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Bait & Switch and Other Bad Advertising Tactics

222 messages,  Last post on Sep 13, 2011 at 2:30 PM

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Messages Page 22 of 23

#203 of 222 Re: Invoice Sale! [jwilliams2] by isellhondas

Aug 11, 2010 (9:50 am)

Replying to: jwilliams2 (Aug 07, 2010 10:31 pm)
The average shopper doesn't care or think about overhead or other expenses nor did I want them to. They only care about PRICE and I was always amazed at how normally nice people could turn so ugly or be so cheap sometimes.
 
It continued to get worse as cheap customers pitted dealer against dealer as never before. You name it, I saw it.

#204 of 222 Re: Invoice Sale! [isellhondas] by deltheking

Aug 11, 2010 (5:33 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (Aug 11, 2010 9:50 am)
Totally agree about dealer overhead expenses. Just the utility bills can be a hefty sum. And in addition to that-spanking new showrooms with all amenities like Wifi, free coffee and muffins,Flat screen TV`s even at Honda/Toyota stores- and dont flame me for this --attractive receptionists --all these things cost a lot of money.
 
I cant understand some folks comparing oil change prices of of some Spiffy Jube chains to the dealer`s. Like $45 vs $30. The chain has some general techs and they use general oil or cheap filters.. I would never ever go to any place other than a dealer for any maintenance or repair simply b`cos the techs there would know the most about that brand. And cant beat the ambience of the dealership or the services they have like dropping you off and picking you back. And the dealer rates are not too different than some mechanic ,,like 100 vs 65. And you get what you pay for . Cheaper,inferior parts with incompetent jobs. More so with modern cars which are highly complicated computerized machines.
 
And the local mechanic cant invest the thousands of dollars that a dealer invests in diagnostic equipment simply b`cos he cant buy them for every brand whereas the dealer buys it only for his brand.
 
The only time I would go to a non dealer shop would be to replace my tires,battery and windshields..

#205 of 222 Re: Invoice Sale! [deltheking] by isellhondas

Aug 11, 2010 (5:33 pm)

Replying to: deltheking (Aug 11, 2010 5:33 pm)
No flame but unattractive receptionists get the same pay as the unattractive ones.

#206 of 222 Re: Invoice Sale! [isellhondas] by deltheking

Aug 11, 2010 (5:37 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (Aug 11, 2010 5:33 pm)
I realize that the pay is the same and I was speaking with respect to the service customer who is waiting for his car to be serviced and then sees the attractive receptionist. Just a good feeling--human nature I guess !!
 
Makes waiting tolerable,easier and pleasing to the eye !!

#207 of 222 Re: Invoice Sale! [deltheking] by verdugo

Aug 12, 2010 (4:26 am)

Replying to: deltheking (Aug 11, 2010 5:33 pm)
And the dealer rates are not too different than some mechanic ,,like 100 vs 65.
 
I agree with you about only doing service at the dealer. However, I disagree about the rates not being too different between $100 and $65.
 
In your example, a mechanic at a dealership is 53% more expensive than the "Spiffy Jube" one. That's quite a bit more.

#208 of 222 Re: Invoice Sale! [verdugo] by deltheking

Aug 12, 2010 (9:59 am)

Replying to: verdugo (Aug 12, 2010 4:26 am)
I think you meant 35% .
 
Still,it is a Honda/Toyota certified tech with all latest diagnostic equipment with access to all the latest TSB`s,computer codes and direct access to the manufacturer hotline vs a local mechanic who has no access to these or has no funds to buy that equipment. Cars are getting so computerized so fast nowadays that the indie guy just cant keep up with. And the comfort and convenience of the dealership is very useful.
 
The 100 vs 65 price is not an apples to apples comparison. The dealer uses OEM parts with the latest equipment and the facilities to entertain yourself are greater and nicer and cleaner. Try finding that at a local mechanic. Plus he mostly uses non OEM cheap parts,has poor to pathetic facilities and no new diagnostic tools . Just my opinion.

