am I wrong here?

Sep 25, 2004 14 Replies

My 2003 VUE went in for inspection, with 50K miles on it. I 25,000 miles/year. I asked the manager to do his best to make sure I didn't see him for the next 25K. I also told him the front brakes felt like the rotors were warped, but only at turnpike speeds. He called and said the rotors were very badly warped. I said, "replace please." He said the tires would pass but they were not going to get another 25K. I said replace them. He said the tranny fluid should be drained and replaced at 50K, with Saturn's special fluid, for $100; I said, "do it." He recommended the alignment, and I didn't argure. Here's the bill: State Inspection $ 81.05 Front Rotors $ 324.36 Front tires $ 271.70 Wheel Alignment $ 105.79 Transmission Fluid Replaced $ 98.44 Rear Wiper refill and nut cap $ 21.67 plus State tax: $54



So I get the nealry $1,000 bill and say, "you replace the front brake pads?" He says, "because they had 5/32" left, and passed inspection". So now the mechanics are going home for the day, I have just used up a precious personal day to get all this done and won't have a chance to get the car in again for months. And now, I'm pissed off. So the same pads that have been getting beat up by badly warped rotors are still in my car, even though I explicitly and repeatedly told them to replace anything close to kaput. I never argured or questioned the money. My conclusion is this: SATURN SERVICE IS OVERPRICED, AND NO ONE GIVES A CRAP ABOUT WHAT'S IN THE CUSTOMER'S BEST INTEREST.



I'm guessing George Costanza was right, "take my car to a dealer? why don't I just flush my money down the toilet!" Scout


So I get the nearly $1,000 bill and say, "did you replace the front brake pads?" He says, "no ,because they had 5/32" left, and passed inspection".

Ummm...Yes George was right.

If you can't/won't/don't want to do the repairs yourself, find a good local independent guy and get him to do it. He will find good aftermarket parts, much cheaper than OEM, and his labour rate will probably be 20% lower at least.

Just my $0.02 worth.

R.

Yeah, you're right. I have the extended warranty though, and didn't want to do anything to upset it. $1000 dollars for an inspection on a 2 year old - in warranty car seems high, and ironic. Still, I don't even mind paying when I believe the people I'm paying are looking out for me and doing quality work. Plus, since the VUE is being recalled, I had hoped they would do the work then. Of course, that would have been too easy, they don't have the parts they need yet for the recall work. After I picked up the car, and the bill, I realized that the labor charges were about $600 for 3-4 hours of labor, pretty steep. It made me think about the inefficiency of their service dept. When I walked in, 1 woman was sitting and knitting at the billing counter with nothing to do, the service writer was toying with his computer, the parts counter guy was chewing on a pencil. The only guy working was the mechanic, and he wasn't able to imagine new rotors might be a good time to replace brake pads. So 4 people got paid and still couldn't get it right. Scout

Sorry about your experience. It (the hassle) would have probably been lessened if your schedule wasn't so tight. I have to use personal time too to get errands done and it's a bummer when something goes wrong. I'm in a large city and nothing is too far, it's just the time I'm always short of.

And I used to do the same thing; get whatever the car needed and just pay the price. Honestly I think the service at my Saturn dealer was better than today. Today they seem a little leaner in their efforts - still nice folks, but nothing that says they're going 110%. Maybe it's just perception on my part.

Since labor rates are about the same at the dealer and at a private shop, parts can be an area for savings. I did experiment with some aftermarket parts on my 97 SL2 with some good results. When I just now looked at some sport rotors for your Vue, they were only $219 pair - and about half that price for vanilla rotors from something like carparts.com.

It was my experience if I just told the dealer "Ok" it felt like they didn't think I knew anything, and my visit there was just adding to their revenue stream. So I had to shift from passive mode to assertive mode and put in my two cents. I didn't have to argue, I just had to get involved (exactly the opposite of what I initially expected or wanted to do - now I sorta like it). I also took in parts purchased elsewhere and had them installed when I didn't want the OEM. It wasn't uncommon for me to have 4 new tires I bought from tirerack.com in the back seat, and then drive to the dealer for installation.

Personally I always do pad/rotors together and I have warped my fair share. I don't care how much pad is left, they're cheap and I liked to try new or different formulations too. Typically you can swap or turn rotors and use the old pads, or get new pads and not turn or swap the rotors.

Sorry for the long thread - basically no service type experience (from car repairs to vacation cruises) will get it right, the first time, all the time and every time. And all of them require specific input from the customer if you want specific results. You may even have to ask they repeat back to you what they think they heard you say or request. And if your radar goes up, start asking questions.

Thanks for your input. All good points. I guess it's a learning experience. I've done my own brakes and rotors in the past, but my situation these days doesn't lend itself well to tearing my car apart. I put both rotors and pads on my 97 SL2 for $155 (my labor). When he quoted me $324, I figured pads were an automatic. I paid $75 for both rotors 2 years ago, and even if I figure their cost at $100, that still leaves $224 for about an hours worth of labor. Ah well, I hope they spend the $$ well, it's the last they'll get from me. Scout

...yes, I priced them (front rotors) for his VUE. $219 a PAIR for the Stillen's and $100 a PAIR for the Bendix.

wow, that's an eye opener (parts prices).~

I had some luck at

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(for the Stillen's) and
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(for the vanilla brands - about 3 if I remember).

I keep meaning to stop by the dealer and look under the hood of the V6 - just curious to see the Honda engine.

I'll save you some trouble

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Lots of clutter...

Thanks... looks like a couple of V6's - The LX9 with the alternator up top is I'm guessing the Honda, versus the L66 with the mid mounted alternator and what looks like timing belt covers.

Oh I just noticed the other 3.5L engine. I didnt know they were going to be using that in Saturns. The LX9 (3500) isnt the Honda engine. (timing "belt" like covers = Honda) The 3500 is based on GM's 2.8L 3.1L and 3.4L 60 degree engines. Neither the L66 or the LX9 are anything to cheer about... Anytime you see a engine liter size with the decebal moved back 3 spaces it likely has direct GM roots. 2.8's are 2800, 3.1's are 3100, then 3400, 3500, 3800, 5300, 5700 etc etc...

Sounds like you need to go and find another dealership or a private mechanic who knows how to work on Saturns.

marx404 saturn of stuart

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