ETCG Rants About His Trip To the Dealer for Warranty Work -ETCG1 

So as you know I work in a dealership. I have been on the side of a tech breaking something that was previously repaired. It SUCKS from a tech stand point because it will always be your fault. And I don't think that was Eric's point. The issue comes in from a customer service standpoint. I have seen writers be complete assholes to customers. To the point that I jump in and attempt to make it right. This could have been a simple "hey we are sorry the cable broke, but it was broken anyway" thing. A discount on the part you needed to replace, and a sorry would have changed the entire tone of this video. For those of you that "hate the stealership" I totally get that. Hell, I traded our CRV in because of bad dealership service. The kicker on that was, I WORK FOR THE COMPANY THAT OWNED THAT DEALER. In fact my paychecks say Honda! But please don't assume that all dealer techs are like that. Many of us are good people that really care about our customers and want to make it right for you.

when I was a young dumb 19 year old kid I had a 17 year old rx7 (still the car of my dreams) not knowing how to do much more then fill the gas I took it to the dealership for a lot of things. I needed new break pads on all 4 wheels and new disks. they said it was a 1 hour job and since the Mazda dealership was the next town over I waited. after two hours I Hurd the service writer at the top of his lungs screaming "why is that rx7 still in the parking lot it was supposed to be done an hour ago! the customer is wating!" I Hurd him through two sets of doors. they gave me a free calender and a cool thermal blanket with Mazda's logo on it. send be to lunch at the diner across the road. but none of that mattered it was his apology that was enough. he always treated me and everyone else I saw him talk to as a king. rare in this day and age. to show respect like that to stringers.

Looking forward to the "2004 Honda Element - Hood Latch Repair" video :-) .

I hate dealerships. A lot of customers think the dealer is something special. Then I have to tell them a dealership is just a store selling someone else's products.

I see folks are missing the point of this rant.. Whether the cable was broken or not, that's not the issue here, the person Eric spoke to on the phone was an ass to him.. That's his complaint.. And a very valid one at that..

Respect. That's what was missing. When people interrupt you and accuse you falsely, it's disrespectful. No one wants to be disrespected. It leaves a horrible taste in your mouth.

Eric, i'm normally on the same page as you but in this case i must half agree half disgree. If the handle was broken previously and glued back together, it's not the tech's fault it broke again; especially if you gave him no warning that it was fragile. However, that customer service was uncalled for 100% and the fact that they refused to eat $20 in the name of satisfying the customer just isn't how it's supposed to work.

I took my challenger to get a recall fixed i think it was an upgrade to the computer dont remember, long story short they were burnning out in my car, the day before i had just installed some aftermarket wheels (20 inch viper reps) and some cooper tires and they tried to say i had taken them worn like that, those guys ended up getting fired and the dealer got me new tires

The mechanic at the dealership didn't break it, Brian did. They were right not to give you new cable for breaking something that was glued together and would break anyway.

Still better than Barbara's van.

Thanks Eric! Love the honest talking as you always do.

The question isn't about who broke it. The question is about customer service. Eric had spent $27'000 dollars with them in the past year, so was he a good customer? Good customer service is looking after the customer, regardless of who broke what when, you look after your good customers. Ideally the guy should have just replaced the cable. Eric was being fair saying he would meet them half way by fitting a $20 part himself. $20 retail, so let's say it has cost the dealer $10. So for the sake of $10 they have lost a $27'000 customer, brilliant!

I find it hard to believe you expected them to give you a free cable when it was broken and you glued it. They treated you like a scammer

Also may of been different if there was not already glue on it

Very timely video as I just got home from a bad experience with a dealership that did not want to complete all the different warranty problems.

Tried to take my 2005 Honda Civic into the dealership for the airbag warranty 2.5 months ago. Made an appointment with the dealer, dropped it off first thing in the morning and told them I'd pick it up after I got off work that evening. 4:00 rolls around and the dealer calls to tell me that they ran out of airbags and would be unable to perform the warranty repair. Who schedules a service when they don't have the parts!? Here I am 2.5 months later and still no replacement airbags.

You sound a bit pissed, Eric. Probably the most pissed you've looked yet! 😩

You're right Eric. There's something about how I felt about experiences with mechanics and especially dealers which played a part in leading me to your capable hands. You were the best customer that place had all week and they didn't even know it, and that's how you got treated. It almost makes me feel better to see that even a pro has to put up with this crap. ;)

I'm a service writer at a small independent shop and customer service and relationships are the most important thing in our shop. It's a shame that dealerships do this and that they are only in it for the commission check at the end of the month. The best part about being a service writer is actually helping someone out and developing a personable relationship with that customer.

