Ok, that worked well! Pretty cool site.
Just my humble opinion, but I suspect that this 30k maintenance service came about due to the disconnect that always occurs between the customer and mechanic when a service writer is inserted into the middle.
In a perfect world there should always be some interaction between the customer and mechaic but for several valid reasons this is not always possible.
Andā¦thereās the Buick. 2005 with 150k, fluid never changed.
So my recommendation - change somewhere between Toyota (5 yrs, 95k) and Buick (13 yrs, 150k).
I think youād be fine to change every 5 yrs or so.
The poor Buick is neglected. It was inherited and I didnāt intend to drive it this long (100k miles). I planned on buying a new truck as soon as the house was paid off. The month before we paid off the house note, my wife decided she wanted to work part time. Soā¦at this point Iāll probably keep the old girl even after I buy a truck. I doubt Iād get much over $2k as a trade in, so Iāll run her into the ground.
That hood and grill are off a car that was scrapped at work. I hit a deer - and killed it lol. Pretty good color match, eh? Pretty stoked about that.
Not to worry, the scrapyard got my old hood and grill so no embezzlement involved in my granny car parts swappin.
Iām so old I donāt know what ālolā means. Can you tell me?
Text talk lol means ā laughing out loud ā but if you have to tell someone you are lol then maybe it wasnāt that funny to start with.
I bet youāre a riot at parties.
I had a somewhat similar experience with my 2005 Prius. I did not read the āfine printā when taking the car in for its 30k service. The shop order I signed agreed to the āheavy useā service. I should have read the manual before I took the car in and then questioned the service advisor before agreeing to this.
Fortunately, the dealer called a couple of days later and asked if I were satisfied. I was very polite when telling them that I was fine with the service but felt that I was oversold. The service manager called me a couple of days later and offered to refund $200 in the form of subsequent service with them.
Lesson learned. Read the find print and ask for explanation of exactly what you are agreeing to. Sad that we have to be so vigilant. In my view, a good service advisor would have first asked me it I were using the car for heavy duty use and then recommended the appropriate service.
What the heck is THAT supposed to mean?
Well, itās sarcasm. Mr. Volvo, although Iām sure is a fine gentleman, seems to come across a bit cranky and sarcastic at times. Perhaps his posts arenāt meant that way. If thatās the case, I apologize.
My suggestion would be after the 36,000 mile point (out of warranty) find a good trustworthy independent mechanic that works on Subarus and have him do the work from that point. Maybe also do some of the simple stuff yourself like air and cabin filter change. The filters are much cheaper at your local auto parts store and they are not that difficult to change. It definitely sounds like you got hosed somewhat. Could be that your dealerās service dept. may not be looking out for your interests primarily. I went through the same thing with my previous car(s) and a service manager that was way too insistent that I do unnecessary and expensive service work. As someone else replied, if it isnāt on the maintenance schedule in your glove box, more often than not, you donāt need it. Thatās where a good independent mechanic comes in. I have one, he isnāt cheap but, I know Iām not getting ripped off.
Personally, Iām not keen on blanket indictments of dealership mechanics as being thieving weasels or assumptions that factory maintenance schedules are etched in stone when there are so many variables that affect that schedule.
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The shop I work at, EVERY vehicle is on the severe service schedule, because they genuinely need to be. But Iām fleet, not a new car dealer mechanic
And there are plenty of instances where even the severe service schedule is somewhat inadequate. There are some vehicles that need cabin air filters and engine air filters at EVERY service.
Some vehicles just live a rough life out of necessity, and they should be serviced accordingly
Just because something is being recommended that isnāt on the āmaintenance schedule in your glove boxā or just because something is being recommended sooner than you were anticipating . . . doesnāt automatically mean the customer is āgetting ripped offā
Iām also not a fan of blanket indictments
You have totally misunderstood my post. Nowhere did I say all dealership service departments are untrustworthy. My current dealership is so far the best one I have dealt with. And, I do understand that there are extenuating circumstances. But, if someone that is not mechanically inclined, know little about cars and they think something is fishy, itās nice to have someone else to go to for a second opinion.
When you are talking about dealership service departments, you have the mechanics and you have the service advisors. I trust the mechanics, but most dealerships try to keep me from talking directly to them.
I have given a second opinion on many people coming from the dealer, and in many cases I told the vehicle owner āI absolutely agree with the dealer mechanicās recommendationsā
And Iām sure they appreciate your recommendation but remember,this post isnāt about nor directed at you.
Here is your first problem: āā¦My friendly Subaru dealerā¦ā
No such beast! In fact, there is no such any: āā¦friendly ____ dealerā¦ā (with apologies for anyone who works for oneā¦)
Dealers make their $ from services, not sales. My experience with Subaru and other dealers is ā count your fingers after any handshake.
Find a good local independent mechanic that you can learn to trust, do not nickel-and dime them over charges (but do ask questions!), be sure to bring trays of fresh-baked brownies on a regular basis. I go to a dealer ONLY when there no other optionālike recalls. I let my mechanic order OEM parts from the dealers as appropriate (so dealers do get a few of my buck$ā¦)
Check the mechanics files on CarTalk.com as well as ask any ācar peopleā you know. I am always open to sharing my guys (and gals!), as I need them to thrive in business, and be there for me too.
Looks like a misunderstanding, I I would believe a reputable dealer would give you a refund. I have had dealers (Honda) make mistakes, only to refund all my $$$. Does your car call for synthetic oil? I have driven both my cars (Hondas) to 200,000 miles on old fashioned cheap oil with no problems. I have friends who pay all this money for synthetic and special air for the tires only to trade in with 75k miles on their car.
Dealers make a lot of money from sales. Their big money is through load deals, dealer add-ons and trade-ins.