Even if you do know they will try sometimes. I took my car to the dealer across the street from my work one time for a regular oil change service so I could just leave it off and pick it up after work. It was also making a vibrating noise when I revved the engine sometimes when it was cold. I thought it was probably the heat shield and I said as much when I took it in. Later when I picked it up I had been charged $125 for an hour of labor during which a technician had supposedly bent my exhaust tailpipe away from a leaf spring to fix the vibrating (explain to me please how that took 1 hour). Needless to say, I knew they had not fixed squat and demonstrated by driving my car around the lot and producing the noise I was talking about.
-
We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.
Got a Car Tune-up, did I pay too much?
Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Even if you do know they will try sometimes. I took my car to the dealer across the street from my work one time for a regular oil change service so I could just leave it off and pick it up after work. It was also making a vibrating noise when I revved the engine sometimes when it was cold. I thought it was probably the heat shield and I said as much when I took it in. Later when I picked it up I had been charged $125 for an hour of labor during which a technician had supposedly bent my exhaust tailpipe away from a leaf spring to fix the vibrating (explain to me please how that took 1 hour). Needless to say, I knew they had not fixed squat and demonstrated by driving my car around the lot and producing the noise I was talking about.
Well, try not to do that anymore. 😛
It might sound boring to you, but picking up a simple book about car maintenance will probably save you thousands in the future. Auto repair for dummies is decent. Even if youre not going to try any of the stuff yourself, merely knowing what youre talking about, what youre getting done, and why youre getting it done is going to make your life easier and your wallet fatter.
Thats something I asked him to do, the brakes hadn't been checked like forever and I had started to hear squeaks so i just wanted to make sure.[/quote]
Well, he shouldnt have charged you for that. I'm surprised he didnt sell you new brakes while he was at it.
He said the brakes were fine, and no need to mess with them. Guess he ran out of time, lol.
You figure that not everyone can be everything: One person can't be a doctor, mechanic, plumber or carpenter. So you have to trust others somewhat....yeah, i will have to take the blame on this one. Didn't shop around, just asked the dealer what they charged and thought this was the right amount too. Live and learn...not like i do tune-ups every year, this is after 6 years.
You figure that not everyone can be everything: One person can't be a doctor, mechanic, plumber or carpenter. So you have to trust others somewhat....yeah, i will have to take the blame on this one. Didn't shop around, just asked the dealer what they charged and thought this was the right amount too. Live and learn...not like i do tune-ups every year, this is after 6 years.
Yeah, they do still try sometimes. I went in for an oil change once.
HIM: "Oh no, you missed the service date. You were supposed to come in at 3000 miles...youre 50 miles overdue? Lets look at your oil...oh its very black...this is bad. You should have the system flushed."
ME: (humoring him) "Really?!? How much does that cost?"
HIM: $125 including the oil change.
ME: Alright, where should I park? Thanks for telling me..phew!"
HIM: Right over there. *big grin*
ME: *gets in car, drives away*
Well the nice thing with dealers and their maintenance service schedules is that you know exactly what you are gonna get for your money. It might be more expensive at the dealer but it takes the guess work out so you don't have to know each and every service to ask for if you are not that knowledgeable about cars. The trick is being able to know whether or not they actually did perform all the work they were supposed to or they just said they did it. If you want to stick with the manufacturers recommended service schedule, you could just take it to an independent shop and ask them how much they would charge you to do the same service.
If they're going to give you trouble over the warranty, then go to the dealer, but Im not sure that they can.
Anyways:
Oil Change should be $30 or so.
Tire rotation $20 at most.
You probably dont need your wheels balanced again. (unless your car/steering wheel it vibrates at high speed)
Spark plugs maybe $50 for parts/labor.
Tranny fluid another $50 at most.
The filter another $10-20 at most.
Comes out to about $200, so $330 isnt total rape, especially from a dealership, but you could do better.
You almost certainly dont need your A/C serviced at 30k, and if youre concerned about your fuel injectors, drop a $5 bottle of gum-out in your tank.
[/quote]
Well the nice thing with dealers and their maintenance service schedules is that you know exactly what you are gonna get for your money. It might be more expensive at the dealer but it takes the guess work out so you don't have to know each and every service to ask for if you are not that knowledgeable about cars. The trick is being able to know whether or not they actually did perform all the work they were supposed to or they just said they did it.
[/quote]
Well, i doubt 99% of the people know the "trick". Guess we all get ripped off then.
