That's exactly what I'm talking about. Happened to a friend recently a shop unseated a CV boot and said you need a new axle. Dead giveaway was zero grease was flung anywhere, plus I know the boot was good I am the one usually doing oil changes and the like. All I had to do was put on a new clamp, they literally cut the metal clamp off.
Every dealer visit is an opportunity for them to make money and they take full advantage. I personally think the vast majority of dealers are at best dishonest.

 

There are exceptions to every rule, and we all like to think we these things don't happen to us, but you only have to look at the behavior of the sales side of the house at most dealerships to recognize that those unscrupulous practices really aren't going to be limited to only that part of the business.

Surely no one here is naive enough to think that the games the that sales managers play don't happen in service too.

The auto dealership business is pretty much the most unethical out there IMO.

 

What do people think is paying for those fabulous buildings and dozens of employees?

 

These lists are misleading and pointless. There needs to be more emphasis on why the RX costs more than the GS (same engine BTW)

 

I know dealers are scummy but somehow I really doubt they're deliberately destroying cars just to get business. The more problems a customer has with their car at a specific dealership, the less likely they'll return to that dealership.

 

Even dealerships, overall, are a lot less-scummy now than they used to be. Each year, the customer-satisfaction-standards get tougher, the more questionnaires are sent out to customers from not only research-companies but the manufacturers themselves, and the highest-scoring dealerships generally get the most favorable treatment from the manufacturers.

 

If someone just follows the manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule…what’s the problem? Dealers like to upsell so the magic words of NO…go a long way

 

they have the ram at 32k miles for spark plugs but its really 100k

i doubt tires are included on this, then how is a GS350 cheaper to own when its going through tires much faster than an RX

 

32K in the actual manual?

 

Well, one problem occurs with the Normal and Severe Recommended Maintenance schedules. Many owners ignore the more stringent Severe recommendations , and think that the Normal applies, when, in fact, it doesn't. The "Normal" schedules usually don't take heavy traffic, dusty roads, very hot or cold temperatures, a lot of stop-and-go-driving, towing, heavy loads, steep hills, frequent short-trips in cold temperatures, or a number of other common everyday driving conditions into account.

Personally, since so much of today's driving does, in fact, involve conditions that are in the Severe list, IMO, the Severe list should actually be declassed as the new "Normal" recommendations, while those that involve easier conditions could be reclassified to "Mild", or "Lengthened". It would be more accurate than what they are doing today. In fact, the oil-use computers in today's vehicles more or less do that, by taking the specific driving conditions of each individual vehicle into account.

Some of you in Car Chat complain that I am stubborn and refuse to admit when I change my mind on something. Personally, I was once opposed to the oil-use computers, and a firm believer in fixed-interval (and frequent) oil-changes. That is something I HAVE changed my mind on in the last several years, as most vehicles today use either full-synthetic or semi-synthetic oil, the oil can stay in the crankcase longer without deteriorating (although sometimes the oil-additives still deteriorate), and less damage and wear is done from extended-length oil-changes. The oil-use computers themselves have also become better, especially after BMW had to replace a number of expensive engines under warranty when the computers let the oil stay in too long. Also, with longer drain-intervals, it becomes even more important to occasionally check the oil and make sure the oil-level doesn't drop as miles build up.

 

this website says every 32k, its 100k in the manual

 

Apparently it costs more to own a BMW 5 Series than a Mercedes S-Class.

Really scratching my head now.




EDIT: Same with the 3 Series. WTF?

 

Hyundai really starts increase in their costs after year 5ish

 

Because cars like the Genesis and former Equus are grouped with Hyundai, so they skew the list. Same with Kia and the K900/Stinger.

 

Not seeing the Genesis models in there grouped together. Do you see them?