Dealer experience

[rockfangd]

Hi all just thought I would bring this up because it is bothering me and I am wondering if there is a higher solution.

About a month ago I pulled my 97 out of storage for the NYSI, alignment, rotation, and checkup. Well anyway yet again this year they were not honest with me and did not look it over well at all. Being I dont drive it much (less than 2000 miles last year) I rely on the checkup.

Last year they didnt even check the tire pressure, or notice that the NYSI was up. There is alot more to it but I am not willing to get into it.

but anyway I had the alignment done and they lost the paper somehow, he decided to put the car back on the rack to prove to me that the alignment was good. But didnt even listen when I told the service writer not to. I wanted to see the before and after so I knew exactly what was done. And I requested the printout before the car went in. So that bothered me, They couldnt reprint it or find it.

now I have gone 200 miles and decided to look things over because the rear is noisy in suspension and brakes. Found rear brakes are shot, almost no pad left and rotors are shot. I also found thee rear knuckle bushings are shot (cant really expect them to find that though because it only shows with weight on suspension) So I have everything on order. That also bothers me because if the wheels wee just rotated I dont know how the brakes could be missed.

What I am really getting at with this post is that I know many people that rely on the complimentary check.. .whatever places call it, but I really dont think it should even bee offered if it isnt going to be done properly.

A good example to me is like my mother taking her malibu to the dealer for service and getting a paper that shows all is good, she wouldnt even think twice about it.

I would like to go to another dealer but It is not very close to me. I wonder if there is someone outside the dealer that can be spoken to and if would doo any good. I take alot of pride in all 4 of my vehicles so it worries me when I have someone else working on it. If I could do it all myself I surely would but I cannot.

Feel free to share opinion on this, and mods if this thread is out of lne please let me know and delete it. thank you

[adallak]

I get upset every time I read something like that.... The rule #1 - the less people touch your car the better. I get very nervous even during state inspection. I insist I will be seeing every move someone does while "checking out" my car.

Why do you need alignment rotation, etc if you do only 2000 miles per year? FORGET dealers, find a reputable (more or less) small shop and do not ask them do something your car does not really need. ALWAYS get a second, third opinion before saying "go ahead".

You see the brakes are gone - let them replace them. They believe ATF should be changed. Say "no thanks". Let the same shop do the oil changes.

On the side note. I asked a dealer where my Fleetwood was served before I bought it from an old lady to send service records. In three years the dealer charged the old lady more than $5,500 for some maintenance/repair on a car which made barely a few thousand miles in three years.. When I recalculated, it looked like about $700 in parts If I bought them myself. The tech might spend probably some 10-15 hours total. Do your math. And it is about a car with some 70,000 miles driven by 80 years old lady... One can see why she got rid of it eventually.

Lots of unnecessary repairs were done while the rear view mirror was hanging on wires because they told the lady something like whole windshield should be replaced to fix it! LOL I snapped it on in seconds.

[rockfangd]

I had them rotate tires and alignment due to all the new suspension I had installed.

I wasnt very comfortable with any other shop at the time and chose the dealer.

Now On my Deville nobody ever touches that car but me. being I drive it every day I cn keep up very well on the maintnence. I have never had a problem with the car that I didnt catch way before hand, except when my main brake line went, but where it blew god wouldnt have seen it lol.

[Cadillac Jim]

A dealer may not be the best place to maintain an old car. I gave up on going to the dealer ten years ago and haven't looked back. I will go to a dealer when I actually need Goodwrench service, like electrical work, or looking at or replacing something that is under a Goodwrench warranty, or replacing an item that I want a Goodwrench warranty on.

My experience with dealer service is that the good/bad is better than randomly selecting a shop out there, and that bad shops get fixed by management after a reasonable time in many cases. The soak-the-old-lady mentality is instinctive with some mechanics, and I dropped one because he was a motorhead and he was dying to get into the innards of my low mileage Jasper-remanufactured Northstar engine. My current mechanic is certified and the owner of a Sunoco franchise. He whistles while he works and is totally devoid of hype, drama, and BS. When I gave him an oil sending switch to replace after a trip to a dealership in which I allowed an oil change and was informed that the case-half seals were going, he just replaced it, after noting that the old one was leaking.

Look for a shop that turns over its cars (you don't see the some of the same cars there every week), has mechanic certifications for current people that work there posted on the walls, and which maintain a clean shop including a clean floor.

[rockfangd]

Well I just thank god that 99% of my work is done by me. Most shops around here dont have a clue othe than the money part. It is all about the speed it takes to do it and how to beat the flat rate.

And since the economy isnt too well most of the good flat rate people found other jobs. I constantly see lots of new faces no matter where I look.