Eric your the man, and to your comment about feeling for people having to go through the stealership run around. I myself am a mechanic and the two hardest parts about being a mechanic is between helping someone and making a living.. maybe a topic to talk about sometime if it hasn't been covered already! Keep the vids coming I know its probably a whole other job itself but we all appreciate you and learn from you.

In olden days, you could challenge them to a duel.

Can see where the dealeship is coming from. You dropped off a car with a defective part you knew was going to break at some point, it broke and you want a brand new part. And the superglue is still visible on it, its very easy to see how the dealership would think that you were trying to screw them over.

I just wanna say, I agree Eric, I was getting tired of the way I was treated as a customer at many different shops, it was thru your videos in the beginning that helped me out and make up my mind to go to school for my automotive technician courses.

Eric thanks for the video. This was one of the best videos.

I got this same recall done, and in the process they put a nice big slit in the dash of my Civic.. They did not say a word about it. Outside in the parking lot I found it, and I told the service writer.. he said they would replace it to just come back on Monday. Monday I call and ask if I can just get the part and that I will install it myself..guy says there are no parts.. were going to glue it.. lol I filed a complaint with the BBB and then they wanted to make things right with me..I never went back I don't want these idiots to touch my car anymore..

You know at some point I took my car to the dealer for a service and was treated rudely by the service writer and I never understood why until I became a technician. With a customer base that exploits the good intentions of people legitimately trying to help them out in things they can't even do, the technicians have become so jaded with fraudulent claims and lawsuits that they will refuse to help anyone out with anything and are defensive and frustrated with the work load and the liability issues being placed squarely on their shoulders by management.

Customer Service is the most important part of any business. This is just another reason why I'm learning through you Eric to make my own Honda Element repairs. Thank you for all you do.

I would just like to say that I learned a lot from your video's, I live in the Netherlands and I'm busy with getting my license for driving a car, I also school in Car Mechanic and Automotive Engineering at the moment, some stuff I don't learn at school and those things you teach me in the video's and because of that my grades go up, in paperwork and in garagework grades, you have been the greatest use to me since I learned to ride a bike, I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. THANK YOU! :) :D

Looks like 11 service writers watched this video so far...

The dealership needs to know that they have people like that working for them. Some people just have terrible people skills and have no business working behind a counter. I'm surprised you didn't post this on your main channel too.

Thank you for all the work you do. You help us avoid the stealerships and DIY auto repairs ourselves.

My experience was that they were more concerned with finding other issues rather than focusing on why I brought it in. Customers' time is extremely valuable. Please focus on the #1 issue and not things that are completely unrelated and unnecessary just to make a buck. Thank you Eric. I've watched your videos for a few years now and I seriously appreciate the time you take to share things.

they probably were rude but i don't think the cable was their fault, you said you glued it and obviously it didn't hold and you never told them to be ginger with the hood release either. That being said the automotive field is about customer service and if giving you a $20 part solves the problem and makes the customer happy i hope a lot of advisor's would take care of it, i know my shop would. On the other side of the spectrum advisor's deal with a lot of people wanting free stuff for no reason and its kinda a question of where do you draw the line and when do you say no?

I wonder if it was Kings Honda..

Eric this is why I like your Honda Element videos. I went to a dealership for all my warranty work even purchased a said 100,000 milevwarranty for my 2003 element. One day I went to the get the oil changed and when I approached the service writer the tech came out and said "I had one hell of time removing the cross threaded oil filter" Some time passed and they wanted 200 dollars to replace the oil tube that connects the oil filter to the car. I did not get this fixed under the warranty because I was at94000 miles. I asked how much the part is and they said 75 dollars for the retail priced 5.00 oil tube. Told them to take it off the rack and do nothing and i fixed it, THANKS TO YOU

I had to say it, I'm glad it happened. This kinda of crap is one of the reasons that pushed you to start "Eric The Car Guy" and now your cup is full again. Your personality & creativity is why I still tune in every week, great rant video Eric!!!

It was a for a similar reason , poor customer relations , that I wont step foot in a Ford Dealership again .

Sounds like he just isn't a customer service person. I've been a paid mechanic most of my life, but after major injury and a lot of surgeries later I had to work for years in a call center as a CSR. Those were trying times indeed. I'm totally able to be kind and do that job decently, but there were some who did nothing but make me think the customer is wrong. That jib certainly has a level of burn out and I stopped it years ago because I was no longer able to be kind 100% of the time. I'm a nice guy in general and it bothered me that I lost my cool because corporate policy and my lack of love for that job turned me into someone I didn't like. I simply left it and have not looked back. I'm back to being my nice self again. That's one of the things I like about watching Eric work - he's nice but he gets frustrated like anyone else. Part of being a tech is occasional frustration. When that happens I usually just put the tools down and take a break. Dealing with customers there was no chance to have that without getting in trouble. I totally see Eric's point of view and I'm on his side here. When I screw up I try my best to admit it, eat a little crow and move on. That's the grown up way of dealing with it all. Your a good man Eric. Thanks for just being a regular human. Sounds silly, but in a world full of narcissism I just want to say thanks for being who you really are.

