Dealerships, Experiences With Them, Rants or Praises

[Sierra Dan]

So, as the title suggests, I thought I would start a conversation about Dealerships in general (GM Dealers GMC, Chevrolet etc)

Or "Stealerships" as I have seen some here refer to them!  LOL

 

Bottom line is....  when taking your truck to one when you are out of the basic factory warranty for repairs or issues do most of them investigate TSB's or

is it better to not mention a TSB to a Dealer, that some of us discuss here? 

What are the averages for a Dealership covering a TSB free of charge?

Are Dealers receptive to TSB concerns on your trucks?

I purchased my '14 sierra used with a CPO warranty from a GMC dealership.

So far I have had a few issues that have occurred with it since owning for a year now that otherwise I never would have thought about bringing up if it wasn't for these forums.

Thanks to all that post what is " Normal " and what seems to be character flaws mechanically or otherwise especially with the first '14 truck releases, especially for us Newer members to read up on.

 

Maybe it just depends on the dealership but what I am afraid of is most of the GM dealers around here service wise want to charge around $100-120 for a "diagnostic fee" if something is found to be normal and not covered by CPO warranty.

So it's basically the dealers discretion? if so that can get costly quick with some of the issues many of us first issue trucks experience.

Is this what most of you with issues encounter?

 

Thanks to all who give feedback, advice or just want to Rant or Praise about the topic! 

[hollywoodsle]

There seems to be some sort of misconception, forum wide, not just this post as to what a TSB actually is.  It's not a recall, admission of an issue, or anything of the sort. It's a diagnostic aid for technicians , there could be a million cars that it applies to, or there could be two.  If the vehicle has the issue and is under warranty, CPO or factory, it'll be covered.  If you go into the service lane quoting your complaint directly from the TSB, that throws up red flags. 99% of the time the people that do this are first time customers, either just out of or just about out of warranty, thinking this TSB is going to fix whatever the issue is, and free of charge. That's not the case. 

 

As far as diagnostic goes, every customer is advised of it whether it has 20 miles or 37,000 it's a cya thing. You don't know if the car has sat in a barn for a month and something chewed something up or what not.  If the tech doesn't get diag they don't get paid. do you work for free?

 

If you're under CPO most everything is covered. Why not just go to your "Stealership," and give them your complaints and go from there. You're not going into battle. Most of us are here to help, but if you go in with a bad attitude, don't expect anyone to bend over backwards for you.

[Sierra Dan]

Thank you for your input Hollywood.

 

My thread topic is not to generate a "hate the dealership" tone.

Just simply interested in opinions and experiences others here have faced over time with their K2 platforms.

 

Why cry wolf if there is no wolf?

 

Overall I have had positive success with most dealers.

 

 

 

[hollywoodsle]

I wasn't implying anything negative, just sharing info.

[Sierra Dan]

For all honesty sake I often feel sorry for dealer service departments.

They are responsible for representing the Corporate automakers when problems arise.

Some of the dealers have tied hands and are at the mercy of what they are told or advised to do when it comes to problems or repairs.

Then again newer generation automotive "Tech's" are not trained on old school techniques to diagnose problems.

They are trained and rely on machines, scan tools etc.

 

 

[Tommyz66]

1 hour ago, hollywoodsle said:

 

As far as diagnostic goes, every customer is advised of it whether it has 20 miles or 37,000 it's a cya thing. You don't know if the car has sat in a barn for a month and something chewed something up or what not.  If the tech doesn't get diag they don't get paid. do you work for free?

 

I am not sure where this mentality came from over time.  It used to be commonly referred to as the "cost of doing business in the business you are in".  I realize more and more companies do not absorb these costs but $100 to tell me what I already know is a waste of time and money.  Thankfully my guy does not charge me diagnostic fees for auto repairs.

 

And yes, as a salaried worker I often "work for free."

[hollywoodsle]

31 minutes ago, Tommyz66 said:

I am not sure where this mentality came from over time.  It used to be commonly referred to as the "cost of doing business in the business you are in".  I realize more and more companies do not absorb these costs but $100 to tell me what I already know is a waste of time and money.  Thankfully my guy does not charge me diagnostic fees for auto repairs.

 

And yes, as a salaried worker I often "work for free."

I think you're missing the point and taking this completely off the rails.

[duquephart]

1 minute ago, hollywoodsle said:

I think you're missing the point and taking this completely off the rails.

 

34 minutes ago, Tommyz66 said:

I am not sure where this mentality came from over time.  It used to be commonly referred to as the "cost of doing business in the business you are in".  I realize more and more companies do not absorb these costs but $100 to tell me what I already know is a waste of time and money.  Thankfully my guy does not charge me diagnostic fees for auto repairs.

