[Darla_G]

I wanted to write this article after hearing the recent experiences of my sister in law. There were a lot of "lessons learned" here plus my wife used to work at a car dealership where she learned all the tricks of the trade and generally how poorly women were treated. So hopefull there are some tips here to use in the future.

1. First of all if you're a woman many men will assume you know absolutely nothing about cars. Some dealerships and mechanics will assume that and take advantage. It is sad but it happens all the time.
2. Go into the service dept with a complete list of what you want done. Have 2 copies one you will leave and one you will keep. Ask for the return of old parts so at least you can see that it was replaced. Even in dealerships there are mechanics that will say they did something even if not. If there is a form to drop off always check off call to authorize new work.
3. Know generally what coverage you have. if there is a service policy at least have an idea of what is covered. Wear items ie, brakes and tires never are. Emission controls are federally mandated to be covered for 5 years. In my sister in law's case she had purchased a service plan and so she had to make multiple calls to the plan provider to get her coverage. Giving the policy to the service writer did NOTHING he still tried to charge her full price (see #1)
4. Record exactly what the incoming mileage is and put it on the list of things you want done. This just happened to my sister in law. her VW convertible needed a lock repair and the AC charged. Well it took time to get the parts and they had it in their custody for 2 weeks! You can only guess which car got used by the mechanics to go to lunch on a daily basis! when she got it back it had an extra 80 miles on it. her gas! they claimed they needed to road test the car but 80 miles. lucky (because she had talked to my wife) she had recorded her mileage.
5. If your car has a problem make a written note of it. like in my sister in laws case she had a new convertible top on order. She mentioned to the service writer about the convertible top and not to use it. but whoever used it ignored it and the glass window in the back of the VW Convertible became completely separated from the top. Not good.
6. Keep all your service information together. A folder to keep all service records is great.
7. How to Complain: THis is a biggie, if the dealer or mechanic does not satisfactorily resolve your problem start up the chain. in the dealership or repair shop contact the service Manager or Supervisor. Explain your issues and show do***entation. If that doesn't work talk to the Owner or General Manager. In my sister in laws case she went to the General Manager to tell him of all the dishonesty and to let him know she was going to VW as well. Last resort: the vehicle manufacturer has hotlines to deal with these kind of problems. Need do***entation!

It still to be determined what happens in my sister in laws case but if she had just blindly followed what the service writer said the bill would have been $2300 instead of $345. So it pays to do your homework on this stuff. But it is really sad.

[KatJ]

Have I ever mentioned how much I love being married to a factory trained Honda technician?

[Darla_G]

Originally Posted by KatJ

Have I ever mentioned how much I love being married to a factory trained Honda technician?

well you'll never run into problems like these that's for sure. But seriously i don't think what i've written about is a limited experience.

[Karren_Hutton]

LOL I'm with Kat's husband... I have never taken a car back to the dealer, ever.... If I can't fix it I don't want to own it!!!

Ok I had to get two keys made at Fords.... which sucks... but that's it!!!

[Darla_G]

Oh i know, i do a lot of my own stuff as well. But I am guessing for a lot of women that is not the case. I just hate to see women get taken advantage of.

[Karren_Hutton]

Two friggin keys and remotes...... Two wasted hours and $250!!!! And its the only option... Grrrrrrrrr. Highway robery!!!

[Aquilah]

John can generally fix anything on the car, but when it comes to the PC part, he won't touch it. BUT! Having grown up working on cars with his dad (who used to be a mechanic), he's always quick to know when they're trying to BS me on something.

[S. Lisa Smith]

Karren, you can get Ford remotes on ebay. You can also program them and the keys easily as long as you have the orginal key or keys. I used to do it all the time when I owned Ford Explorers and my Escape. I don't think it has changed any.

[Aprill]

Thanks for the tips Darla!!!

My hubby is a hard working 16 hour a day man, so he has no time, so thank God for extended warranties, the only person they are screwing is the car company LOL!!!!!

[La_Mari]

My hubby knows about cars too, but he doesn't like Oil can henry's for some reason and told me to go to the dealer for my oil changes. I hope it hasn't been a waste :/ it's just been two, so I'll have him check.

[Karren_Hutton]

Originally Posted by S. Lisa Smith

Karren, you can get Ford remotes on ebay. You can also program them and the keys easily as long as you have the orginal key or keys. I used to do it all the time when I owned Ford Explorers and my Escape. I don't think it has changed any.

Yeah... The remotes were actually not bad at Fords it was the key's with the chip embeded in them... If you use a non-ford key and try it 3 times it locks out the engine and you have to have it towed to the dealer....

[pinksugar]

thanks for the tips D.. honestly, I'm currently single, and planning on moving overseas one day, so if I never get married or have a long term relationship...

This is the kind of screw ups I can see happening to me!

[Darla_G]

You're quite welcome. I do think there is a lot more condescending talk that women get. When my wife worked at the dealership it was her job to "pay" the mechanics by entering in the warranty codes. At first they would try and snow her but she figured out stuff on her own and then would talk to the service manager so that stopped pretty quickly. But a lot of the things I wrote are things she told me.

You're lucky if you can either do it yourself or have a SO that can do stuff for you, but there will probably be a day when you have to fend for yourself.