SwissCheeseHead wrote: ↑Wed Sep 06, 2017 11:56 am
Brought the car into the dealer, and apparently it was a "bad battery," which is strange because I bought the pack new (2 pack) and I tried both batteries. I did put in CR2032, instead of CR2025 (I think) which is the thinner of the two, but I used a CR2032 the last time I changed the battery and it worked fine. They're charging me $31 for it...which if you think about it, is a $31 coin battery, but whatever...it apparently works now.
So they only charged parts, not labor for troubleshooting? Not too bad.
I've had 2 somewhat relatable experiences with a dealer.
First time they said 2 lug nuts were missing on a single wheel
It seemed very suspect to me but I paid 19 bucks for the parts. They graciously told me that they did not charge me labor for it. Gee thanks, it's not like you were not rotating the tires already! haha
2nd time was when I took a key fob to be programmed, they said one battery was dead so they replaced it with a $16 battery. Clincher is that the battery of an 03 m45 isn't necessary for the key fob to start the car. Again, oh well, because they usually don't guarantee keys you didn't buy from them at $500 will work. I am thinking I need to make an annual maintenance plan to buy these batteries in bulk online and change out the fob batteries every summer (at the dealership in case it refuses to work
)
I don't know how well their parts department is tied to the service department on the books, but I managed to sneak a view inside the office of their service manager. I couldn't certainly decipher what all the numbers were, but I saw a "last month" and "this month's target" column - I definitely understand budgets and targets as any business needs to track their health. However I know that if I am dealing with anyone with the upper hand and who has a quota to hit/ numbers to meet, then that person isn't necessarily looking out for my welfare. Just my 2 cents.
