As I was reading in the latest Fixed Ops Journal about companies offering customers more mobile and socially distant options for getting their vehicles serviced, I was exchanging text messages with a family member who had been given an astronomical repair quote. A dealership told him it would cost $3,000 to repair an air-conditioning compressor unit on his 2017 vehicle.
The shock-and-awe price tag reminded me of a similar experience I had when I took my 2005 vehicle into a dealership last year to get the sunroof looked at after it stopped opening and closing on command. The repair quote was about a third of what the vehicle was worth at retail. It would be a pricey fix, I was told, because the dealership would have to order a sunroof motor from overseas, and the part alone would add four figures to the cost. That’s not to mention the intense labor that would be involved.
After a brief Internet search, I wound up ordering a sunroof motor for about $50 and took it to an independent mechanic. That’s when things got really interesting. Said mechanic called me about a half-hour after I had dropped my vehicle off to tell me it was already fixed. Huh?
That’s right, according to this shop, it was just a couple of loose screws that had to be tightened, and the sunroof was now opening and closing without issue. I paid the shop for an hour of labor, which was a fraction of a fraction of the quoted repair cost from the dealership, and I have an extra sunroof motor still sitting at my house.
I learned my lesson and was all too happy to take five minutes out of my day to help my relative keep the dealership in question honest. After a very quick Internet search, I told him that a new original equipment part he needed could be had for about $400, so the other $2,600 would have to be thoroughly accounted for.
I’m not a sophisticated Web user. As more people use their Internet-ready mobile devices to book and schedule service for used, out-of-warranty vehicles, surely more people also will be able to do some quick online searching to make sure they aren’t getting yanked around on repair costs. While they’re at it, they could just as easily shop around for other places to do the fix. Dealerships accustomed to gouging customers better be ready.