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Sephiroth
Dodge Dakota
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4/21/2004
19:47:55

Subject: Never Trust A Dealer...
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I should be kicking myself in the A$$ for this, but I listened to a mechanic over what my common-sense told me. My turn-signals stopped blinking a while back, and after changing the flasher and making sure all the bulbs worked, I figured my time-delay relay was bad. I talked to a Dodge mechanic and he said it sounded like my multi-switch (the thing on your steering-column that has the washer controls and high-beam control on it) had gone bad, and that there was no TDR on my model truck. Well I blow $70 on a multi-switch, but (luckily) right before I open the plastic-wrap, I smell burned circuits. Sure enough, I have a round, long TDR that is as hot as a fire-cracker! Way to go, mechanic!! So now I return a $70 switch for a $15 relay. HUGE price difference.

The moral? Always do what you KNOW is right, because a damn diploma in anything means you don't know JACK!



Zack
Dodge Dakota
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4/21/2004
20:37:29

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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I def agree with you there. I try to go to my dealer for the fre oil changes and thats it. I did go there for the ball joints and tie rods tho. I recently paid $150 for a battery that wasent the fix of a problem. Sometimes you will find a nice honest and best of all correct dealer but thats rare.

Zack



eddy
Dodge Dakota
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4/21/2004
20:52:45

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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Dont get me started. My 04 Quad could be vibrating its way into the next lane and the tech would still try to tell me it was driving fine and he couldn't duplicate the problem. IT was funny, when I had my rotor issue and I asked to ride with him after the second test drive where he said he couldn't feel the problem, he wouldnt notice until I watched the wheel make his hand shake visibly from the passenger seat when he applied the brakes and put my hand on it at the same time.

The second time when I had a vibration at 70 they had the balls to give me some bs about how there wasn't much they could do because I was braking the law driving that fast and they were too by taking it up to that speed on the test drive. After I told them what I thought of that explanation they finally put it up on the lift and found all four of my wheels were out of balance.

My dealer so far has sent me away twice with badly warped rotors and once with wheels out of balance. Im debating right now whether I want to bother looking elsewhere to find a dealership service department that actually has an interest in diagnosing warranty problems or just get all my oil changes and diagnostics done at my private mechanic then take it back to the dealer when I'm ready to have warranty repairs done.



DSW
Dodge Dakota
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4/21/2004
20:53:02

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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AAAgreed! The dealers are only out there to make a buck and take advantage of anyone who doesn't know what's going on. Not pointing any fingers here, just saying they take advantage of people.

I tell my wife to call the dealer and schedule for a warranty repair and have the oil changed in her car. When I drop it off they want me to sign on the dotted line for $150. $150 for what, I ask. Well sir, that's for the 12K mile service, oil change, replace air filter, check brakes, check fluids, check this and check that, all for the whopping price of $150.

Noooo thanks, but you can fix the warranty repair and sell me 6 oil filters please!



aj
Dodge Dakota
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4/21/2004
21:14:46

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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Bought an 02 traded it in for an 04. Two new trucks in 16 months. My new truck still hasn't been detailed.
I wanted my tires from the 02 on the new rims and put on the 04. The service manager decided it wasn't necessary to put the tires on the new rims, the rims I PAID for with the new truck. They put the old rims and tires on the new truck brake dust and all. I went back again they had the fckin truck all day and still didn't do it. The interior has the plastic contact on the rugs still and the mats are upside down as they come from the factory.
I have the new vehicle survey sent from Chrysler last week and I will recommend that Wester dodge have revoked it's 5 star dealership logo. This is only part of the story. Wester dodge in Monterey California are a bunch or scoundrels and liars and lip service a-holes. The service department doesn't know sh-it. Jeff had another customer throw his keys at him right in front of me two weeka ago. Lip service and no service is about it.



RadioMan
Dodge Dakota
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4/22/2004
09:24:35

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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The only time I ever screwed the dealer before
they tried to screw me good was over a job they
were going to do on a Dodge Sprit for $225.00.
I was suppose to drop it off and let them repair
it when I went to NAPA and checked the price of
the part that was going to be replaced. I bought
the part from NAPA for $20.00, installed it myself
in less than 20 minutes.

I called the dealership and told them I finally
screwed them BEFORE they screwed me! Get this,
they sent me a bill for $50.00 stating it was a
labor charge for telling me what they were going
to replace. Needless to say, I tore it up!

Feels REAL good to get one on them for a change!




