I hired one of the most honest workers for my remodeling business, and he in time, married a daughter of a big time G.M. dealership. He admitted to me later that he, as installed service manager, was paid a commission of the work he scheduled. You drive your car in, he determines the damages, and you pay. Do you still trust your dealer? What a racket!!..

 

All service writers/managers I know are are paid on commission. It pays to be knowledgeable. If they sell you something you do not need, its a crime. But something you should have, or could do without for a while longer, well that's good salesmanship. Get educated and ask them to explain it to you. Just my 2.0 x 10^-2.

 

Yup- ALL dealers are crooked, not an honest person amongst us. Why I've been answering questions HONESTLY and OPENLY on this site (in the New Truck Buyers Forum) for the past 2 years is beyond me.

The only thing worse than a crooked car dealer is someone that makes ignorant generalizations about them. Think twice before you go around insulting people, would ya please? Believe it or not, we're not ALL out to steal every last penny from you.

 

Jeff, It looks to me he was talking about a service manager that receives extra money for writing up service work,mainly because, that is something the dealership is offering.

 

Jerry, don't you actually make money based on the amount of work you sell?

 

years ago as a mechanic we did not have a service writer but I still got a commision on all of the parts and labor I did.

 

Based on the actions of ONE dealer (whom he does not name), Jerry then asks ALL of us if we now trust OUR dealer? That's a cheap generalization, and I just get tired of it. I've read posts here where people refer to the "stealership." Of course there are lousy, thieving dealers out there. I've helped more than a few people get rebates that other dealers were trying to pocket. But I STILL get angry when I and every other upstanding dealer gets thrown into the same dirty pile. Maybe Jerry can tell us what HE does for a living, and I'll take a few cheap shots at him based on his occupation.

On the other hand, maybe someone can teach me how to ignore these kind of remarks. Something I've always had a problem with. I just take this stuff too personally.

 

You could put Jerry on your ignore list and he'll never bother you again. It's worked for me on several people on the boards.

 

i know what you are saying, i have been in sales for almost 20 years(mostly TV;s Sound systems and the such) i have made jokes about it myself( how can you tell a salesmen is lieing... his lips are moving) , i think you answered it youself you got to learn not to take it personal.when ever i get so inconsiderate **** whole who thinks all sales people are lieing thieves i just think to my self "if this ya-who only knew hom much money i make doing this he would be sick"...especially after you see there credit app.

 

I never ripped off anyone while I was a service manager. When I worked at a Chevy dealer we were the dealership that the GM zone manager would recommend for problem solving of lemons and such. I never had any angry customers until I worked at a Jeep dealer and took over a big service department mess. Plus, I was paid by the hour!

Let me give you an example.

Ford says the fluid in my Aerostar Dana 28 front axle is good for life, but, I change mine every 25-30k with my tranny fluid and transfer case fluid. This causes my A4LD to last 189K miles before failure.

I see two customers come in a bit over 100K with destroyed Aerostar front ends, most likely caused by bad fluid, I see how the "techs" work on it and determine I never want them touching my vehicle, especially after seeing the $1400+ repair bill other people get.

If I sell them basically a total fluid change (front axle, transmission, and transfer case) that is not Ford recommended, but, that I do myself on my own vehicle, is that ripping them off? When it saves them literally thousands of dollars and downtime if they plan on keeping their vehicle after the 70K warranty runs out? Is it wrong to sell something that is good for them and good for you?

Some people refuse to do anything else but LOFs because they think the whole world is ready to rip them off. Then when their tranmissions go, wheel bearings seize, linkage sticks, tires blow up, you hear "you should have told me". Yea, I told you every time you bought your vehicle in and refused the recommended service in your owner's manual.

Many service managers were actually mechanics at one point and many have automotive degrees along with management degrees. imo, the best place to go is usually the dealership where the service manager is driving his own Ford 4x4 to work instead of a company truck.

I have not worked in Ford since 2000, as far as I know, every new vehicle still comes with a small booklet listing the recommended services. Go and have the tech do the heavy duty services, he checks off each item he does, then puts his initial at the bottom. Scan the page when you get home so you have a record in case the booklet gets lost. That is the best way to avoid ripoffs and not spending too much money, imo.

FWIW: I do not trust anyone until they prove themselves, though that does not mean everyone is crooked or a rip off artist.

 

I agree.

Jeff, I'm in sales also and I wouldn't every do anything else. I hear comments all the time that were all crooks. Don't let it bother you. Most of us are honest. There is a few that are not. All I know is I can sleep at night because of self integrity. As stated above, if you can't trust people I would advise you to educate yourself before a major repair or purchase.

 

Cheap generalization or not, it's something that makes you go hmmmm...

 

Services? I dont need to get my truck serviced....I have warranty

Pay me now or pay me later is a good way to look at it sometimes. Preventative maintenance can save lots of money in the long run.
Most dealers arent out there to rip you off. Sure there are some bad apples that might rip you off but so will some doctors, grocery stores etc.
So what exactly is wrong with being paid a commision on how much work you book in? If you're an honest person you'll do the job properly and not rip the customer off. There are lots of times that I could tell a customer his widget valve needs to be replaced and I could make lots of money from doing it but if it doesn't really need to be replaced I'm not going to tell him it does.

 

You know, when you think about it, doesn't the minister at your church work on commission? Especially if you tithe? No one accuses him of ripping them off!

 

I am with you on this one, but don't forget the unforgettable Jim and Tammy Faye............