I just returned from having my 60,000 mile service and I have a few issues that I need some advice on.
1) This service interval is the major one for fluids change, but I don't think the fluid in my differentials was changed. There is oil/fluid that has been wiped off the fill-plug area, but the drain plugs still have some dirt caked on them. When I looked at the drain plugs for the oil pan and transmission, they have oil residue wiped around the plugs. So I decided to open the fill plugs and they were definitely full with a light milky brown fluid. Is that what one would expect too see after it was just changed? If it had not been changed would it be darker? Is there any way to test the fluid to see if it was really changed?
2) I bought pads and rotors from EE and tried to install them myself before the service so that I could pass inspection, but I could not get the damn rotors off. I beat the shit out of them, soaked them in a degreaser, and tried heating them up (suggested in another thread), but nothing worked. So after disassembling the whole caliper assembly for two wheels, I had to put it back together with the old parts. It took me probably 15 minutes to get all of those wheels down to just the rotors, so I figured that the labor charges at the dealership couldn't be too high, but they charged me 4.5 hours ($392)!! Is that a normal/standard labor charge, because it seems ridiculously high to me?
3) There were alot of other minor things that aren't that big of a deal, but they add up especially when my total charge was $1400.
a. They charged me $12 to clean my battery terminals.
b. My car wasn't washed when I arrived, and after they asked me if I "really" wanted it washed they did a crappy job and didn't vacuum. (I really don't care if it gets washed, but again for $1400 they should have done something.)
c. They wouldn't pass the inspection unless I had two rock chips in the windshield fixed, but they were on the passenger side (not in the field of vision) and they now look worse than they did before. I paid $60 for a glob of superglue. I could have waited too have them fixed, but I would have had to pay the inspection fee again and the dealership is over 50 miles from my house.
d. One of the mechanics broke off the relay for my fog lights and they didn't work. It works now that I shook it a few times, but they should have fixed it.
I know this is alot of info, but I am just wondering do many of you think this is excessive? Would you complain, and if so would you take it up with the dealership or call LRNA directly. I really hate having to get the service done at the dealerships, but I have an extended warranty so I kind of have to. I really don't have the time to deal with all of this, i.e. get everything checked somewhere else and stay on hold for three hours with someone, but I hate it when mechanics get away with this shit. I probably would have let most of it slide had I not paid $400 for the brakes and noticed the diffs.
Any suggestions are appreciated!
1) This service interval is the major one for fluids change, but I don't think the fluid in my differentials was changed. There is oil/fluid that has been wiped off the fill-plug area, but the drain plugs still have some dirt caked on them. When I looked at the drain plugs for the oil pan and transmission, they have oil residue wiped around the plugs. So I decided to open the fill plugs and they were definitely full with a light milky brown fluid. Is that what one would expect too see after it was just changed? If it had not been changed would it be darker? Is there any way to test the fluid to see if it was really changed?
2) I bought pads and rotors from EE and tried to install them myself before the service so that I could pass inspection, but I could not get the damn rotors off. I beat the shit out of them, soaked them in a degreaser, and tried heating them up (suggested in another thread), but nothing worked. So after disassembling the whole caliper assembly for two wheels, I had to put it back together with the old parts. It took me probably 15 minutes to get all of those wheels down to just the rotors, so I figured that the labor charges at the dealership couldn't be too high, but they charged me 4.5 hours ($392)!! Is that a normal/standard labor charge, because it seems ridiculously high to me?
3) There were alot of other minor things that aren't that big of a deal, but they add up especially when my total charge was $1400.
a. They charged me $12 to clean my battery terminals.
b. My car wasn't washed when I arrived, and after they asked me if I "really" wanted it washed they did a crappy job and didn't vacuum. (I really don't care if it gets washed, but again for $1400 they should have done something.)
c. They wouldn't pass the inspection unless I had two rock chips in the windshield fixed, but they were on the passenger side (not in the field of vision) and they now look worse than they did before. I paid $60 for a glob of superglue. I could have waited too have them fixed, but I would have had to pay the inspection fee again and the dealership is over 50 miles from my house.
d. One of the mechanics broke off the relay for my fog lights and they didn't work. It works now that I shook it a few times, but they should have fixed it.
I know this is alot of info, but I am just wondering do many of you think this is excessive? Would you complain, and if so would you take it up with the dealership or call LRNA directly. I really hate having to get the service done at the dealerships, but I have an extended warranty so I kind of have to. I really don't have the time to deal with all of this, i.e. get everything checked somewhere else and stay on hold for three hours with someone, but I hate it when mechanics get away with this shit. I probably would have let most of it slide had I not paid $400 for the brakes and noticed the diffs.
Any suggestions are appreciated!
