So I decided to give a local dealership a little work recently....

[moparedtn]

I have been trying to establish a working relationship with a local mechanic, another result of my stubbornly acknowledging that I'm getting too old to work on these things as much anymore.
Keep in mind, I don't let anyone work on my stuff pretty much ever, with the infrequent exclusion of oil changes (my 55 gallon barrel is getting to be a chore to empty) and I am a lifelong shadetree, so the trust part is what I'm looking for first in any shop.
Yeah.
About that whole "trust" thing...

Y'all already know about my recent adventure with the local mechanic, his death lift and my 4 speed, so he was out.
I instead contact the local Chevy/Dodge/Jeep/Cuisinart/Electrolux new car dealer up on the 4 lane, since I've had vehicles over there before (recalls mostly) about an a/c pressure transducer switch I managed to break by accident back when I was changing plugs on the hemi Ram a while back.
(You gotta pretty much climb up in there to do those plugs. PITA.)
I send them an email with an actual picture of the switch in question to boot, asking for a proper quote to replace it.
What I got back was some long-winded story about how that switch was "obsolete" and that it would require the updated switch @ $150 PLUS an adapter harness to make the updated switch work on my obsolete truck ($50) PLUS they were going to have to totally evacuate and then recharge the R-134A freon in the system (2.5 hours!).
Total estimate was $440.00.
Uh, yeah, no.
They swung for the fences on that one.
Swing and a miss, Rogersville dealer.

I did a little homework.Turns out, that "obsolete" switch is available at EVERY parts store known to man - for $50.00.
No updated yida or new harness yada - and no need to discharge or recharge anything.
Unscrew broken one, screw on new one, plug it up, bask in frigid Chrysler Airtemp air conditioning.
I did so, right there in the AutoZone parking lot today. Took like 5 minutes.
Eh, I gave the old girl a bonus present up while I was there and popped on new hood struts while I was at it, since the rascal kept falling down and trying to decapitate me and all.

So much for trying to give local business a little work....
the search for an honest mechanic continues.
Later.

 

[zyzzyx]

Let me know when you find one! That's why I still do all of my work. I feel your pain.

 

[MarPar]

Let me know when you find one! That's why I still do all of my work. I feel your pain.

Paul, there is a place in Lombard called Nuts and Volts. Good guys and they dont rake you over the coals.

@metaldad has taken his Coronet there and has had great success.

 

[Kern Dog]

Many dealerships can eat my ***.
I understand the need to make a buck, but why be such lying, greedy ******** and hit the customer with a huge estimate? It alienates people like us and certainly does nothing to inspire a future purchase.
I had the A/C going out in my 2007 Ram. I had it in for the air bag recall last summer. I asked for an estimate to fix the A/C. $2800 !
"Oh yeah, it needs everything....blend doors, seals, actuators, etc..."
A local independant shop found a leaky valve and replaced it, then recharged the system for a total of $180.
If the dealer had come up with a $1000-1200 estimate, I may have been surprised but probably would have had them do it. Greedy pricks.

 

[BeeKool]

I know your pain. I have a couple of workers; 1 went to school as a deisel mechanic and the other is a part timer who works full time for a mechanic.
Neither of them have any diagnostic ability or resourcefulness.
But they can sweep the floor.

 

[Dennis H]

Would not know where to start. Normandin in San Jose. Lunatics. DGDG Dealer in Newark, Ca. Nuts. Now Normandin has to do warranty work on the Chrysler work van. Out of service for three weeks. They will call when they have time to work on it. Criminals.

 

[NJRR]

Car dealers make their profit in the service department. WE are not their typical customer. You have to remember, that 9 out of 10 people have 2 left hands and can barely put gas in their car. Add to that the increasing complexity of new cars and they have a captive market. As far as WE are concerned, caveat emptor. If you let yourself be suckered in by a greedy or dishonest mechanic/dealership, it's on you.

 

[mopar 3 B]

When you find a honest one don't let anyone know. As he will never have time to work on your stuff.