WipLash
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4/22/2004
21:36:06

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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Don't even go to the dealer for oil changes. I took my 1st new dak in for it's 24K service (although it had 28K on it), which had the oil change for free. When I left the parking lot I floored it to pull into rush hour traffic. When I let out of the gas the oil pressure dropped to zero. I made the block and took it back. I told them I thought the oil pressure relief valve stuck open. They put 3 new sending units in it insisting that that was the problem. Then they ripped my dash apart insisting that there was a short between my gauge and the sending unit. They kept my truck for 5 days. They still never admitted there was an oil pump problem. I told them they got trash in my engine when they changed the oil and the debris got hung in the oil pressure relief valve when I ran the rpms past 4500. They never looked into that. They never even put a mechanical gauge on the oil pressure sending unit port to confirm it had oil pressure. I went to the parts department and purchased a new pump myself. I installed it and brought the old pump back to show them the stuck relief valve. They still denied it. I even showed them the scar in the bore of the relief valve where the trash they let into the engine passed between the valve and the pump housing. They banned me from their facility and threatened to call the police if I didn't leave and they voided my warranty.



Huh?
Dodge Dakota
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4/22/2004
21:47:02

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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Banned you from their facility, threatened to call the police, and voided your warranty?



aj
Dodge Dakota
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4/22/2004
22:33:33

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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They can't void your warranty. It is a factory warranty, you can take that truck to any Dodge dealer for warranty service. Tell those fckers to fck off and kiss your ass. I say anyone having dealer problems call Chrysler and complain vehemently about that dealer.



Sephiroth
Dodge Dakota
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4/22/2004
22:42:15

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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Dude that's ridiculous!! If I was my younger (non-jail age) self I'd probably have snuck back there after dark and put flyers on the type of jerks they are all over the place. That or worse, lol!




sam
Dodge Dakota
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4/26/2004
04:17:12

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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Man, this really sucks for guys like me who actually try to fix customers cars. Our dealership always gurantees all of our diagnostics and is very good to our customers. Everybody makes mistakes and the techs are not perfect and our dealer knows it, and if a customer has a problem with the work that was done we fix it for free. The tech also gets paid nothing too. It is a bummer for me to read so many posts referring to such poor dealer experience. Unfortunatly, when one person has a bad experience they automatically assume that all dealers are the same way-they aren't. Unfortunatly it seems that the bad outnumber the good. Sorry guys, just keep hunting for a better dealer I guess. Otherwise you will have to drive you rig to Minnesota to get good service LOL!!



Doug4.7
Dodge Dakota
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4/26/2004
13:52:14

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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There are two dealerships within 20 miles of where I live. I went to both recently to get some warranty work and the oil changed. I asked for synthetic oil.

The first said it would void my warranty since the Dakotas were not designed for synthetic oil.

The second said, "No problem."

The first one could find nothing wrong with the truck (it was the ball joints) while the second replaced the ball joints. Guess which one I will be using for any further work?

Oh and the weird thing is the first is "booked up" for usually a week or more. The second I can get work done the same day I bring the truck in.





Sephiroth
Dodge Dakota
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4/26/2004
14:29:33

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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My local dealer happens to be a good one when it comes to actual service. When they bent my tranny-pan while changing the fluid, filter, and gasket, and the thing started leaking mad amounts of fluid, they searched for the problem until they found it, then replaced it for FREE.

However, the one guy thatw as making crazy recomendations for my turn-signal problem musta' been high or something. He told me I had no time-delay relay, told me to buy a $70 multiswitch, had me buy the special bits to pull the old MS off and put on the new one, and was just an over-all amateur. It's like he knew basics but nothing more and was guessing. I guess every garage has a village idiot though :p!



EVOKE
Dodge Dakota
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4/27/2004
23:44:45

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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THIS TO ME IF FUNNY AS HELL I AM AN ADVISER AT A DEALSHIO IN OREGON AND WE LAUGHA DUMB AZZ CUSTOMER COMING IN FOR ONLY WARRENITY ITEM AND LOF BUT NEVER COME IN FOR MAINT. THESE ARE THE SAME PEOPLE THAT DO NOT FLUSH THERE FLUIDS AND GET JIM BOB TO DAIG THER VEHICLES,AND TELL MY TECHS. THERE WRONG. LISTEN UP FOR EVERY ONE OF YOU PUNKS OUT THERE THAT THINK HE'S MR GOODWRENCH
THERES SOME SMUCK OUT THERE SCREW DEALERSHIP TOO.

AND INFO YOU GIVE TO FIX YOU VEHICLE " IT UHH RATTLES SOMETIMES AND WATERS DRIPPING FROM MY TAIL PIPE " IS NOT PROBLEM

GIVE THE DEALERSHIP SOMETHING TO CHASE HELP US HELP YOU !

