Dealer servicing. Do you trust anyone else with your car?

[woooo]

Wow scary.

 

[Sabbath']

So much paranoia in this thread. Take your car to the mechanic, get it serviced. If you have any issues, deal with it then. No point stressing out about a fictitious scenario you've played out in your heads.

Little hint, it's not going to be like Ferris Beullers Day Off. Chances are the mechanic doesnt care that it's a V8 Commodore because they've serviced 10 billion of them previous to you rocking up with yours.

 

[Sean880]

What options are there? Do you get your car serviced by the Holden dealer? Is it simple enough to just have the car serviced and not driven off the dealership (is that too much to ask). Is there any other options like mobile servicing?

If you are just having a regular book service there is no need for the service people to test drive the car. This will only be needed if there is an issue which needs to be diagnosed by driving the vehicle or if there has been work done which requires a road test after.

For years I have been instructing the service guys that my car is not to be driven off the dealership and this is recorded in writing on the service document. I also drop my car in early so it is done first and I can wait and drive it away as soon as the service is completed. Some years back when Hunter Holden had a large Holden service centre in Crows Nest, some one took one of my cars for a 50 km joy ride whilst it was in for a routine book service. I always set the trip computer to zero when dropping it off. When I complained the dopes suggested it was just out for a road test. So they got blasted in front of all the other customers. After that I don't let the service guys drive my cars off the premises. It is your car and you decide what service guys can do with it so I suggest you tell them they are not to drive your car off the workshop premises.

Having the body work scratched or scuffed is a risk you take when taking your car in to any service business, not just dealer service centres. If the car is marked complain to the dealer service manager in writing. The last time I did that the Holden service manager (a very decent bloke) in the dealership I now use was very helpful and wanted to fix the issue but my trusted detailer who treats all his customer cars like his own fixed it perfectly for me.

 

[Sean880]

I know a guy (non Commodore owner) who is that anal he takes his own oil to the dealer, makes sure they use it, then when it comes time for the test drive he goes with them.

A bit over the top if you ask me

No - not over the top. Should not be necessary though.

I know that in the past there were some Holden dealerships that were using the incorrect oil in commodore engines. There have been a number of posts on the subject. For the past 4 years I have been supplying the oil when the car goes in for a book service. I carry out my own oil and oil filter changes and some other work in between book services.

When you ask them what grade and types oils they are using in Commodore engines and they tell you, there is no dispute about what they are doing. I had one dealership tell me on one occasion that a wrong grade of oil was fine for commodore engines when it was not. It was fine for them at the time because of the price they were buying it for. They could not produce the Holden service document that approved that incorrect oil because it did not exist of course. From the posts on the JC forum on the subject it was clear that there were some other dealerships that were also using the wrong product - wrong viscosity and type or correct viscosity but wrong type as there are numerous variations of the same viscosity of oils for different vehicles and engines..

 

[panhead]

When my Merc is serviced a walk around and sheet it filled out as part of handing over the car.

All rims and tyres are checked as it the bodywork and interior and even under the car is checked for scuff marks.

A diagram is used to show the location of any existing damage and it's signed off by the service representative and me.

I would always make sure they put in the additional comments section that the car was damage free.

They never needed it but they also had a camera at the ready to record existing damage if need be.

This works perfectly to combat any owners saying existing damage was done by the dealer and is a fantastic deterrent for carelessness from the dealership side.


I use a simpler system with my Holden dealer.

I have noted on the service printout when the car is presented that there was no existing damage to the car and even though I may be accused of being over top and anal at least the dealer knows it and treats the car with respect.

When I first went there I opened the bonnet in front of them and checked the colour of the oil after the service to reinforce the fact I check their work which doesn’t mean they still can’t get around me and skimp on the service but it does mean I’m less likely to be ripped off as it’s easier to target someone who doesn’t check as opposed to someone who does.

I also have a good rapport with my dealer and I'm allowed into the service area to have a look at my cars and talk about any major problems they may have before anything is done.

As far as driving the cars during service, if they need to be driven then so be it, I record the odometer reading but I’ve found my cars usually come out with the same reading they went in with.



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[greenacc]

It sounds like this thread should be called "do you trust the dealer with your car"?
In my experience the answer is about 50/50.
Seems to depend on the age and value of the car more than anything. Take a VS exec in there and they don't give a **** about you... take a VF SS or Stato in there and you're the man...

 

[treesnake]

I run the tank right down (still a good 5-10L left), they are normally too tight to add fuel so they wont take it for a test flog. Also I book it in first thing in the morning, and ill wait in the lounge until its done, an hr or so.
My mate works across the road of a holden dealer, and watched his SSV being driven aggressively(flogged) from his work window while being serviced. It is tempting for an apprentice or whoever, but totally unacceptable.

 

[tml678]

I run the tank right down (still a good 5-10L left), they are normally too tight to add fuel so they wont take it for a test flog. Also I book it in first thing in the morning, and ill wait in the lounge until its done, an hr or so.
My mate works across the road of a holden dealer, and watched his SSV being driven aggressively(flogged) from his work window while being serviced. It is tempting for an apprentice or whoever, but totally unacceptable.

Not nearly as tempting as it would be to flog the apprentice in return..

 

[Forg]

So much paranoia in this thread. Take your car to the mechanic, get it serviced. If you have any issues, deal with it then. No point stressing out about a fictitious scenario you've played out in your heads.

I only don't go to the dealer because of bad experiences with dealers.
In particular I don't go to the local Holden dealer because I had a bad experience with them when I took the VS there, had a bad experience when I took the VF there, so I'm not taking my cars there again.

It's not because I think they're going to go hooning in the 18th Commodore they've serviced today, it's because they damage the interior trim & you've got no proof it wasn't damaged beforehand. Or after they've put the car back together, you have to complete the job yourself.

I don't want to deal with it when (not if) they stuff it up.

 

[woooo]

I only don't go to the dealer because of bad experiences with dealers.
In particular I don't go to the local Holden dealer because I had a bad experience with them when I took the VS there, had a bad experience when I took the VF there, so I'm not taking my cars there again.

It's not because I think they're going to go hooning in the 18th Commodore they've serviced today, it's because they damage the interior trim & you've got no proof it wasn't damaged beforehand. Or after they've put the car back together, you have to complete the job yourself.

I don't want to deal with it when (not if) they stuff it up.

Same. So what do you do about warranty and servicing. I can service the car myself with no issues but warranty will be a issue