Stupid dealer stories

funny thing is, it's the same all over the world. must be factory training

she seems to have a very different experience in the u/k than some of our members here

admittedly, i skipped around, she wouldn't listen when i asked her to just spit it out.

 

just caught the part about tesla charging $35. to check tire pressure. i have no problem with that. you can afford to pay someone to do that? good luck.

i have sen people pull into my local gas station to have their bmw windshield washer fluid topped up.

no idea what it costs, but you get what you deserve

 

I have a new appreciation for the poor people who read my loooooooooong and rambling posts....

I didn't make it through the vid, but it pretty much affirms my expectations from dealerships.
The reason that I have three GMs in my driveway isn't because I think that they're better cars, or because I think I should "buy Merican" but rather because there is ONE dealership in the nearest three states that meet my criteria of for sales and service.
(...."you handle the sales, and let ME manage everything else, thank you!")
Since my beloved CFO probably would not be interested in boarding a plane or driving much more than about 500 miles to buy a new car, I'm geographically constrained, which means that compromises had to be made just as in any successful partnership.

Getting receiver hitch wiring/mods performed at a dealership is like boarding an airliner to buy a beverage.

Play stupid games....
Win stupid prizes.....

 

no, but i skip around there too. don't tell her.

 

several years ago -- Pre-Prius -- an Oregon Toyota dealership had a decent deal on tires. When I went to buy, I was told that the tire maker REQUIRED me to have a four-wheel alignment done at time of purchase. -- The tire MAKER -- which was Michelin.

I ended up buying tires at Les Schwab.

Tires & Wheels for Sale | Buy New Tires Online & In-Person - Les Schwab

 

I think she was trying to get the hitch wiring done at the dealer so as not to void the warranty. She was told that she WOULD indeed void the warranty if she went ahead with the idea. I think that's actually reasonable behavior on the dealer's part provided they told her the actual truth about the warranty being voided if there is a trailer hitch/electrical harness installed. I think if she went to U-Haul and had it done voiding the warranty, she would not be happy.

As for winter tires voiding the warranty, well again, we are talking about GM, so I would not jump to a conclusion that the dealer was full of BS before researching it. GM warranty terms may indeed be that stupid.

 

Within the first week of getting our 2010, I was on the phone to our local dealership (Open Road Toyota, Port Moody) regarding rims for snow tires, and it was explained to me that the only compatible Toyota rims were the stock 15" or 17", at $350 and $390 apiece. And: that the Prius was a "flagship" vehicle, no lowly steel rims would work.

I emailed every dealership in town, and New Westminster Toyota said they thought a Corolla rim would work, but they'd never tried it before, but were willing to give it a go. Kudos to them. This is the rim btw:

Corolla steel rim, part no: 42611-02471 (2003-2008 corolla or matrix, CE, LS, S)
steel rim lug nuts, part no: 90942-01007 (plain, open-ended, galvanized)

(I now have PIP rims on hand, waiting for those original tires to wear down, age out, whatever...)

 

Auto dealers are definitely stupid, arrogant and often insulting to an intelligence of even a 5 year old, but even they need to be given the benefit of the doubt. Otherwise we behave just like them. Talking about things about which we have no facts. Has anyone checked the warranty terms of a Chevy Bolt regarding the winter tires or a trailer hitch? We assume it's one way, but what are the actual facts? I, for one do not feel especially inclined to study GM legalese, so I'll give them benefit of the doubt until I know better.

 

I thought you were waiting for your wife to wear down, age out, whatever...

 

That's her story...

 

When I was buying my 2018 Prius C, I asked my salesman what was the difference between the Prius C and the Prius (acting like I didn't know anything about cars) and the salesman said "Yeah, the C is exactly the same thing as the Prius, just smaller". I almost laughed and was tempted to correct him, but I felt bad for him because he didn't know what I did for a living (I work at a shop).

Sales people will say ANYTHING to sell a car. I knew I was getting that specific C in the first place, but he had to make sure I didn't even think about a brand new Prius or a preowned hybrid lol.

