Ask Edmunds.com's Online Service Advisor

bonnie_rick

you might want to take a look through our Smart Shopper Conference for more answers to your questions.

Bonnie Rick
Conferences Manager, Edmunds.com Town Hall

racerx_9

Unfortunately for you, this forum has turned into "My car does this, how can I fix it"

Folks, autos are hard enough to diagnoise in person, having them diagnoised on a chat board is next to impossible. If you don't have a general question, it will be tough to answer.

Neil, could you give some insight into what traits make up a good customer in the dealers eyes and which ones are Pains In the....

Do dealers treat repeat customers who do their oil changes / schedule maintenance with them better then people who come in to the dealer as a last resort because no one else can figure out what's wrong with their car?

If yes, in what ways?

Thanks

pat455

Thanks.

I'm sure lots of folks would be interested in Neil's perspective on your questions.

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

pat455

Maybe you could explain in a little more detail than you did when you introduced yourself about the role of a service advisor.

All I know is that mine at my Acura dealer spends most of his time on the phone, while I stand there between sentences trying to either say what I need done, or ask what they just did. ;-)

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

bhedden

I would like to know if someone could give me a rough idea as to what 5500 miles on a 2000 truck would be worth in terms of money off the vehicle?

pat455

Our Smart Shopper Conference is an excellent resource for pricing questions such as yours.

Steve has offered you an opinion - if you'd like to pursue this some more, take a look at the topic list there for an appropriate topic for your question.

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

im2relxd

Thanks to Edmunds I am buying a used (9,000miles) Buick Park Ave which I am picking up in a week from the dealer. I have a question on extended warranties. Do I have to purchase it now even though I have 2 yrs left on the present Buick warranty or can I purchase it just before it expires.

pat455

Our Finance, Warranty and Insurance Conference is the best place for you to look for help with your question.

Take a look at the topic list to find a conversation already underway where your question will fit in.

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

fritz1224

Yeah racer, those aresome of the exact things I've been wondering about. Neil said he wasn't a tech, but there sure are a lot of those type questions.
Neil, do the service reps get tired of seeing our smiling faces even when legitimate, visible problems are brought to their attention? Not problems involving smells, rattles, squeaks, etc.
Honda dealership has replaced a window(visible scratch); window rain channel(3 inch opening due to improper installation); hard starting (required Honda approved replacement of fuel pressure regulator and computer).
Is there scrutiny of the service dept. in regards to the amount of warranty work they allow? Is there a limit on how much warranty work they are willing to do?
I find my seatbelt in a heap on the floor due to a weak retractor. Service rep says that's normal. The car's only a year old. He did say he would replace it and has ordered one. But he again said the new one would probably perform the same way. Would you know if the entire seat belt assembly will need to be replaced or can just the retractor be replaced using the existing belt, buckles, etc?

neil_chirico

Call you nearest Jeep dealer and see if the can still acquire the part for you. If they can not ask them to run a dealer search as one of the dealers may have that part sitting on a shelf somewhere gathering dust. After that your best bet is going to be a salvage yard to get a used part as your chances for finding it in the aftermarket are slim to none.

neil_chirico

Please check response number 23 in this section as I have already covered this question, thanks.

neil_chirico

Please review the stories, Maintenance Madness and Maintenance Madness II and they will answer your questions. I have included the links below:

http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/editorial/features/maintenancemadness/maint1.html

http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/editorial/features/maintenancemadness/maint2.html

neil_chirico

Sorry, you did say Land Cruiser, not Rover. The only other option is the aftermarket. You have many online sources to purchase car audio from, but to get the equipment installed you would want to purchase locally. Ask around for advice from friends and co-workers as to recommended shops.

neil_chirico

I'm sorry, I am here to help with your service advisor related questions, but I will forward your question to the correct person here at Edmunds.com.

neil_chirico

When I was a service advisor at the dealer level and I got asked that question I would generally respond with the same answer every time. For each person the answer is going to be different, but here is some information to help you with your decision. If you get rid of your vehicle and purchase a new vehicle you will have a new vehicle warranty that covers everything except maintenance and wear items throughout the warranty period, except for some newer vehicles that have included maintenance plans as part of the purchase. With those new vehicle payments you will have new car insurance premiums and registrations fees. You can look at used vehicles but keep in mind that most people do not sell vehicles that are great reliable, low-cost vehicles to own, they are usually getting rid of a problem vehicle. Often you will still have payments to make, although lower that a new vehicle, and possible higher insurance premiums and registration fees for owning a newer vehicle. Lastly consider what you are putting into your current vehicle every month in maintenance and consider that your monthly payment. If you are spending $1200 a year on maintenance and have no payments then $100 per month is not a bad situation to be in. Now each person is going to be different, but decide what your best option is considering that you can not drive for free, they all cost money to own and drive. Maybe for what you are spending in maintenance on your current vehicle, keeping it is your best option, but maybe you are spending enough so a newer used vehicle is a better bet. For some it will be just to purchase a new vehicle. Look at the big picture and decide what is best for you and your financial situation, that is your answer.

