How to tell when your car dealer is lying

maxextz

Rollin Rollin Rollin.....
hi all,
came across this today might be useful or just a laugh.
to read more click on the link below.

http://www.allpar.com/lies.html


The Hall of Fame!

1. "We don't make any money off the extended warranty but offer it as a public service."
2. You can't expect us to repair the transmission, steering, brake, and other problems under warranty, since you didn't let us do the 12,000 mile service. (Toyota dealer)
3. Nobody can break into a Pontiac convertible because the top cannot be cut with a knife.
4. "I'll call you when it's ready."
5. “Those aren't very good cars anyway. The engine leans over to one side and throws off the whole balance of the car.” — sales manager at Harris Ford, Lynnwood, WA, after selling a beautiful 1973 Scamp (with a 225 Slant Six) to another buyer despite having taken a deposit to hold the car less than 24 hours earlier. (Mike Sealey)

"There's no problem" - variations on refusal to repair

1. Problem not found!!!!!
2. "I can't hear anything wrong."
3. "That noise is normal; there's nothing you can do." (sometimes true!)
4. "It's normal for cars to perspire anti-freeze" (After 3 lame attempts to repair a leaky bi-pass hose on my wife's Altima - Midway Nissan, Phoeniz, AZ)
5. "Four hundred miles per quart is within the normal range of oil consumption." (Many dealers but Saturn is notable for this one)
6. "We tried it under the exact conditions you said, and it didn't do it."
7. "Some of those engines idle rough, some don't. It's normal."
8. "The cruise control can't be used below 55 mph. That's why it surges." (Toyota)
9. "Well, I don't feel any brake pulsation," even though the runout was way out of specifications. (Toyota)
10. "The problem is the way you're shifting." - Dodge of Paramus. Note: another transmission shop suggested that they had not actually replaced anything, but had merely reattached a slipped cable. The "clutch" problem turned out to be a gunked-up engine - but they were willing to fix the clutch they hadn't fixed right, for just another few hundred dollars.
11. "No, that's oil seepage, not oil leakage. It is perfectly normal to expect seepage. Look, you can see that it is only road grime accumulation." (several dealers!) [Master Tech Jon: “Usually this is true, in order to keep lubricated and keep from drying out seals will seep oil, if it's not dripping it may not be anything to worry about. There is no way to 100% seal a moving part with oil pressure behind it.”]
12. "Ma'am, there is nothing wrong with your gas tank. These new minivans just carry a 7 gallon reserve in the tank." (A 5-star Chrysler service center, after supposedly replacing the tank twice under warranty because when the gauge showed "empty," the tank could only be filled with 12 gallons of fuel, maximum. [This is clearly covered by a service bulletin] - reported by Karen)
13. "Those lumps on in your headlight pocket are on all Camaros" (O'Reilly Chevrolet, Tucson, AZ, body shop manager). Agreed to "check it out" after I let him know that a total of 10 Camaros exist in my near family - none have lumps - Paul.
14. "Could not duplicate transmission noise" (I was told this THREE times by Ed Voyles CPin Atlanta. Finally I drove the service manager across the lot with the windows down. He heard it. A week later they called saying car was ready. "No problems found" was written on work order. A nasty argument with the service manager ended when I promised to return to picket the dealer on Saturday. The entire transmission was replaced under warranty.) - Lee Hines and Tammy Gilmore
15. "All alignment specs are perfect..." Literally from day one, this $33,000 van would climb up the crown into the oncoming traffic from the far right hand lane. The service manager test drove it, with me in it, on the wrong side of the road to prove it would do the opposite from there. He barely caught it from darting of into the trees and still tried to convince me that it was correct! - Mikey in Oregon.
16. "We checked the alignment and the camber is off but that's compensated by the caster being off the other way." (Chrysler-Plymouth dealer...I guess the fact they were servicing a DODGE fooled them) - Gene Poon
17. "All carbon breaks squeal after a while." After 4 trips to dealership which continually told me it was only brake dust I took it to an independent mechanic. It took him 10 minutes to figure out that one of my brake calipers was seized, it had totally ground down all of the brake pad. I proceeded to tell the owner of the dealership, when he told me "well they probably never check that side of the car." (Advantage Toyota Dodge, Portsmouth, VA) - Tammy Fox
18. This problem happened a lot on the 94s, nothing to worry about - SBed83215
19. "The part wasn't in the box so we didn't have to use it." (Tenafly C-P-J-E)
20. After visiting Royal Jeep C/P in Orlando, Florida and telling them that my Neon had loud exhaust and excessive shaking after going through puddles, they told me they couldn't find anything. Then, I found the TSB and took it back to them telling them about the TSB, they said they couldn't find the TSB. Then, I printed it out from the Internet, handed it to the service guy and told him this is my year, my engine, and my exact problem. They returned my car to me saying they didn't fix it because they couldn't duplicate the symptoms. That problem never got fixed on my Neon. - Brian Schulte
21. Bought a used Mustang GT from a Jeep/BMW dealer. Next morning there was a tremendously loud squeak as I drove it to work. It was so loud it hurt my ears. Other drivers were looking at me as I drove by. Picked it up after the dealer replaced the tensioner on the accessory belt for free. Next morning, same problem. Got dropped off at the dealership to pick up the car, The service manager said "they were all over that car and didn't find a thing wrong. It was totally quiet this morning. We have no idea what you are hearing." Drove the car home. Next morning, same thing. ... ! I noticed the speedometer had a slight tick in the needle movement when the squeak occured. I discovered the speedometer cable was making the racket. I disconnected the tranny side of the cable and squirted it full of lithium grease. It was totally quiet from then on. Took me 15 minutes to diagnose and fix the problem once I put my mind to it. I am by no means a mechanic. - "Dr. Righteous" (real name withheld on request)
22. Late model GM V8 pickup:
Service advisor: "Oh, that is normal, they all do that"
Symptom: Piston-slap at start-up
My response: "They may all do that, but that is not normal!" -- Edward B. Gerhardt
(Master Tech Jon wrote: “To increase horsepower and reduce emissions, manufacturers have been using short skirt pistons. It is normal for them to slap and make noise until they warm up to operating temp and expand to fit the cylinder, it won't decrease the longevity of the vehicle, its just something the consumer has to get used too that was different from their last vehicle. Manufacturers are now using moly coatings and teflon buttons on the pistons to reduce the noise due to customer complaints, the piston still acts the same, you just can't here it now.”)
23. "Those black spots? That's brake dust. It'll come right off with a toothbrush." - Bryan Scholtes (The spots were due to clearcoat flaking off the aluminum wheels, letting black corrosion eat into the metal.)
24. "You're a woman, you don't know anything about cars." (I've had this one from especially Ford, but also Dodge and Toyota)
25. Our cars NEVER have problems. We don't have lemons! (Toyota dealer, BC)
26. It's not our fault the car is getting worse gas mileage than recommended, it's your driving. (Toyota dealer, BC, regarding a car with clear problems)
 

david_42

Active member
Don't go by the mileage indicated on the maintenance computer, it's wrong.
Don't go by the maintenance interval in the manual, it's wrong.
The recall notice doesn't apply to your model. (It was specifically on my model.)
Resetting the keys requires special training and the guy isn't in.
 

Top Bottom