I'm sure many of my readers have had the experience of getting an "instant lube" or "fast lube" for their vehicles from businesses like Jiffy Lube and others (there are thousands of them, all over the USA). Basically, they promise to change your engine oil and get you back on the road within ten or fifteen minutes. Of course, that doesn't always work that way. I've several times been accosted by a service clerk showing me a dirty air filter, and suggesting I need to change it as well. One time I demanded to see my vehicle with an empty filter casing, and the employees (and the manager) tried for all they were worth to stop me doing so. Sure enough, my vehicle's filter was still in place - they'd shown me another one, hoping I wouldn't check.
Thing is, twice in a couple of months I've had the service department at an auto dealer (once at Nissan, the other at Toyota) show me dirty air filters, suggesting they need to be changed. That's never happened before, and it's making me wonder. Are manufacturers' service departments trying the same trick these days, hoping to generate extra revenue?
Of course, I have no way of knowing that: but if more of us are experiencing the same thing, it might be worth investigating. Therefore, readers, if that's happened to you at a branded service department, please let us know about it in Comments, as well as roughly how long ago it happened. I'm curious to see whether this is becoming an industry-wide racket.
Thanks!
Peter
31 comments:
This is why I do not use a dealership for routine maintenance. I use a trusted garage that I have vetted with family and friends. Those guys have saved me plenty of money, and they are so busy they don't have time for such shenanigans. Oh, and it's nothing new. Bet you have to go back to the early 70's to find the average dealership that didn't play games like the dirty air filter.
I was a part owner of several dealerships. Dealer and franchise service shops are overly expensive and often fraudulent. Do not go to a dealership unless is it for warranty work.
Yes, the dirty air filter scam is alive and well. Yesterday I was at a Hyundai dealership getting the software updated (software is another failure of modern cars) and the guy was telling an elderly customer he needed new filters. They charged $85 for a filter you can buy from Amazon for $15. Changer filters yourself and find a local shop with a good reputation.
Change both of those things yourself and eliminate the problem.
Called up selling. All of the service sector does it to some degree.
Worse is over torquing the oil drain plug on your 10+ year old vehicle so it starts dripping oil. Next time out they say you need a new oil pan. Gaskets, what are they?
2 months ago my wife took her car down to Jiffy Lube for inspection. I knew everything was OK, I had checked everything. They told her the windshield wipers were cracked and worn and needed replacing or it wouldn't pass inspection. They couldn't seem to find the bad ones to show her. I had just replaced them with good quality wipers only 10 weeks prior. They took advantage of an elderly lady and lost our business. I submitted a complaint to the parent company but never had a response.
A familiar story. In the summer of ‘94, I was having my car inspected and was told by the attendant that I would need a new left rear tire, as there was uneven wear on the outer tread. As such, I would have to buy it from the garage owing to the fact that they had already removed the existing inspection sticker and they couldn’t let me drive the car away without one. I told them that they could give me a temporary ten-day sticker until I had the tire replaced, at which time I would return to complete the inspection.
He told me that he had no idea what I was talking about and that there was no such thing.
I then informed him that it is illegal in NYS to remove an inspection sticker before the new inspection is complete. Furthermore I have a good friend who’s a cop and that I’ll be more than happy to bring him with me when I return. He gave me the ten-day sticker and I dove off.
At local Subaru dealer, the techs all video while doing their vehicle inspections. Then sends video to you with their recommendations. Pretty cool in my opinion.
Sounds like it is time to do a pre-inspection and some strategic marking of things like filters before taking a car in for service.
Just Sharpie your name on it. There, fixed it for ya Sis.
My 21 y.o. Son needed to buy a car recently. We let him struggle through it a little bit because he needs to learn these things... but at the end I jumped in to help him wrap up the deal.
Walked away from the first car.
We walked out of 3 different banks.
FINALLY, through, gasp, Capital One, we got him a car.
Sad when you're putting half down on a certified-used vehicle...
