Finding a good dealership for service

[NoNameTed]

How do you guys find a trustworthy dealership to for scheduled maintenance? Does such a thing exist?

I recently went to a dealership to get an oil change and scheduled 30k maintenance. Dealership tried to tell me I needed a coolant flush, brake flush and fuel system decarb a
without as much as a look under the hood.

I left immediately as my service manual indicates coolant flush at 200k at brake flush every 3 years, unless inspection indicates service is needed sooner.

This was the closest place to my house, so the first place I looked into. What red flags and white flags do you typically look for?

 

[bb37]

Online reviews from Google and other sources can tell you quite a bit about a dealership. Watch the dates of the reviews to see if opinions have changed over time.

There's also an online service called DealerRater (https://www.dealerrater.com/) that aggregates online reviews.

I take all online reviews with a few grains of salt. I'm suspicious that the glowingly positive reviews are shills. And, the very negative reviews are often from people with an axe to grind. Somewhere in the middle is the truth.

As for red flags, recommending service that isn't necessary is a definite red flag.

Also, if you find the service department made a mistake, gauge how they resolve it. While in for an oil change, my dealer identified that the center high-mounted brake light on my 2015 Expedition wasn't working and suspected burned out light bulbs. I authorized the repair. After picking up my Expedition, I noticed that the lamp was loose and hanging by the cable. The tech had forgotten to put the screws back in. I went back to the dealership and pointed out the problem. The service writer found some screws and fixed it. He then asked me what they could do to make the situation right for me. My reply was "make sure the tech doesn't make this mistake again". The service writer gave me a couple coupons for free oil changes.

 

[Fastcar]

Online reviews from Google and other sources can tell you quite a bit about a dealership. Watch the dates of the reviews to see if opinions have changed over time.

There's also an online service called DealerRater (https://www.dealerrater.com/) that aggregates online reviews.

I take all online reviews with a few grains of salt. I'm suspicious that the glowingly positive reviews are shills. And, the very negative reviews are often from people with an axe to grind. Somewhere in the middle is the truth.

As for red flags, recommending service that isn't necessary is a definite red flag.

Also, if you find the service department made a mistake, gauge how they resolve it. While in for an oil change, my dealer identified that the center high-mounted brake light on my 2015 Expedition wasn't working and suspected burned out light bulbs. I authorized the repair. After picking up my Expedition, I noticed that the lamp was loose and hanging by the cable. The tech had forgotten to put the screws back in. I went back to the dealership and pointed out the problem. The service writer found some screws and fixed it. He then asked me what they could do to make the situation right for me. My reply was "make sure the tech doesn't make this mistake again". The service writer gave me a couple coupons for free oil changes.

I looked at the link and was blown away by the number of 4 star's that Auto Nation received here in Florida. So many that I'm questioning the accuracy. I get that they may be good but they don't walk on water.

 

[bb37]

There's always the problem of dealerships who tell you "If you can't give us a 5-star review, let us know." Maybe some of those positive reviews come from people who initially couldn't give a 5-star review, but let the dealership address the problem. In those cases, I wish the reviewer would say so.

 

[NoNameTed]

Thanks for the link. I checked the reviews for the service center I went to and it had 1.5 stars with 170 reviews. It doesn't get much worse than that.

 

[BigOleFordFan]

Dealership tried to tell me I needed a coolant flush, brake flush and fuel system decarb without as much as a look under the hood.

Well, you've already witnessed an Uber-mega, super-duper red flag for that stealership....and I would avoid them like the plague in the future.

And a strong clue as to the honesty of the place is to look around inside to see if it is possible to see out into the service area while they perform their initial inspection/evaluation....and do so if you can...if not, walk around outside for a spot that gives you a view of whats going on back there...

So, say you asked for an OIL CHANGE, which under normal circumstances shouldn't take more than 30-45 mins, you can look for a couple of things:

1) They've had your vehicle just sitting in the service bay for 30+ minutes but haven't done anything to it yet nor came out to ask you about something...this could mean that they are understaffed, overbooked, just slow AF, or checking to see if you are watching and waiting till they think the coast is clear...

2) They have removed all 4 tires & are "checking" your brakes....it might be part of a courtesy inspection, but it might also be an attempt to scam you into an unneeded brake job...

3) They have your vehicle 30+ feet up in the air & are shining a flashlight around everywhere....same as above

I could give you a ton of other examples, but I don't want to take up too much space here by writing a book on the subject, so good luck with your search for solid, honest & trustworthy place to work on your vehicle...

Also note that when I find a good place to go for whatever service or goods I need, I ALWAYS spread the word online, to help others out, as well as the business too