Dealership woes?

[chetman7]

Went in for service today. Out of pocket. No warranty.
Said plugs would be CBS 5.5 hours @ shop rate 155$

I dont get much free time and I was already there so I just got it done and I bought the plugs online for cheap.

Dropped off at 730.
Connected app says my car was parked at the lot at 930
Call at 1130 to pick it up.

When I get there my car is exactly where the app said it was. They did an oil change, plugs, and inspection in 2 hours totaling close to 1K .

The money I dont care..I knew what I was getting into but why let it sit in the parking lot for 2 hours and make me wait there?

I would have been more impressed if they called me at 930 and was like you're good to go.paid and left.


Fyi
Here are my lugs at 26k miles. They look fine. I will def wait longer next time and definitely going to an indie shop next time.

View post on imgur.com

View post on imgur.com

[allinon72]

Most dealerships are a microcosm of government - slow, inefficient, costly, uninspired. The service manager just didn't get around to calling.

[khoa@x-ph.com]

was it busy when you went? Sometimes dealerships forget to call customer to pick up when they're slammed.

[Suds]

On my 2015 M4 with 25k miles driven with a stage 1 tune on a set of spark plugs, they still had some life in them. This included about 3500 track miles.
BMW maintenance schedule is on the conservative side.

[chetman7]

Originally Posted by allinon72

Most dealerships are a microcosm of government - slow, inefficient, costly, uninspired. The service manager just didn't get around to calling.

I initially thought that to but when he called for me to pick it up. He said all that's left was the inspection and to come by soon. Which was untruthful.

M tax to the max.
Definitely not going back there

[allinon72]

Spark plugs are a tough pill to swallow if you don't have the maintenance plan, but the point is to preventively replace them before they get bad and affect performance. If it was a Corolla I'd be willing to push it...in an M3 I'd follow the maintenance schedule as written.

[Aaaaaaaaa]

4 hours turn around time for any kind of service at a dealership isn’t bad am I missing something?

[IVM3]

Originally Posted by InTheseUncertainTimes

4 hours turn around time for any kind of service at a dealership isn’t bad am I missing something?

I think the bigger issue is them charging 5 hours of shop time when it only took them 2.

[nickl630]

You said you dropped it off but they "made you wait"?

4 hour turn around time for plugs and an oil change is normal/solid to me.

[E46M3forRay]

I don’t sit and wait. I get a loaner to hoon around and drop it off before closing.

[TheProjectM3]

$1k definitely sounds excessive. If it's not covered by dealership, why go there in the first place to pay? There are a lot of reputable shops with experience that will charge you a much lower and fair cost.

For example just for fun go call up your local dealership and ask how much it would cost to install lowering springs and compare that rate with any other shops and you'll be shocked at how ridiculous the dealerships are lol.

[aliiin]

Yeah, I definitely would not go to the stealership if I had to pay out of pocket. Their prices are exorbitantly ridiculous. You can just take it to a good indy shop and they'll do just as good work for a fraction of the price.

[chetman7]

Originally Posted by nickl630

You said you dropped it off but they "made you wait"?

4 hour turn around time for plugs and an oil change is normal/solid to me.

Sorry it was wording.
I was.going to wait for it until they said 5.5 hours just for plugs + oil change.
So my wife picked me up and ran some errands nearby as I dont live that nearby.

They didnt know I even left the waiting room. They called and said to come cash out at 1130 when the whole service was already done at 930ish.

Dont get me wrong, if they needed the whole day I wouldn't care, but if it took them 2 hours to do everything, why park my car in the gated lot and let it sit there letting me think they are still working on it?

[Prestigefrzn]

Justify the labor charged.

I work at Toyota and I have charged customers 3 hours and the car is finished in 1. The customer then complains that they were charged 3 hours for a job that took 1 and my supervisor ends up giving them some sort of credit. Regardless of how long the job takes the tech, most customers want to be charged the job took if it's less time. So we let them sit there and wait the extra time. It sucks, but it's the only way you can justify the charge.

