Freaking dealers....

[Roysneon]

I work at a dealership and I don't see any of this shit happen. Maybe it's just us.

[jalopi]

Yeah, but aren't Canadian people supposed to be super polite? lol ;)

In all seriousness though, I think I read somewhere (jalopnik probably) that the car buying experience / dealer culture in 'Murica sucks compared to other places. Hear they're nowhere near as pushy/grimy in the EU, is it the same north of the border?

[Kevinl]

There is a reason he was like a used car salesman is a nice way of saying he was a slimeball

[Thizzelle]

happens to my roommate at the dodge dealership too. seems like a bunch of dolts around the car mart areas.

[Javier h]

Weird

The BMW dealer here....you cant order anything without paying for it first and signing something. Literally, they will not take a credit card over the phone, the transaction has to be done in person etc. A hassle especially if the item is like $2 dollars (yeah, I've picked some screws and clips) before. I think it cost me more in gas to drive there than the actual cost of the part!

Every dealership is different but I can see perhaps why they are doing that here. Avoids potential conflicts.

[ficklerx]

A couple of years ago I purchased an E90 from a dealer in CA and had it shipped to GA. Three months later I received a call from an SA notifying me that as a courtesy they had scheduled my first service appointment for the next afternoon. They even had a loaner arranged.:loco:

[naplesE30]

My local dealer is great to me. They advise when a service is coming up and then let it go if I decline . Not pushy in the least. In fact I am the one more often than not asking if I should do this or that,,,, example... is fluid change/ flush on my e90 auto Trans. The parts guy is great to( I think he owns a e30). About 3yrs ago I was doing a bunch of work on my e30 and e34 touring at the same time, I showed him my bmwcca card and he gives me Hella good prices on the few parts I buy from them. The oil they sell is cheaper than buying it from a anywhere else for the price I get,. I've been very happy with Germain bmw. However, their used car prices are insanely high.

[smooth]

The BMW dealer here....you cant order anything without paying for it first and signing something. Literally, they will not take a credit card over the phone, the transaction has to be done in person etc. A hassle especially if the item is like $2 dollars (yeah, I've picked some screws and clips) before. I think it cost me more in gas to drive there than the actual cost of the part!

Every dealership is different but I can see perhaps why they are doing that here. Avoids potential conflicts.

I have my CC on file with the local dealer I buy parts from.

[dlmrun2002]

Horrible inbred Corporate World

Character and integrity is a thing of the past in this cesspool world.
On a different note but similar outcome my 81 yo mother called Comcast when her TV started freezing momentarily. They ran some test and figured out is was an easy fix. The customer service person asked her if she was interested in internet or phone service and she politely said no thank you. 3 weeks later she got her bill and shes being billed for home phone service and high speed internet even though she doesnt have it and doesnt want it.

Dealer is the LAST place to go for work,parts. That is why we have forums and guys like Blunt. It is your car, your hands, own it and fix it baby. You'll like your car more when you do the work.

dlm ny country

photo of Blunt in action pose

[mkcman17]

The parts guy at my local dealer is awesome. I must be the only guy that doesn't come in asking for floor mats or window switches...last trip I went in for an e28 m5 coding plug and he got it for me less than a dollar over the ECS price.

I walked over to the service counter to have my e46 VIN checked for the airbag recall...the guy says 'no airbag recall but there is an existing recall for computer failure.' He said it was well overdue and they would perform a free inspection to make sure everything was okay..I declined and he told me the DMV wouldn't let me register the car unless I brought it in. I just laughed. Anything for a buck.

[2mAn]

I just helped my Dad buy a new car. Local BMW dealership down here in Orange County, Crevier BMW. I had shopped around for a 428 convertible and between the two closest dealers I found their pricing to be better even with this being a new car. Long story short we ended up with a 2012 CPO 328 vert instead. 20k miles and a pretty good deal.

Heres the thing that still drives me crazy about the dealerships:
The car had the "service needed soon" light on, then as we were about to take it on a test drive a warning came on about the gas cap (stupid new cars). We tightened it and the sales guy said, it will shut off within 50 miles. My Dad bought the car and drove back to Northern California (~350miles) and the damn light is still on so now my Dad has to take it into the dealership and have them deal with it...

The finance guy asked me when I was going to come buy a car from them, I just laughed. Told him Im happy with my 30 year old BMW and that I will drop by when I need a part immediately.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Like others have said the only reason I go to the stealership is to get BMW blu coolant or those odds and end like trim clips and shit just because yea I can order them from my regular supplier and pay 5 bucks shipping for 3 dollars in parts and wait 3-5 days or drive ten min pay 3 bucks and not have to wait just depends on my mood to sometimes Im a lazy bum and will order them cause i dont wanna drive haha

[BMWManiac]

I went to a independent mechanic in Killeen, TX and told them that I wanted my rear wheel bearings replaced and to lube the steering column bearing because it was squeaking and it WAS not the slip ring (e36 M3). Next day came back, the manager says they dont install parts that customers bring in, and that I should purchase the part from them in order to have it installed. Then he told me it was the slip ring squeaking, which I told them it wasnt. Last straw was that he told me I needed new pads and rotors up front because they had less than 30% material remaining. This made me furious and I called him a cheat right then in front of all the other customers because, little did he know, I changed all pads and rotors the previous week!

[smooth]

the manager says they dont install parts that customers bring in

common practice

[Exodus_2pt0]

Part of the problem with dealerships is poor treatment of technicians.

I saw it first hand before I kicked the auto industry to the curb. Work gets slow (as it does), and service managers want to convince the tech's that it is their own fault they aren't making money... Even though its the Service Manager's job to get the work in the door.

Then when you come up for review, it's the old "If you turned .5 more hours a day you would make this much more a week and give yourself a raise!", then you go back to your station to a very small stack of free oil changes that pay .3 and take .5 to do when all is said and done.

It is very discouraging for even the most upstanding technician. I only advise dealerships if the vehicle is still under warranty, because if you have something big go wrong then they will want detailed records, and they will utilize any excuse to get out of paying for it.

At the same time, if that warranty repair would pay 1 hour for a cash on delivery job, the tech is only going to get .3-.5 pay. So they don't want to touch warranty work if they can avoid it.

Fucked up, I know... That's why I don't work on cars anymore, and I won't again until I have a house with a garage and do it on the side.