I do the oil & filters, windshield wipers & such on the wife's Honda but my back ain't doing the tire rotation so she takes it to the dealership for that. Never fails that they don't call saying something else needs doing, usually what I just did. Now I put post-it notes everywhere saying to just rotate the tires & don't touch anything else & especially don't call me.
Hi Peter,
I solve that problem by conspicuously writing the date & mileage on my filters in permanent marker. I want them to know I’m keeping an eye on it. I will inconspicuously mark my tyres with black art line pen (and video it with my phone as proof) just before I go in for wheel alignment or service if I’ve asked them to rotate the tyres too. Never had an issue, and if you start being concerned, well, it’s time to listen to that nagging doubt and change mechanics.
My favorite is the "need" of new ball joints, when having tires replaced. One dealer, who I once trusted, lost me as a customer when one of their sales staff pulled it on me. To me, it's outright thievery, when the shop, or dealer, uses the tactic on those that don't know any better.
Here is my 2015 Yelp review of a Valvoline Oil Change in Arlington, TX. We have since found an independent family owned auto repair shop.
"Being new to the area, I went to this place based on the Yelp reviews. First day I took in the Chrysler Town and Country van. The next day I took in the Chevy Silverado so I could use the $5 off coupon they gave me the day before. Both vehicles got just the standard oil and filter change, and both are running fine now. In my younger days, I used to do all my own maintenance, so I'll just say this "ain't my first rodeo".
These guys are slick con-artists. They try to up-sell you on everything.
They gave me the sales pitch for their "recommended" synthetic oil (synthetic is fine, but so are regular oil changes). They tried to sell me a battery I didn't need. They had a print out from their battery tester supposedly showing my battery was low. What it showed was the battery was rated for 500 cold cranking amps but they could only get 365 amps. Yeah well, the battery is a couple of years old so you're not going to get 500 amps, but is working fine and still has plenty of useful life left. The final receipt had the battery checked "OK". This happened on both vehicles.
They tried to sell me an engine air filter for the Town and Country for $25.00. Walmart sells a Fram filter for about $7.00. If you can screw the lid back on the peanut butter jar, you can change this filter yourself.
During the discussion of the Silverado, the employee let slip that they send the service information to Carfax "because sometimes the dealers will try to screw with you about your warranty". Whoa! You're telling me that you sent information about both vehicles off site to a third party without my permission? Reply was "well, we don't send any personal info". Right. And then there are those dealer warranty concerns. On a vehicle that is 15 years old. Right.
The same employee also informed me that they could not do anything with the Silverado fuel filter because it was "unserviceable". I said "Unserviceable. Do you mean it's broken?". Reply was "No, it's in the fuel tank and we can't get to it". Right (At this point I just paid my bill and left).
No, it's not. The fuel sender (for the gas gage) and the fuel pump are in the tank, but the filter is not. It is on the inside of the frame, just about under the driver's door. Check it out on Youtube if you like.
Get your oil change somewhere else.
I’ve had a tire distributor and a dealer,Ford,,tw different times tell m my lug nuts are swollen and have to replace at $8 apiece..Itold them to put the swollen ones in a box..I’ll keep them a replace with new ones.They changed their mind on that p.m. and suddenly my lug nuts ere fine..
After replacing the struts on my 2002 Taurus I needed an alignment. My mechanic doesn't have the equipment. Two national brand places (Brakes Plus and Les Schwab) refused to do an alignment unless they could "fix" steering parts. Two problems with that scenario. First, my trusted mechanic will tell me when I need work done. Two, years selling used cars and arm wrestling with service managers about what was needed to get trade ins "front line ready".
Swollen lug nuts?
Now that's a new one!
Sounds like something you need to see a doctor about.
I have been scammed for service at dealers but that was years ago. Now I change the filters.but not the oil. I have no place to put the old oil and recycling here is a bit of a pain. I go to my regular independent mechanic for oil changes and more serious stuff.
I also recommend having a code reader for when the check engine light comes on. Helps to be educated about what might be wrong. If the EGR valve code flashes up and you look at YouTube and find replacing it is a cinch and should not take more than 45 minutes you can discuss the 4 hrs labor cost with the service manager with a bit of backup.