I'm glad you had this experience because it give you a real perspective of how most people are treated with their car and with not just dealership but with most mechanics things change and are not what you remember that's why people just do it yourself. thanks to awesome guys like you

I took our 2007 odyssey in to our area Honda dealer for a recall on the fuel pump top assembly or some such thing....they fixed that issue ran the van thru their car wash, and parked the car. We got the call that it was ready to go, drove it home. When we got out of the van in our driveway, i went around on the passenger side and saw that the body molding strip was missing on the rear door....sigh. I drove back to the dealer late that evening,. The service manager went into their car wash bay, and there was the molding strip leaning up against the wall in the car wash bay. The service manager was shocked that someone did that and didn't say anything. He said he would get it fixed. We waited 30 min or so, molding strip was back on the car and we went on our way. Day 2. I checked the strip the next day in the daylight to find that the dealer used double stick tape which was bulging out on the end of the molding strip.... it looked like crap( double stick tape, i mean really?) . I went on amazon, found the box of 40 plastic clips that are used to install the molding strip on the vehicle, purchased the box, it cost me a whole $7. Peeled the molding strip off the car, cleaned the double stick tape off, installed 5 out of the box of 40 clips, and put the strip on myself....this may seem petty, but i took my vehicle to THE DEALER. I mean really, if i cant trust the dealer to take care of a small issue such as this, do i want them repairing my power steering or my brakes? Find a mechanic you trust and stick with them, wish the world had more people like ETCG

Wow, did they replace the airbag? I'd double check that.

Best clock (what it looks to be) ever in the back ground.

thanks for the advice on the hood latch. mine isn't broken but now know how to properly open it :)

I worked at dealership in the detail shop years ago. One of the things we did was a free carwash for every customer no matter how small. If you bought window washer fluid in the parts department you got a carwash. One day a customer in a truck pulled up to just outside the washrack, he and his wife got out, and they started walking towards the service department. We didn't have anything going on so I didn't bother to ask them if they wanted something done with the truck, they were in a hurry so I let them go. a minute later they came charging back, well the wife did anyway, and she theatrically looked at a scratch on the side of the bed and yelled "Honey, somebody scratched your truck". None of us in the detail shop had even taken a step towards it, nobody else had even walked by it. Anyway, she was in full hurricane mode by the time her husband caught up to her, she was going to get unspecified satisfaction for this a front to her sensibilities. The owner of the dealership was an old Midwesterner who worked his tail off and could match anybody in the place for sheer physical output when it was needed. He was also kindness itself, he would go out of his way to help a person who straggled in to his place of business. We were all told just do what a person asks if you know how, and it isn't illegal, nobody ever got fired for helping somebody. With that in mind it shocked me to see the man stand toe to toe with that lady and refuse to entertain even the possibility that anyone at the dealership could be remotely responsible for the scratch on that truck. she out weighed him by a good thirty pounds, and stood over him like Too Tall Jones, but he budged not and inch. We all stood in awe, it just wasn't him. The damage on this truck wouldn't have even come to the price of the monthly birthday cake outlay ( we had a once a month birthday party for whoever had a birthday) so we knew it wasn't money. They took off in a huff threatening to never return and he yelled,YELLED, it would too soon if they did. We couldn't speak, it was just too shocking. He gathered us all around, a few customers even joined in, and he told us about the cameras that he had watching the place. The video clearly showed the scratch being on the truck before they even pulled in to the lot. He said he couldn't let a liar and a cheat win, even a little. He was embarrassed to have had to play out the entire scene publicly like he did but it was more important to draw the line indelibly. When my boss asked what to do if they came back, he said serve them like nothing happened, he just wasn't going to be lied to.

This is exactly why I won't buy a new car. I can service my old 92' celica myself. In 2017 she will be a classic. 😊

Eric, no offense but dealers are crooks and cons with smiles on their faces. You're an honest service tech though so no offense should be taken.

Great video bro. That's awesome 💯

Two things I'm going to add here. First: From a college class on Customer Service I once had: One happy customer will gain you 3 customers, while one bad customer will lose you 7 customers. The SW here could have cost his dealership customers, had Eric called him out on his BS by name; but he didn't. Hat off to you, Eric, for taking the high road. Second: My grandparents once had a 2004 Dodge Caravan. The engine light comes on, diagnosed as a bad O2 sensor. It took them over a year to get the job done right because the techs who did the work were incompetent (not repairing the correct sensor, then three or four visits to calibrate the part properly). Me, I'm like Eric, I work on my own stuff, work on friend's stuff because I don't believe in paying someone else to do the work I know I can do. Lastly, a friend of mine has a 2003 F150 Supercrew. Had to have a new gauge/instrument cluster put in. Ended up doing the simple thing and switching out the circuit board for the cluster because some guy didn't know what he was doing, and ended up tripping the anti-theft system. Had my friend gone to the dealership, would have cost him $400+ to do that job. And people wonder why dealerships have such a bad rep...

