Yeah...dealer maintenance. Hey there, car looks great, but your cabin filter really should be replaced. It's usually $200, but I'll give you a 10% coupon.... Uh, no thanks. The last bastion of sleaze in America.

Recalls are the exception, that you take it to the dealer for, because it is free, and they will know what they are doing.

Anonymous wrote:You don't need to replace TPMS sensors very often, especially when you replace your tires. How old is your car? Do you see any TPMS amber light on your dashboard? If no and if the dealer tells you you have to replace them with new tires, they are lying.

Car and tires are 5 years old, with less than 40k miles on them. We previously had a flat and needed to replace the tire, at that point dealer advised us that they frequently have to refit or replace (not sure which) tires that have been fitted incorrectly and mess up the sensor. That's what they said when we were talking about a damaged tire. I don't know enough about tires/sensors etc to know whether this was just an attempt to get our business or if it was something specific to a damaged tire, or what. But I didn't want to take it to one of the hole in the wall tire places in NE DC near where we live. There is no TPMS amber light on. Does that mean that the whole sensor issue is moot?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband's brake light was on in his car so he took it to the dealership to get checked. They told him he needed new brakes. The next weekend he took it to our usual place (Virginia Tire and Auto) and they called him back and said all he needed was about 1/4 bottle of brake fluid and that his front and back brakes both had at least 80% of the padding left on them and there was no need for new brakes. Didn't even charge him for the labor to do that. He was so pissed- the dealership he took it to was one we have bought TWO cars from, but we will no longer be going to them thanks to that shadiness.

Good call. FYI brake fluid shouldn't be topped off like motor oil; it should be flushed along with the entire system. It's an important service most people forget and and should be done every 2 years before the fluid turns brown and deteriorates.

Don't agree at all. It's a closed system, so no contaminants should get into it like the oil system.
I've had numerous cars for 200+K miles and never had an issue with this.

Nope. DH buys from TireRack.com, has them shipped to a local shop, and installed. They all know how to deal with that sensor, it's no big deal.

We have used the dealership before for some 100,000 mile maintenance and very car-specific repairs, but that was mostly because we were new to town, didn't have a mechanic, and just needed it done without thinking about it much. They had it in the shop for 4 or 5 days and gave me a loaner too, which was nice.

I was taught by my dad to never use the dealership for maintenance but ended up bringing my car to the dealer for a recall repair and since I was there had them do the oil change and some other planned maintenance. It was the same or cheaper than the independent shop I'd used in the past. Based on that, I'd took it in recently when I thought I needed a new battery. The battery had died very quickly after having the car lights on. DH had run a recharger on it for a while but we figured that was just temporary and were prepared to pay for a new battery. The dealer checked it out and said we didn't need to do anything. I definitely feel more confident going to them in future knowing that they passed up an easy opportunity to have me buy something I was completely prepared to buy!

I've got an 11 year Nissan Murano. I've typically taken it to a dealer because it's so much more convenient -- the dealer is within 5 minutes of my office and I can take a shuttle back and forth. There is not an easy way for me to get to an independent mechanic from my house and unless I rent a car I can't get back and forth easily. Having said that, the drivetrain is no longer under warranty and I'm running up against some bigger repairs for which the dealership quotes are astronomical. Decided last week that the the cost outweighed the convenience for some of these items and went to the trouble of going to the independent mechanic for some items for which the quoted price was 1/2 of the dealership (strut replacement).

I saw Mr. Tire named above. I tried one of those by my office in Sterling for an oil change and tire rotation once before. They lost my wheel lock key and when I picked up the car something was seriously out of alignment. Never again.

Anonymous wrote:I compared the price of new tires from my dealership to buying then online, having them drop shipped to a local place and having them installed. The dealership actually came out cheaper by about $10.00. I am a true bargain hunter and can shop the hell out of the Internet -- so I was totally shocked.

Dealers do charge a lot more for the regular maintenance, though.

Sometimes, a shop will do a buy 3, get 1 free on tires as well.

Anonymous wrote:I compared the price of new tires from my dealership to buying then online, having them drop shipped to a local place and having them installed. The dealership actually came out cheaper by about $10.00. I am a true bargain hunter and can shop the hell out of the Internet -- so I was totally shocked.

Dealers do charge a lot more for the regular maintenance, though.

A lot of tire places will match the online prices for you, saving you the hassle of ordering online.

No, I don't use the dealership for maintenance, because they tried to totally rip me off when the last vehicle I bought from them was 4 years old. I will go to them for the free oil changes and free scheduled maintenance on my new car, and after that will go to my trusted mechanic.

I compared the price of new tires from my dealership to buying then online, having them drop shipped to a local place and having them installed. The dealership actually came out cheaper by about $10.00. I am a true bargain hunter and can shop the hell out of the Internet -- so I was totally shocked.

Dealers do charge a lot more for the regular maintenance, though.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do everything at the dealer - oil changes, tires, brakes, etc.

Why?

Its easier. We do all of the scheduled maintenance there along with any repairs which are few. They have a lounge - I can work there for several hours if need be, watch TV, internet, etc.

Lexus dealer - pretty great level of service

Anonymous wrote:My husband's brake light was on in his car so he took it to the dealership to get checked. They told him he needed new brakes. The next weekend he took it to our usual place (Virginia Tire and Auto) and they called him back and said all he needed was about 1/4 bottle of brake fluid and that his front and back brakes both had at least 80% of the padding left on them and there was no need for new brakes. Didn't even charge him for the labor to do that. He was so pissed- the dealership he took it to was one we have bought TWO cars from, but we will no longer be going to them thanks to that shadiness.

Good call. FYI brake fluid shouldn't be topped off like motor oil; it should be flushed along with the entire system. It's an important service most people forget and and should be done every 2 years before the fluid turns brown and deteriorates.