neil_chirico

I never got tired of seeing some of my repeat customers. What many fail to realize is that your service advisor is there to help. To get you through what can be, and is, considered the toughest part of owning a vehicle, spending money on it for maintenance or worse, repairs. Since you work at the dealer you are automatically considered untrustworthy and to earn that trust takes time and dedication. I had many repeat customers over the years and many became friends that I was happy to see. Not because they would be spending money with me, but because I had a relationship with them and it made both of our lives easier. Even some of your regular customers can be difficult to deal with and but at least you knew what their expectations were. Would I give repeat customers better treatment than others? Maybe, but I'd like to think I gave all of my customers good service. I did have my favorites, sure, but it was the people that treated me as their friend, and with respect.

neil_chirico

Check out the link below to a story I did on just that subject:

http://www.edmuinds.com/edweb/editorial/features/extended.warranties/index.html

neil_chirico

No complaint is too small if it is not right, even the squeaks. You should get all concerns looked at and taken care of before the vehicle goes out of warranty. Service departments are generally paid by the manufacturers for the warranty claims performed. If the dealer is getting a number of reoccurring claims in a certain area the manufacturer may request an audit be done to make sure they are legitimate claims. Replacing it with a new seat belt may not get you the results you were expecting, but it can't hurt to try. I experienced this exact concern first hand when I was working for a dealer, so I will concur with what your service advisor told you, the situation may not improve with a new part.

pat455

Methinks Neil is a bit overworked tonight, here is a link that works a bit better to his extended warranty article:

Extended Warranties: Extending The Joys Of Ownership

:-)

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

cmd5

Help... My '95 Dodge Ram loses power while I'm driving 50 - 70 mph. It idles fine without skipping. Where do I start??

neil_chirico

Pat, I was answering those questions on Sunday from EdmundsLive in Los Angeles and I was looking the addresses up on one computer and transferring the information to the other, so I may have made a mistake. Thanks for catching it.

neil_chirico

I would check to see if the engine management system has any fault codes stored in it. If none are stored then proceed with other tests, checking fuel pressure and putting it on a scope, items which may not show up as engine management fault codes. Other possibilities include a partially plugged catalytic converter. Unless you have the experience and equipment required I would recommend a professional.

agraf

Hi:
there is a churning (tkrrr) noise coming from the front right hand side when the car, at low speed, goes through a bump or a small pavement height difference.It is even more noticeable in concrete roads when one slab is lower than the preceding one, say 1", and the car is going under 20mph. I went to the dealer when the car was under warranty, but to no avail. Now that the car is out of warranty (38000 miles) the noise is increasing. Have you ever heard of this problem? It seems to be common since there is a service bulletin, that my toyota dealer will not let me see.

Ref. Service Bulletin Number: SU00398
Bulletin Sequence Number: 219
Date of Bulletin: 9808
NHTSA Item Number: SB602177
Make: TOYOTA
Model: CAMRY
Year: 1998
Component: SUSPENSION:INDEPENDENT FRONT
Summary: A GROAN OR CURNCH NOISE MAY BE HEARD FROM THE FRONT SUSPENSION WHEN DRIVING OVER SPEED BUMPS OR DIPS IN THE ROADWAY. *YC

dcwld

I own a 93 Sts with the 32 Northstar engine. The car had a bad mis so I replaced the plugs and wires.

When I replaced the plugs the first thing I
noticed is that one plug was burning with a white-
spray paint type of coating on it. The rest were
burning dark as normal for the 70,000 on them . But
the one in the back cylinder was white. I replaced
all of them . 1000 miles later the mis is back

So I replaced the plug in the one rear cylinder
with another plug and the car ran a little better
but the new plug was burning white again.

