Dealership Service Dept Rates

Hi All: I had to bring my Ford Escape in for a recall plus I wanted to have the ingnition key cylinder replaced. (It would stick on occassion) >

I noticed some of the rates for their work.

Oil Change: $32.95 +19.95 for synthetic

Transmission flush and fluid replacement: $39.95 w/o filter, $79.95 w/filter

I also overheard the service manager give a quote of $550 for a front brake job which included complete rotor replacement. He mentioned that each rotor would cost $169.95

Just wondering what everyone thinks about these prices?

I am in the Boston Area. Everything is expensive as hell here anyway.

Oh yah, Wedndesday is senior citizen 10% off, and Friday is 10% ladies discount.

I usually have my work done by a local shop and they do pretty good work. I don't think I would pay $550 for front rotors and pads, on my

99 Grand Marquis.
Reply to
kabinnnn
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Reply to
Spike

Getting you in for the oil change and 501+ point free check is the bait, the fun comes after when you hear: I am concerned of that, I would recommend that, and so forth... So, oil change is the loss dealer, as there's no way in hell that they can do it cheaper AND make money on it better than a Jiffy Lube -- their whole structure is way to heavy for that.

When you have an upfront loss, you have to figure where they make the money; if you have the discipline and help yourself for their advertised loss and ONLY for that, than go for it. If you buy more than what you went for, than you didn't have the opportunity to shop around, and... the advertising worked for the dealer!

Personally I don't mind that if I were to deal with real professionals, but in my area the Ford dealership is only a stop on the way for mechanics to learn, gain some experience and move on.

I'm not gonna name names on this forum, but I do have other brands vehicles in my household, and by comparison, the Ford dealer estimators in my area are as close to the definition of a car salesman as it comes! Not a surprise when we are talking cars :-).

Regards

Reply to
Tomyt

AutoPartsWarehouse.com lists Brembo rotors for $72.94 each for the Escape, NAPA or ADAP or Pep Boys probably has similar prices. Sounds to me like that dealer should be wearing a mask and holding a gun.

Reply to
Arthur Dent

Dealerships generally charge more anyway compared to a local shop.

Chilt>Hi All: I had to bring my Ford Escape in for a recall plus I wanted to

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Reply to
Spike

A dealership is the last place someone should go for routine service. At the dealership, one bends over and takes it in the Hershey highway without lube every time. I only go there for the stuff that regular shops can't do or won't do.

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Reece Talley

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Reply to
Spike

There are different quality of brake rotors. When I put rotors on my Contour, I had the choice of two or three different qualities, from the same maker. In theory, the Ford ones may be better quality.

Somehow, I don't think these particular rotors are worth the extra money the dealer is charging, however.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

Not to be the contrary one.... but I do get wound up when someone grabs the widest brush they can find and starts painting everything in sight.

I can't speak for all dealerships and I'm sure nobody else can speak for all dealerships. FWIW, for a basic oil change on a gas engine, our store charges $32.95 Canadian.... certainly not more than any other shop in town. We do spend time to see if your car has an "itch" that will require scratching and prepare an estimate, prioritize need and offer educated guesses as to when the work needs to be attended to. Of course it helps that we have mandatory technician accreditation here in Canada.... You can't go down to the local Bumper To Bumper, buy a fist full of tools and call yourself a t4ech.

Good shoips can be hard to find, they will, on occasion, make mistakes but they will always come good for them... and they will NOT be cheap.A good tech knows that allowing broken things to remain broken is false economy. Bad parts can and do take out good parts.

We have a large retail customer base.... customers that view a roadside breakdown as much more than an inconvenience. If anyone feels that they deserve cheap work, then I can only suggest they avail themselves of cheap work and whatever comes along with the package.

I will remind some folks that a lot of advice on this NG comes from techs active in the trade.... It's bad form to piss on somebodies foot and then ask them for advice.

Reply to
Jim Warman

As with anything else, and I imagine even with tech certs being required in Canada you can find them there, there are good shops and bad shops, honest shops and rip off shops. I know from where I've lived, that most dealerships are higher in cost. Probably because they use oem parts. Here we have several dealerships. Of those, I would go to the Pontiac shop first. They have an exemplary reputation. The Chevy shop is part of a chain, and has a so rep. Why not the Ford shop? Because they really have no shop. They farm everything out. Of the independent local shops, of which there are many, there are a couple with outstanding reps. The one I go to now, even allows me to run down to NAPA or where ever I want, buy the parts and bring them in. The Pontiac shop allows me to do the same. As for labor rates, the dealerships, with the exception of some highly specialized shops (primarily Hot Rod/High Performance shops) have the highest rates around. They also, I'm sure, have higher overhead. We do have a pretty good state inspection program, and a number of shops have been closed down, temporarily shut down, and/or fined. Of all the shops in the area I have used, even the very best make mistakes. And I have had shops tell me what was going to be needed now and in the near future, and have prioritized the necessary repairs.

Just as I do with doctors, if I don't feel comfortable with a shop, I don't go back. Generally, I give them the opportunity to explain things to my satisfaction first, but if they don't, I'm gone, and I sure won't recommend them to anyone I know.

On Tue, 24 May 2005 03:19:12 GMT, "Jim Warman" wrote:

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Reply to
Spike

When I buy brake parts, I tend to buy the best that are available, but the difference in price between low-end and high-end usually isn't that large.

We used to have a Ford dealership in town and they were the biggest thieves around (not a slur against FoMoCo itself). I know firsthand because I worked there for a while. They also owned several other dealerships, including GM in other towns. They were finally driven out out business a few years ago.

Business-wise, a dealership is generally not owned by the brand they sell, and not even exactly a franchise, but a seperate, independant entity. The brand association can be revoked by the brand owner while the business remains in the business of selling/repairing cars, as was the case with a Chrysler dealer in the same town who had his brand association revoked because he was not carrying enough new car inventory (which caused a big ruckus because the owner had to apply for a "used-car" license which the town attempted to deny, in spite of the fact he, and his father before him, had been in business in the same location for more than 50 years and had an excellent reputation).

My point is that just because one goes to a dealership associated with a particular brand, one is NOT assured of getting a fair deal. The owner of the business can run it any way he likes as long as he doesn't run afoul of the legal agreement between himself and the brand owner.

Reply to
Arthur Dent

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