, cleaning supplies etc. Excluding transmission oil.

Gerry197 > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 17:48

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Service i s where the dealership makes the most money traditionally, along with used cars.

However, the manufacturer recommends you go by the service catalog and avoid things like engine treatments, directly countering that dealerships package.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 18:48

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On the first point, I like how they talk about replacing the oil, filter and gasket... as if oil filters don’t already come with gaskets.

And the fuel system treatment is completely redundant if you’re also doing a “complete fuel system cleaning:”

And “windshield washer solvent”??? WTF?

And that price... ugh... the most I’d pay for that service is CAD$150.

But really, with the redundancies and BS I’m reading into it, I’d rather just do the important stuff myself.

notsomethingstructural > facw 09/14/2020 at 19:08

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If you don’t want a car that can rust through in 3-5 years, don’t live in the cold or don’t own a car are your two options

facw > notsomethingstructural 09/14/2020 at 19:31

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I had my S40 for a decade in U pstate NY and the only rust on the bodywork were two places where it had been hit and repaired (and one of those had been hit again leaving a small crack). The underside had surface rust, but nothing awful. The exhaust did look like it had spent time on the bottom of the ocean, but it also wasn’t leaking.

My parents cars are a 2002 and 2006 that have lived all their lives in places where you use snow tires and aside from my dad’s fuel filter rusting through and leaking, they have never had serious issues with rust, and have no rust at all on the bodywork.

I think we can afford to have high standards when it comes to rust.

Urambo Tauro > LJ909 09/14/2020 at 19:34

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I’d like to know what kind of car qualifies for all of these inspection points. Especially:

UP TO 1GALL ON OF COOLANT

CLEAN AND ADJUST BRAKES

The closest thing I can think of that has a cooling capacity that small would be... well, something air-cooled I guess. And if the brakes are adjustable, I suppose that means we’re talking about drums... But the list also mentions a cabin air filter, which rules out a whole lot of older vehicles...

notsomethingstructural > facw 09/14/2020 at 19:44

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I’m not sure where upstate but anything east of Syracuse or south of Burlington is really only “cold-ish”. And I spent 5 years in Albany.  Some cars deal with it better than others but if you’re in the upper Midwest it’s not unreasonable at all to say untreated cars can rust through in 5 years.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/14/2020 at 19:53

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After doing plugs on a Subaru once, I would pay any amount of money to not do it again. In fact, I’m sure it is what’s being planned as my own level of hell. 

The Compromiser > LJ909 09/15/2020 at 18:24

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VW was the same for 120k. A grand to swap fluids and check my wipers for wear?  Get fukt.