[allinon72]

For those unfamiliar, most all dealerships charge book time and that's what the repair is quoted to the customer. It's not the actual time it takes to do the job unless it's diagnostic work. Techs are paid a flat rate, which encourages them to finish more efficiently but if they rush and get callbacks, they won't be around very long.

[nickl630]

Originally Posted by chetman7

Sorry it was wording.
I was.going to wait for it until they said 5.5 hours just for plugs + oil change.
So my wife picked me up and ran some errands nearby as I dont live that nearby.

They didnt know I even left the waiting room. They called and said to come cash out at 1130 when the whole service was already done at 930ish.

Dont get me wrong, if they needed the whole day I wouldn't care, but if it took them 2 hours to do everything, why park my car in the gated lot and let it sit there letting me think they are still working on it?

Gotcha,

Yeah sometimes that happens... some of these dealers are super busy and each tech has 3+ cars at a time and each service writer has 10+ cars and customers to deal with. If you feel strongly about it make sure to note that in your survey about how your service was.

[BigHunk]

That's why they call them stealerships, hope you learned lesson.

[Duck Sauce]

I recently dropped my M3 off at my local dealer. They have been great in previous years so I decided to drop it for the annual inspection. I'm still under warranty so I had them do an oil change (early) and an alignment (paid). They quoted 90 mins since the dealer is nearly empty and I decided to stick around.

20 mins in the SA comes out and says no go on the inspection due to front windows being tinted (they're 55% nearly clear) but OK, don't worry about it.

4 hours later....4 hours. Finally done with the oil change and alignment. Insane....they still charged me for the inspection even though they refused to do it......Never again, I'll just do everything on my own from now on.

[MisterF80M3]

Originally Posted by Duck Sauce

I recently dropped my M3 off at my local dealer. They have been great in previous years so I decided to drop it for the annual inspection. I'm still under warranty so I had them do an oil change (early) and an alignment (paid). They quoted 90 mins since the dealer is nearly empty and I decided to stick around.

20 mins in the SA comes out and says no go on the inspection due to front windows being tinted (they're 55% nearly clear) but OK, don't worry about it.

4 hours later....4 hours. Finally done with the oil change and alignment. Insane....they still charged me for the inspection even though they refused to do it......Never again, I'll just do everything on my own from now on.

Did you dispute the charge? Sometimes the service advisor forgets to remove it.

[2011ninja]

Originally Posted by BigHunk

That's why they call them stealerships, hope you learned lesson.

Dealer wanted to charge me $400+ to change the differential fluid in my 6 speed M3. It's a 20 minute job at best.

Took it to a shop; 20 minutes $160 and good bye

[flexspec]

Originally Posted by IVM3

I think the bigger issue is them charging 5 hours of shop time when it only took them 2.

This. OP is distracted.

Personal construct here - after working on my car, cleaning and being meticulous as I go, I am in awe that these techs get through these cars so fast. I also learned to be super patient. I gained a ton of perspective doing what I thought were "easy" jobs (cylinder head removal; intake refurbish; PCV system swap; DSC swap and code; I think I'll stop the list here). Moreover, I gained a new appreciation for those who work in this industry. Wrenching is not easy. Wrenching and not making 1 mistake is a damn miracle.

[SCS55]

Originally Posted by InTheseUncertainTimes

4 hours turn around time for any kind of service at a dealership isn’t bad am I missing something?

I agree. I'm used to this for a 2pm appointment for an alignment with a supposedly "it'll be ready that afternoon" line.

1:50 drop off
Car sits until 5:30 pm then they pull it onto the rack, close doors and go home.

Next day they finish the alignment by 10:30 am.
Car gets parked on their lot at 10:45.
1pm I get called advising the car is ready.


Same old line of " we are real busy", I forgot to call, I forgot to text, I forgot to email.