Did I do the right thing?

[albertaboy]

I took my car (2002 - I35) in for it's 96,000km service today at Infiniti in Calgary, but ended up not getting it done. Here's why:

- The 96k service involves a whole lot of inspecting. No plug change (just inspection), tire rotation, more inspecting, transmission fluid flush, more inspecting, you get the picture. The price for this is $489. Not the end of the world, and I was okay to pay this.

But...

The service guy asked if there was anything else. I told him that the 'check engine' light was on and that it was an evap code. He typed away on his computer...$125 to check this. More once they determine what was wrong (again I was okay with this...)

Then...

He mentioned that the big part of the 96k service was the replacement of the 'cabin air filter'. $155ish for this. I was starting to get annoyed.

Then...

He told me that after inspecting the spark plugs, if they determined that they needed to be replaced it would cost anywhere from $119 (non-platinum) to $379 (platinum). Getting more annoyed.

The straw that broke the camels back...

I had taken off the original wiper blades and put on some others. Bad idea. They sucked. I was planning on putting the original ones back on, but didn't get around to it before taking it in. I mentioned to the service guy that they were in the front seat and asked if they could out them on. He typed away on his computer again. I asked what that was going to cost me and he said $25. To remove old wiper blades and put the original ones back on. $25! After charging $489 for the 96,000km service he has the audacity to charge another $25 to chance (not replace) the blades.

See if you've been adding:

$498 + $125 + $155 + $379 + $25 + god knows what else they would determine was wrong = not a good deal.

I walked out after the $25 windshield wiper 'straw'.

Did I do the right thing?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

[rxm6]

No...bad idea....you forgot the walking away annoyed fee...$34.07

Dealers suck for everything...even buying cars.

[jdshift]

Go to another dealership..........get a second advice. Don't tell them of your previous visit to the other dealership, and see what happens.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I generally let them *inspect* all they want. Then they can tell me what's wrong. At that point, I'll fix it myself or find the best place for it.

Dealer inspections can be good things. But there's no question they'll try and convince you to spend as much money as possible. And dealer prices are generally very high.

Also, if the cabin air filter is "a big part" of the service that you've already payed for, why isn't it included in the cost of that service?

I'd have walked out too. Probably even sooner than you did.

[albertaboy]

Thanks guys. Forgot one other thing.

I also mentioned that there was a bit of 'wind-noise' coming from the sunroof, especially at speed. I remembered reading somewhere on here that it was a known(ish) issue, and that the fix was a couple of 'shims' or 'washers' that you could get from Nissan for a couple of dollars that made the seal around the sunroof a bit tighter.

He typed it into his computer and added another $125 to the estimate.

I guess the reason I took it into Infiniti in the first place is because I wanted to 'continue the legacy' of the previous owner getting all of his service done at Infiniti (granted in another province). I'm afraid that is not going to happen.

Thanks again for the responses guys. Long time lurker. Looking forward to contributing as much as I can around here.

[NutriaforBreakfast]

By the time you take it to the dealeryou can buy the tool yourself and messup twice and still come out ahead

[SVTCOBRA]

By the time you take it to the dealeryou can buy the tool yourself and messup twice and still come out ahead

Agreed!!!

Do you have a Nissan dealership that you can take it too??I'd rather deal with Nissan that Infiniti any day.