Dealer over servicing

[Daryl]

Mates daughter in law has a 2019 Subaru Forester, its always been dealer
serviced, at the last service they said that it needed some extra work.

Rear brake pads replaced and rear rotors "machined".
Front lower control are bushes were supposedly cracked and needed to be
replaced.
Cabin pollen filter needed to be replaced.
To carry out the above work the dealer quoted $1700.00

Yesterday we checked it out and found that apart from needing rear brake
pads and a pollen filter the rest was bullshit, the rear rotors have no
scratches or lip, new 18mm, min is 16mm so I don't know what they
intended to "machine", both measured 17mm.
Front control arm bushes at first looked to be slightly cracked until
they were wiped with a gloved hand, the "cracks" were actually dirt.
Decent quality rear pads and a pollen filter cost approx $120 plus about
an hour to fit them so the dealer just lost another very unhappy customer.

[Clocky]

Post by Daryl
Mates daughter in law has a 2019 Subaru Forester, its always been dealer
serviced, at the last service they said that it needed some extra work.
Rear brake pads replaced and rear rotors "machined".
Front lower control are bushes were supposedly cracked and needed to be
replaced.
Cabin pollen filter needed to be replaced.
To carry out the above work the dealer quoted $1700.00
Yesterday we checked it out and found that apart from needing rear brake
pads and a pollen filter the rest was bullshit, the rear rotors have no
scratches or lip, new 18mm, min is 16mm so I don't know what they
intended to "machine", both measured 17mm.
Front control arm bushes at first looked to be slightly cracked until
they were wiped with a gloved hand, the "cracks" were actually dirt.
Decent quality rear pads and a pollen filter cost approx $120 plus about
an hour to fit them so the dealer just lost another very unhappy customer.

It doesn't matter where you go, ripping people off is the name of the
game now and they are all as bad as each other.

From over servicing to the up-sell of unneeded items to fake mechanics
who can't identify the correct lifting points and charging to weld
rusted out mufflers calling them "repaired" - avoid them all.

[Lindsay]

Post by Clocky

Post by Daryl
Mates daughter in law has a 2019 Subaru Forester, its always been
dealer serviced, at the last service they said that it needed some
extra work.
Rear brake pads replaced and rear rotors "machined".
Front lower control are bushes were supposedly cracked and needed to
be replaced.
Cabin pollen filter needed to be replaced.
To carry out the above work the dealer quoted $1700.00
Yesterday we checked it out and found that apart from needing rear
brake pads and a pollen filter the rest was bullshit, the rear rotors
have no scratches or lip, new 18mm, min is 16mm so I don't know what
they intended to "machine", both measured 17mm.
Front control arm bushes at first looked to be slightly cracked until
they were wiped with a gloved hand, the "cracks" were actually dirt.
Decent quality rear pads and a pollen filter cost approx $120 plus
about an hour to fit them so the dealer just lost another very unhappy
customer.

Seems to me service depts are a dying breed, who rely on new car buyers
to keep going. I service my Ranga every 12 months at the dealer, and in
between every 6 months, I get an oil and filter change, and a general
look over from a local mechanic, who's never let me down. I dont trust
Ford service, but to keep warranty going, i give 'em their $300 a year.

Post by Clocky
It doesn't matter where you go, ripping people off is the name of the
game now and they are all as bad as each other.

Yep. I'll second that. Last service at ford (40k) was a waste of time
and probably money. When I complained to Ford Australia, Jeffersom Ford
rang me the next day. long story short: i took my ranger back, they
sorted all the shit they DIDNT do, and my next service (50k) (and last
with Ford) is now free. I have NO problems with Jeffo's sales dept,
bought 5 off 'em in 20 years, Service is a different kettle of fish.
Wife's Laser had shit paint, the BA had a whine in the diff which they
fixed without too much yelling and screaming, BF, FG and Ranger have
been great. Other than that, my Fords and Nissan have been flawless.

Post by Clocky
From over servicing to the up-sell of unneeded items to fake mechanics

Like the ones who dont know the difference between Avalon and Camry
brake pads? Or who would do what they want to the customers diff without
their consent? Wannabe shonks everywhere....