In my experience, dealerships have the most inept, negligent, and uncaring mechanics. I hate taking my car in for warranty work. They usually damage some unrelated thing while making the repair then never a take any responsibility and act like you are being picky or unreasonable when you bring it up. I think getting your car damaged by the dealership is part of the experience. When something doesn't get damaged I feel like I just haven't found whatever it is they broke yet, because they almost always do something.

I think ERIC needs to watch his own video. He clearly said he wanted them to give him a new cable. And being a tech he should know that the dealership is going to see he glued it. So part broken , part glued , customer wants new part. That's called a scammer and then you get treated like so.

Took my E39 to the dealership for an alignment after installing new tie rods and not only did they do an excellent alignment, they also performed my airbag recall service while it was there and i didn't even have to ask them. They loaned me a brand new 2016 3series to putz around in for a day which i also wasnt expecting as well. They washed my car and did a multipoint inspection to boot. All for the price of an alignment which was a reasonable cost. It was a nice touch getting into my clean car and seeing a brand new airbag cover with new roundel in the center (mine was a bit scratched and faded). Got to drive a new 3 series which honestly felt really numb compared to my E39 but it was cool none the less. Great dealership experience and im not a fan of dealerships at all but will i go back to them if i have a job that's over my head, YUP. Because i was treated like a valued customer.

I love what you do Eric!!! You're right on point that we are tired of dealing with this crap from the dealership (and some local shops). My car was under warranty and I went into the Acura dealer once for ground outs in the audio system. They kept the car for a day and could not figure out the problem, but they blamed 2 aftermarket speakers I had on the car and recommended I buy the stock speakers from them. After googling, I learned about the BIG 3 in car audio, did the work myself, problem solved.

Sorry Eric I think you and your videos are great but I think your in the wrong here. You broke the cable and done a bodged repair on it. The dealership do not owe you a cable or an apology (maybe an apology for the attitude but not the cable) honestly I think your more pissed that you forgot to warn them of the weak cable. Sorry dude but I don't agree.

Should have bought a Toyota. Nothing ever breaks.

I owned a Saturn SL1 for 19 years; only once was I treated in a poor way. A young lady in a particular office was very pretty and the fellow who was supposed to be doing "whatever" my car needed was in this girls office. After an hour I went and made a point to describe what I was watching (before smart phones existed) and as I result I was not only treated like a "king" but the cost of the work as slashed. I miss Saturn - thank you for sharing your experience. I love you videos !

You're an amazing mechanic and seem like a very honorable individual...thanks for your informative videos.

YOU broke the hood latch and did one of your shotty repairs and want them to replace? You were wrong here.

thank you for keeping me away from the dealer and bad service and saving me a lot of money over the past few years keep up the good work it might not be for my exact car but I look to you and a few others on the tube anytime I have a issue thank you thank you thank

I'm also a former ASE certified tech, heavy line at a Ford/Mercury dealer for 14 years. I bought a 1993 Mustang Cobra brand new at a local Ford dealer. This being AZ, the battery died in two years. The first one was replaced without incident. Two years later, the second battery gave up. Still under a pro-rata warranty, I brought it into the dealer for a replacement. The service writer told me that the tech stated that the alternator was defective, they wouldn't put a new battery in before it was replaced, and the replacement was $410. The car had 6,500 miles on it. I asked to see the tech and the car, they didn't want me back there but finally relented, and the tech hooked up his VAT 40 and showed me that the alternator was charging at 11.8 volts at idle. I asked him to remove the cables from the battery, and I pulled my Fluke meter out of my pocket. The tech got a worried look on his face. I connected the probes to the battery, and my reading was 13.7 volts at idle. I looked at both the service writer and the tech, and politely but sternly told them to put a battery in the car. 25 minutes later, the tech drove the car back to the service drive, and I thanked him and drove off. When I got back home, I popped the hood and saw that A) The battery was at an angle, because the tech had placed it on top of instead of under the hold-down clamp, and B) The negative battery cable was tightened up so tightly that the lead was smashed and the terminal was cracked all around. I went back to the dealer, stormed into the service manager's office, and told him that I wanted a new cable, and I wanted that tech written up for the vindictive incident. They gave me a new cable (a pain to install because it is wrapped in a wiring loom) and I put it in myself. They also gave me two free services, which I didn't use, and an apology. Like you Eric, as a former dealer tech, I was well aware of bad people working the bays, and put up with them from a different perspective while I was on the job. The satisfaction usually came from seeing them let go because of personality problems. But to have it happen to you later on is grating, because it tells you that they are still there and that nothing has changed.

