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Worse then the dealer....garage story

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Hitzy

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
So I take it in to get the brakes checked....it's 3 years old now with 65000kms on it. I get my Jeep rustproofed at this garage (Krown oil spray) and they did a couple windshields for me over the last couple years, but never had any real work done.....
Owner is there and gives me a big song and dance about their 300 point inspection on sale, they prefer to do that so they have a basepoint for future work, blah blah, so I say OK, it's $60 have at er...
So they call be back when it's done and first thing the guy starts talking about is just worthless **** like "your washer fluid needs a top up" and "driver's side wiper should be replaced due to streaking".....uhhh OK, $60 well spent.
Brakes are still OK for now, 5mm front, and 4 mm back, pretty good for OEM brakes, I know they last 3 years/60,000kms now.
Price for them to replace pads and rotor's $1300....uhhh have to think about that for a bit. Don't know if thats normal for the Patriot, but my last car was less then half that price so I have to shop around.
The real kickers on the estimate when I picked it up.....
Body Lube...I asked WTF is that, they oil the hinges..thats it....$55
Wiper....1 wiper $35
Battery....mine is putting out 9.4V should be 9.6V according to them...$300
Cabin Air Filter...$63
Air Filter....$35
Change Rear Diff fluid...$136.
Coolant Flush....$200.....5 year HOAT fluid they want to flush at 3 years....

Now I got out if there spending $60...which I feel bad even giving them that much, but some poor trusting fool could have dropped $2000 there for basically minor work. Top it all off, the Jeep was running kind of ****ty on the way home....that can happen when the battery gets unhooked and the puter gets reset, but I thought what the hell, I'll check the air filter when I get home because I changed it less then 6 months ago and it shouldn't need replacing yet. Pop the box, and the ****ers didn't put it back in correctly. It looks like they didn't take the air box out and then the filter, but tried to take the filter out and put it back in by just prying it apart. Filter was crushed on the bottom side, and not even seated, huge gap for dirt and **** to get in to the engine. So I dumped the oil to be safe...Penzoil Platinum that has 2000kms only on it and filled er back up. Also had to replace a very clean but crushed air filter.....I can't beleive these morons hold themselves out to be a "High End" garage. Won't be seeing another dime from me....:doh:
 
#2 ·
Save your $60 receipt and take pictures... then send them the bill for a new engine

That really sucks... but in all seriousness, if you have problems down the road, they were negligent, and they are liable. I would take them to court if something major happened like a messed up engine
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
mrJeepr44 said:
Save your $60 receipt and take pictures... then send them the bill for a new engine

That really sucks... but in all seriousness, if you have problems down the road, they were negligent, and they are liable. I would take them to court if something major happened like a messed up engine
Click to expand...
It was about 30 mins of city driving and it had rained, not really worried about that short of time. If I had not bothered to check it though.....yeah, that could have been bad because it would have been another 6 months before I changed it.....
 
#4 ·
Good for you you did not let them do any actual work. I just got my riot so I have not had to get it serviced yet, but $1300 for pads and rotors - no way! Here is a thread where they talk about brakes...

http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-25861.html

I think you are right in thinking it should be less than half that price. I try to stay away from the xxx point inspections. They are usually just a way of drumming up business by changing out minor parts that probably don't even need changing.

I would just follow the service schedule in your manual, and most of the things they mentioned are things you can do yourself a lot cheaper. I would also recommend a K & N re-usable air filter. That will save you some money having to replace it.
 
#5 ·
At 75K miles I needed brakes, but rotors are fine, just pads.

Air filter and cabin filter are easy to do.

Rear Diff oil change seemed very high to me too.

Wiper blades can be hard to find. Last time I changed mine I had to get the universal ones that you sort of break and cut to size. they actually work really well though. In winter I go to winter wiper blades.

Air filter is not too bad for them to screw up. I've had tranny pan bolts stripped before after a fluid and filter change, with fluid leaking all over.

I've also had an oil drain plug fall out on the road after getting an oil change. And have had the drain plug stripped before too.

I try to do as much as I can myself, but sometimes in winter, without a garage, it's tough to do.
 
