When you take your car in for a "service"

[r3iXmann]

Thanks for telling me twice Tr1ad.

So lemme ask nah, anybody does do any of these checks themselves?

yep

you all do realise that these things they say that they do at the dealership are not really done...they just tick it off on the sheet but half of them things they don't ever do...knew a guy who sent in his 4x4 for servicing at the firm, when he got it back, he checked the oil and it wasn't changed...if you all have any really good friends working at the firms as a mechanic, ask them and they will tell u, u paying for a service through your nose and you are not getting it.

we have this problem QUITE OFTEN with our fleet vehicles at work...

[tourniquet]

i buy my filter etc. and mark it with liquid paper or anything like that. you'll be surprised how ofter your oil filter is really changed...

some jiffy lube franchises were found guilty of this and taken to court a few years ago
do i hear 2nr sting operation?

[tr1ad]

we have this problem QUITE OFTEN with our fleet vehicles at work...

massa investin in more ox cart for he cotton fields?

[janfar]

I carried my girl's civic to a well known Honda repair place in El Socorro. The car was over heating plus a few things going wrong. She bro didnt want me touch the car cause it was always serviced there and they know the car already. Carry the car, they said, head seal gasket gone, valve cover seal replacing. New steering end, knuckle joints. One cradle arm bushings, 2 trailing arm bushing. Quoted cost of parts plus labout $3890.00.

When i see that, I carry the car Mayaro and check it. Turns out a small line was leaking. Change the Valve cover seal myself, (reiXmann, thanks for the bolt) and still running same suspension, nothing was wrong. Less than 200TTD and we had time in tghe day to go and bathe on the beach.

Not me again.

[crazybalhead]

janfar you sure nothing was wrong? Thise bushings burst all the time.

And that price sounds more than fair for those parts and to change them.

And if the casr was overheating, I am sure that it was not caused by that small line only!

Talking from experience here!!!!!

[janfar]

I talking from experience as well. I checked everything including the compression on the pistons. All well. All the bushings were good. That one line was leaking causing the rad to loose water and thus overheat. The radiator was also clogged, nothing a lil muruatic acid and liquid plumr couldny fix though.

[slick]

I walk outside in the morning. I kick tyre. Car no roll over and dead. Good for another day...

[Peanut Punch]

janfar, it could also be the fan...sometimes it gives out...

i had a similar experience a few yrs ago with 'silver star mechanic shop in POS... they quote me for almost all those things after a free service.. $10,000 TT ...when i went to a chase village mechanic he drained & replaced the oil, put in new fuel injector pins & everything was fine ...always get a 2nd opinion''

[janfar]

Peanut Punch, nah, wasnt fan. Just that line, that car is running back and forth everyday without a problem. According to CBH, somebody did it before and somebody put pics on the internet. All my DIYs I plan to put up on the net cause some mechs just rediculous.

[hmph]

i service my own car, i dont trust mechanics working on it so i DIY. the only thing i would send my car by a mechanic for is a clutch change. i not able with all that headache.

if i taking in the corolla to service then i will always end up arguing with Toyota, they dont do anything right!

[brams112]

long story short the firm does rip off every body,they say one thing and tell you they change a lot of parts and check every thing, lie,,,, they do nothing ever watch how much cars are ther for service?you feel them checking all the things on the list?how hard is it to check and top up your own fluids,i showed my sisters how to check their car's fluids and top up themselves so they will know and help themselves,plus they dont harass me when they have a long run to make to make sure the car is in order,i change my own oil in our small van and trucks and don't have a problem,,,,,beats a half way mech.

[buzz]

when I take my van in to lifestyle motors there are 3 types of service at different intervals... they have published what each class of service entails... so i know what i being done everytime... and sometimes I make special requests that they inspect certain things or correct certain problems

meh boss carry she car for a tune up and they did "repairs" and serviced the car


cost = $11,000


they didn't call to say anything just went ahead and called later and said yuh owen 11 gran

[brams112]

buzz some does believe the firm to the last don't ever figure they getting bull

[buzz]

no no its not that

she just wanted a tune up and they changed every thing from rotors to water pump


she never told em to go ahead with all that sheit

[pete]

Not even the decency to call and find out if to change the parts?

Was she given/shown the old parts?

[buzz]

nope and nope

[crazybalhead]

See what ah mean?????