I'm glad this happened to you. I feel like alot of the time people can't relate to us muggles like you said, That's the exact same reason why I dove into fixing my own cars because of the horrible experience I had when I went in for warranty work and after 6 times of the same issue I had enough.

Eric that's happened to me as well. That's why I watch your channel so that I never have to worry about going to a dealership service department ever again.

I have an Acura. I had it serviced where I bought it, but noticed the service was horrible. I then started going to to another Acura dealer about 10 miles from that one and the service was great. It's hit and miss with these dealers. We also have a Mercedes and their dealership customer service is the worst.

You're a good guy Eric. You've always seemed like a very level headed kind of person. And that is an admirable thing. Trying to determine the real source of your anger on the way back to the dealership says a lot about you! A lot of people I know would have flew off the handle in a blind rage.

Yeah, seen this a million times, and experienced it almost as many. I do photography for various dealerships, one of which is a Honda dealership, and they keep the spare keys behind the service desk, so I've listened in on MANY conversations. One time a customer came in, he asked for a part he'd ordered on the phone, and the guy at service was like "well what's the name for the order." He told the service guy his name was James, and that's all he had said over the phone because the person told him a first name was all he needed and they had the part in stock. Then the service guy said "Well that's not how we do things, so there has to be a name on the order. Who did you talk to?" The guy didn't remember the name, so the service guy sighed VERY LOUDLY and stormed into the back room and said "I'll try to find the part." Right then and there I thought... if I had never been to your dealership before and you shit on me like that? I'd be telling the manager you should be fired. Customers are how you make your money, I've done a lot of jobs and dealt with a lot of angry customers. I've licked boots on problems I didn't create, and to see a guy treat a customer like that just made my blood boil.

I know exactly how you feel, you still seem like it aggravates you, but you're a good guy Eric! Keep up the good work (y)

I'm glad you posted this! This is the main reason I don't take my truck to the dealer and instead give my business to a mom and pop shop. Better customer service and cheaper!

I haven't really had too bad of experiences at dealerships. The last time I visited a dealership, I was there because I could change the battery in the remote fob. It turns out, the screw that holds the fob together was stripped. So, instead of making me buy a new key (the fob and key are one piece) they took it back to try if they could get it open. Well, I waited and a few minutes later, they return to me and say that they were able to fix the key. What amazes me is that they went out of their way and actually saved me a lot of money and they actually pryed the backing off without breaking it and was able to replace the battery. When I checked out, all they charged me was the price of the battery. I was very grateful and will be returning to that dealership.

LMAO, my computer almost BSOD'd at 7 seconds and made Eric sound like an alien. That was amazing.

Eric, sorry to hear about this experience. I took my mothers '03 Element to the Honda dealer about 3 months ago to take care of this same recall. They ordered the parts right then and there and scheduled me for the next day. Brought the car in, and I mentioned that the airbag light was on (A different issue from the airbag recall entirely) My service advisor said he would have the tech look into it and let me know. Eventually the car was done and I was told to come sign some paperwork and retrieve the keys. I'm thinking great, they totally forgot to check into the airbag light that was on and fill me in. Turns out the tech ran a test or whatever and found out it was a bad sensor in the passenger seatbelt buckle and they replaced the unit entirely, no charge for the buckle or labor. Comparing it to your situation, guess it comes down to circumstances. Being at the right place at the right time, on the right day??? On a side not, I always refuse the carwashes. All they do is rub others peoples grit against your clearcoat ;)

Its refreshing to hear someone from the automotive repair field rant about this as well. I LOATHE going to a stealership of ANY kind. I dropped off my Dakota at a dealership for a clicking coming from the rear end at low speed. I get a phone call to the effect of "Your truck with only 50,000 miles on it has a burned up rear axle." They didn't specify what part of the axle, just that it was toast and could they please have a check for $2,400 to rebuild it. I told them to seal it back up as is and Ill pick it up later. I brought it home and removed the rear tires and brakes to have a look myself and realized the parking brake shoe material had separated from the shoes themselves, and was clicking against the hub assembly as it rolled around inside the hat of the disc. At speed, they stuck to the inside of the hat and were silent. Most other people would have been robbed of $2,400 for a new set of e-brake shoes. I guarantee they knew exactly what the problem was, they would have taken the money, thrown a set of $40 shoes on it, and wouldn't have even touched the axle. By the way, the truck is now 13 years old, has 195,000 miles on it, and that axle is still buttery smooth and silent. Talk about poor customer service. 10 different people were all in on ripping me off, and blatantly lied to my face.

