Sometimes even the most reliable wheels on the road need maintenance. Here’s a story where I almost learned the hard way why you should never take your car to the dealership.
Not for repairs. Not for free coffee and cookies. Not even for the free cable TV (sometimes you just can’t look away, even if it’s Fox News).
A wee, spritely little car, My Honda Fit was a rock star on four wheels that got me through wintertime commutes, shuttling kids, and landlord duties. Thankfully, service calls are rare.
Then, a few months ago, my Fit stopped letting me into the back hatch.
Now normally, this isn’t such a big problem. I’m not the primary grocery shopper after all. But if I have to tackle some maintenance at our Airbnb condo, tossing toolboxes and other materials into the hatch is always preferred.
When the latch to the hatch got stuck, I figured the solution would be quick and cheap. So off to the local Honda dealership I went, hopeful (and gullible) as ever…
Dealership Waiting Areas Are a Little Too Cozy
Dealerships are swell places these days. The coffee machines are space-aged dispensaries of all kinds of sugar-full caffeinated delights. There are even free cookies and muffins to sweeten the mood while you wait for bad news from the mechanics.
The staff is pretty darn attentive too. Roll your car into what feels like a modern airplane hangar. The valet, err customer service rep sprints over with clipboard in arm ready to ease your automotive burdens. This crew of hard workers even has matching uniforms.
I’m referring to the Honda dealerships in the Twin Cities mind you. I’m not sure if your Honda outlets are as Hollywood as mine, but don’t be jealous. Trust me.
There’s more that I appreciate about dealership repair shops. The Wi-Fi is SOLID. I can pop open my work laptop and keep up with tasks while waiting for anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on the repair needed.
And if I get bored, I can swivel my chin over to the jumbotron TV and watch a little Maury Povitch in high-def. There’s even a playpen for toddlers to frolic, and because Maury is so damn loud, youngling screams and whoops are usually drowned out.
You can also fit a five-foot-tall refrigerator in the back. In the box still. “Mountain Bike in the back of the Honda Fit” by bike sandwich is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
How the Dealership Tried to Rip Me Off
So by now, you’re wondering, why wouldn’t I take my car to the dealership for repairs? Well, for one thing, dealerships will charge you way more and they’ll make unnecessary repairs to justify those charges.
In my case, after waiting a mere 45 minutes, I got the bad news from my repair service rep. The hatch latch on my Fit needed to be replaced. Okay, I thought. No big deal, right?
Welp.
It turns out that a Honda Fit ’09 hatch latch runs $1,200 plus tax for parts and labor. That’s a pretty stiff charge just to use the hatch door, ain’t it? I about spit my over-sugared dealership latte in the sweet service lady’s face upon hearing that figure.
Instead, I took a big gulp of free coffee, stewed for 10 seconds, and said to her, “I don’t think so.”
She politely escorted me back to her station (there are about a half dozen neat standing desks lining the runway inside this particular Honda airplane hangar) and rang up the “diagnostic” bill.
I forked over $125 using my Chase Ink Business card for the pleasure of being told I had to replace the entire latch assembly.
Defeated, I rolled back to work in my little red Fit. Hey, at least they gave her a much-needed mid-winter wash. But unless it’s a detailing, I don’t recommend a $125 car wash on this here personal finance blog…
This is a lesson, in my mid-40s no less, I should’ve had instilled in my financial “muscle memory” by now. Should I service my car at the dealership? Hehhhhll no. But here’s the redeeming part of the story…
Now that we’re all living in a state of lockdown (for good reason), many of us have extra time to deal with chores that have been low on the priority list.
I haven’t been driving my car anywhere of late, with work-from-home the new normal. Luckily, we have a couple of local, long-established auto mechanics within walking distance of our house. These are true-blue independent mechanic shops, mind you.
There is nothing “destination” about either of them. Even in a Me-Too world, you’ll likely spot a pin-up calendar behind the counter. There are no lady mechanics or staff at either shop.
