Parts and systems under the hood of your car will eventually wear out. For example, the alternator may die, your transmission will start to change tough, and your engine may begin to fail. When your car needs repairs or replacement, it is tempting to drive to the dealership. After all, they are the experts. The problem is that the service department at the dealership rarely has the best interests of their clients in mind. For them, the priority is profit.

Then you will learn how parts of maintenance, repair and replacement at the dealership are part of a system that provides significant benefits to the baseline. I will explain the role of "figurehead" (or service advisor) and describe the process by which he or she upsells customers. We will also take a look at some of the work they recommend that may be unnecessary.

Beware of the seller request

When you take up the service bay, the first person to welcome you is the one who writes the entries. Her uniform may look similar to those used by mechanics, but this person does not work on vehicles. His (or her) job is to sell.

If there is something wrong with your car, the ticket writer will listen to the description of the problem. Also I will be thinking about other work that may be recommended, while your car is in the shop. If you are visiting the dealership for scheduled maintenance (oil changes, for example), which begin to suggest a specific job is "recommended dealer."

The problem is that the "seller recommended" mileage intervals are lower (lower) than those suggested in the owner's manual. For example, the manual might recommend changing the spark plugs every 50,000 miles, the dealer might suggest change every 25,000 km.

This happens with a number of maintenance items. The reason for the push service advisor is because they earn a commission for the work.

The Upsell

Suppose you go to a dealer for your transmission fluid changed. Most dealerships have a process that begins with the question of how many miles are on your odometer. Whatever that number happens to be (ie, 18,000, 37,000, etc), in charge of the ballot will list the "dealer recommended" service. This is to increase sales.

For example, suppose your odometer reads 37,000. You can expect the service advisor to recommend specific items to be done before reaching 40,000. These items rarely involve major repairs, such as setting a safety valve. Instead, focus on services such as oil changes, transmission oil change, filters, and the use of the brakes. Dealer margins are much wider on these services.

We really are your worn tires

brake jobs, including resurfacing the rotors, providing significant benefits to the bottom line of the dealership. The brake pads have wear indicators. When they have worn to the point that need to be replaced, you hear a loud scream. This noise is caused by metal wear indicator touchdown on the metal of the rotor.

Dealers often will recommend that you have your replacement brake pads long before the work is necessary (ie, long before the scream). They also suggest that the rotors resurfaced, even if doing so would cause unnecessary wear. Once again, the benefit is often the motivator. It is best to wait until you hear squealing or grinding pads rotors.

Check your owner's manual

Therefore, if you can not put their trust in the recommendations of the dealership, how can you determine what maintenance items need to be addressed. The best approach is to consult your owner's manual. A list of each element to be controlled, and when I visit. Unfortunately, millions of people who seldom or never refer to their manuals. This leads to unnecessary - maintenance, repair and spare parts - and expensive.

Unless the problem has already emerged, see the service calendar in the user manual to decide what services your vehicle needs. Save time and money while becoming better informed about their vehicle.