[Daryl]

Post by Lindsay

Post by Clocky

Post by Daryl
Mates daughter in law has a 2019 Subaru Forester, its always been
dealer serviced, at the last service they said that it needed some
extra work.
Rear brake pads replaced and rear rotors "machined".
Front lower control are bushes were supposedly cracked and needed to
be replaced.
Cabin pollen filter needed to be replaced.
To carry out the above work the dealer quoted $1700.00
Yesterday we checked it out and found that apart from needing rear
brake pads and a pollen filter the rest was bullshit, the rear rotors
have no scratches or lip, new 18mm, min is 16mm so I don't know what
they intended to "machine", both measured 17mm.
Front control arm bushes at first looked to be slightly cracked until
they were wiped with a gloved hand, the "cracks" were actually dirt.
Decent quality rear pads and a pollen filter cost approx $120 plus
about an hour to fit them so the dealer just lost another very
unhappy customer.

Seems to me service depts are a dying breed, who rely on new car buyers
to keep going. I service my Ranga every 12 months at the dealer, and in
between every 6 months, I get an oil and filter change, and a general
look over from a local mechanic, who's never let me down. I dont trust
Ford service, but to keep warranty going, i give 'em their $300 a year.

$300 PA is actually pretty reasonable, other makes can charge
considerably more.
I generally recommend 10k km or 12mths which ever comes first, my Benz
and Porsche don't do 10k PA so every 12mths, wife's car does a lot more
kms so every 10k km.

Post by Lindsay

Post by Clocky
It doesn't matter where you go, ripping people off is the name of the
game now and they are all as bad as each other.

Yep. I'll second that. Last service at ford (40k) was a waste of time
and probably money. When I complained to Ford Australia, Jeffersom Ford
rang me the next day. long story short: i took my ranger back, they
sorted all the shit they DIDNT do, and my next service (50k) (and last
with Ford) is now free. I have NO problems with Jeffo's sales dept,
bought 5 off 'em in 20 years, Service is a different kettle of fish.
Wife's Laser had shit paint, the BA had a whine in the diff which they
fixed without too much yelling and screaming, BF, FG and Ranger have
been great. Other than that, my Fords and Nissan have been flawless.

Post by Clocky
 From over servicing to the up-sell of unneeded items to fake mechanics

Like the ones who dont know the difference between Avalon and Camry
brake pads? Or who would do what they want to the customers diff without
their consent? Wannabe shonks everywhere....

LOL.

[Lindsay]

Post by Daryl
Mates daughter in law has a 2019 Subaru Forester, its always been dealer
serviced, at the last service they said that it needed some extra work.
Rear brake pads replaced and rear rotors "machined".
Front lower control are bushes were supposedly cracked and needed to be
replaced.
Cabin pollen filter needed to be replaced.
To carry out the above work the dealer quoted $1700.00
Yesterday we checked it out and found that apart from needing rear brake
pads and a pollen filter the rest was bullshit,

WTF is a "pollen" filter? We lived for the last 45-50 years without one...

Methinks the service toads should supply the old parts they replace,
rather than just say, "your pollen filter needs changing" even after it
was changed 5000 klms ago.

And Ford have a new party trick at service time: Oh, your battery has
dropped a cell. A new battery is $650. Bwahahahahaha they tried it on my
mate, and he knows a bit about batteries: A 12v battery with a dead cell
wont show 12.8 volts when tested. Thats what the test result paper showed.


the rear rotors have no

Post by Daryl
scratches or lip, new 18mm, min is 16mm so I don't know what they
intended to "machine", both measured 17mm.
Front control arm bushes at first looked to be slightly cracked until
they were wiped with a gloved hand, the "cracks" were actually dirt.
Decent quality rear pads and a pollen filter cost approx $120 plus about
an hour to fit them so the dealer just lost another very unhappy customer.

people keep buying new cars, and want to protect their warranty, so they
fall for the dealer service. Shit happens.