The owner of the shop I took my Fit to heard all about my tale of woe at the Honda dealership. He made no promises, but he said he’d have a look and see what he could do.
I wasn’t overly optimistic.
I figured if the fine folks at Richfield Bloomington Honda can’t fix my latch without serious effort, no one could. I was just hoping my local mechanic could do the same job for less.
To my utter surprise and delight, my new best friend the independent mechanic called back later that day and said he got the latch working.
It was probably jammed up with road salt and gunk (and a dash of spite for Minnesota winters). He lubed up all the moving parts and slapped the plastic back on.
Total bill? $69.00.
Dealerships and Independent Mechanics Have Divergent Incentives
Dealerships love to charge more for a few understandable reasons. For one, they have to pay for their Hollywood destination digs. Free Wi-Fi and donuts are not so free after all.
They’re also spending a huge amount on their friendly and prompt staff. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried calling a local mechanic only to have the phone ring and ring and ring with no one there to answer.
Weigh the pros and cons. Is it worth it to have a “cleaner” and perhaps friendlier experience with all of the amenities (Wi-Fi, kids’ play area, snacks, etc.) at the dealership? Or, can you stomach the grease-stained and cramped confines of a local, trusted mechanic?
For me, the answer is simple. Especially after this particular episode, I’m inclined to avoid the dealership for foreseeable future. $1,200 vs. $69 — who are you kidding??
If honesty and customer loyalty were a priority for Honda dealership repair shops, I could understand a bill of say, $200 and change for the same “clean and lube” job my local repairmen performed.
I think this is really what it comes down to. Not the glossy pros and cons Edmunds would have you believe. No. Find an honest and reputable local mechanic and avoid losing your shirt.
Dealership Service Department Horror Stories
Here’s why I love writing a personal finance blog. There’s a community of fellow bloggers ready to share their very own dealership horror stories:
Dads and Dollar$ shared: It would take way more than one tweet to go through all of it, but I got ripped off when I was young and inexperienced. Suffice it to say that the place in question did not repair my car and made it worse than it had been when I brought it in.
My boy Freddy Smidlap offered this up: I ripped off a dealership on an insurance repair once. I got one back for all of us little guys. The general manager kept calling my house and I told him to come on over and take it back “if you think you can.”
This anecdote from the Gleaning Sage warns that even highly-rated shops can cause problems: I looked up a highly-rated mechanic in Phoenix and told them I needed an oil change and a good once-over (because I was driving my 15yo Sentra to CO). They replaced the CV joint, did an oil change, etc. for $900.
The next week, I start fine… only to get stuck in Grants NM. They had cleaned the battery terminal connector down to the width of floss so it broke and fell off as I went across AZ. When I stopped for a break in Grants, NM, the battery was dead because it wasn’t charging.
What about you? In deciding whether to service your car at the dealership or mechanic, where do you stand? Share your juicy story in the comments below.
Ergo: Never Take Your Car to the Dealership
There are situations where it makes sense to have work done at the dealership. If your vehicle is still under warranty, then many repairs can be performed without a fee.
Oil changes are acceptable too since you can often get a free car wash to go along with that complimentary cup of java (and sugar-loaded muffin).
But for just about any other repair outside of warranty that doesn’t involve an oil change? I’d think twice. From now on, we’ll be taking our paid-off sleds to the local guys. My biggest tip to offer: Do NOT settle on one particular shop.
Instead, rotate among 2 or 3 and build up a track record of experiences.
Better still, see if you can learn a few basics about auto repair, even just a little, to help you diagnose problems. Then you’ll know what you’re talking about when you step up to that reception desk.
The coffee may not be as good or even free, but the money you’ll save could buy you a daily Starbucks drink for a full year (or more!)
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hey cubert. thanks for the shout out. my best friend is a service rep at a car dealership and i avoid the topic like a plague. it’s just a job and i think he’s good at it but he also may have drunk the kool-aid. we have a local place we’ve been using for 15+ years and they have the modern technical stuff. they even alerted us once that we were under warranty when a power steering pump failed and said to go have it done for free at the dealer.
we’ve also gone back for recall work and they tried to upsell mrs. smidlap outside the free stuff. she told them to pound sand and just do the free stuff. everything regarding vehicles seems vile to me.