Don't feel too bad. . .I've heard of far worse rip offs than yours. And you have to consider your own time that it would take you to shop around for the best price. Is it worth it to you? If you were talking about hundreds of bucks maybe. . .but in your case you could have saved maybe $50-$100 but how much of your time would it have taken you to do all that shopping around?
Well the nice thing with dealers and their maintenance service schedules is that you know exactly what you are gonna get for your money. It might be more expensive at the dealer but it takes the guess work out so you don't have to know each and every service to ask for if you are not that knowledgeable about cars. The trick is being able to know whether or not they actually did perform all the work they were supposed to or they just said they did it.
[/quote]
Well, i doubt 99% of the people know the "trick". Guess we all get ripped off then.
[/quote]
Well one trick is, if the service schedule says they are going to replace a certain part. . .air filter, oil filter, spark plugs, etc. . .tell them you want the old parts and insist that they produce them and hand them over to you before you pay. It helps if you have some positive way to identify your old parts though otherwise they could just go out back on the scrap heap and grab any old part that looks like it could have come from your car. They do this on TV news shows sometimes where they are trying to expose crooked garages. They will mark their old part with permanent ink or something and then check the "supposedly" new part after service to make sure it is not the same old part that was in there when they brought the car in. I think they exposed a bunch of scamming Jiffy Lube locations that way.
If your plan is to go into a shop like the OP and say "tune it up", you'll probably spend more at the shop than you'll make back in 50 years at the pump due to better mileage.
Check your tire pressure, air filter, and drop in some techron or something similar. If that doesnt fix it, then good luck.
the worst is the brakes...if they are sqeaking, it's likely worn pads, and if he actually pulled the tire, then he would likely see that. and you don't really "lube" brakes, except when installing new pads, and it's that 99 cent stuff....
anyone who pays for tire rotation is dumb. Get your tires from a good chain, and they should do free flat repair/tire rotation/air pressure checks. I go to Les Schwab (Northwest/west chain) and they are great...you have someone waiting on you as soon as you get out of your car (unless they are very busy) and they have fixed/rotated other tires for me (on the car when I bought it) for free, knowing I would be back when it's time to replace those tires.
OP, I think you overpaid, but then, I know how long it takes to change spark plugs/wires...it took me ~45 minutes and $50 for my 88 VW, and that was because I was doing other stuff at the same time. Someone said get a book, even if you are not going to work on it yourself, as it gives you an idea of what they are actually doing/how long things should take.
anyone who pays for tire rotation is dumb. Get your tires from a good chain, and they should do free flat repair/tire rotation/air pressure checks. I go to Les Schwab (Northwest/west chain) and they are great...you have someone waiting on you as soon as you get out of your car (unless they are very busy) and they have fixed/rotated other tires for me (on the car when I bought it) for free, knowing I would be back when it's time to replace those tires.
OP, I think you overpaid, but then, I know how long it takes to change spark plugs/wires...it took me ~45 minutes and $50 for my 88 VW, and that was because I was doing other stuff at the same time. Someone said get a book, even if you are not going to work on it yourself, as it gives you an idea of what they are actually doing/how long things should take.
Pepsi90919
Lifer
"tune up"...lol
It shouldn't hurt but it probably won't help either 🙂
Unless you know exactly what to tell them you want done.
How long have you been getting this "bad gas mileage?"
What kind of driving do you do mostly? City or highway?
Do you drive with the AC on a lot? That does cause your engine to work a little harder thereby sucking up more gas.
Do what some others have suggested. Keep your tires properly inflated, do not speed excessively, make sure your fuel injectors are clean. These things can all affect gas mileage. How old is the car? Do you keep it serviced and the oil changed regularly? Sludge buildup in the engine can not only cause your engine not to run smoothly but can also eat into your gas mileage. Have you noticed the car being more "sluggish" than normal when you accelerate? If so, is the AC on or off when you notice this? If you are noticing decreased gas mileage it could be any number of things. As much information as you can give us will help determine what could be causing it. Most cars do experience decreased gas mileage with age so it can be somewhat natural.
If you do take it to a shop to have this problem looked at and they don't ask you any of these kinds of questions before they go to work, you should take your business elsewhere and fast. (Well some of the answers are obvious if you can physically look at the car. . .but others not so much)
1995 VW Jetta 4Cyl
114K
I don't really use AC. I check the tires every couple of months. I get the oil changed regularly. I've only had the car for the past 4k miles, and I'm getting like 15MPG. I drive 60/40 City/Highway. The cars acceleration is sluggish.
Hmmm... I guess I should check the fuel injectors?
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes + WCL Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 24K
-
-