 

And yes, as a salaried worker I often "work for free."

 

Diagnostic fees are little more than profit padding and, for the most part, have gotten out of hand. I called a plumber to help me out with a plugged floor drain. He tried to charge me $135 extra for his diagnosis of "Plugged floor drain".

[Tommyz66]

24 minutes ago, hollywoodsle said:

I think you're missing the point and taking this completely off the rails.

If I am taking this off the rails, then yes I am completely missing the point.

[Colossus]

 The first truck I purchased was a used 1999 Silverado.  Got it at a Ford dealership of all places.  The old Courtesy Ford here in Littleton, Colorado.  Best experience.  Non-pushy salesman, wanted to make sure I was happy, explained everything that was going on and no surprises.  The service department treated my dad well with his 92 Explorer company vehicle and the service department also treated me well when I had a 95 Crown Vic needing some attention.  Sadly- Courtesy Ford gave in and sold to Auto Nation and they went downhill from there. 

 

Also had a great experience with LENZ Truck Center in Fond du Lac, WI for used truck purchase. 

 

The worst dealership experiences:

Alpine Buick GMC in Littleton, Colorado-  dishonest sales manager who agreed to my counter on a price offer- when I got a new 07 Sierra.  he changed his mind after I got there to sign the paperwork and pick the truck up.  I didn't have the backbone back then to really stand up to him and say no deal. 

 

I now only deal with private sales or auto brokers. 

[duquephart]

17 hours ago, Colossus said:

 The first truck I purchased was a used 1999 Silverado.  Got it at a Ford dealership of all places.  The old Courtesy Ford here in Littleton, Colorado.  Best experience.  Non-pushy salesman, wanted to make sure I was happy, explained everything that was going on and no surprises.  The service department treated my dad well with his 92 Explorer company vehicle and the service department also treated me well when I had a 95 Crown Vic needing some attention.  Sadly- Courtesy Ford gave in and sold to Auto Nation and they went downhill from there. 

 

Also had a great experience with LENZ Truck Center in Fond du Lac, WI for used truck purchase. 

 

The worst dealership experiences:

Alpine Buick GMC in Littleton, Colorado-  dishonest sales manager who agreed to my counter on a price offer- when I got a new 07 Sierra.  he changed his mind after I got there to sign the paperwork and pick the truck up.  I didn't have the backbone back then to really stand up to him and say no deal. 

 

I now only deal with private sales or auto brokers. 

 

That's a real common theme. Price is up when you get there because they think they got you and, having gone this far, you won't walk now. They get away with it because people cave to their "quoted wrong price" bullshit. Very common tactic.

[HondaHawkGT]

I have been happy with Runde Chevrolet in East Dubuque, IL/Platteville, WI. I had the leaking radiator issue. Called them up and told them that I suspected my radiator was leaking, they immediately set me up with an appointment to drop the truck off, replaced the radiator and thermostat no questions asked. They gave me a loaner truck for the day without having to even request one, and they had my truck ready 4 hours later. Previously during one of the early recall campaigns  (seat belt and transfer case software update) they offered me a free loaner truck while I waited.

 

Honestly, I'm surprised at all the guys that have such terrible times dealing with their GM dealer. I've had more issues with the local Ford dealer than I have with my GM dealer. The Ford dealer gave my brother the run around when his girlfriend's new Escape Ecoboost was overheating and mysteriously losing coolant. They updated the software for the thermostat, performed a pressure test, etc, and it would still overheat randomly. They told him nothing was wrong with it, so they asked what they would offer for it on a trade-in and they wanted nothing to do with the car. Oh, so nothing's wrong with it but you don't want to take it in on trade? BS.

[Loco Diablo]

If I learn of a TSB that is pertinent to my truck, I absolutely mention it to the dealer. Last year when I bought my new 2017, I noticed pretty quickly that that backup camera would blind me at night when I put the truck in reverse. Sure enough, there was a TSB for the problem that required a software flash. I had them do it. The difference was night and day.

Since then I’ve had no issues with the truck. I don’t generally check for TSB’s unless I have a particular problem, unlike recalls, which I check for every so often, as it’s easy to check with the myChevrolet app.

 

The worst experience with my dealer so far was the actual purchase negotiation. I really had to haggle with the sales manager to get what I wanted. Unnecessary BS. He was a fast talking jerk.

In the end I ended up getting exactly what I wanted after getting up out of my chair 3 times heading toward the door, so why put us both through the BS?

 

The service department is the complete opposite. I’ve been very happy with service after the sale.

 

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