Bait & Switch and Other Bad Advertising Tactics

verdugo · August 2010

And the dealer rates are not too different than some mechanic ,,like 100 vs 65.

I agree with you about only doing service at the dealer. However, I disagree about the rates not being too different between $100 and $65.

In your example, a mechanic at a dealership is 53% more expensive than the "Spiffy Jube" one. That's quite a bit more.

deltheking · August 2010

I think you meant 35% .

Still,it is a Honda/Toyota certified tech with all latest diagnostic equipment with access to all the latest TSB`s,computer codes and direct access to the manufacturer hotline vs a local mechanic who has no access to these or has no funds to buy that equipment. Cars are getting so computerized so fast nowadays that the indie guy just cant keep up with. And the comfort and convenience of the dealership is very useful. :shades:

The 100 vs 65 price is not an apples to apples comparison. The dealer uses OEM parts with the latest equipment and the facilities to entertain yourself are greater and nicer and cleaner. Try finding that at a local mechanic. Plus he mostly uses non OEM cheap parts,has poor to pathetic facilities and no new diagnostic tools . Just my opinion.

verdugo · August 2010

I think you meant 35%

Nope, I was correct. You're looking at it the other way. The spiffy lube tech is 35% cheaper than the dealership one.

100/65 = 53% I chose to phrase it as I did b/c 53% sounds more dramatic. :shades:

Having said that, I agree with you. I always go to the dealer. I have prepaid 6 oil changes for $99. That's $16.5 per oil change. You can't beat that.

roadburner · August 2010

The dealer uses OEM parts with the latest equipment and the facilities to entertain yourself are greater and nicer and cleaner. Try finding that at a local mechanic. Plus he mostly uses non OEM cheap parts,has poor to pathetic facilities and no new diagnostic tools.

I think that's a gross and inaccurate generalization. Look, I use a BMW and a Mazda dealer that are first-rate. Bus -as jipster will attest- my closest Mazda dealer is almost totally inept and/or greedy when it comes to sales, parts, or service(and I'll bet the farm that they were the source of the misleading invoice iipster cited). If I needed Mazda service in the Louisville area I'd use one of the excellent independent shops. I also have a terrific indie BMW tech. A good indie shop will use OEM parts or the equivalent. And I'll take a modest shop with good techs over an inept dealer service department- even if the dealer has a latte machine in the waiting room...

jipster · August 2010

as jipster will attest- my closest Mazda dealer is almost totally inept and/or greedy when it comes to sales, parts, or service(and I'll bet the farm that they were the source of the misleading invoice iipster cited

Correct on both accounts. The wife and I will probably be looking to buy another car in the not to distant furture. We both like the Mazda 5, but I have such little faith in both local Mazda dealerships for service, we'll probably go with something else.

A good indie shop will use OEM parts or the equivalent

I recently had an ignition coil replaced in our Mazda MPV. I called an independent and asked for estimate, and they did use OEM parts on coils and plugs. There are cheaper ignition coils out there, so they didn't try to skimp on quality. The thing was the repair was a little more complicated, and I had only gone to this independent one time for a coolant change, so I ended up going to our Neil Huffman friend. While I do think they did a good job on the repair (knock on wood), they did hand me a rather large dose of B.S. i.e "Bring the car in it's a 4 hour job" (really about a 2 hour, I had an early morning apt. kept calling during the day... they kept saying they were working on another car at the same time blah blah delay delay). About 10 hours later they call and say it needs another part, should be in in 2 days. The part comes in 4 days later. I have to call a couple times a day to check on the status of my vehicle, as they don't call me. The cars done Thursday evening (6 days later) but they don't call me till Friday morning.

Like anything you have good and bad dealerships (and everything in between) the same as you do the indies. I have yet to find a good indie, so for the more complicated work I'll still take it into the Mazda dealership and hope for the best.

roadburner · August 2010

Like anything you have good and bad dealerships (and everything in between) the same as you do the indies. I have yet to find a good indie, so for the more complicated work I'll still take it into the Mazda dealership and hope for the best.

Some of the local Mazda guys like "Dr. Zoom" on Shelbyville Road. No personal experience, but I'm probably going to use them to install some Bilstein HDs on the MS3.

midnightsurfer · August 2010

I'm wondering if this happen to anyone else out there. I purchased a 2008 G35X from a local dealer who has a very good reputation in the Chicago area. The car was advertised on their website and included a list of options. After owning the car for a week we now realize several of the options listed are not on the car. Obviously I did a poor job inspecting the car before the sale. We do love the car so we don't feel totally burned but we do feel a little mislead by the dealer and truthfully we wouldn't have been interested in the car if it had been advertised correctly. I'm planning to go back to the dealer but I'm interested to know if this happen to anyone else and how the issue was resolved. Any input is appreciated. Thanks

jipster · August 2010

The car was advertised on their website and included a list of options. After owning the car for a week we now realize several of the options listed are not on the car

What kind and how expensive are the options we are talking about?

It will really help you case with the dealership if you happen to have a copy of the original advertisement with options included. Basically you paid more for the car than what you would have, so I feel the dealership should compensate you for the loss. Hopefully you are dealing with an honest dealership. and they will do the right thing,

midnightsurfer · August 2010

Thanks jipster. Luckily we do have a copy of the advertisement.

euphonium · August 2010

Perhaps the advertised car was sold before your arrival at the dealer so the salesman came up with the best substitute off the lot at the time. Visit the dealer with the ad & ask.

midnightsurfer · August 2010

Thanks for the input Euphonium. The car did match the carfax report. It could have been an honest mistake but you would think if you're in the business you would get it right. I am back at the dealership on Friday to pick up the spare key and I'm planning to bring up the problem. New the car's options would have been worth $3000 so now maybe the value has decrease to $1300 or so.

roadburner · September 2010

I'd use the KBB or Edmunds calculators to see what the true difference in value is- you can't just guess.

isellhondas · September 2010

Most stores use a third party to print out the side stickers on the used cars they sell. They send people around who input the VIN number which tells them what it is. Then they look the car over and add the options to the sticker.

It is NOT uncommon for them to make mistakes! I once sold a used Ford Ranger thatsaid it had cruise control when it didn't. The customer caught it but I got lucky when he told me he never used cruise control and didn't care.

After that, we were very vigilant.

There is probably a disclaimer somehere that realease them from damage if there are errors.

This shouldn't have happened but as a buyer, you really should have checked.

ewilby · July 2011

I just sent Ryan Sauers a few items to be address with a used 08 vehicle I just bought off lease for $29,600 and 33,000 miles that should be almost as good as new. I hope the items I've asked to be resolved are taken care of in a way that everyone is happy and online reviews can reflect the excellent service I'm about to receive. Thanks.

Kirstie_H · July 2011

Hi - this is a pretty general forum to discuss advertising tactics. If you want to review a specific dealership, start here:
http://www.edmunds.com/dealerreviews

stever · September 2011

A reporter is looking to interview someone in the greater Washington, DC area who unknowingly bought a car that had suffered flood damage. Please respond to pr@edmunds.com with your daytime contact information by Monday, September 19, 2011.

Bait & Switch and Other Bad Advertising Tactics

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