OldSlowReliable Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 As some of you know, I have recently decided to sell my 98 malibu to pay for repairs on my mom's jeep. Now i don't have to, but still will try, all thanks to a small local shop that a family friend used to work at. Please, do not go trusting a local shop just because of this comparison, but I highly encourage you to at least test one out, as this event has convinced me that not ALL people are out there to screw everyone else over! Garber Chevrolet Dealership Diagnosis on a 03 JGC Overland, experiencing varying idle rpm's, clunk when rolling to a stop, exhaust tick, CEL, and odd shifting while towing- -Bad Transmission, needs replacing -Leaking rear main seal -Needs o2 sensor fixed, as this was the code being thrown -Quoted us over 3 grand for repairs, not replacing tranny -We paid for 800 dollars of work that was said to 'help' with the symptoms, but they did not say what they did specifically 1st time visit to a Private shop I can't remember the name of, but was working on a 70s corvette when i pulled in!- -Right off the bat, just talking, agreed with my diagnosis of a faulty TPS and vacuum leak of some sort -Informed us that most of the time, gaskets seep, and dealerships will have you replace them prematurely, but they would look into it -Made SURE we did not have them flush the tranny like they wanted to, as this would have stirred up junk when they use a machine to do it -After 5 hours at the shop, they called and told us it threw 150 codes, and that they believed the TPS to be the issue. -Replaced TPS for 249 dollars, this completely fixed the idle, made it idle 2 400rpm instead of 1500rpm, supposedly will cure towing shifting -Called me up to tell me someone had recently shattered some PVC piping while probably removing a spark plug, and had epoxied it back together, probably dealership -Everything is completely fixed, they told us to begin with that the clunk when stopping was a typical jeep thing for this vehicle -Told us that new TPS completely cleared all other codes, but we will see soon! I've been TRYING to tell my ma to go to a garage other than a dealership for YEARS, and now she finally sees! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I must admit to being a big believer in getting to know your local garage for three reasons: 1 - support local trade, without it local towns will fail to exist 2 - you can get to speak to the mechanic to determine if he's learning on the job [something I don't like paying for unless he's upfront with trying something completely new] or actually knows what he's doing 3 - by speaking with the mechanic doing the job as opposed to the dealerships desk clerk, I may learn something myself! Most importantly though, some of my best friends have come from getting to know the local tradesfolk as well as the mechanics in the local garages around me. So plenty of positive by going to the local garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 I must admit to being a big believer in getting to know your local garage for three reasons: 1 - support local trade, without it local towns will fail to exist 2 - you can get to speak to the mechanic to determine if he's learning on the job [something I don't like paying for unless he's upfront with trying something completely new] or actually knows what he's doing 3 - by speaking with the mechanic doing the job as opposed to the dealerships desk clerk, I may learn something myself! Most importantly though, some of my best friends have come from getting to know the local tradesfolk as well as the mechanics in the local garages around me. So plenty of positive by going to the local garage. Yeah, the guy we talked to really seemed to know what he was doing, and didn't flinch at anything.....I was feeling very weary of taking the pathfinder into the dealership for the little extras installed, i.e. manual hubs, tranny cooler.... because alot of the time I felt like I was having to explain too much to the clerk when I took any vehicle in, before they grasped what was supposed to be done or what was going on, whereas the private place knew exactly what I was talking about immediately... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadm4x4 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I have delt with both over the years.Between company cars and my own, and have come to the conclusion that every toyota dealer are sh!t. but that was toyota. but i would never pass a smaller mechanic. Especially with these older vehicals. but also being on a budget i dont mind giving anything ago myself where i can. My brother and father are both mechanics. and they have always gotten me through the crap over the phone with issues on cars. even on the side of the road. but i vote the local mechanic for me. not some idiot that sits on his fat a$$ in a dealership reading porn all day while his apprentice is working on the car ( no offence to any apprentices out there. you have to lrn somewhere ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 There's good and bad with both. Here, there's a Nissan dealership I would recommend to anyone. The Service Manager there is a member here (Morpheus). Excellent, fair