Benifits of service at dealerships

[RobPaulson]

So I have always been under the impression that it is better to have maintenance like oil changes etc at the dealership. I am under this impression because its a great consistent source where all of your records can be kept on file with the vehicle to prove good maintenance for resale.

But I have had nothing but issues with my dealership, not to mention $80 for a synthetic oil change kinda hurts =/ Also, when I went for my first tire rotation and overall inspection at 7k miles (is it 7k? i dont remember now ...) they left the locking nuts on my tires completely lose, like they were just hand tightened.

So what are the actual benifits to going to a dealership for all services? is it worth the convenience or can I just keep records of my services and have them done at a quality shop?

[dangeris]

If you have the dealer do the maintenance on the car, they will keep the record for you.

If you do it, you'll need to keep a record of it and provide proof if such a problem arises.

[dldjros69]

To heck with the dealership, i have never gotten worse service before. Maybe it is because i didnt buy my car there.

Also i have not kept any records for anything. Whoops. oh well

[PHENOMenalVinyl]

i keep records of my car regularly either way. I have a little red notpad bout 3in by 1 1/2 and i write everything ive added to the car and the dates and the cost. So when i sell it privatly and my asking is a little higher than a normal A/C theres no questions, this littl red book tells you why lol

[Curtieson]

The little red book is a good idea. I had that for my first car and kept track of everything, including fill ups to track gas millage. That was 2000 to 2004.

When I got my new car, I move the Red Book into Quicken. I created an asset called "My Car" and kept everything there. Oil changes...parts replace...rotations...even fillups. The cost assosiated is easy to track, and I just put the millage in the MEMO field for reference. To do my gas mileage, I would write the miles on top of the receipt that I get at the pump. It takes 2 seconds at the gas station, and maybe 1 minute each week to put it into my computer. Not a lot of time for detailed records that could make you hundreds on a personal resale later.

[LongBeachCoupe]

1. Phenom, your little red book doesnt mean anything to some extent unless their are receipts to back everything up. Furthermore, modifications ironically DECREASE the value of the car and you will get more $ by selling them separate, and returning the car to stock. (another reason for overlays instead of painting tail lights)

2.RobPaulson... They didnt torque your lugnuts on? I would go speak to the service manager and demand a refund for the services rendered and never set foot in there again. Theres nothing wrong with changing your own oil boys, as long as you keep the receipts!

3. You can buy your oil on your own, then bring it to a dealer to change if you like. They charge me $15 to do this and buying the oil on my own is cheaper.

I have a Nissan Technician that I know and trust, he wouldnt "do me dirty" and would never screw me over, but there are dishonest crooks all over the place... Just because you bring it to NISSAN doesnt mean it will be done right, and just because you bring it to a mom-n-pop shop doesnt mean it will be done right... Find a local place where you can develop a relationship with them and they will value your business, and treat you properly.

[RobPaulson]

3. You can buy your oil on your own, then bring it to a dealer to change if you like. They charge me $15 to do this and buying the oil on my own is cheaper.

that is brilliant LBC, i'm absolutely doing this. I am so sketched that they ARENT giving me my mobile1 ... sure i get charged for it but whos to say thats what they ACTUALLY used, I dont see any empty containers or it being poored in ... bah i'm super paranoid with this dealership i need to find somewhere else to go these guys are slimeballs

and I cant go back and b**** about it because i actually drove on the tired for 2 months before i notice the lugs were lose. went to go isntall my stillen pulley, take the tire off, and the locking lug just came right off like nothing. so i went around the car and they were ALL lose as hell.



i HATE dealerships ...

[JAFO]

I have taken my vehicle to the dealer for all related problems so far. The dealer I go to has always done a great job on my car and they email me a 15% off service coupon every month or so which helps defer the cost.

Not only does the dealer keep track of all my maintenance (I keep all the receipts anyway in case I decide to sell privately) but while the car is under warranty, they will have no excuses to use if something happens to my car; They can't say "Well you had so and so shop do your oil change and they didn't use a Nissan approved oil filter therefore your warranty is void" or something like that.

These are my reasons for going to the dealer instead of an independent shop. Once I'm off the warranty though I will find a reputable shop to do the work.

[LongBeachCoupe]

Rob, its cheaper too... buy a case of oil at a time.. use coupons etc (theres a coupon for pep-boys out now i think)... Id still go back to the dealership and tell them how upset you are about it and see what they say... I would also only speak to the service manager about this and mention you are part of the biggest online NISSAN community and are likley to post your experiences....

Jafo, if they want to make up excuses thats going to happen regardless... wait till you hear a dealer trying to tell you your aftermarket intake caused your radio to stop working lol..

Its a matter of knowing your rights and the laws.FACT: The aftermarket part needs to be proved to have caused the failure.

If your radio doesnt work, they cant blame it on an oil filter.. furthermore, what type of "reputable shop" would use the wrong filter? Im a big believer in bringing my own stuff when I go places.. Just pay them for the labor, not their inflated charges on parts!

[SqueaksCoupe08]

I bring my car to the dealership for all of the oil changes/maintenance. Like mentioned earlier, they keep all of the records, and I know for a fact that they give you more money for your car when it comes time to trade it in for something else if you get the work done at the dealership(A friend of mine did that). If you're going to sell the car privately, it is a whole other story im sure. Their prices also are very reasonable at my dealership and they send coupons probably about every 3 months or so. Plus they fix any recalls while they are doing the work. Only drawback is a lot of the time you wait a week for an appointment to "wait" vs leaving the car there for the day, and you're still sitting there 2hours for an oil change

[JAFO]

I understand what you're saying but if your oil pan starts leaking it would be much easier for them to void the warranty if you changed your own oil rather than having them do it.

I have no aftermarket parts and have taken my car to the dealer for every issue/maintenance item. If anything goes wrong with my car there is no excuse for them to use.

I understand that it would be ludicrous for them to deny a warranty engine work because you put in aftermarket speakers however it would not be beyond them to void your warranty on engine work because you installed a turbo on your vehicle.

[hugot80]

well, as u all might know, makers make profit from maintenance and stock parts, not from selling the car... that said, here in mexico, most dealerships cheat on their services and maintenance programs.

vw is well-known around here for switching faulty parts for the good parts on your car, so u get the maintence at the delaership trusting them, they switch... maybe a MAF, or a water pump, in a couple of K miles, you start having trouble with the MAF or water pump so u have to return to the dealership and have THAT replaced... a guy once did that a proved that, he marked with some sort of paint each and every part of his car, went for a normal service and he PROVED they changed its car parts.

and not just them, a friend of mine used to work @ audi, and they did the exact same thing, probably not so dramatic like the piece broke down in a couple of thusand miles, but yeah, they took new car's part, switched them with used parts and sold them as brand new

so i really dont trust dealerships for maintenance... the sad part is if u dont do it with them, u lose the warranty, so its a lose-lose situation

[jdeb101]

Wow hugot80 thats some scary sh**! Luckily the dealer I go to for my maintenance has a glass window in the waiting area so you can see your car being worked on. You can bet I stare at them while they work on it too! haha

Good thread btw.

[LongBeachCoupe]

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