Dealer Service So Expensive

Why is dealer service so expensive. I got a qutoe from a deal to do a tune up on the riv. This is for the dealer that is 20 miles away. The dealer here in town that does all of my oil changes and such told me they could do it for 275. They also assured me they use only genuine gm parts. Is there a reasson why two dealers so close to together would be so different in price. I mean 503 vs 275 thats a big difference for the same work.

The spark plugs and wires installed are $ 418.00
The fuel filter and pcv are 65.00 installed.
Air filter $20.00

Plugs and wires, you buy the parts = maybe $70. Couple hours TOPS to do the work yourself. It's not that hard.

Fuel filter, I did in my driveway yesterday in 10 minutes. Not Hard.

Air filter: EASY.

There's no reason to pay a shop to do any of this stuff. Where are you located? If you need a little help maybe someone here is in your area and would offer a little expertise.

PCV is also cheap and easy.

Differences in pricing depend on dealer rates. Different ones charge different hourly rates. Also depedns on charging assumptions. For instance, some dealers charge by what a flat rate book says - if the book says something takes .1 hour then that is what the labor charge will be; at $100/hour your labor is $10. Others will round up to the next 1/2 hour or some such. In that case, for the same work, your labor charge is $50.

The ones that can charge more can get away with it depending on what the market will bear in their neighborhood. Period. Also there sometimes are local regulations as to handling and charges for hazardous waste disposal and such.

Finally, there may be a difference between the content of the tune ups at the differetn dealers. One dealer may, depending on your mileage, replace the water pump, say, as well as the accessory belts, pulley and idlers. It just depends. Some (as people on this editboard have discovered) won't bother changing the back 3 spark plugs. Again, it just depends.

One reason to work on the car yourself is so that you know when to do it yourself versus have someone else do it.

For instance, if I do not have the time, I have paid the dealer to install headlight builbs - headlight bulbs are easy to change, but this scenario would be that I need the car ready for a road trip that evening and don't have the time to mess with it. One time when that happened I even had bought the bulbs already. The dealer's mechanics and service writers know I do much work - IF I have the time for it. One of the lot attendants even told me one time the mechanics were standing around looking at a brake job I'd done (I had installed factory drilled/slotted rotors, usually don't see those except on Camaro/Firebird). Interestingly enough, doing good quality work myself makes them easier to deal with. When I bring the car in, however, I don't whine or second-guess.

The dealer's pricing also has a cushion in it for stuff that incidentally might break on the car when doing other work. So a car in for a brake job - well, if the rotor is rusted on teh hub and the mechanic breaks the ABS sensor while working on that wheel, he may put a new or good used on on in place of the busted one. Customer is not told.

The way it seems to end up is I do much routine maintenance (lube/oil/filter, air filter, spark plugs) myself and leave the stuff I don't have time for or problems due to engineering (forinstance, the mystery no-start condition) to the dealer's mechanics. They have better information than I do. Finally, for each car I've owned I also have obtained a service manual.

Hope this helps.

Albertj

Thanks for the information. I was just curious how two places that close together can be so different in price. The prices were for the excat same amount of work done with geniune gm parts. The dealer here in town does good work. They fixed the ignition in my ford f150 for me little rod broke off in the steering column and the truck wouldnt turn off even when you turned the key. They are not a ford dealer but they still did it the other place I called that was a independent said it needed a ford dealer. It is a 96 no reasson something that old needs a dealer I do not think. They have also done all my oil changes for the past year. I test drove a car at anther used car lot not a dealer just a private owned lot and I noticed the car had a sticker from the dealer for a oil change so I went there and they treated me very well giving me print outs of every service they had done to the car. The other independent mechanic in town isn't what I would call very good took my moms cutlass there to get a starter fixed he pulled it out and rebuilt it and ever since no speedometer. He refused to look at without us paying him a 37.50 up front for a hour of labor this was mintues after we paid for the starter. Is it possible that the dealer can vary their price based on if you are a repeat customer or not?

The dealers have a LOT of room to play with on parts prices. The local GM dealer I used to go to for discounted parts prices, suddenly pulled my discount status, saying I didn't buy enough to qualify. So I went to the other GM dealer in town, and without asking, they are giving me better discounts than the other dealer.

Since you apparently do not have detailed quotes from them, it's hard to say exactly where the pricing differences are. Maybe one is giving you 25% off parts, and has a lower labor rate.

When I owned a Mercury, the repair shop at the Mercury dealer I bought it from did work on pretty much all makes of cars, but did not advertise it. I was told the reason was that the man who owned the dealership also owned the National Car Rental franchise at an airport nearby and used the dealership to maintain the cars, and that I was welcome to bring my other cars (not Mercury) to them for service since I was already a customer.

Those guys were wizards.

One time I ran a large meeting of university professors from around the region (driving distance) at a hotel near the airport; I asked the dealership in advance for a courtesy deal - I would steer people at the meeting to the dealership if they promised to fix the cars the same day if at all possible. I could not guarantee any business volume at all, and I would not take or give any consideration. They agreed.

