I’m a bit concerned about “dirty pool” at my local car dealership where I bought my car 5 years ago.
Last August I contacted GM Financial about my payoff figure (which I just paid off in full in November) after I contacted GM Financial the very next day and weeks (texts and email) I got bombarded by this dealership about buying a new car.
Since I bought the car at this dealership I get free inspections for life, my state (Pa.) requires an annual inspection.
I have been getting the car inspected there since then and have had no problems, I have an appointment in mid January, my worry now though is that they’ll find ’ issues’ with my car to try to get me to buy a new one since they must know that it’s paid off.
In my opinion, if you get bad news in Jan and they want $$$ to fix it, or buy a new one, then get detailed info on the problem.
Then take it to a reputable shop and have them check over the car. [but you probably shoud not tell them what your dealer “found” If it’s legit, they will find the same problem]
You could just pay to have the vehicle inspected at a state-approved site. Here, I take mine to a place which does not do repairs. I would expect that your cost might be $25 to $50 for an inspection.
Car dealerships make more money servicing cars than they do selling cars. If I bought every service and maintenance their “specialists” recommended that I buy, I’d spend twice as much as I currently spend.
If it were me, I’d get the state-required inspection from a another provider, get the sticker, and then take it to the dealership for your “free” inspection.
I had a Honda Passport that would stall. The speedometer was intermittent at the same time. The dealer service writer said I had to have the dashboard replaced (as the speedometer was intregal). I disagreed. While not a car mechanic, I knew the problem had to be the sensor in the transmission because of how the vehicle was performing (I understand computer closed loop systems). I finally had to take the unrepaired vehicle back, replaced the speed sensor and the problem was solved.
Not all mechanics or service writers are experts and I began doing my own repairs.
I don’t know if that service writer was just hoping to increase sales or was totally clueless even after I explained why his diagnosis was totally wrong.
I do not take my vehicles for safety inspections at any repair shop.
You can never ‘Over Think’ when you’re dealing with people. We live in a world where being HUMAN is difficult for many; especially when it involves “The Benjamins”. Best to have the car checked by an independent garage that has a solid reputation. Then, when you take it to the dealership you’ll be able to know if they are telling you the truth or creating an issue in the hope that you will trade the vehicle in for a new one or have them fix the problem…and problems CAN BE NON-EXISTENT. In other words, they claim to find a problem and you authorize them to fix it for a set price. They print the bill with the book set rate on cost & mechanics time. You pay the bill not knowing that your vehicle had no issues, and they just made a bunch of money off of you.
Nope, but it would be worth it to get it inspected at one place and then take it to the dealer to see what they say. Trust but verify. I’m from Georgia, and I am the type of auto owner that pays off the loan and runs the car into the ground. I expect 300k or more from the car. I get monthly emails and letters wanting to buy my low mileage RAV4. Nope.
I actually liked this dealer, but we’re had our differences. When I bought the car, they tried to sell me a maintenance package for $900. Not a single thing in the maintenance package was listed in the owners manual. The paint protection film that was “mandated by Southeastern Toyota” is now peeling and pulling the paint with it.
Why do they offer free inspections? It gets YOUR car into THEIR dealership and now they have an opportunity to sell you services.
When I take my car to the dealership, I still take advantage of the free oil changes and tire rotations. If they recommend additional services or identify non-critical issues, I thank them for the information and let them know I’ll think about it, unless it’s something they’ll fix for free.
I contact my independent mechanic for a second opinion. Many times, they tell me it’s something that can wait. Other times, they’ll ask me to bring the car in for a closer look, and the evaluation is usually free.
While it seems we distrust everyone these days, especially car dealerships - I have a story were a dealership saved me several hundred dollars. I have a 2019 Mazda. I drive very little and it just turned 45,000 miles. I noticed when backing into the garage that my brakes made a groaning sound and I figuered I’d need to brake pads. I have taken my car to the dealer for all routine maintenance. At every visit, they give me a ‘report card’ on the vehicle. I showed up or my appointment, ready to pay them hundreds of dollars for a brake job. the service rep looked at the computer and asked “so you want to replace the rear?” I said no, I’d just have alll four wheels done. He turned the screen around and said “your car is in the green on all four wheels - you don’t need brakes…they have so little wear they are almost new”. I asked about the groan and he said that’s normal…it’s just to let ou know that you might start thinking about brakes, but I sitll had a lot of life in them. Rather then drop the car off, I went home…and kept several hundred in my wallet.