You bet, Freddy! I’d agree, that there’s so much vile about the whole enterprise. Cars can drain your wallet faster than most things.
OMG – I have a Honda Fit too – since 2011. I had a similar experience – they asked me to change brake oils which I’d changed just recently, elsewhere. My a/c stopped working early last year. We somehow managed to live through it last year, and I’m dreading the experience this year. I tried fixing it but it didn’t work. The dealership charges ~$75 just to diagnose the issue. And the major fix costs about 1/3 of what the car’s now worth.
Fits rock!! And ouch re the air conditioning. I’d try to get by with the windows down too – but some days can be brutal in the summertime. Good luck!
I’ve never used a dealer out of warranty. The real reason for the price difference is the captive audience. People get comfortable over warranty coverage and are less likely to go somewhere else.
I’ve also found most dealership service departments to have more novice mechanics. With some notable exceptions (like the special guy that works only on Corvettes at the Chevy dealership) most good mechanics get paid more on their own or at non dealership shops. So many of the good ones move on.
Super smart, FtF! And that makes a lot of sense re mechanics making their own way eventually.
My sister took her older Honda civic to a Honda dealer for repairs, because she had bought it second hand off them. At the time of purchase, they were very personable, and made sure to show her their service bay, and even introduced her to the service manager. Honda quoted her a list of repairs with a hefty price tag. She told them to change the oil, which was what she brought it in for, and leave the rest. She then took her car to the auto repair shop my husband and I use, which is much less fancy. It turned out some of the repairs she was quoted were not needed, and they found a serious issue that the dealer had missed. Her total bill was way less.
That is the WORSE. And it’s a situation not unlike what I wrote about – dealerships should hand a shingle: “unnecessary and costly repairs ‘r’ us” 🙂
Great timing with this post! I have found a local garage also that is top notch service and half the price as the dealerships.
However just recently I got a second recall on my 2008 outback with 170k on it to replace an air bag, same one they replaced 2 years ago! Anyhow, no subie dealership here but where we are located we are about equal distance to East Lansing and Swanky Ann Arbor. The A2 dealership could get me in sooner so that’s where I went…drove right in as they opened the door remotely for me and had 3 people on me immediately. I felt a bit out of place with my old paid for ride but oh well. So as I approach desk they tell me they ran out of airbags yesterday and wouldn’t get more in until Monday( this was a Friday) and they never notified me of this.., could I come back?…no, I could not as I drove from out of town 45 minutes. So they hooked me up with a 2020 outback with only 3k miles on it!!! Dang was that sweet, felt like I was piloting a futuristic space craft and I got it for the whole weekend!
Long story short….my wife loved it, kids loved it and so did I….perhaps this was a new marketing ploy??? It was really hard to drive my old car back home after that experience but after a few days, I was glad to have stayed strong and not listened to my kids haha.
Cheers
Oh, those new cars can be enticing! Another key element to include in the “destination dealership” experience. If you need a loaner, why not try the new model? Clever suns-a-guns!!
That specific dealership is one I’ve had two crazy experiences with from a total overall experiences of two.
My sister trying to buy a car which had serious problems and they just blew it off like it was nothing. It shouldn’t even have been on the lot for sale. The second was a completely incorrect diagnosis of a bad thermostat and trying to say it was the radiator. After that I actively tell people not to go there and instead try Hopkins Honda if they want to go to a dealer.
Relative to my office, I go to my local garage, drop it off, walk to work, and then pick it up on my way home. It’s a wonderful thing. Still, I do pickup wiper blades from dealers as they tend to work better. And this year I will try cleaning the blades with the liquid gold of hand sanitizer instead of replacing them.
Hey Pete! I appreciate your thoughts here. I think I’ll avoid Richfield Bloomington Honda from now on too. The unsavory experiences just keep adding up.