As it turns out, there were two breakdowns - a battery and a brake job. The professor needing the brake job was hard-headed, had his spouse spend the first hour that morning trying to find a dealer to take his car (a Buick Estate Wagon). Did not work, so he finally agreed to use the dealer I was recommending. They took the car in, fixed the problem (rear shoes misinstalled) and got it going in time for wife and kids to enjoy the afternoon at a museum ~30 miles away. Professor was impressed that a dealer of a different make had mechanics that really understood things, worked quickly with get-it-right-first-time quality. What professor did not know is his own grumbling almost did him in - many shops use the early hour or 2 to diagnose that day's problems and order parts if needed. Professor chewed up that time making phone calls that got him nowhere.

Oh, well.

Point is, you already seem to know which of these dealers has a better shop. Even though they may make an error once in a while, if you stick with them and avoid histrionics if/when things go wrong, in the long run things will work out fine.

But back to an earlier point - with cars the age of ours (1995 - 1999) it's a good idea to do what work you can yourself. You already seem to know how to pick a dealer to patronize.

Albertj

Yea I guess it is a good idea to try and do all of the work you can yourself. I think for me you get kind of a peice of mind knowing that everything will be good when they do the work. I think I got this from the fact that I know the car has 132k on it and runs very well and the dealer has serviced it before and they know it very well. When I took it in for a oil chnage the first one in almost a year(car sat at a car lot for a year before I bought it I have no idea why) the mechanic that did it still knew the car and remembered things that had been done to it by the previous owner. I still might give this a shot myself if I can find a place to do it since I cant do it at my apartment. I know the dealer charges 75 dollars an hour how does this compare to other independant places?

The car probably sat for a year at a dealer because - well, I suspect that except for enthusaiasts these cars would be *hard* to sell. They don't get good mileage for most people's driving (short city/suburban trips) and also for that kind of driving they are - umm - ungainly. I actually got applause from a group at a sidewalk cafe in Philadelphia when I parallel parked it there. (parked it without bumping the other cars in a space not much bigger than the Riv)

Another thing is that people assume that an American car with more than 100,000 miles on teh clock is shot. Thing of it is, GM ahd a big push on quality in the early '90s and the result was that teh Riv and cars like it will, with some care and maintenance, last well beyond that.



Since you can't work on the car at your apartment, probly the best thing to do is try to learn about it. Since you ahve mechanics who know the car, you're probably in pretty good shape.

Albertj

I can't think of any reason why the specific maintenance items you listed can't be performed at your apt parking lot. Heck, even on the street. You don't need a garage for any of these items. I do the plugs, wires, and fuel filter in my driveway, where lighting is better than in my garage. Same with the PCV, no need for a garage. The fuel filter sort of requires jacking up the left rear, and don't do it w/o using a jackstand along with the jack, if you attempt this.

Some apartment leases have clauses forbidding working on cars in the parking lots.

Albertj

That's true, but I'm not getting the impression that is the issue. I could be wrong of course.

My apartment does not allow any kind of repair. I had my starter go out in my 90 gmc jimmy and I had started to change it hoping to get away with it half way through had to tow it somewhere to get the job finished.

Bummer, that sucks bad.

I’ve learned to deal with it. I work full time and go to school as well so I can live with it since it frees up some time. The only thing I do my self is my stereo installs. I do not trust others with this kind of stuff. To albert j, I cannot believe the riv is a enthusiast only type car. Just looking at it gives you this impression of a new car but a reminiscent feeling of days gone by I have bought many cars from the lot I bought the riv from. I was very unhappy with the other cars. I had a 94 grand prix,1990 dodge dakota,1996 f150 and 1991 Chevy Lumina. I have had all of these since Jan this year. It wasn’t that they ran bad I just really didn’t like them. They got boring after awhile. I would take it back and trade in on something else within two or three months. He picked out three or four he thought I would like two Bonneville’s an intrepid and the riv. He told me the riv was king of the road and Buicks Cadillac. I took it for a test drive and liked it and he let me take it over night for a couple days. I cannot see how anyone wouldn't love this car once they drive it. I can say I am happy with my purchase of my riv and do not think I will be going back for awhile unless it’s to trade in my 96 f150 again.

CONS: The actual gas mileage a person gets in the Riv, in city-only driving, is not good. For some drivers, the 'boat' feeling on winding country roads makes 'em seasick. The parts are pricey for an american car.

PROS: The actual gas mileage a person gets in the RIv, in highway driving, is superb. For soem drivers, the 'boulevard ride" over cobblestones on dity streets is a blessing. The parts are reasonable for a luxury car adn downright cheap compared to many. The engineering, for a luxury car, works for many folks - the simplest/most effective approach is usually what they used.

Albertj

Yeah the Riv is an asome car. It city driving it may not get the best mpg but man when I drive it seems everyone looks. I know most people get the whole you drive a buick thats an old persons car I seem to get in the riv that it is like drug dealer or something.