Yesterday I received an advertisement in the mail from a local dealer. In this ad, there were coupons that had explanations and pricing for a Minor Service, an Intermediate Service, a Major Service, maintenance minder A, and maintenance minder B[1].
Let me start off by saying that services have changed on vehicles. It used to be that at 7500 miles a vehicle had a minor service, at 15,000 miles it had an intermediate service, and at 30,000 it had a major service. Each service required more maintenance, so it cost more money. In the last few years, the vehicle manufacturers have required less maintenance on the newer models than older models. Take into consideration that one model vehicle may have a different requirement for maintenance than another. For example, a vehicle with front wheel drive has a different maintenance schedule than the same model with all wheel drive.
The advertisement I received quoted a price for a Minor Service as low as $81.95. They tell you what the lowest price is, but what is the most it can cost? This is where the deception lies. You get this promotional ad in the mail, and you’re “thinking that’s a great price.” You go in to have the service done, get the invoice and you’re surprised at what the total came out to be. And you wonder”what happened?” Did they just rip you off? The answer is no, they didn’t rip you off; you just didn’t read the ad completely. The ad states: “most models, some vehicles higher. Please call for details.” It also states: “plus tax and hardware charges.” Of course, everybody knows about the tax, but what are the hardware charges and how high are they? The hardware charges might be any nuts, bolts and washers needed for the service. It might be the fluids added to the vehicle like windshield washer fluid, oil additives, or fuel additives. It might be spray cleaners used during the service to clean any spilled fluids. All this can add up, making the service cost more money than the advertised price.
I also received in this ad a coupon for an Intermediate service starting at $121.95, and a Major Service starting at $232.95. These might be great starting prices, but what is it really going to cost to do the service? What if I need to have the engine air filter replaced, or the cabin filter replaced? How much is that going to cost? Are there any additional services needed that are not included in the specials that are going to jack up the price? On the coupon for the Major service at the very bottom is stated: “Some vehicles require additional services such as: HEPA filter, cap, rotor, wires, and fuel filter”. But it doesn’t state how much these might cost. Again, what is the bottom line going to be?
When you take your car into an independent shop, they might quote a price that is higher than the ad’s quoted price, but it includes everything. I spoke with Steve Summer, Owner of Automotive Instinct a LAAutoReferral.com Certified Shop. He told me that “the dealers use a low price to get you into the door.” At independent shops, the price they quote might be higher than the dealers advertised price, but it includes the whole service. So you’re really saving money taking the car to the independent shop, because they’re giving you the bottom line pricing from the beginning.
So, if you find these advertisements misleading, they are. They don’t really tell you how much a service is going to cost. They just tease you to get you in the door, and then they take you for a ride. This can be avoided by calling first and seeing if the quoted price is for your car and if there is going to be any additional charges over and above the quoted price. When you make that call you need to know what the service history on your car is, how many miles it has, and if it’s telling you that service is due on the maintenance minder if you have one. Given this information, any good service advisor/manager should be able to give you a maintenance price quote. It all comes down to reading the fine print. Educate and protect yourself.
LA Auto Referral is an innovative search website dedicated to providing detailed information on automobile experts to experienced and novice consumers alike. Run by automotive consumer advocate Alan Cohen, LA Auto Referral performs a multi-step pre-screening process and a 10 step certification procedure on every dealership and garage listed. LA Auto Referral is committed to helping each consumer eliminate car-related stress and anxiety by providing Certified Shops, professional independent service shop reviews and expert advice.
[1] For those of you who do not know what a maintenance minder is, it’s the thing on your dash that says
you have 15% oil life left. It will then change to 10%, 5%; then it tells you that you are due for a service. On some makes, it even tells you what service you are due for.