[Daryl]

Post by Lindsay

Post by Daryl
Mates daughter in law has a 2019 Subaru Forester, its always been
dealer serviced, at the last service they said that it needed some
extra work.
Rear brake pads replaced and rear rotors "machined".
Front lower control are bushes were supposedly cracked and needed to
be replaced.
Cabin pollen filter needed to be replaced.
To carry out the above work the dealer quoted $1700.00
Yesterday we checked it out and found that apart from needing rear
brake pads and a pollen filter the rest was bullshit,

WTF is a "pollen" filter? We lived for the last 45-50 years without one...

Depends which make but sometimes just called a cabin filter, can also be
a filter that filters out pollen or just dust and dirt, for someone like
who suffers with hay fever cabin/pollen filters are a good idea.
They aren't expensive and only take a few minutes to replace, Subaru
wanted $180 for a genuine filter, Ryco from Supercheap is $40.00.

Post by Lindsay
Methinks the service toads should supply the old parts they replace,
rather than just say, "your pollen filter needs changing" even after it
was changed 5000 klms ago.
And Ford have a new party trick at service time: Oh, your battery has
dropped a cell. A new battery is $650. Bwahahahahaha they tried it on my
mate, and he knows a bit about batteries: A 12v battery with a dead cell
wont show 12.8 volts when tested. Thats what the test result paper showed.

LOL, trying to sell someone a new a battery for a car that starts and
runs perfectly is really stretching it:-)
Subaru dealer tried to get my wife to pay $400 for a "power steering
flush" on a Forester that had only done 40k km, she called me and of
course I said no then the price dropped from $400 to $100, I can't
remember if she said yes or no to the $100 PS "flush" but its remarkable
how they can reduce the price if you argue.

Post by Lindsay
 the rear rotors have no

Post by Daryl
scratches or lip, new 18mm, min is 16mm so I don't know what they
intended to "machine", both measured 17mm.
Front control arm bushes at first looked to be slightly cracked until
they were wiped with a gloved hand, the "cracks" were actually dirt.
Decent quality rear pads and a pollen filter cost approx $120 plus
about an hour to fit them so the dealer just lost another very unhappy
customer.

people keep buying new cars, and want to protect their warranty, so they
fall for the dealer service. Shit happens.

Trouble is many are conned into thinking that only dealers can do book
servicing which isn't true, I used to service our 2001 Corolla when it
was still in warranty and I even called Toyota and they said no problem
provided that I could prove that I was qualified if asked, they never
did ask and we had a small warranty claim just before the warranty
expired, they paid no questions asked.
I also used to service my 2009 Hilux, fifth gear needed to replaced just
before the warranty expired and once again they just fixed it without
question.

[Keithr0]

Post by Daryl
Mates daughter in law has a 2019 Subaru Forester, its always been dealer
serviced, at the last service they said that it needed some extra work.
Rear brake pads replaced and rear rotors "machined".
Front lower control are bushes were supposedly cracked and needed to be
replaced.
Cabin pollen filter needed to be replaced.
To carry out the above work the dealer quoted $1700.00
Yesterday we checked it out and found that apart from needing rear brake
pads and a pollen filter the rest was bullshit, the rear rotors have no
scratches or lip, new 18mm, min is 16mm so I don't know what they
intended to "machine", both measured 17mm.
Front control arm bushes at first looked to be slightly cracked until
they were wiped with a gloved hand, the "cracks" were actually dirt.
Decent quality rear pads and a pollen filter cost approx $120 plus about
an hour to fit them so the dealer just lost another very unhappy customer.

Sounds like the time that the Mazda dealers told me that the 3 had a
leak from the rocker box and quoted $900 to fix it. I looked, no sign of
a leak and it wasn't mentioned at the next service. I watched a YouTube
video on how to do it, and reckoned that I could do it in about an hour
had it been necessary.

OTOH, I took the MX-5 in for a 10K service at a specialist garage, $150
all up, a recommendation to replace the radiator, but no pressure to get
them to do it. But then the garage is an offshoot of an engineering
company with no connection to cars. I believe that the owner is a Mazda
enthusiast who runs the garage as a side project for other enthusiasts.

