If you're considering buying a Mini from Mini of Knoxville...

[peejman]

Everyone makes mistakes, good mechanics fess up when they do. I fail to understand how the car left the service bay with missing parts. When I think I'm done working on the car, the first thing I do is look around for stuff that I might have forgotten to reinstall. At the end of the day, the mechanic should be cleaning up his work area and found the parts. He should have told his boss immediately, who should have called the customer immediately. Sure, that's a bit embarrassing but it's better a lot better than the customer finding it days later.

[gjohnsoniv]

Those parts sat in the bay for a while.  Tell me that tech or techs didn't wonder at some point why they were sitting there.

[frankmako]

i try to do all of the work on my vehicles myself, that is if i can.  if i have to take a vehicle in for service the first thing i do when i pick up the vehicle is to check the work and work area.  i have even made marks on parts to make sure that the parts get changed out to new parts.  car dealers and their service area are crooks and must be watched/checked.  the costs are high and your money is tight.  

[Ugly]

Everyone does make mistakes, no doubt. I do think we expect nothing but the best from a dealer since they are reps of the motor company and because they charge a premium. Most of us know the deal where not everyone is certified, a lack of allegiance (which is everywhere) and money is tight for everyone including the dealer. When the errors outnumber the positives though, it's a huge problem. This certainly isn't limited to auto dealers or even the field. I think the medical field is surpassing the trend of bad mechanics and that will no doubt get worse. I applaud anyone that runs a dealer, shop and even the shade tree mechanic. The biggest problem are people, not all of course but it seems like the chuckleheads outnumber the normal ones. Back to vehicles, no matter what you do, preventative maintenance is the most important thing to stay on top of getting the most out of your machine.

[bersaguy]

when it comes to brakes, oil changes, filter changes etc i try to do as much of the work myself so i dont need to deal with a shop, just had my timing belt replaced on my truck cause the original owner did not have it done cost me little over 700 would have done it myself but dont have the time

If you don't mind my asking, What kind of brand of truck do you have.  I am wondering because I have never heard of it costing $700.00 to replace a timing belt. Now with that said if it was a timing chain and not a timing belt then yes it may have cost about $700.00 dollars because in many cases when a chain is replaced the timing chain sprockets are also replaced due to excessive wear. Just being curious and not trying to be offensive..... :ugh:  :ugh: 

[bersaguy]

Everyone does make mistakes, no doubt. I do think we expect nothing but the best from a dealer since they are reps of the motor company and because they charge a premium. Most of us know the deal where not everyone is certified, a lack of allegiance (which is everywhere) and money is tight for everyone including the dealer. When the errors outnumber the positives though, it's a huge problem. This certainly isn't limited to auto dealers or even the field. I think the medical field is surpassing the trend of bad mechanics and that will no doubt get worse. I applaud anyone that runs a dealer, shop and even the shade tree mechanic. The biggest problem are people, not all of course but it seems like the chuckleheads outnumber the normal ones. Back to vehicles, no matter what you do, preventative maintenance is the most important thing to stay on top of getting the most out of your machine.

i have to agree with you 100% on this Ugly. I also admire many , not all but many mechanics/technicians that are willing to work on the automobiles and trucks manufactured this day in time. The manufacturers are doing their ultimate best to make them to hard and to expensive for most independent repair shops to repair them. They are actually trying to drive the Independent Shops out of business so they can get all the repair work done at dealerships. This trend began about 30 years ago and had been continuing at a good pace. That is where the idea of the 100,000 mile warranties came from. No one has a reason to take their vehicle to an independent shop as long as it is covered under the warranty.  That is also where the idea of leasing vehicles rather than purchasing them comes in. During the lease period you are required to bring the cars back to the dealers for any and all services beyond oil changes or new tires and many require you to bring them back for that also. It's not that they are building better vehicles than they did back 30+ years ago. It's that they want all the repair service also. Kind of like cornering the market so to say.......jmho

[Howler]

If you don't mind my asking, What kind of brand of truck do you have.  I am wondering because I have never heard of it costing $700.00 to replace a timing belt. Now with that said if it was a timing chain and not a timing belt then yes it may have cost about $700.00 dollars because in many cases when a chain is replaced the timing chain sprockets are also replaced due to excessive wear. Just being curious and not trying to be offensive..... :ugh:  :ugh:

Bersa, a $700 timing belt could be a result of having to install idlers, tensioners, and a water pump. Should one of them fail it could cause engine damage. Some shops won't replace a timing belt without replacing the rest of the driven parts.

