I'm out on Valentines day and the surround time around it.
Comments
-
This thread raises some important info people may not be aware of. Hoses and connectors in an engine aren't covered by the powertrain warranty but are covered by the bumper to bumper warranty. That's why it's a good idea to check an engine's hoses for signs of wear once a car's out of the full warranty period. In the case of the brands that are found to be least reliable, quite often the reason is cheap plastic parts or other low quality parts being used.
I owned Audis for around a decade but wouldn't keep one past five years because although they perform great their materials choices and stress on their engines make them very costly over the long haul. The S4 I got rid of last year had a leaking coolant shutoff valve that would have cost $2200 to fix if I didn't have the extended warranty into that fifth year.
Although the 6.4 liter Hemi is in a Dodge brand vehicle it should be considered a high performance expensive engine. Some of those plastic T connectors and other cheap parts though belong in an econobox but even expensive brands are using them these days because they're cheap and weigh little! Age and placement near heat sources is just as important as mileage when it comes to materials like that. And engineers are forced to work to keep costs as low as possible while designing them to last as long as the warranty period. -
Got the truck back yesterday. $2335.53 later. This left a bad taste in my mouth about purchasing used which I have not done in well over 20 years or more.
I have 2 warranties and warranties don't cover hoses. And of course this was a very expensive hose well 3 hose replacement job. The labor alone was $1840.00 which is 7 hours at $230 per hour.
WTF OVER!
To change 3 hoses and it's over 2 grand.
This crap has got to end.
Good thing you didn't need transmission or engine work! -
The only way to truly combat it, is to buck up and fix stuff yourself.
When my XC60 needed new pads and rotors, Volvo dealer quoted me $2,500. Independent shop, $1,600.
Priced it out myself and between materials and new tools (my ratchet set was from college and shot, and I needed a larger torque wrench), $1,000. I also get the added benefit of now having new really nice ratchets, wrench set and big ol’ torque wrench. 😎
-
Rear hoses pressed up close to the firewall are apparently a common problem area with the 6.4 engine and labor hours are high to do the fixing at a shop...
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2bQchbKi6x0 -
IMHO, it seems dealerships are mostly used for warranty work (at least that's how I use them lol). Warranty work can't be billed out but the techs make the same money regardless of which hood they're under. So it almost makes sense that they hammer people on jobs that are not covered; my local Ford dealer charges like $245/hr for "high end" vehicles like Lincolns and Raptors. But there's a big sign on the wall in the service dept. showing all the labor rates for different groups of vehicles, so when you go there, you have every right to say no thanks.
I have no inside info on this, it's just an observation from the cheap seats, though the local shop that I typically use now charges $150/hr, so $200+ isn't a big uptick. And since this is about cars... YMMV.
If your logic is actually correct, I might have been charged more than standard labor rates due to owning a SRT vs a regular Durango. I'm gonna look into this labor rate thing and see why I paid so much per hour. I know things cost a lot now and my labor rate isn't cheap either.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
You can always ask. While you're at it, ask what the flat rate on that job would have been, though they may not tell you after the fact and for all I know, the manual could say 10 man hours and if so, they cut you a break.
That's the main reason why I use my local shop - I know the owner, I know they take care of me, and I can leave my vehicle there and walk home in 10 minutes.So, are you willing to put forth a little effort or are you happy sitting in your skeptical poo pile?
http://audiomilitia.proboards.com/ -
skipshot12 wrote: »Got the truck back yesterday. $2335.53 later. This left a bad taste in my mouth about purchasing used which I have not done in well over 20 years or more.
I have 2 warranties and warranties don't cover hoses. And of course this was a very expensive hose well 3 hose replacement job. The labor alone was $1840.00 which is 7 hours at $230 per hour.
WTF OVER!
To change 3 hoses and it's over 2 grand.
This crap has got to end.
Good thing you didn't need transmission or engine work!
I question if I ever go back to my dealership for any kind of work after that bill.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
Upstatemax wrote: »The only way to truly combat it, is to buck up and fix stuff yourself.
When my XC60 needed new pads and rotors, Volvo dealer quoted me $2,500. Independent shop, $1,600.