[Xeno]

Post by Keithr0

Post by Daryl
Mates daughter in law has a 2019 Subaru Forester, its always been
dealer serviced, at the last service they said that it needed some
extra work.
Rear brake pads replaced and rear rotors "machined".
Front lower control are bushes were supposedly cracked and needed to
be replaced.
Cabin pollen filter needed to be replaced.
To carry out the above work the dealer quoted $1700.00
Yesterday we checked it out and found that apart from needing rear
brake pads and a pollen filter the rest was bullshit, the rear rotors
have no scratches or lip, new 18mm, min is 16mm so I don't know what
they intended to "machine", both measured 17mm.
Front control arm bushes at first looked to be slightly cracked until
they were wiped with a gloved hand, the "cracks" were actually dirt.
Decent quality rear pads and a pollen filter cost approx $120 plus
about an hour to fit them so the dealer just lost another very unhappy
customer.

Sounds like the time that the Mazda dealers told me that the 3 had a
leak from the rocker box and quoted $900 to fix it. I looked, no sign of
a leak and it wasn't mentioned at the next service. I watched a YouTube
video on how to do it, and reckoned that I could do it in about an hour
had it been necessary.
OTOH, I took the MX-5 in for a 10K service at a specialist garage, $150
all up, a recommendation to replace the radiator, but no pressure to get

If the radiator is 10+ years old, replacing it with a new one is a very
good idea - better known as *preventative maintenance*. Most radiators
these days have plastic top and bottom tanks that are crimped to the
core section with a gasket - the core section typically being aluminium.
The materials are lighter and cheaper but the top and bottom tanks are
prone to premature aging due to thermal cycling. The thermal cycling
makes the plastic brittle and the tanks will crack around the hose
outlet or along the crimped seam. This issue will be exacerbated when
the radiator hoses harden with age and transmit engine vibrations more
readily to the top and bottom radiator tanks.

Post by Keithr0
them to do it. But then the garage is an offshoot of an engineering
company with no connection to cars. I believe that the owner is a Mazda
enthusiast who runs the garage as a side project for other enthusiasts.

Sounds like he has had experience with those radiators. As I learnt back
in my apprenticeship days, more engines are killed by the lack of water
than by the lack of oil.

[Daryl]

Post by Keithr0

Post by Daryl
Mates daughter in law has a 2019 Subaru Forester, its always been
dealer serviced, at the last service they said that it needed some
extra work.
Rear brake pads replaced and rear rotors "machined".
Front lower control are bushes were supposedly cracked and needed to
be replaced.
Cabin pollen filter needed to be replaced.
To carry out the above work the dealer quoted $1700.00
Yesterday we checked it out and found that apart from needing rear
brake pads and a pollen filter the rest was bullshit, the rear rotors
have no scratches or lip, new 18mm, min is 16mm so I don't know what
they intended to "machine", both measured 17mm.
Front control arm bushes at first looked to be slightly cracked until
they were wiped with a gloved hand, the "cracks" were actually dirt.
Decent quality rear pads and a pollen filter cost approx $120 plus
about an hour to fit them so the dealer just lost another very unhappy
customer.

Sounds like the time that the Mazda dealers told me that the 3 had a
leak from the rocker box and quoted $900 to fix it. I looked, no sign of
a leak and it wasn't mentioned at the next service. I watched a YouTube
video on how to do it, and reckoned that I could do it in about an hour
had it been necessary.

Too many seem to try it on then they wonder why dealer service depts
have such bad reputations.

Post by Keithr0
OTOH, I took the MX-5 in for a 10K service at a specialist garage, $150
all up, a recommendation to replace the radiator, but no pressure to get
them to do it. But then the garage is an offshoot of an engineering
company with no connection to cars. I believe that the owner is a Mazda
enthusiast who runs the garage as a side project for other enthusiasts.

Sounds exactly where you need to take it although at $150 for even a
basic service he's not making much money, its not difficult to spend
$100 or more just for the oil and filter.
I recently asked a mechanic friend of my son what his hourly rate is, it
varies between $135.00 to $160 per hour depending on what he's working
on, he said that the cars he charges more for are the rarer models where
he has to spend more time chasing parts, for more common cars he buys
most parts etc from Repco so it takes him less time.