I recently took my 5 speed swapped E39 530i in to the dealer for the takata airbag recall. It's never been worked on by anyone but myself, aside from an alignment and windshield. The service adviser was cool as hell and treated me in a sort of relaxed, casual way. He saw me sitting in some new 320i and jokingly made fun of me for not sitting in the various new M cars. They didn't mess up anything on my car, got me a whole new airbag with a new BMW logo (old one was cracked and faded), and didn't try to sell me anything. They washed my car well (normally I don't like other people washing my car but they did a good job). They topped up my washer fluid (although the tank is cracked and it all leaked out in two weeks lmao) which leads me to believe they may have checked all my other fluids. What really satisfied me was just the fact that they took the time to do all that and never once tried to make a penny off me. All they said before I left was that they hoped I'd be a customer in the future if I ever decide to buy a new BMW. I was happy with the experience to say the least.

I use to work in a dealership as a service and sales porter, washing cars lot arrangement and such. I do have to agree service advisors job is tough and it can get crazy I think the porters have it worse. at lease that's how I felt there. and for minimum wage in that position we are expendable. that's why I'm currently going back to school because I did enjoy the experience I had learned from there. and it made me to want to build off of that and make a career out of something more in a technician aspect things any advice there is welcomed. Eric great videos they've helped me quite a bit sometimes even when I didn't need the hand it made tnings more simple. the advice and overall info is really great. keep up the great work.

Will you make a video about how to replace the hood cable? I might just need it for my Accord. As far as I can work out, its just a few clips and the hardest part is routing the thing through the car?

About six months ago, I was looking for a Ford Ranger. I decided that a Ranger pickup truck would be my first vehicle and that was that. My father, who was in full support of my decision (both major fans of the vehicle) had found a local dealership about 15 minutes away who had a (I believe it was) a 2002, yellow, Ford Ranger. So, with that, he arranged an appointment. After dinner we went over to the dealership to look at the vehicle in person. Now bear in mind that on the phone, they agreed that we could work the vehicle within my budged, which was 4 grand or less. So we get there and I test drive the vehicle. It handled nicely, and there wasn't anything majorly wrong with it. That being said, the rear jump seats (extended cab 4 door) were removed and there were large positive and negative cables laying in the floor from when someone had some sort of music equipment inside it. Also on the vehicle were 4 large, chrome wheels, obviously not stock. On the cab, there was also some rust, so that needed some paint. All of that could have been fixed, so we agreed to talk money. Low and behold they slap a 7 THOUSAND dollar price tag down in front of me. Remember when I said my budget was 4 grand or less and that they would work with this? Well to them this means financing. So needless to say we left without the vehicle. First time with a dealer, LAST time with a dealer.

Wow this is one of the most interesting videos I have watched today.

sorry that happened to you so far i havent had a bad experience with my dealership but im always nervous when having to go in

Experiences like this are what drove me to start watching channels like Eric's. You can't get a dealer service department to spit on you for less than $500 these days, and I can't afford that. I've learned through people like Eric that I can very often do things myself for a fraction of the cost and gain a sense of accomplishment at the same time.

Great Rant!

I feel you, I recently had my 2014 GMC Terrain in for my warranty repair.

Thank you for trying to make the mechanic's life easier, ETCG. I used to be a car mechanic.

I actually had some very good experiences at my local Honda dealer. (Joyce Koons in Manassas, VA) They got me to change my mind about taking my car to the dealer for things. I've had worse experiences and paid more with many independent shops in my area. But thanks to you, I don't darken the door of any repair shop very often any more.

I used to have an Element also, Took mine in for an oil change to the Honda dealer I bought it from. They brought back out to me later, I paid the price and was ready to leave when i just decided to check the oil to make sure they changed it. Thank gosh I checked it. There wasn't any oil on the dipstick? I called the service manager over and asked him to check the oil, He did, he put the stick back into the car and it came out clean, He replaced it and asked me if I had a few minutes I could wait? I said sure no problem. He called the mechanics and the go to guys out and had them push my car back into the shop, He also gave me free car washes for a whole year free. To this day after any and all oil changes I check my oil before I leave any business. I also found a recall on line for the Element that had to do with the brakes and the ride stabilizer? they are connected to each other, The dealership said the recall wasn't in effect as of yet and there was nothing they could do. So I was getting an oil change anyway and to go to guy gets in my car and heads into the shop with it, He came back later and told me I should have someone look at my brakes, because he almost ran into the wall, he had to pump my brakes to stop. The Service manager set me up with a appointment the next week to do the recall.