[Hook]

friend of mine buying a local Lancer wagon from a friend of hers....her friend paid for a full service and all fluids changed by that firm (first owner, vehicle had been going there for servicing since purchase)...she even showed us the bill (can't remember the cost, but I remember hearing her purse crying)

lo and behold I reach in the evening my friend buys the car and watching this engine bay and notice the brake fluid dark and wondering if "fluids" doh include brake fluid....turns out it didn't include brake pads, oil and filter or tranny fluid either....oil black and tranny fluid brown and smelling burnt...I wondered if they even popped the hood at all

well we change all fluids and filters in the car the next day...scrapped down carburettor cleaned, reassembled and tuned it, check ignition timing yadda yadda yadda...car good now

[crazybalhead]

BTW Hook, argument was with Mitch and yuh cousin eh.

two ah dem SWEAR the mechanic does check everything.

[Hook]

hahahahahahahaha...Pete should know better than that...

we mekkin' a Papers Friday or wha?

[crazybalhead]

Papers is no more buddy. The guy threw them out.

I was in Peru when they had their last lime earlier this year.

[triniangie]

the hardest thing is tryin to understand what is goin on when you dnt knw ne ting at all...hw the hell r u supos to start? u cant even google it cause u dnt knw what is good, ok, bad or 'bwdmc' cause u jus dnt knw wat to look for!...i still learning my engine parts

im usually asked 'y i need to knw all dat'...n u knw wen ur female, the price goes up a few hundred...as for servicing my car, i ask my bro (who never has time) or any male friend...but im not allowed to touch...*sigh*

thanks to tuner doh, i gettin a lil help out

[crazybalhead]

triniangie, you have to learn like we all did. You on the right track. When somebody ask "why you need to know that?"

Tell them is your effin car and your MC money.

[janfar]

the hardest thing is tryin to understand what is goin on when you dnt knw ne ting at all...hw the hell r u supos to start? u cant even google it cause u dnt knw what is good, ok, bad or 'bwdmc' cause u jus dnt knw wat to look for!...i still learning my engine parts

im usually asked 'y i need to knw all dat'...n u knw wen ur female, the price goes up a few hundred...as for servicing my car, i ask my bro (who never has time) or any male friend...but im not allowed to touch...*sigh*

thanks to tuner doh, i gettin a lil help out

My gf was the same thing. Servicing her civic was expensive, and most of it was not actually done. I took over that now so all she have to do now is drive. I also taught her how to check the basics like fluids, belts. She still have to learn to change a tyre though...

[Hook]

^^^ damn skippy yo!

didn't kno bout the Papers ting tho...I should gi' dem a call......2moro...yeh 2mro...

[Greypatch]

Ppl there is a list and schedule for "firm" service.

BUT how can the owner be sure checks are being done and fluids/parts changed ?

After all customers are not allowed in the garage, and in most cases they are told to come back in 2-3 hours. (Even though they may take 30 mins...cannot charge a customer $1500.00 for 30 mins)

[PreMieR]

ALL those firm does rip off ppl, so i dont even waste my time goin to drop it anymore.
Janfar- i dont even bother teachin my to change a tyre that in itself is a waste of time, she watch and tell me " ent i have cell, i go call yuh" women ent care to learn......

[pete]

hahahahahahahaha...Pete should know better than that...

we mekkin' a Papers Friday or wha?

One of my services at lifestyle they left the old wiper blades, air filter and spark plugs in the car for me.

[Alpha_2nr]

Amazing that most of the stuff in this thread can actually be a DIY......(except alignment and stuff like that of course).

As for me....I try to follow the owner's manual w.r.t. service intervals.......mostly DIY.......if something needs to be done by a mechanic....chances are I'm the second pair of hand in the job anyway.....

From what I've seen at Lifestyle Motors

Basic Service:
Change oil and oil filter
Check Air Filter
Adjust Brakes
Alignment

.......... and they still can't align their customers' cars properly on the first attempt



(Proven from my "first" service with LM)

Ppl there is a list and schedule for "firm" service.

BUT how can the owner be sure checks are being done and fluids/parts changed ?

After all customers are not allowed in the garage, and in most cases they are told to come back in 2-3 hours. (Even though they may take 30 mins...cannot charge a customer $1500.00 for 30 mins)

Exactamiento......and even if you "carry yuh own fluids"......how are you so sure the mechs there don't take it to use in their own cars and give you the cheap crap?

[Greypatch]

pete you sure it came out of your car ?


In order to keep yuh "warranty" and DIY how much service can u miss ?

do the small ones yourself and go in for the big ones ?