#209 of 222 Re: Invoice Sale! [deltheking] by verdugo

Aug 13, 2010 (7:20 am)

Replying to: deltheking (Aug 12, 2010 9:59 am)
I think you meant 35%
 
Nope, I was correct. You're looking at it the other way. The spiffy lube tech is 35% cheaper than the dealership one.
 
100/65 = 53% I chose to phrase it as I did b/c 53% sounds more dramatic.
 
Having said that, I agree with you. I always go to the dealer. I have prepaid 6 oil changes for $99. That's $16.5 per oil change. You can't beat that.

#210 of 222 Re: Invoice Sale! [deltheking] by roadburner

Aug 13, 2010 (2:52 pm)

Replying to: deltheking (Aug 12, 2010 9:59 am)
The dealer uses OEM parts with the latest equipment and the facilities to entertain yourself are greater and nicer and cleaner. Try finding that at a local mechanic. Plus he mostly uses non OEM cheap parts,has poor to pathetic facilities and no new diagnostic tools.
 
I think that's a gross and inaccurate generalization. Look, I use a BMW and a Mazda dealer that are first-rate. Bus -as jipster will attest- my closest Mazda dealer is almost totally inept and/or greedy when it comes to sales, parts, or service(and I'll bet the farm that they were the source of the misleading invoice iipster cited). If I needed Mazda service in the Louisville area I'd use one of the excellent independent shops. I also have a terrific indie BMW tech. A good indie shop will use OEM parts or the equivalent. And I'll take a modest shop with good techs over an inept dealer service department- even if the dealer has a latte machine in the waiting room...

#211 of 222 Re: Invoice Sale! [roadburner] by jipster

Aug 13, 2010 (6:29 pm)

Replying to: roadburner (Aug 13, 2010 2:52 pm)
as jipster will attest- my closest Mazda dealer is almost totally inept and/or greedy when it comes to sales, parts, or service(and I'll bet the farm that they were the source of the misleading invoice iipster cited
 
Correct on both accounts. The wife and I will probably be looking to buy another car in the not to distant furture. We both like the Mazda 5, but I have such little faith in both local Mazda dealerships for service, we'll probably go with something else.
 
A good indie shop will use OEM parts or the equivalent
 
I recently had an ignition coil replaced in our Mazda MPV. I called an independent and asked for estimate, and they did use OEM parts on coils and plugs. There are cheaper ignition coils out there, so they didn't try to skimp on quality. The thing was the repair was a little more complicated, and I had only gone to this independent one time for a coolant change, so I ended up going to our Neil Huffman friend. While I do think they did a good job on the repair (knock on wood), they did hand me a rather large dose of B.S. i.e "Bring the car in it's a 4 hour job" (really about a 2 hour, I had an early morning apt. kept calling during the day... they kept saying they were working on another car at the same time blah blah delay delay). About 10 hours later they call and say it needs another part, should be in in 2 days. The part comes in 4 days later. I have to call a couple times a day to check on the status of my vehicle, as they don't call me. The cars done Thursday evening (6 days later) but they don't call me till Friday morning.
 
Like anything you have good and bad dealerships (and everything in between) the same as you do the indies. I have yet to find a good indie, so for the more complicated work I'll still take it into the Mazda dealership and hope for the best.

#212 of 222 Re: Invoice Sale! [jipster] by roadburner

Aug 25, 2010 (6:30 pm)

Replying to: jipster (Aug 13, 2010 6:29 pm)
Like anything you have good and bad dealerships (and everything in between) the same as you do the indies. I have yet to find a good indie, so for the more complicated work I'll still take it into the Mazda dealership and hope for the best.
 
Some of the local Mazda guys like "Dr. Zoom" on Shelbyville Road. No personal experience, but I'm probably going to use them to install some Bilstein HDs on the MS3.

Messages Page 22 of 23

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