I had a service "advisor" advise me that my 2011 RAV4 could not use synthetic oil (which I requested) because I had only run conventional in it up to that point. She said I could not switch to synthetic or vice versa. I nearly shit right there on the service floor. I asked her to provide the Toyota TSB which specifically stated that one could not switch between synthetic and conventional oil. Obviously, she could not provide anything. I asked her to visit any oil manufacturer's website and to educated herself on motor oil. Needless to say, an email was sent to the service manager who apologized and confirmed that either oil could be used and that switching is not detrimental to the engine.

My heart goes out to you Eric. Its a new level of frustration when someone who is supposed to be a professional in a field you are very familiar with acts in an untoward way towards you. At that point your blood is boiling and you just want them to know how freaking wrong they are. Been there, done that.

hi Erick! i broke the parking brake latch on my Buick and got a knob made of aluminium at the machine shop! and is GREAT better than new.

Your videos equal empowerment! With all the up most respect to you Eric ~ I have found many people in this industry to be con artists for some reason. There are exceptions like yourself of course, but I have had several bad experiences and that is why I work on my own car. The con game in this business makes no sense to me ~ the few that take care of the small things for people and treat them right have more big business come their way than they can handle. I have had my car purposely torn up and they even admitted that at the dealership after I showed them the video lol. This is why people in the media have no trouble finding rip offs in the industry and people who just treat customers like dirt.

Sounds pretty much like my experience. During the car buying process, they upsold me a tire and wheel protection package on my car. Fast forward to 2 years later: - I get a nail in the sidewall of my tire, they tell me the tire needs replacement which the warranty will cover. I opt to replace 2 tires. In the process, they ruined 2 of my wheel locks and never bothered to remove the old weight adhesive from the inside of the rim. Going back 2 days later after I discovered this, they were apologetic and remedied the situation. - A month later I curbed a wheel, which was covered under the same warranty. They had an outside contractor refinish the wheel. In the process of that, they left silver paint overspray all over the tire and inside of the rim, crossthreaded all 5 lugs, one so badly that the lug nut wasn't even all the way on - which I found before I left the dealers lot. They put me in a loaner and fixed the issues. However, it wasn't even an hour later, I hit the highway and there was a shimmy in the front that wasn't there. They never bothered to rebalance the tire after all of that!!! After having dealt with the idiot hacks at this place, I told them I would never come back for service, because they have incompetent people who rush through their work and make nothing but mistakes in the process.

I have to say as a technician at Monro, the last thing I want to hear from my manager is "it's a warranty job" it flat out sucks major balls. And from my experience behind the magical counter, customers simply do not understand what we (techs) go through each and every day as for working on cars, and it's no excuse for a counter-jockey to be rude. I have always been told to provide service with a smile. As for that particular service writer he was in absolutely no position to be rude to you let alone any customer. At Monro if we techs accidentally break, damage, scratch, or even smudge something on a customer's vehicle, we offer to fix, clean, or even detail whatever was damaged for free. If we are doing an oil change and we ruin the oil drain plug-we replace it for free. If we damage the body on a vehicle-we (techs) pay for the damage (up to a certain amount). We never blame anything on the customer unless they are caught damaging something just to get it for free. We technicians are trained to provide fast service with high quality and kindness. Customers are made or lost from the counter to the bays. Make sure our customers return, never our products.

Hey. Just the video I needed to see. Today we had a bad experience with Mitsubishi. Had a recall come in for perforated crossmember on our 2007 Outlander. The letter says if they find any perforations it's all covered, no cost. So booked it in at our closest dealer. Their first inspection they called it good, no perforating. So ok. A week after that I was under fixing an exhaust rattle. To my surprise I found two very large holes in the cross member. A little pissed off but kept my cool and called up the service manager that dealt with it the first time to give him the chance to make it right. So had it back in, sure enough it needed to be replaced under warranty of course. So we go through the regular hassle of making appointments and delays. They call and try to up sell on more repairs but I'm not going for it. And then we have to call them back later to see if it's ready. So go there to get and are surprised to find there were parts not covered and we needed to pay 80 dollars for bolts!! I've never felt so angry. We argued for 45 minutes on how unacceptable this was. They refused to do anything. What upsets me is that they new Mitsubishi wouldn't cover the parts and never warned us. I have that money to pay it but not everyone does. Total highway robbery.

Sheeeshs, Eric spent all that money buying an Odyssey van at that dealership and they won't give him a $20 hood cable??? Crazy... This is the kind of thing that kills businesses... That dealership just lost a lifetime customer... I would definitely contact the Honda district managers in that area and tell them about your experience...

Sorry to hear about your experience Eric. I've always been treated well at dealerships, but their prices are insane so I avoid them if I can help it.

i've only ever been in a dealership to buy parts. But the whole time i was there i couldnt help but feel like i was being ignored as i was walking through to the parts desk. strange way to treat potential customers.