It depends, if it’s still in warranty you’ve got no choice, you have to use the dealer. But it is also free so no problem. Or with some luxury cars oil changes come from the dealer for free, not Hondas though but maybe Acuras. But for older cars out of warranty, yeah, find a good one person shop somewhere, but expect it to take a week or longer to get an appointment. For a lot of stuff though, just look on YouTube and Google. You might could have saved the $125 and the $69 both and fixed it in five minutes yourself. it’s likely a single squirt of spray lube would have done the job. I’ve done stuff on my cars since I retired I never would have tried because YouTube showed me exactly what to do. Plus it feels cool to do it yourself.
Hey Steve! I actually had it in mind to DIY this particular problem. The Youtube video kept going and going … and it looked incredibly daunting to reassemble all the parts. Still, that was going to be my “plan C” if the local guys came back with the same verdict as the dealership. Another “pro” for early retirement – cost avoidance on auto repairs!
I’ve used both dealers and non-dealer shops. There are plenty of good dealers out there. I suppose it helps that I’m an engineer by training with experience in the auto manufacturing industry. (I haven’t worked in automotive for 15yrs now.) So I tend to know what I’m looking for. Our local Toyota dealer has been quite trustworthy. One time I took the car in to the Toyota dealer for a wheel bearing. I confidently diagnosed the problem myself based on the sound. They corrected me that it was just road noise from a slightly unevenly worn tire. One or two years of tread left on that tire. So be gone, no charge.
Another time, I really did need a wheel bearing. Went to the dealer. I thought their quoted cost was very high. I attempted to negotiate. They offered 10%. I said no thanks even though I had to pay the diagnostic fee…I think it was $80. Then went to the non-dealer regional chain I’ve had success with. They did a good job and saved quite a bit of dollars.
The last two sets of tires I bought were from dealers. One time they had the best price around as they were running a sale. The second time I had to negotiate a bit to get them to match the local tire shops.
Hint: I’ve nearly always been able to request a “coupon” at the dealer (for non-routine bigger items) and they can almost always give you the “coupon” they have behind the desk.
I think a big part of my success with cars has been education on preventive maintenance. Don’t just pay for the “50,000 mile service.” That’s a load of crap. Read your owners manual. It will tell you the maintenance that needs done. Get the oil changed every 10,000 miles (synthetic). Get the transmission fluid changed when it tells you to. Get the coolant changed when it tells you to. Change the timing belt (if applicable) when it tells you to. Replace the water pump at the same time as the timing belt, whether it needs it or not. Change the battery at 4 or 5 years old, whether it’s failed yet or not.
I drive Hondas and Toyotas these days. Take good care of them. Am not afraid to use the dealer. And they last to 200,000 miles with no big repairs* and never stranding the wife and family out on the road. I suspect they last longer than that but I haven’t been keeping cars past 200,000 miles so I don’t know.
*They do all seem to need wheel bearings at 130,000 to 150,000 miles which seems odd.
No affiliation with car dealers and I haven’t been in the industry for 15years. I just think our Toyota dealer is trustworthy, if not always lowest priced.
Thanks for your comment here, JR! Not all dealerships are created equal, that’s for sure.
Interesting and well-written post. I think I would agree with you for the majority of vehicles. But I think there is an error in your reasoning. What if you took it to a regular mechanic and they told you that you needed a new one. Say their cost was close to that of the dealerships, and you had the same reaction. Upset, you decide to take your chances at the dealership because you need something repaired that’s under warranty anyway. The fix your warranty issue and tell you that you didn’t need a new part after all. In fact, they cleaned it and decided not to charge you for being a regular and keeping up on your maintenance. This could have easily been the case and probably has been the case countless times.