 

[khryslerkid]

I know what goes on. I've worked at two different dealerships and I left because of what they wanted me to do to customers cars. There might be the rare case of one that will be honest but they still charge $80 hr or higher for labor, then the maximum amount they charge for a part.

 

[BBishere2]

Not making excuses for the dealership - but I've worked behind both OEM and aftermarket parts counters - dealerships get their parts from the OEM and many times what they're telling you is what they have access to according to the OEM. Yes, the old style part is available from the aftermarket and does not require an arm and a leg to install it. The dealer has to deal with whatever the OEM says they have - in this case, the OEM changed design of the old part to something new - at least the new one could be modified, yes, at a quite a bit expense, to fit your older model - but that is better, to many people, than just obsoleting it and letting you swing.

The OEM does not want you under the hood of your vehicle - to be sure - they want you bringing your vehicles into the dealerships for service. They have tried to design automobiles with only access panels for maintenance items, removing the hood in the design - making it impossible to do even a spark plug change without dropping the motor out the bottom of the car, yes, at the dealership and not at your home garage. The acceptance from the public for such designs, needless to say, is no-no-no.... But honestly, the average mechanic doesn't have the tools or training to work on these new vehicles and 99% of the owners haven't got a clue what they're looking at when they raise the hood. The bigger dealerships send their technicians to school for classes and the OEM will make them buy that year's essential tool set - so they will have the equipment to work on the new models - may not have anyone trained yet - but they will.

The dealer was probably being honest in what they told you, from their side of things - they may have or may not have known about the part being available at the aftermarket parts store - just remember - you walk into a place that sells MOPAR parts, they don't sell NAPA or Advance parts - and vice versa. The better and more experienced a parts person is, the better information you'll get from them - some time, that guy behind the OEM counter will steer you to the parts store to save you money, I've done it - and I've steered people toward dealerships instead of the local garage when I had my NAPA store, in an effort to give them the best information that I knew that would help them.

 

[moparedtn]

The reply I sent to the lady service manager:

Nina-
Oh my, that is disappointing.
What the answer should have been was “the system will not need to be evacuated and recharged – the switch can be
replaced without the need for that.”
We won’t even get into the whole “older part/updated” thing.
Suffice to say, the original type switch is available at any parts store for around $50.00.
Takes two minutes to swap out, which I’ve now done.
Still, I would have let you use whatever switch and harness as long as you were honest with me…

I was looking for a repair shop I could trust, remember?
Instead, you thought you saw an opportunity and swung for the fences.

Swing and a miss….
Ed

The offending part:

(Not my actual truck - I keep mine a tad tidier)

 

[moparedtn]

Not making excuses for the dealership - but I've worked behind both OEM and aftermarket parts counters - dealerships get their parts from the OEM and many times what they're telling you is what they have access to according to the OEM. Yes, the old style part is available from the aftermarket and does not require an arm and a leg to install it. The dealer has to deal with whatever the OEM says they have - in this case, the OEM changed design of the old part to something new - at least the new one could be modified, yes, at a quite a bit expense, to fit your older model - but that is better, to many people, than just obsoleting it and letting you swing.

The OEM does not want you under the hood of your vehicle - to be sure - they want you bringing your vehicles into the dealerships for service. They have tried to design automobiles with only access panels for maintenance items, removing the hood in the design - making it impossible to do even a spark plug change without dropping the motor out the bottom of the car, yes, at the dealership and not at your home garage. The acceptance from the public for such designs, needless to say, is no-no-no.... But honestly, the average mechanic doesn't have the tools or training to work on these new vehicles and 99% of the owners haven't got a clue what they're looking at when they raise the hood. The bigger dealerships send their technicians to school for classes and the OEM will make them buy that year's essential tool set - so they will have the equipment to work on the new models - may not have anyone trained yet - but they will.