Does anyone have any clue what that means when a
plug burns white. The car runs with a bad mis and
when I rev it sometimes it backfires in the
cylinder. Could it be a hung up valve doing this or
could it be an injector ??? Anyone with info please
help I am losing my mind over this thing...
THANKS.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

gauge613

95 Laredo 4.06 stalls coasting to stop even if engine hot.Idle speed varies from 300-700 sitting in drive at light. This is very intermittent and has persisted for one year. Car has 57000 miles.No trouble on acceleration.Does not stall cold but idle speed never above 700.New fuel filter.Engine temp gauge never hot or above 160 even after prolonged running.New radiator.

msharp3831

Help! Last fall we went to our Acura dealer and
turned in our SLX lease (1 or 2 months) early. We
were told that our preferred lease buyers credit
would take care of our mileage overage and our last
payments (2 mos.) The SLX tires were bad and
there was damage to the front and right bumper. We
handed over the SLX and drove away in our new 2.5
TL. A month later we received a bill for over
2500.00 for mileage overage, new tires, repair to
the bumper, a cracked windshield, and repair to
both front doors. We tried to reason with them.
They informed us we had a right to be at the lease
end inspection. We were not aware there was a
lease end inspection, we assumed we turned the SUV
in for the TL and had a done deal per our new
contract with the dealer. The windshield was not
cracked, there was no damage to any doors. We knew
the tires were bad and the front bumper was
damaged. We thought by what our dealer told us
our transaction was completed and the damage was
part of the trade to a new lease. They have now
put us in to collection and I don't know what to
do? What is correct, what are our legal rights?
HELP!!!

pat455

We have lots and lots (and lots!) of leasing topics all over Town Hall that can probably provide some assistance to you.

Neil may be able to help but I'm not sure that his role here as "service advisor" quite fits your question. While you are waiting to see if he has any suggestions, why don't you use the Topic Search feature on the left side of the page for lease - you will find several topics into which your question will fit very nicely.

Good luck.

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

elcue54

Help please! The windshield of my 94 E320 MBenz fogs on the OUTSIDE when it is above 80 degrees and my AC is on. It occurs in all the AC modes. I removed a few leaves from screen below windshield, but it didn't help. Didn't do this until I moved from MI to New Orleans. Many thanks.

neil_chirico

I would recommend a few things to do. First try the same Toyota dealer and be sure to find a bump that the technician can easily access that duplicates the concern. If they can not diagnose the concern, then try another dealer and repeat the process. If the new dealer can not duplicate the concern,THEN ask for a copy of that bulletin. More often than not the concerns are not able to be duplicated by the technicians. The answer to that is to either give then very specific information or take them for a ride to an area where you know you can duplicate it. Asking them to go for a ride without this knowledge is like hunting or fishing, and very time consuming.

neil_chirico

Wow, that sounds like a tough one. My first thought is, has the fuel pressure been checked? Most likely the first test performed would have been an EEC test which checks the engine management system. On an 87 Taurus, I don't believe it is able to check fuel pressure, you still have to hook up a gauge to get that information. Fuel pressure should be checked static and while driving. I would even recommend watching the fuel pressure after the vehicle is shut off to see what occurs. Talk to the service manager and ask for some help for your situation. Explain to him or her that you want the vehicle fixed but do not want to spend money guessing on repairs. We used to call that the shotgun approach, keep replacing parts until you get to the correct one.

neil_chirico

This sounds very much like a partially clogged fuel injector. A white electrode indicates a lean burn condition which would come from too little fuel being mixed with the amount of air being delivered to that cylinder. I would recommend having the system professionally diagnosed. If you like to gamble you may try either having the injectors cleaned or replace that one injector, but again I'd recommend having it diagnosed first.

neil_chirico

I would recommend having it inspected by a professional to have a proper diagnosis. It could be in the engine management or the fuel delivery systems. This is almost impossible to diagnose via the computer, sorry.

neil_chirico

Thanks pat455, I really do not have any experience in the sales end of the automotive industry. Good luck, though.

neil_chirico

I have never heard of this type of concern before. I would be inclined to guess that the A/C is blowing through the windshield defroster vents and super cooling your windshield to the point where condensation is forming. Have it inspected by a professional, but try to be able to formulate a list of what needs to be done to duplicate the concern. Keep in mind weather conditions, outside air temperature and other variables that could help the technician duplicate your concern. Take notes and leave a copy with the technician.

sam775

Hi Neil. I have a 99 Cirrus, AT, with the 2.5L V-6. About three weeks ago the car started to cut off the moment I would start it. I would start it back up with no problem and the problem only occurred when the car was cold from sitting for a period of time. Now, this problem has gotten worse over the past few days, where the engine feels as though it's lost power (really noticeable on the highway) and it's to the point where I have to hold the gas at 1000 rpm so the car won't cut off (yes, I'm holding the brake as well). If I let up off the gas it will cut off most of the time when it drops below 500 RPM. It runs fine on the highway (except for the lack of power), but city driving is a mess with the car constantly cutting off if I don't hold the gas. My car has just over 9K miles with all service done to date (including synthetic oil changes). My appointment day is coming up next week and I just wanted to know what you think the problem could be. Thanks in advance for your help.