Actually, swollen lug nuts is a thing. Some vehicles use a dissimilar metal 'cap' over the actual nut for cosmetic purposes. If water infiltrates, it can cause corrosion which makes the cap swell, or better, separate from the nut making your lug wrench ineffective. Major headache. We sell a lot of replacements at the parts store at which I work. (Minnesota winter salted roads = corrosion.) $8 per sounds a little high, though.
I get K&N Air filters for my vehicles. They come with a sticker warning it is a reusable filter and stay away from it.
Re swollen lug nuts, another confirmation. We spent a lot of time tracking down lug nuts trying to get a full set, don't know why we don't stock enough for whole wheel (or four of them). Also found a socket that was half size over for one tire shop just for swollen lug nuts.
@Ultimate Ordinance-
Ford and Dodge use a two part lug nut.
It's the regular steel acorn nut with a cheap tin cover and the inside steel/iron rusts and swells the cover.
So you just hammer the socket on and bet it off until you buy a new set.
I'll jump in here on that.
Griffith Ford in Seguin, Tx (Yeah, I'll name names)
Took the wife's 2013 F-150 in for a trans code recall and when I came to get it, I was told about the huge oil leak from the top end and the oil pan. (It was seepage)
Me- "how much?
Ford: "only $1500 for parts plus labor :-)"
Me- "I'll think about it"
Went for the free oil change at Ancira Ford in Floresville, TX.
Got it done and asked the service guy---
"Did your tech see anything wrong with the engine?"
*Looks at his paperwork* "Ummm, no?" "Why"
"Because Griffith Ford did a trans recall service and told me I needed over $1500 worth of new seals for the valve cover and seepage around the oil pan."
SIGGggh... "No, that's normal on a truck with over 100K
miles on it."
"I know, I just wanted to know what you had to say."
I discovered the place that would have to replace my battery under warranty has so far found it works fine, despite the fact that my start-stop feature stopped working. Since I dislike that feature, I won't complain until my car won't start.
Lotsa stories like this I have, for now one will do. Frozen electric parking brake actuator far from home. Expensive german car brand that shall remain nameless (MB). Only option was dealer. After brakes were fixed I was told oil leak from top of timing belt cover. Now, if you know where the timing belt cover is you understand is largely not visible without disassembly of various belt-driven gizmos on the front of the engine. Can’t see it. And somehow my car had magic oil that could flow uphill. Oh, and the magic oil did not leave stains on my driveway.
I change my own cabin air filter, engine air filter, and windshield wipers. When in for service I have them write not to change those on the ticket, or I do, before I sign it.
Back when I was young and pretty enough for miniskirts, I took my car to one of those quick lube places for a needed oil change. They came out and showed me my dirty air filter and told me it needed replacing.
I asked them if I could watch them put a round air filter back in the place where my car used to have a square air filter.
I never heard of anybody doing that. I’ll say pretty cool too.
I don’t mind a little upselling but don’t try to lie or cheat me.
Ed
My attitude has always been that it is less manly to rely on another adult male to do things that you are capable of doing yourself if time and health permits. I admit that I now have my oil changed by a local quick lube place, as disposing of oil is always a hassle. But I always own a Chilton book or equivalent and do my own maintenance provided I'm capable and diagnostics or small hands (a weak point for me in modern cars) aren't needed.
They can't run the air filter scam if you tell them not to touch your air filters.
I've seen a bunch of this from both dealers and shops for years.
The last car I bought (used) was from a dealer. They wasted hours of my time telling me I was next in line to finish the paperwork, and when I finally got in, they did a hard sell push for a dealer warranty with an awfully convenient old brake pedal that they claimed was expensive because the computer had to be reprogrammed.
This dealer was 2 hours from my house so they knew I had no use for their in house warranty!
Many years ago, I had a Geo Metro - a shop tried to tell me the power steering fluid needed replaced. I laughed and said I'd love to see them try!
(The Geo Metro is small enough it doesn't have power brakes or power steering).
For years I've done work myself or taken it to friends.
Jonathan
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