 

i try to do all of the work on my vehicles myself, that is if i can.  if i have to take a vehicle in for service the first thing i do when i pick up the vehicle is to check the work and work area.  i have even made marks on parts to make sure that the parts get changed out to new parts.  car dealers and their service area are crooks and must be watched/checked.  the costs are high and your money is tight.  

Nothing wrong with marking your parts. But I have to ask, how many parts have you caught people not putting on?  Car dealers and their service area are crooks? I'm gonna give you a slow loud clap on that one. You are the first man I've ever seen screwed by every mechanic in every dealer of every manufacturer. Do you realize what a ridiculous statement that is?  

 

 

 

 

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[No_0ne]

 

It's not that they are building better vehicles than they did back 30+ years ago

 

Sorry, I have to disagree with this statement.  The cars of today are far superior to those of 30 years ago, in almost every way that matters.  Corrosion resistance, gas mileage, power per cubic inch (or liter), reliability, handling and survivability in crashes are all much improved.  Yes, the cars of today are technologically more complex, and many "shadetree" mechanics no longer have the tools or expertise to work on them, and the additional features and technology have made them more expensive, but virtually all parameters of a car's performance are in fact "better" than those manufactured in the past.

[Spots]

Sorry, I have to disagree with this statement. The cars of today are far superior to those of 30 years ago, in almost every way that matters. Corrosion resistance, gas mileage, power per cubic inch (or liter), reliability, handling and survivability in crashes are all much improved. Yes, the cars of today are technologically more complex, and many "shadetree" mechanics no longer have the tools or expertise to work on them, and the additional features and technology have made them more expensive, but virtually all parameters of a car's performance are in fact "better" than those manufactured in the past.

Ill take that for a dollar. I worked at a dealer for awhile and still do all my own work. Give me precision fuel injection and spark timing that I can tune and change with a key stroke, over head cams, etc. There was a bad period of cars between the muscle hey day of the late 60's and early 70's, up till the late 90's. Now? You have V6 mustangs with more power than most of the old V8's, and they don't give up any streetability due to large cams, and carbs tuned for wfo. I could map and tune my duramax going down the road. A 7500 lb diesel that got 18 mpg regularly, and ran high 7's in the 8th mile. With the click of a button on my 5 postion switch I could go from stock or tow tunes, to heavily fueled, high boost drag tunes and never leave the drivers seat. I have a soft spot for old cars, with 4 barrels and big hot street cams, but for a daily driver I'm all about the new stuff.

Tapatalk ate my spelling

[ironsniper1]

If you don't mind my asking, What kind of brand of truck do you have. I am wondering because I have never heard of it costing $700.00 to replace a timing belt. Now with that said if it was a timing chain and not a timing belt then yes it may have cost about $700.00 dollars because in many cases when a chain is replaced the timing chain sprockets are also replaced due to excessive wear. Just being curious and not trying to be offensive..... :ugh: :ugh:

2004 nissan frontier xe crewcab, they changed the timing belts the other belts, the water pump and a pulley of course I asked them to change the other belts cause I was not sure when the last time they were changed by the original owner, it was also $300 in parts and another $300 in labor plus a couple of other fees and tax of course

[peejman]

Bersa, a $700 timing belt could be a result of having to install idlers, tensioners, and a water pump. Should one of them fail it could cause engine damage. Some shops won't replace a timing belt without replacing the rest of the driven parts.

 

 

Yep.  Cost me about $700 to have the timing belt changed in the wife's mini-van.  That included the other belts, hoses, and such that aren't otherwise accessible.

[jtmaze]

You guys have no idea. The cruise on moms convertible wasn't working sporadically. My dad is not one to pay someone to do what he can do himself. Put a new switch on the steering wheel. 04-05 Chrysler Sebring conv. Didn't fix completely. Took to Dealer and told them to fix it for anything under$. Told them he had put a new switch in it and it didn't fix it. They kept it for a day and he came to pick it up and they said it was just a bad switch and he said that wasn't it but ok. Got a mile from dealer and it did the same thing. Took it back and said it would be another charge to look at it again. The dealer was Alan Vines in jackson. I told him to go to his hometown dealer and order a clock spring and I put it on myself. I have known some good dealer Mechs but not many. JTM We the People of the United States, in order to form a more Perfect Union......