#6 ·
dixiedawg said:
I've had tranny pan bolts stripped before after a fluid and filter change, with fluid leaking all over.
Click to expand...
:wow:

dixiedawg said:
I've also had an oil drain plug fall out on the road after getting an oil change. And have had the drain plug stripped before too.
Click to expand...
:wow:

dixiedawg said:
I try to do as much as I can myself, but sometimes in winter, without a garage, it's tough to do.
Click to expand...
I know what you mean. I don't trust others to do the work, and when I can't do it myself (for example: alignment), I am reluctant to have someone work on it because I don't know who I can trust. So many people half-ass their work now a days... either because they are lazy, or because their bosses are "trying to run a business" and everything is rushed through
 
#7 ·
Well, my first service trip will be this Saturday morning. When I bought my riot, the dealer slapped some new tires on it and never bothering to align it, so it pulls to the right. Crossing my fingers on the shop I am going to, but I will post my results here either way.
 
#8 ·
Yea, those are some steep prices. I don't know what type of markup they have up in Canada, but in the states here's some DIY comparisons.

Brake pads: about $25 per axle, Rotors $40-70 each Usually requires basic hand tools and a C-clamp to press the caliper piston back in.
Body Lube...$4 can of spray lithium grease...spray it on your hinges, requires a rag to wipe up any excess. By the way, this can will last you for years. You can do your friends and families cars too.
Wiper....1 wiper $12, most auto parts stores will install it for you
Battery...."mine is putting out 9.4V should be 9.6V according to them...$300" It's a 12v battery, should put out 12.6V max (6 cells @ 2.1v max each) $60-120 and again, most parts houses can install for free.
Cabin Air Filter...$6-12 (rockauto.com) no tools required, pop down glovebox, pop off cabin filter cover and replace.
Air Filter....$10-44 from a cheap paper filter to as expensive as a K&N washable panel. You've already R&Red it.
Change Rear Diff fluid...I dunno, maybe $12 in fluid. Drain and refill plugs so no gaskets to purchase. Basic hand tools.
Spark plugs - I didn't see this on the list and if you haven't replaced them yet and are near or over 30,000 miles, $2 each, you need 4 of them, basic hand tools and a $1 gap gauge.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
I do as much as I can myself of course...I trust myself not to screw it up :)
Plugs
Oil and filter
Air and cabin filters
Manual Tranny Fluid
Wipers are not a problem.
I installed the OEM Fog Lights and trailer hitch/wiring myself, along with mud guards.

Most of the estimate stuff was bull****, air filter was clean and less then 6 months old, hinges were all well oiled, streaking was from RainX I use on the windshield, wipers are 2 months old. I guess I will be learning how to do brakes next!
 
#13 ·
My thoughts on car repair are that if you are motivated to do the repair yourself and have some mechanical aptitude, you will likely do as good of a job as a mechanic. The reason is that this is your car. You depend on it every day and you want it to be done so the car will function correctly. Many mechanics have the attitude of "it's just a job" and don't care about your car like you do. It won't strand their ass by the side of the road if it fails.

Even the dealer only charges $16 for a Mopar OEM wiper blade. :doh: Those guys suck! Glad to hear you caught on before they really took you to the cleaners.
 
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Discussion starter · #14 ·
mjh said:
What part of the city? No names needed, but I am interested in avoiding them...
Click to expand...
Vanier, big garage, have lots of loaners on the lot....part of why I've been using them for Windshields and Krown treatments I can just drop it off, grab a loaner, and pick it up when it's done.
I'll keep using them for what they are good at, but definatley not for changing parts!
 
#15 ·
soflatechie said:
I think you are right in thinking it should be less than half that price. I try to stay away from the xxx point inspections. They are usually just a way of drumming up business by changing out minor parts that probably don't even need changing.
Click to expand...
Yep, multi-point inspections are a joke. The lube shop I took my last car to (haven't had to change the oil in my Pat yet) was the worst. They would parade into the waiting area with my air filter in hand along with a little card that had some drips of various mechanical fluids. They would tell me that all of these fluids are dirty and I need to flush them, and then they would tell me that my air filter needs to be replaced (Once I replaced the air filter myself just two weeks prior -- but it was still dirty to them). Just for kicks I ask them what these recommended services cost, and they are always super inflated. Tires Plus is also really bad at this, and they also inflate the cost of their recommended services. I guess they think that people are dumb and either aren't experienced enough to know the real cost of these services (or even when these services are necessary) or to shop around.