But, this wasn’t your experience. I think for the average person with an average car like yours, a regular mechanic is fine. However, someone that drives a high-end luxury car should, IMO, always go to the dealership and nowhere else. Those mechanics are a different breed and are more qualified for those vehicles (obviously). Most small shop mechanics don’t know the first thing about my car. Even large tire places don’t know how to properly install my reverse staggered tire setup. But the dealership knows. I know they know because I brought my car in for a warranty service and they also inspected my entire car while they were at it and found that my tires were installed incorrectly. They fixed it then and there and didn’t charge me.
Thank you, Brandon! I’d avoid a high-end, luxury car for that very reason. 🙂
My experience with dealership service departments has caused me nothing but aggravation, time and money. Their so called “expert” service has left me stranded 3 times in addition to nearly causing 2 major accidents that put my life in danger.. I have owed a BMW and Audi in addition to Fords and Mazdas, a Honda and Chevrolet.
BMW::
Told dealer to check entire cooling system and replace anyting that looked worn. No issues. Two days later lower cooland hose explodes and car overheats. Car towed to dealer. The head gasket blew and warped the head. They did take care of the damage, but that is unacceptable.
I accidently left wiper on warming up car and it got stuck on ice. The arrm assembly snapped during a monsoon. I took it to an different dealer and explained what happened. They replaced a $10.00 part and charged me $150 labor. One week later it breaks again.during another monsoon. Take it back to dealer and tell “Service Manager” that something in the linkage is bent causing the $10.00 part to break. They repaced the same part for another $160.00. I told them very loudly to replace the entire bleeping linkage or sell me the part and I’ll bleeping do it myself. They replaced it and the issue never reoccured..
Audi:
Wanted $2500.00 to repair a pin hole in the exaust because the exhaust all the way to the Cat would have to be replaced. I took it to a muffler shop and the welded in a flex pipe. The repair was $150.00 and I drove the car in Pittsburgh winters for 5 more years with no exhust issues.
Mazda:
During one routine oil change and tire rotation: Cross threaded drain plug, skid plate attached with 3 bolts and, extremly overtightened lug nuts.
Damage: Oil pan had to be bored out to fit a larger nut, skid plate was damaged beyond repair, and I got a flat tire driving at night and could not change the tire. AAA couldn’t either. Car was towed to closest tire shop and I had to stay at some local, crappy mom & pop motel.
Ford:
I sued Ford and got a $10,000 settlement.
The dealer subbornlyrefused to acknowledege that my wife’s Fusion had had a transmission issue. Multiple visits and all they said was that the 2nd and 3rd gear slamming was normal and that the computer had to learn my wife’s driving habits. All they would do is reset the computer. I finally had enough and demanded to go an a test drive with the shop’s transmission specialist. Twenty miles and multiple gear slams later, the guy finally admitted that there was an issue.
The first 2 attempts to fix did nothing. I did some research and a youtube channel had and entire video on the symtoms, cause and repair. It was produced by an independent mechanic. He even published a link to a Ford service bulliton regarding the issue. On the 3rd and final attempt to get it fixed, I shared this information with the “Service Manager” and handed him the Ford TSB. The dealer ingnored that information and the car went into “limp mode” and started smoking just as my wife and I were crossing a busy highway. (limp mode is when a car’s computer reduces engine power when it senses a major issue within the cars paramitors-in this case it was caused because the car’s transmission was finally destroyed by the harsh gear slamming) We were nearly T-boned by a car. The car had enough time to slow down and avoid us.
I now do a lot of my own maitainance due to the trauma the dealers have inflicted upon me. The repairs and maintainnace that I’m not comfortable doing, I use a really good local shop. My nightmares are gone.
I will agree that today’s modern cars, especially high-end (BMW sadface) are full of electronic stuff that might need a dealer to fix. Hopefully one that actually knows what they are doing. Otherwise, a really good general mechanic or a shop specializing in repairing a particular brand of high-end car can fix the mechanical bits and probably save you a decent amount of money, maybe even some headaches.
Hey Mitch – Man, that’s quite a history of unfortunate maintenance events! Makes my story look like peanuts, but importantly, underscores the point: dealers have some warped incentives, and the good ones have to overcome those to keep knowledgeable customers coming back.