OHH AND A PROBLEM THAT HAPPENS INTERMITTY IS JUST THAT AND IF WE CAN'T FEEL IT OR HEAR IT OR SMELL WHEN IT'S AT THE DEALERSHIP WE CAN'T FIX IT.

DEALERSHIP ARE'NT OUT TO ROB YOU, WERE HERE TO HELP BUT YOU...GO AHEAD AND TAKE YOUR $#IT TO JIM BOB....



Yep
Dodge Dakota
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4/28/2004
09:47:06

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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Remind me never to go to 'EVOKE's dealership in Oregon.

If the service advisor's (SA) first attitude towards his customers is 'they are out to screw me', then there is very little chance you will get good service. His attitude should be that the customer thinks there is something wrong, but does not know what it is (or even if the customer ‘knows’ what is the problem, is likely wrong). If the customer complains about a 'rattle', the SA should ask questions to narrow down the choices ('does it do it all the time? only when turning? low rpm? fast rpm?', etc.) Then he should go off and look for the problem.

With an attitude like EVOKE, he will just take the vehicle, sit it on the lot for a few days and then return it to the customer with the old 'cannot duplicate problem' response. He will then wonder why most of his customers never come back. Of course, he will like that as it means he doesn't have to work with any of these !@#$ customers anymore...
until his job goes away.

I’ve ‘done’ retail. There are POS customers all of the time. Most, however, are decent folks with a problem. If you treat them like trash, they will often reciprocate. If you try to help them, they will often respond positively (but not always). Even in those cases (the POS customers), your job is to treat the customer (and his problem) with respect (even if he does not respect you back). Follow the golden rule. Otherwise you are just as much of a sh!t as the bad customer.




Yep
Dodge Dakota
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4/28/2004
09:50:06

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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Oh yea, and learn to use lower case sometimes. It makes your RANT easier to read.




EVOKE
Dodge Dakota
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4/28/2004
16:33:58

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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Your right YEP...sometime bad customer just get me upset. We as a dealership do not try to screw our customer but try to tell them that when there
pissed off to start with.



Venom800
Dodge Dakota
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4/28/2004
20:42:15

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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EVOKE I have to agree with you, but I also agree with all the others on this post. I to am a service advisor at a dealer, I hear alot of stories from new customers about how they got treated at "the big city dealer" it is bad, My dealership is a do it for the customer dealer, we to put warranty on repairs if we didn't do it right we fix it for free, I laugh at the stories about if it's not factory your warranty is void. How about if it's not factory but has nothing to do with problem, it is warranty. It's one thing to have a customer bring his 408 stroker dakota that just shelled the facory trans and want it under warranty ...hehe (know from experenice). But it is totally stupid the see some headers on a all stock truck and say well that TPS you need is at your cost because you put mods on you motor. To all reading and writing these post it is all about who you go to. and that's the truth



eddy
Dodge Dakota
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4/28/2004
21:55:47

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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Which is why I absolutely refuse to do anything that isn't purely cosmetic to my 04 Quad right now. Everybody's bugging me about exhaust this, intake that, etc... 'oh dont worry about it, the dealer cant give you crap about warranty repairs for aftermarket parts.' I know damn well what the laws says and the way things are supposed to be. But what it all comes down to for me is removing any ammunition whatsoever that might give my dealer cause to create a situation where I'll have to spend my own valuable time and money fighting to get them to honor my warranty. Regardless of whether I know Id be in the right right if the situation ever came up or not, I prefer to assume that if there's any type of gray area or any way they could even indirectly connect a mod to a defect, they will and try to screw me.



Ralphie
Dodge Dakota
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4/28/2004
22:33:40

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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everyone at the www.s-10forum.com is saying that everyone that owns a dakota is a flamming fagg and would never be able to come cloose to a s-10 in a race if u think ur dakota is worth talking about go to the s-10 site and talk it over with ppl who have real trucks



Yep
Dodge Dakota
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4/29/2004
09:50:04

RE: Never Trust A Dealer...
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Actually, Ralphie, the 'boys' over at the s10 forum are so insecure about their manhood (I mean, why not, they did buy a wimpy s10), that they think calling someone gay is the highest level of insult. Get a life, and get a REAL truck.

An s10 has the personality of a loaf of white bread (and I don't mean to insult white bread). The Dakota has a lot of class AND IT CAN SEAT FULL SIZE ADULTS. You have to be 'stunted' in SEVERAL ways to fit into an s10.





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