Recently, although not directly related, I was getting a weird clunking noise in my 2004 Impala (less than a month before I traded it in for my Pat :))... I took it to the dealership that I've had good relations with, they wanted to charge me $70 to "diagnose" the problem, whether they actually found out what the problem was or not. Nope, that doesn't fly with me. If you find out what's wrong with it, then I let you do the work at a fair price and I'll pay you then. I'm not going to pay them if they don't find out what's wrong with it.

dixiedawg said:
And have had the drain plug stripped before too.
Click to expand...
In my 2000 Stratus (mostly in high school) I took it to a Jiffy Lube in my neighborhood for every oil change. When I moved, I took it to a Tires Plus for an oil change. The oil plug just fell out when they touched it, along with the threads from the oil pan. The tech said Jiffy Lubes are notorious for this. They stuck me with a $600 repair. Never went back to that Jiffy Lube and never had that problem again.

Now that I have a kick-a** roadside assistance program on my insurance policy (includes towing up to 150 miles) if that ever happens again, I'm having it towed to a shop that doesn't inflate emergency repairs like that.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
Well got the brakes done at a small garage close to my work for $667....new pads and rotors all around. Raybestos PG Plus pads for the rear, Akebono ProAct pads for the front, and Mopar rotors all around. No more vibration, stops good, no noise at all from the brakes. He showed me the old rotors and they were done....
Less then half the price the other crooks wanted, so I'm pleased. I'll attempt to replace the pads myself next time well before the rotors are wrecked :)
 
#17 · (Edited)
Hitzy said:
So I take it in to get the brakes checked....it's 3 years old now with 65000kms on it. I get my Jeep rustproofed at this garage (Krown oil spray) and they did a couple windshields for me over the last couple years, but never had any real work done.....
Owner is there and gives me a big song and dance about their 300 point inspection on sale, they prefer to do that so they have a basepoint for future work, blah blah, so I say OK, it's $60 have at er...
So they call be back when it's done and first thing the guy starts talking about is just worthless **** like "your washer fluid needs a top up" and "driver's side wiper should be replaced due to streaking".....uhhh OK, $60 well spent.
Brakes are still OK for now, 5mm front, and 4 mm back, pretty good for OEM brakes, I know they last 3 years/60,000kms now.
Price for them to replace pads and rotor's $1300....uhhh have to think about that for a bit. Don't know if thats normal for the Patriot, but my last car was less then half that price so I have to shop around.
The real kickers on the estimate when I picked it up.....
Body Lube...I asked WTF is that, they oil the hinges..thats it....$55
Wiper....1 wiper $35
Battery....mine is putting out 9.4V should be 9.6V according to them...$300
Cabin Air Filter...$63
Air Filter....$35
Change Rear Diff fluid...$136.
Coolant Flush....$200.....5 year HOAT fluid they want to flush at 3 years....

Now I got out if there spending $60...which I feel bad even giving them that much, but some poor trusting fool could have dropped $2000 there for basically minor work. Top it all off, the Jeep was running kind of ****ty on the way home....that can happen when the battery gets unhooked and the puter gets reset, but I thought what the hell, I'll check the air filter when I get home because I changed it less then 6 months ago and it shouldn't need replacing yet. Pop the box, and the ****ers didn't put it back in correctly. It looks like they didn't take the air box out and then the filter, but tried to take the filter out and put it back in by just prying it apart. Filter was crushed on the bottom side, and not even seated, huge gap for dirt and **** to get in to the engine. So I dumped the oil to be safe...Penzoil Platinum that has 2000kms only on it and filled er back up. Also had to replace a very clean but crushed air filter.....I can't beleive these morons hold themselves out to be a "High End" garage. Won't be seeing another dime from me....:doh:
Click to expand...
Been there , done that . A classic. That is why I will never let a dealer nor a mom and pop garage touch my beloved Jeep for small maintenance. You risk having to redo the work yourself anyway.
 
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Phiu-x
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