[MrEldo97]

"Most shops around here dont have a clue othe than the money part. It is all about the speed it takes to do it and how to beat the flat rate."

Sadly, so very true, which is why I do my own work as well.

[Ranger]

I wonder if there is someone outside the dealer that can be spoken to and if would doo any good. I take alot of pride in all 4 of my vehicles so it worries me when I have someone else working on it.

Since dealers are privately owned, I seriously doubt it. Your best option would be to let the owner know that you are unhappy with the service. An unhappy customer is his worst advertizing.

[KHE]

I wonder if there is someone outside the dealer that can be spoken to and if would doo any good. I take alot of pride in all 4 of my vehicles so it worries me when I have someone else working on it.

Since dealers are privately owned, I seriously doubt it. Your best option would be to let the owner know that you are unhappy with the service. An unhappy customer is his worst advertizing.

The best approach is to start with the service manager and be polite and calm. If you do not get results, keep working your way up the ladder until you are talking to the owner of the dealership. If that fails, or you can't go any higher up the chain, there is a GM Zone rep that handles several dealerships in a given area. Make an appointment with him and again calmly explain the situation.

[rockfangd]

I wonder if there is someone outside the dealer that can be spoken to and if would doo any good. I take alot of pride in all 4 of my vehicles so it worries me when I have someone else working on it.

Since dealers are privately owned, I seriously doubt it. Your best option would be to let the owner know that you are unhappy with the service. An unhappy customer is his worst advertizing.

The best approach is to start with the service manager and be polite and calm. If you do not get results, keep working your way up the ladder until you are talking to the owner of the dealership. If that fails, or you can't go any higher up the chain, there is a GM Zone rep that handles several dealerships in a given area. Make an appointment with him and again calmly explain the situation.

Thank you. that I will try.

[rockfangd]

well good news. I did the work to the rear today and all went well. The only thing I dont like about the rear brakes is the fine thread bolt that secures the park brake bracket to the caliper likes to break off. but luckily both came out good. Tight but didnt break.

Also The knuckle bushings were the worst I have done yet. They were bad enough for the inner portions to come right out.

All is good now. Still curious as every cadillac I have changed the rear knuckle bushings on I have had to remove the 2 steel clips from the lower arm. I know I have brought this up before but has anyone else had this issue?

[KHE]

All is good now. Still curious as every cadillac I have changed the rear knuckle bushings on I have had to remove the 2 steel clips from the lower arm. I know I have brought this up before but has anyone else had this issue?

Not sure what you're referring to. Once the brakes are out of the way, I disconnect the rear brace that goes from the knuckle to the subframe, remove the hub bearing and the upper/lower knuckle bolts and the knuckle comes out.

[rockfangd]

You remove the bearing? I have never removed the bearing. Maybe I misunderstood.

I remove the brakes,

torsion bolt from the rear

place jack under lower arm to support

remove abs plug

remove upper and lower bolts

remove knuckle.

Then once the new bushings are installed in the knuckle I have to remove the 2 steel clips from the lower arm, otherwise it wont go on. The clips slide over the bolt holes. Maybe I can post a pic. And I have only ever used the dorman bushing set.

[KHE]

You remove the bearing? I have never removed the bearing. Maybe I misunderstood.

Then once the new bushings are installed in the knuckle I have to remove the 2 steel clips from the lower arm, otherwise it wont go on. The clips slide over the bolt holes. Maybe I can post a pic. And I have only ever used the dorman bushing set.

Are you talking about the clips that keep the mounting nuts from turning?

It's probabmy not necessary to remove the hub/bearing but it makes it easier to hold the knuckle in the vise while beating the old bushings out. I attempted to do one with the hub in the knuckle and it was very awkward to retain the knuckle while driving the old bushing out. If I had a hydraulic press, that would be different.

[rockfangd]

lol. All I have left is my trusty vice. It works well if you know how to use it.

I am not talking about the bolts with the clips on them.

I will post a pic tonight,. maybe they were deletedd after a certain year or the bushings you have done werent the originals.The clps go on the lower arm and have hooles in them.

the bolt goes through them and the control arm, its like it seperates the bushing mating surface from the arm. I think I mentioned these in a writeup I did here a few years ago

[KHE]

lol. All I have left is my trusty vice. It works well if you know how to use it.

I am not talking about the bolts with the clips on them.

I will post a pic tonight,. maybe they were deletedd after a certain year or the bushings you have done werent the originals.The clps go on the lower arm and have hooles in them.

the bolt goes through them and the control arm, its like it seperates the bushing mating surface from the arm. I think I mentioned these in a writeup I did here a few years ago

Now I know what clips you're talking about. I forgot about them.

[rockfangd]

lol think I should do the same. I actually forgot about them until I these