service, and if something goes wrong, they make it right. I also know of an excellent independant shop in the area that my dad (who owns non-Nissans) has had great luck with, if there's something I don't have the time to do, or can't tackle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 The local shops around here are pretty honest, but the only thing they could never figure out is a wd21 alignment. That is still best left to the dealer I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahawg Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Garber Chevrolet...hmmm, wonder if that's the same crooks that have a large monopoly of dealers down in FL where i'm originally from....if so, they have a bad rep down there as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HankG Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 (edited) There are definitely good and bad of both. We have one mechanic who has been working on the family vehicles for like fifteen years and always gives great prices and does excellent work. However, I had to replace a wheel bearing on my rear axle, and he was unfortunately on vacation with his family (his son(s) are the other mechanics at the shop, so the whole place closes down when they go on vacation). I had to take it somewhere else since I didn't have the necessary tools, and the ****** DIY attempt that looked like it involved a hammer and chisel by a previous owner was quite possibly why I was having to replace it so soon. I had disassembled it so I could just bring in the shaft and have them put the bearing on to save money over bringing in the whole vehicle and was expecting it to be reasonably cheap. When I called the private garages, all of the quotes were in the $120-150 range which seemed ridiculous to me. I called up the dealer, they said they'd do it for $40. So I took it to the dealer and it was done reasonably quickly (I had to wait for a part to get overnighted since a previous owner, or maybe their shady mechanic, had completely mangled the job last time) and by someone with the Nissan specific tools and experience, and, despite the complications, they still stuck to the $40 they quoted me. I still trust the family mechanic more and will probably go to him next time I can't do something myself, but this incident definitely left a positive impression of the Nissan dealership here. Edited July 29, 2009 by HankG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 A lot of times the dealerwill quote a repair based on a "book" price, which can include a lot of things that may not need replaced/repaired to fix the actual problem. Comunication is the key, if you try talking with the service manager and they blow you off, LEAVE QUICKLY! If they actually listen and go in depoth with you, you might have someone that does repairs rather than throw parts at somethig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 (edited) As the resident Dealership Technician, I think this really comes down to who you speak with and who you have work on the vehicle. I have mentioned many times how I strive to do the best that I can, at any job that comes through the door. I have had the unfortunate job of repairing vehicles that have been to independents who just should of never touched the vehicle. I think, of the most part, training and understanding the vehicle is key. Personally, I have specific training in Nissan and Infiniti vehicles. I also have Suzuki and some Isuzu training. I keep my CSI(thats Customer Service Index, you know, the comment cards you see at certian places), in the mid to hi 90's out of 100(perfect). I have no problem talking to any customer about there vehicle. I want them to know they are talking to someone who is well informed and makes them excited to own thier particular vehicle. I was taught this at a early stage in life, I do not sell someone something that they dont need! Every customer has the right to see the parts after you have replaced them. They have the right to understand why thier vehicle needed the certian repair. They have the right to come out and look at the leaks I have found, and have the explination of why they need them fixed. This all allows any customer to make a informed decision of whether or not to pay to have the repair done. I for one, am proud of being a Dealership Techician. I am proud of where I work and proud of the brand that I represent. I have the certifications and training to back it all up. I would encourage to find out what training and certifications any technician has. You have the right to find out. You can have some kid work on you rig that is fresh out of high school and doesnt know anything, or you can have a certified, trained professional with 15 years under his belt working on your rig. Its your choice. Edited July 29, 2009 by 5523Pathfinder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I tend to favor the smaller local shop (IF I know of one that I trust) over dealerships (they seem to be impersonal and their shop rates are insane). That said, I do 98% of my own work because I can (to save $) and because then I know it was done right. Being a machinist, I'm pretty anal about 'doing things right'. I think the last time a vehicle of mine was at a shop was 8-10 years ago... B I'll qualify that last sentence. Body shops, alignment shops, tire shops, etc all have been used... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 Well, the CEL came back....guess it was too good to be true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Well, now you be able to see what kind o f place they are on how they go about repairing it now. Are they going to charge you? Look at it for free? Repair it for free? Could be interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 Well, now you be able to see what kind o f place they are on how they go about repairing it now. Are they going to charge you? Look at it for free? Repair it for free? Could be interesting! Probably.. D- None of the above Dunno if shes gonna bother taking it back in......cause the noticeable issues are gone, so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 This place called Wrench 'N Time here towards downtown Vancouver is a mixed bag. My buddy's '91 Toyota truck has had a problem with not starting for a good while. He would turn the key all you hear is a little "tunk" sound. That's it. Then after a while it would crank strong and start just fine. The battery and alternator was new when he first took it in. The shop played a serious guessing game with what the problem was. They replaced the battery the first time, alternator the second time, battery cables the third time, and finally the starter. Overall that's almost a grand combined, and without offering any type of discount or rebate for them not fixing it right the first time. The past 5 days his truck hasn't been starting for crap and leaving him and me stranded almost every time he shut the truck off. But after a few times we noticed that when I push the truck a few feet and he holds down the key to start and then pops the clutch it cranks and starts. So he took it back to the shop yesterday and told him exactly how we've been getting it started and the guy said it was for sure his starter, and that this time he would replace the starter, and do an electrical test for free. He got his truck back today and the guy said it was his alternator and it wasn't charging the battery correctly. Even though the heater, lights, and radio all worked perfectly the entire time. That doesn't explain popping the clutch and the starter instantly cranking. It seems fishy to me, but oh well. I guess we'll see. I went in there to get a quote for PUTTING IN the CV axles (which he didn't seem to get that I already had them out and refused to knock off half the labor time because he's doning half the work), an alignment, and put new shoes on the rear drums. They quoted me just under a grand for that. I don't think all private shops are good, but from other work done on various vehicles they are usually a whole hell of a lot better than the stealership. All I can say is research the shop you're going to for good/bad customer ratings and what they had to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 My dad only takes his r50 to the dealer. I suggested that he did, the reason being where he lives all of the mechanics mainly deal with domestics and I've had a couple bad experiences. The dealer he takes it to is very fair and will tell you whether or not it needs to be replaced "now" or if it can wait a few months. That truck has been great since the day he bought it 5 years ago and has put under a grand into it not including oil or tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 My line of work has me seeign good and bad in both. Obviously I favor local shops since where I work we also do mechanical but I have seen/towed some cars out of lots that they were in better shape before they came in. Heck theres a local chevy dealer that I wouldn't recomend to my worst enemy. We had a 6.5 turbo deisel chevy dump that was goeign in for a warrantied injector pump, called them and told them EXACTLY what we had and they told up drop it off the next day. First thing in the am we tow it over and tell them call us to update us. We call THEM late afternoon and they tell us "We didn't know it was a Deisel, we don't work on them here." Didn't 6.5 TURBO DEISEL THAT NEEDS AN INJECTOR PUMP give you a hint it's not a 4.3l? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 Im rather weary of taking my pathfinder anywhere really...when I told the guy that I drove a pathy as a rec truck, and was wondering if they sold 33x1250x15 tires, or knew someone local who did, he said to try retreads, and commented on how "i see you already got it all safari'ed out with the roof rack and such!", but I was actually parked on the OTHER side of a TJ that had the roof rack.........i mean, he couldn't even SEE my pathy, which concerned me that either 1) he doesn't know the difference between a pathfinder and a wrangler 2) his eye sight is that bad or 3) he just misheard me, and assumed I was referring to the only other jeep in sight and I pulled in my mom's jeep.... Idk, theres a branch of the aforementioned chevy dealership for nissans local, but I don't really trust them either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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