neil_chirico

Since I am not a technician, if I had to guess, I'd say it could be fuel or engine management related. It could be a weak fuel pump or possible vacuum line disconnected, although you'd likely hear an air leak type noise with a line disconnected. On the engine management side, it could be a Throttle Position sensor or Air Flow sensor. Keep in mind that you have probably more than a dozen sensors that give information to the computer which it uses to operate the engine.

jquaratella

I'm shopping for a Toyota Sienna and negotiating. I was told by the salesman that Toyota charges this TDA, Toyota Dealer Advertising Fee, to all dealers and is part of the invoice.

This does not concur with what your web site says? Is this true?

slinc

I have received a great price on a 2001 4Runner however the interest on a 48 month lease is more than $13,ooo. That seems extremely high. The finacial person keeps talking about money factor, residual, and terms of the lease. My question is two fold. First, should the residual be based on the MSRP or the actual price i am paying (there is about a $6,000 difference)? Second, how do i know what % is realistic for a residual,and does it fluctuate weather the term is 36 months or 48? Oh yea, what is the money factor and does it to fluctuate with the term?

pigrap

I am thinking about buying a Nissan Pathfinder and an option they are trying to sell me is a "limited slip differential" for $240. What does that do and is it important to get?

alcan

A conventional or open differential will deliver all the torque to the tire with the least grip (think of vehicles in snow, mud, etc with one rear wheel spinning and going nowhere). Limited slip differentials are torque sensitive and will lock both axle shafts to the rotating diff. case through multiple disc or cone clutches under low traction conditions, delivering equal torque to both rear tires. Izzit important to get? Depends on where you plan on driving.

lkc3

96 Chevey blazer outside temperature gauge reads about 25 degrees hotter that outside. Heater core recently went bad and has been replaced. Any ideas why the differnce in temp and how to fix it.

pat455

jquaratella, if you do a Topic Search (feature on left side of the page) for advertising you will find a topic in our Smart Shopper conference that addresses your question.

slinc, I suggest you visit our Finance, Warranty and Insurance Conference and look for an active topic that addresses your questions.

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

johnnn513

I own a 1999 Mercedes SLK and its been many years since I have had a rear wheel sports car. I am looking for any info on what to expect in the snow with this car. Also I would like to good choice of snow tires for winter driving. Thanks for your help.

pat455

You might want to check this topic in our Sportscars, Coupes and Convertibles Conference:

1999 SLK 230 Mercedes (Topic #85)

And here in Maintenance & Repair, you could look through this topic:

Tires (Topic #16)

There is a Topic Search feature on the left side of the page that is very helpful in tracking down discussions that may be of interest to you.

Good luck.

Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference

jamesk7

How do the new GM cars with the chip in the key resist auto theft? I realize they can always tow it away.Do the auto thieves have any success hot wiring them?-------jamesk7

chitwnchk

Does anyone have any information on the reliability of this model? I found a used one for my daughter--but want to know if it will hold up for her or not.

carltom

Hi,

I need some solid advice. I am very interested in buying a 1998 Subaru Forester with automatic trans and it has 26,000 miles on it. My problem is my mechanic checked the car out twice and he says the car "chatters" when you make a sharp turn. The Sales manager says it has a brand new AWD system in it and after awhile it will "loosen up". The dealer says my mechanic doesn't understand that many AWD cars have that effect when you make a sharp turn. Is that true? I am skeptical.

diyf

I have 1995 Neon with about 78000 miles on it. Recently, I have seen coolant bubbling and making gargling noises when the car is turned off after a trip. The coolant was replaced about three month ago. '95 Neons are prone to head gasket problems. Is this a indication of head gasket problem? Though, I don't have any other problem and head gasket was never replaced. Could there be some other reasons for the bubbling?

huskerone

I have a 1998 Passport that when braking and almost at a stop the idle will surge greatly. You must quickly put the vehicle into neutral while jamming on the brakes. I've seen Rodeo reviews that mentioned this and have seen other posts on this site that have mentioned this, but no explanation or method of correction. I have an appointment at the Honda dealer in a couple days, and I'm afraid that they will not be able to do anything. They've already said that they have never heard of this problem. I'm concerned about driving the vehicle as you never know when this problem will come up. Please help....

snomojoe

My 2000 DTS with 300 HP Northstar engine with 10000 all highway miles is using one quart oil per 1000-1500 miles. Car was carefully "broken in" as per owners manual instructions. Is this oil consumption normal for this engine? Seems excessive to me.