Priced it out myself and between materials and new tools (my ratchet set was from college and shot, and I needed a larger torque wrench), $1,000. I also get the added benefit of now having new really nice ratchets, wrench set and big ol’ torque wrench. 😎
I'm a retired Technician from the Automotive field and I have a pretty good set of tools including speciality tools . When I need brakes , I will be doing them myself. I have Brembo brakes, 6 piston in the front and 4 piston in the rear so you can only imagine how much they will cost to replace at a dealer. Lucky for me the fronts where just done before I purchased it so I have some time.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
I had an incident recently at our local GM dealership here in WY.
I purchased two key fobs that only lock & unlock the doors on my 97 Chevy Tahoe.
The service manager hands the new fobs for my Tahoe, to the mechanic, and said to go program these for this customer, it's quick and easy.
Watched the mechanic fumble around in the vehicle for 20 minutes, he then takes it into the shop bay.
Then there's the manager and 3 more mechanics around my vehicle for another 15 minutes. Out comes the manager which I then said "Oh boy, what's the problem now"?
He says the mechanic found that my receiver is bad, the fob's not communicating with it and the receiver will need to be replaced.
I told him to grab the mechanic, my fobs & a paper clip, and meet me outside with my Tahoe.
Unfolded the paper clip and jumped pin #4 to pin #8 on the OBDII port. Held the fob's open button for 15 seconds, the locks go up and down... programmed.
All I got was a dumbfounded look from the mechanic and the manager.
Needless to say... I tell everyone I run into, when the conversation leads to a dealership, and share the experience I had.
These are the mechanics that are working on your vehicles at these dealership's.
They're either scam artists or they're completely incompetent.
Pick one. -
skipshot12 wrote: »I had an incident recently at our local GM dealership here in WY.
I purchased two key fobs that only lock & unlock the doors on my 97 Chevy Tahoe.
The service manager hands the new fobs for my Tahoe, to the mechanic, and said to go program these for this customer, it's quick and easy.
Watched the mechanic fumble around in the vehicle for 20 minutes, he then takes it into the shop bay.
Then there's the manager and 3 more mechanics around my vehicle for another 15 minutes. Out comes the manager which I then said "Oh boy, what's the problem now"?
He says the mechanic found that my receiver is bad, the fob's not communicating with it and the receiver will need to be replaced.
I told him to grab the mechanic, my fobs & a paper clip, and meet me outside with my Tahoe.
Unfolded the paper clip and jumped pin #4 to pin #8 on the OBDII port. Held the fob's open button for 15 seconds, the locks go up and down... programmed.
All I got was a dumbfounded look from the mechanic and the manager.
Needless to say... I tell everyone I run into, when the conversation leads to a dealership, and share the experience I had.
These are the mechanics that are working on your vehicles at these dealership's.
They're either scam artists or they're completely incompetent.
Pick one.
The Netflix show "Tires" is a sneakily accurate show about mechanics/shops.
My older brother was a mechanic and I spent a lot of time hanging out with him at shops when I was younger. It's essentially a bunch of emotionally stunted gorillas. Their employee bathrooms are wild places.
Watching my brother work, I learned to never, ever piss off the people working on your vehicle, ever.
I'm honestly not being harsh to mechanics, most are hard working and tons of them are super skilled at what they do. However, I despise the dealership model at this point. Car dealers are mostly unethical dirt bags. -
I hate unexpected stuff too.
I was on a trip w the family in Chicago just this past New Years. Rented from Avis, Chevy Suburban. I thought it was a great family suv… good power, nice exhaust sound, comfortable. Then the engine blew. Limited to 25mph, limped back to Avis hub and exchanged it for another large suv. Good thing the wife and kids were at the in-laws while I did the midnight ice run to Ohare.
Chevy is known for V8 engine issues over the last so many years. As old of a company as they are and as good of an engine builder they have been, they still bring in people at the top that make very poor business decisions to go with cheaper parts and then have the most insane amount of issues. Totally unacceptable for a company like them but there you have it.
Sucks that happened to you, at least you don't own it.
The only GM V8 engine I know of that has had major problems is the 6.2 liter from 2021-2024, it was a manufacturing defect. Every Chevy truck I've owned had very reliable engines, it's usually the body that doesn't last.