Good service is important. I have worked as a computer tech and there is nothing like the feeling when customers notice your work or just that they feel heard. Once a guy called me having told me the day before he couldnt come pick his computer up because he was going on a 2 week vacation. I asked him what happened to the vacation and he gave me the most horrid story of his son having run out of his depression medication on tour with his band in germany and subsequently having gotten ahold of other drugs to replace the prescription ones and OD'd and died. I talked to the man calling me for probably 45 minutes on the phone about what happened and my experince of my own depressive disorder. At the end of the conversation he said I might need a week or so before he felt well enough to leave the house for more than a carton of milk. I told him he could come whenever he felt strong enough and not to stress about it. He came the next day and told me that what I had said on the phone made him feel so much better. For me that was one the best feedbacks of any kind I have ever had privatelly or professionally. However I was fired 2 months later for taking too much time with the customers.

nice vid! i've been dealing with the same "clunk" noise from my from driver front side suspension/wheel area. for abt a year now, i've been trying to get a dealership to acknowledge this issue and each time they've done the "test drive" they weren't able to replicate the problem. i get the feeling they just wanna buy time until my warranty runs out. is there anything i can do? i offered to record it with my dashcam and they told me they will not accept the video evidence from a webcam. they must be able to hear it. WTF is going on with these dealers???

for our freightliner most of the time the attitudes from the service writers come from people in our own company they had the dealership send a towtruck to pick up the truck from the lot cause we needed a new radiator and that would be under the warranty it was perfectly drivable (we knew the coolant was slowly going missing during mountain climbs had to fill it once a month) dealership takes it to sit for 3 days turns out to be a hose clamp nothing like a 400 dollar price for something that advance sells for $7.99

Few days ago I had the oil pan gasket replaced on my truck. They had to raise the engine so it could be removed. Now it has developed a weird symptom. When you shift into park the idle will drop to around 300 RPM almost stopping the engine. Then it goes back and then back down. It does this for 5 seconds then finally evens out. Then when you drive it wants to hesitate for a few minutes then it goes back to normal. The shop also replaced the oil pressure sensor and pcv valve. Guess I will have to take it back and see what is up.

Those hood latches are the worse part of the car... they break all the time. That being said.. its odd Honda employees would have broken it..and i am shocked and appalled at the way that service writer treated you.. But, like you said, it brought you closer to understanding those of your viewers who have to deal with that crap when ever they need work done to thier cars.. and that is why you experienced it. You can be thankful to Mr bloodshot eyes for that. Nothing happens with out reason. Keep doin' what you are doing, sir. You do awesome work!

Had to take my moms car into a ford dealership for a airbag warranty recall as well as some faulty side glass sealing on her fusion. Service department, nicest people in the world, I was very impressed, I had to sit there and wait for the work to be done because I didn't live in the town the dealership was in, but one guy in the service shop offered to take me to my brothers apartment I declined, but what I HATE about dealerships, is the pure fact that it's all a money game now, cars are made to break now, I drive a 2000 GMC sierra OEM Engine and Transmission, with 320,000 miles on it because my dad took care of it, and passed it down to me, and I've taken care of it. I feel like those times are over, I feel like cars are becoming SO expensive to work on even by yourself, that they have about a 6-10 year lifespan now, compared to something like my 2000 Sierra. that I can get a transmission for 500$, or a motor for 650$, those are the two most expensive things I'd ever need. After watch what dealers did to my mom, I'd never consider anything new. 2004 is my cutoff, that seems to be the last decent year. Everything I've ever fixed on that truck has been so simple, oil changes are simple, you just don't see cars or trucks built that way anymore.... Don't even get me started on companies doubling spark plugs, and O2 sensors for "Fuel economy".

When I bought my Honda Civic, I asked about rust-proofing. They sold me a package for $700 that included lifetime, yearly rust-proofing and repair to any part of the body that rusts, plus the rustproofing was transferable if I sold the car. I was happy to buy it. After the first year, I went to get my car rust-proofed/Sprayed. The dealership refused and said they only apply the rustproofing if the car 'needs it'. But when I bought the rustproofing package for $700, I specifically asked them if I could come every year to get the application done, and they say 'Yes, you can come every year.'

My older brother went to a dodge dealership with his 2008 dakota that had a clogged catalytic converter. The people working on his vehicle wanted to replace all the oxygen sensors and charge some outrageous 600 dallor number for that and the new cat so my older brother declined and as a result someone at the dealership removed his antenna and his parking brake pad. Really just an annoying thing. Shows how childish some of those younger workers can be when they don't get their way. Just an add on Ford dealerships will often try to sell ford 6.4 powerstroke owners an ENTIRE engine for a whopping 17,000 dallors if the timing case to their engine goes bad which they often do.