I see people on here asking for misfire help that have already replaced; plugs, coils, injectors, maf, etc. Is it really worth more to some of you to bust out the parts cannon than it is to pay 1.5hrs for a legitimate diag?

 

No No the dealer diagnostics is worth every penny (especially the dealer I use). Too many things mimick other things to just start throwing parts at it.

 

Was wondering because I see so many people throwing away money chasing problems. And a whole lot of people mad about dealers not finding an intermittent concern.

 

I work for a dealer and get a lot of people calling and asking what is wrong with their vehicle. It bugs the **** out of me. I always try and help them with the "noise" they are having but end with, you can always come in and have a Technician figure out what is really wrong with it.

 

Joel, that is what I don't get. People expect Technicians to be miracle workers yet are ok with their doctor not having a clue. Almost every post I see on here about anything to do with a dealership is a bitchfest.

 

I like my local dealer. I have no problem going to them if it's something I can't or don't want to do myself. First plug change I took it to the dealer because I had 100,000 miles on them and didn't want to deal with them breaking off. They got lucky and didn't have a single one break. I'm getting read to replace both uppers and lower ball joints on both sides of my truck and back right rear axle, bearings and seals too.

 

I asked myself that question on a regular basis when I worked at a dealership. I found a vacuum leak on a Taurus that the independent shops overlooked while replacing all the O2 sensors and the mass air flow sensor. They didn't forget to charge the guy every time he came in though.

 

Dealerships are like any other franchise, you get good and bad ones. I have had dealerships find problems that others couldn't, and have also had them screw up simple oil changes twice, once by overfilling and another time by not tightening the filter.

I guess it depends on the dealership and the individual tech working on your vehicle.

 

Exactly. Like people everywhere, there are good, bad, lazy, industrious, smart, ignorant, etc, etc. That goes for the shop people as well as we customers (WHAT?!?!).

When you do find a good place/mechanic, treat them with the same respect you desire. If they don't suit you, take your business elsewhere or learn to do the work yourself.

With my wife's Toyota, we travel 35 miles (from the nearest dealer) because the Maintenance Manager in Dothan,AL has proven to be involved and dedicated to customer satisfaction/service. We are totally happy with his dealer service shop.

 

i have worked at dealerships since 1965, then after a few years with uncle sam i have run my own shops off and on since then..i will say that i learned alot from the training i received from dealerships and believe that back in the day when i could diagnose most problems with a voltmeter, vacuum gauge, dwell meter and lots of common sense independent shops were usually a better bargain...
but!!! in todays world of automotive repair most independent shops can not compete with a factory trained mechanic "technician" with expensive equipment and quality training can offer..
but as always common sense and mechanical skills still play an important part that all the training and expensive equipment can not do without