SuperKal
Member
Took my Yukon Hybrid in for a regular oil service in prep for a 5000km drive next week. Decided to do an early oil change and the adviser talked me into a coolant flush, no big deal since I cannot recall having had one. Got a call from the adviser. Here is the conversation. A=Adviser.
A. Sir, your oil change is done but there is a serious problem and there are some maintenance issues. One of your Tie rods is loose and could break at any time. That would be really dangerous since you would have no steering
Me. Okay, we better replace it then
A. We will need to do an alignment after replacing it
Me. okay
A. We also have some service issues that have to be done. We need to do a transmission service since the Technician said your transmission oil is black.
Me. What, how did it go black
A. Well sir, you probably have never changed it and it can cause a lot of damage in the transmission
Me. oh dear, you better change it then. Hang on, can you check, I think I may have had a transmission service a few visits ago
A. (after long pause) Oh yeah, looks like you had one a while ago.
Me. exactly when did I have it?
A. At 130k
Me. And my mileage now is 148k, is that normal?
A. Okay, well since you had it done I'm sure its okay
Me. what do you mean it's okay, should it be black
A. well maybe it's just dark. Anyway the Technician also said your brake fluid is black. We should flush it
Me. Wait, what? now my brake fluid is black?
A. Yes Sir, have you ever had it flushed?
Me. I don't remember having a brake flush but are you sure it is black?
A. Oh yeah the Technician said it is and it is also low
Me. You know what, I don't want a brake fluid flush, just finish up the rest of the work and we can talk about it when I come in.
A. Okay Sir, I will call you when the rest of the work is completed.
So I get the call that the truck is ready and the adviser says:
A. Sir, your air filter was so bad I went ahead and changed it. I can show it to you when you come in, it is really bad so I'm sure you are okay with that
Me. See you soon.
So I go to pickup the truck and when they pull it into the service area (after paying the $600 bill) I ask the Adviser to show me the "black" transmission fluid. After he reaches for the engine oil dipstick, I inform him of the location of the transmission dipstick. He looks confused but pulls the correct stick. Showing me the end of the dipstick, he says "see it's black". I then touch the end of the stick and show him the red fluid on my fingers."Is that black" I ask him. He looks again at the stick and says "well the Technician probably looked at the stick and it looks black" At this point I ask him again what colour it is and he says it's red.
I then ask to check the brake fluid and the adviser opens the brake fluid reservoir, sticks his finger in and shows me totally clear brake fluid on his fingers. "Does that look black to you" I ask him. Well the reservoir is dirty he says pointing to the exterior of the reservoir but yes the fluid is clear. what kind of Technicians do you have here? I ask him. No reply.
At this point I have had enough and ask to speak to the service manager. He takes me to his office and I explain it all to the service manager and even take him to the truck and show him both fluids again. At this point he realized this was a big problem and apologized. He then offered me a free brake flush on my next visit. I told him I wasn't doing this for a freebie but to prevent this happening to other people who may not be as knowledgeable as me. I told him that I felt this was a blatant attempt to perform work that was not required. What about all the people that trust this dealership. The adviser remains silent during most of this.
Manager apologizes again, tells me that I will get a free brake flush on my next visit and I then leave.
At this point, the more I think about it the more annoyed I am getting. In my mind this is fraudulent. I am now questioning whether any of the previous work, including the tie rod, was actually bad or even loose. I had no steering concerns. Did it even need replacing?
So what to do? Should I call GM and voice concerns. This is the largest GM dealer in my area and I almost fell for it. How many other people have been ripped off. Is this a rogue service adviser trying to make commission (do they get commission?) or is it a service directive from management?
Feel like I should do something.
Advice please......
Kal.
A. Sir, your oil change is done but there is a serious problem and there are some maintenance issues. One of your Tie rods is loose and could break at any time. That would be really dangerous since you would have no steering
Me. Okay, we better replace it then
A. We will need to do an alignment after replacing it
Me. okay
A. We also have some service issues that have to be done. We need to do a transmission service since the Technician said your transmission oil is black.
Me. What, how did it go black
A. Well sir, you probably have never changed it and it can cause a lot of damage in the transmission
Me. oh dear, you better change it then. Hang on, can you check, I think I may have had a transmission service a few visits ago
A. (after long pause) Oh yeah, looks like you had one a while ago.
Me. exactly when did I have it?
A. At 130k
Me. And my mileage now is 148k, is that normal?
A. Okay, well since you had it done I'm sure its okay
Me. what do you mean it's okay, should it be black
A. well maybe it's just dark. Anyway the Technician also said your brake fluid is black. We should flush it
Me. Wait, what? now my brake fluid is black?
A. Yes Sir, have you ever had it flushed?
Me. I don't remember having a brake flush but are you sure it is black?
A. Oh yeah the Technician said it is and it is also low
Me. You know what, I don't want a brake fluid flush, just finish up the rest of the work and we can talk about it when I come in.
A. Okay Sir, I will call you when the rest of the work is completed.
So I get the call that the truck is ready and the adviser says:
A. Sir, your air filter was so bad I went ahead and changed it. I can show it to you when you come in, it is really bad so I'm sure you are okay with that
Me. See you soon.
So I go to pickup the truck and when they pull it into the service area (after paying the $600 bill) I ask the Adviser to show me the "black" transmission fluid. After he reaches for the engine oil dipstick, I inform him of the location of the transmission dipstick. He looks confused but pulls the correct stick. Showing me the end of the dipstick, he says "see it's black". I then touch the end of the stick and show him the red fluid on my fingers."Is that black" I ask him. He looks again at the stick and says "well the Technician probably looked at the stick and it looks black" At this point I ask him again what colour it is and he says it's red.
I then ask to check the brake fluid and the adviser opens the brake fluid reservoir, sticks his finger in and shows me totally clear brake fluid on his fingers. "Does that look black to you" I ask him. Well the reservoir is dirty he says pointing to the exterior of the reservoir but yes the fluid is clear. what kind of Technicians do you have here? I ask him. No reply.
At this point I have had enough and ask to speak to the service manager. He takes me to his office and I explain it all to the service manager and even take him to the truck and show him both fluids again. At this point he realized this was a big problem and apologized. He then offered me a free brake flush on my next visit. I told him I wasn't doing this for a freebie but to prevent this happening to other people who may not be as knowledgeable as me. I told him that I felt this was a blatant attempt to perform work that was not required. What about all the people that trust this dealership. The adviser remains silent during most of this.
Manager apologizes again, tells me that I will get a free brake flush on my next visit and I then leave.
At this point, the more I think about it the more annoyed I am getting. In my mind this is fraudulent. I am now questioning whether any of the previous work, including the tie rod, was actually bad or even loose. I had no steering concerns. Did it even need replacing?
So what to do? Should I call GM and voice concerns. This is the largest GM dealer in my area and I almost fell for it. How many other people have been ripped off. Is this a rogue service adviser trying to make commission (do they get commission?) or is it a service directive from management?
Feel like I should do something.
Advice please......
Kal.