 

Spent most of my life in a dealership-since I was a baby actually... Let me tell you this can definitely go both ways. You wouldn't believe some of the stuff we've heard from the public.

 

it's like going to the registry of motor vehicles

 

It's been a while.
But my memory in 2009, 2010, when I was investigating and looking at Prius was that I would go into a Toyota Dealership and announce that I was interested in a Prius.
This would be met almost every time with " You want to talk to -Insert Name Here- Bob, Dan, Mike,--he's our resident Prius Expert.".
Keep in mind, at that time I'm no expert, however, I did have Prius Chat experience knowledge.
The resident Prius expert of the dealership would come out, and they always knew almost nothing about Hybrids or Prius. They knew less than I was able to learn, in just an hour or two of Prius Chat participation. I would feign total ignorance.
I think I had a perfect record of asking what "B" meant on the shifter selection knob. They would tell me confidently that it stood for "Battery" and was some battery recharging selection.
I live in Oregon, which is a CARB state, but more than one expert was totally unaware of the Hybrid Battery Warranty enhancement that designation provides.
Descriptions of exactly how Hybrid Synergy Drive worked, always de-evolved into fantastic stories, just shy of parts being forged in the heart of mines occupied by mountain trolls.

In total honesty the level of ignorance about the product they were charged with selling was disappointingly appalling. IMO not acceptable, when rudimentary knowledge of the product can so easily be gained with minimal sacrifice. Spend 2 hours on Prius Chat, and you'll know enough to honestly sell a Prius. But it was obvious in most cases the effort was not applied.

Even in 2012 when I purchased my Prius, the salesman, who proclaimed he himself owned a Prius, argued with me over Oregon being a CARB state and the length of warranty. He said, 8 years, 100,000 miles and when I told him I thought that was wrong, that it was 10 years or 150,000 miles, he was not willing to believe it. In the end, we agreed to disagree. With an awkward tension filled distance between us. It made the buying experience that much more fun...but also, he kind of stopped trying to tell me anything...which was kind of nice.

How many seconds on the internet would it take for him...a Toyota salesperson to verify that knowledge? How does an Oregon dealership with a lot full of Prius NOT make that common knowledge for ALL their salespeople?

 

There is an easy answer. The dealer makes most of their profit from servicing familiar technology vehicles. The Prius was unfamiliar and designed to need less service.
The dealer chose to concentrate their resources on knowing the vehicles that would need the most servicing.

 

I'm not willing to really make that connection at all.
It's about competency, and knowing the product you are charged with selling. There is no excuse for not knowing a product you are charged with selling.
As far as service?
Well the Prius has an Internal Combustion Engine, Toyota Care aside, the Prius really doesn't call for less regular maintenance than any Toyota product. You still need to change the oil, the filters, as you would with any Toyota product. I don't buy the premise that dealerships would embrace ignorance about The Prius based on some connection to them believing they need to be serviced less, therefore are potentially less profitable.
With my Prius the 1st two years of regular maintenance....mostly tire rotations and oil changes were free. With most new cars, that's all the maintenance that is required for the first few years of ownership.
I can't see a dealership promoting ignorance of their own product based on the fact that their "reliability" -might- result in less future maintenance.

 

I have owned two Prii, a 2008 and my current 2016 and I don't remember either salesman really pushing the sale. The first one was back when the supply was starting to catch up with the demand. There were five on the lot and I got out of my car and walked around them and only one had leather. I don't love leather, it has become the new vinyl in my opinion. The sales man approached me and I told him I was interested in the car and we agreed on a price, filled out the paperwork and drove it home. The second one we went back the next day after looking at it and bought it the same way at a different dealer. If I asked a question he gave me a good answer but mostly about details about buying the car. I guess if you don't ask they don't bother.

 

When I was shopping for my Prius I went to my local dealer mainly to see one. The salesman there insisted the trim 2 only came with black interior. He also would not budge off list price even though he knew I was going to price elsewhere too.

I ended up driving 150 miles to save money and get a tan interior trim 2 from a very knowledgeable Gen 1 Prius owner. Before we test drove the car he spent over 30 minutes reviewing and demonstrating the features. That was the car I drove home after the test drive.