The dealer was probably being honest in what they told you, from their side of things - they may have or may not have known about the part being available at the aftermarket parts store - just remember - you walk into a place that sells MOPAR parts, they don't sell NAPA or Advance parts - and vice versa. The better and more experienced a parts person is, the better information you'll get from them - some time, that guy behind the OEM counter will steer you to the parts store to save you money, I've done it - and I've steered people toward dealerships instead of the local garage when I had my NAPA store, in an effort to give them the best information that I knew that would help them.

I dig all that, BB. I worked (and wound up managing) a parts store way back when I was going to college.
As you'll note in my reply to that service manager above, I was going to let them use whatever switch they wanted to - if they had bothered to be honest with me.
They weren't, quite obviously.
They're a small town dealership, recently acquired by a large outside the region conglomerate of dealerships.
The dealer has a history of not doing well. I'm sure they have marching orders from their overlords to generate as much revenue as possible as quickly as possible and they aren't going to do it selling new cars, not in this neck of the woods.

Well, I'm small potatoes to someone like them for sure - but I do buy new vehicles every so many years and I was trying to get a relationship going with them to service my little fleet.
They underestimated me.
They lost.

 

[khryslerkid]

What year is your truck and what were the symptoms that led you to replacing the switch. I have a 03 5.7

 

[metaldad]

Let me know when you find one! That's why I still do all of my work. I feel your pain.

Paul, there is a place in Lombard called Nuts and Volts. Good guys and they dont rake you over the coals.

@metaldad has taken his Coronet there and has had great success.

yep. jerry is the owner. has an olde caddy (i forget what year - early 50's?) he takes to car shows. he used to race cars also.son is nick, a chip of the old block. i bring (now) all my vehicles there, including the work truck. they're more than fair with their pricing structure.i dont have a lift, and i really dont have the spare time.
always ready to shoot the breeze when i stop by. and they ALWAYS have someone's muscle car on a rack.
thinking about having them install power brakes with my supplied parts this spring

 

[Dennis H]

06 Charger Daytona DRL's not working and wanted a "flash"for any needed computer updates (WTF do I know). Said $185 for EACH scan. Bullshit. Took it in for the Takata airbag recall, Linda started the car when picking it up and e
ry goddam light on the dash stayed on.
By the way, by leaving the DRL's in the OFF position the parasitic draw running the battery down in 7 days went away. Dealer did **** for us.

 

[moparedtn]

What year is your truck and what were the symptoms that led you to replacing the switch. I have a 03 5.7

Mine is a 2004. Had her since new:

Built at the old Fenton, MO (St Louis) plant. She's been a good one.

Oh, symptoms? I broke the damn thing when I was rolling around under the hood changing out $@$#$% spark plugs on the hemi.
Without that switch (I've seen it called both the "high pressure switch" and the "transductor"), your compressor clutch won't engage
and the indicator light on the a/c button in the instrument panel doesn't light up.

 

[moparedtn]

06 Charger Daytona DRL's not working and wanted a "flash"for any needed computer updates (WTF do I know). Said $185 for EACH scan. Bullshit. Took it out in for the Takata airbag recall, Linda started the car when picking it up and every goddam light on the dash stayed on.
By the way, by leaving the DRL's in the OFF position the parasitic draw running the battery down in 7 days went away. Dealer did **** for us.

I got a "thing" about DRL's. Hate 'em.... irrational I know, but I do.

 

[493 Mike]

I can't understand how the switch (in the picture) could be changed WITHOUT loosing refrigerant? Any answers?
Mike

 

[not so famous bob]

Let me know when you find one! That's why I still do all of my work. I feel your pain.

I`M LUCKY, TWO OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE PROFESSIONAL MECHANIX, USED TO BE THREE.

 

[Bobzilla]

Dealerships do not have a requirement to use OEM parts when a vehicle is out of warranty. Out of warranty, or customer pay work, can be done as if they are an independent shop, using whatever parts are available from other local parts stores. The honest dealers will tell you that. Most dealership owners don't even want a service side as it's far less profitable than new car sales. When a dealer service department gives an outrageous estimate, they are either trying to avoid working on an older model, or more often they are just trying to upsell you because they (service writer) get commision on those sales. It's a flawed system.