[Z06] A Tale of Two Dealerships
07-31-2007, 08:37 AM
#1
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A Tale of Two Dealerships
[Mods: this is Z06-related as it has to do with my car...]
I went up to Summit Point last Monday and Tuesday, and spent the day up there with Ferrari of Washington. I was out on the track with real race cars (430 Challenge cars: 2700lbs, 500(haha)HP, slicks, etc) who were running a whole 10 seconds a lap faster than me. They went by me so fast, they pulled some of my paint off. ;-)
Prior to going to Summit, I brought my car over to FoW to get it tech inspected. They do pre-track full-blown tech inspections which take an hour or so. They didn't charge me a penny to do the work; they claimed it was all part of the track package that I'd paid for. Cool! I left the car with them and went to work (right across the street).
However, when I picked it up, I noticed it had 7 extra miles on the odometer. Hm. My AC had been adjusted. Hm. My Nav system had been screwed around with. Hm. My stereo (which was off when I left it with them) had been cranked to 11. Hm.... All of this for a tech inspection? I called the service writer on the phone and challenged him on it. He said it was, "perfectly normal for the mechanics to put miles on a car when they're done working on it." Um... it was a tech inspection. They did no mechanical work. Wrong answer.
The service manager was at the race track, and I asked him about it. He repeated what his service writer said, that it was "perfectly acceptable (to him) for his guys to put 7-10 miles on the odo after any work."
Wrong answer. Lesson: Don't trust the mechanics at FoW, nor the management there. Not even for a pre-track tech inspection. Oh well.
Tuesday, I pulled a whoopsie at the track, which ended my fun early. Coming out of 2, I was nearly redlining 3rd, and I went for 4th. *ZING*! Into 2nd gear. DOH! Best I can tell, nothing bad happened (ie, no pistons came through the hood, no oil was spewed anywhere, etc). However, about 4K or so, the car just felt flat. I drove home.
Later in the week, I started getting the "Service Charging System" errors. I also noticed the voltmeter running at less than 14.5V at steady state. I did a quick search on the forums here, and found my answer: Alternator is probably crunched during the high revs.
Friday night: I drive into Pohanka Chevrolet and leave the car with the service writer, Travis MacCormack. He didn't even have his tech check my car; I told him the alternator was fooked and that I was getting the errors in the DIC. He found a new alternator and had it shipped to him. The car was fixed and washed Saturday morning for me.
It went into the shop with 4434 miles. It came back to me with 4436. In this case, Bobby (the tech) actually did mechanical work, and therefore took it out for a ride afterward to check his work.
The point behind my long-winded post: trust your Chevy dealers. Don't, for a moment, think that those high-priced exotics are serviced by trustworthy or honorable mechanics, just because they're higher priced.
For anyone who cares: Pohanka is in Chantilly, VA. I have no association with them other than I'm a very, very satisfied customer of their service dept.
jas
I went up to Summit Point last Monday and Tuesday, and spent the day up there with Ferrari of Washington. I was out on the track with real race cars (430 Challenge cars: 2700lbs, 500(haha)HP, slicks, etc) who were running a whole 10 seconds a lap faster than me. They went by me so fast, they pulled some of my paint off. ;-)
Prior to going to Summit, I brought my car over to FoW to get it tech inspected. They do pre-track full-blown tech inspections which take an hour or so. They didn't charge me a penny to do the work; they claimed it was all part of the track package that I'd paid for. Cool! I left the car with them and went to work (right across the street).
However, when I picked it up, I noticed it had 7 extra miles on the odometer. Hm. My AC had been adjusted. Hm. My Nav system had been screwed around with. Hm. My stereo (which was off when I left it with them) had been cranked to 11. Hm.... All of this for a tech inspection? I called the service writer on the phone and challenged him on it. He said it was, "perfectly normal for the mechanics to put miles on a car when they're done working on it." Um... it was a tech inspection. They did no mechanical work. Wrong answer.
The service manager was at the race track, and I asked him about it. He repeated what his service writer said, that it was "perfectly acceptable (to him) for his guys to put 7-10 miles on the odo after any work."
Wrong answer. Lesson: Don't trust the mechanics at FoW, nor the management there. Not even for a pre-track tech inspection. Oh well.
Tuesday, I pulled a whoopsie at the track, which ended my fun early. Coming out of 2, I was nearly redlining 3rd, and I went for 4th. *ZING*! Into 2nd gear. DOH! Best I can tell, nothing bad happened (ie, no pistons came through the hood, no oil was spewed anywhere, etc). However, about 4K or so, the car just felt flat. I drove home.
Later in the week, I started getting the "Service Charging System" errors. I also noticed the voltmeter running at less than 14.5V at steady state. I did a quick search on the forums here, and found my answer: Alternator is probably crunched during the high revs.
Friday night: I drive into Pohanka Chevrolet and leave the car with the service writer, Travis MacCormack. He didn't even have his tech check my car; I told him the alternator was fooked and that I was getting the errors in the DIC. He found a new alternator and had it shipped to him. The car was fixed and washed Saturday morning for me.
It went into the shop with 4434 miles. It came back to me with 4436. In this case, Bobby (the tech) actually did mechanical work, and therefore took it out for a ride afterward to check his work.
The point behind my long-winded post: trust your Chevy dealers. Don't, for a moment, think that those high-priced exotics are serviced by trustworthy or honorable mechanics, just because they're higher priced.
For anyone who cares: Pohanka is in Chantilly, VA. I have no association with them other than I'm a very, very satisfied customer of their service dept.
jas
07-31-2007, 03:25 PM
#2
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I guess you are right, price does not guarantee better service. The problem is that is hard to find good Chevy dealers/mechanics. Think what cars are they servicing every day.
What I do: tell the service writer/manager that I want no driving of the car, I will do the testing. This is possible most of the time. An alternator replacement does not require test driving. A pre-track inspection more so, no driving, unless you wanted suspension adjustments, etc.
What I do: tell the service writer/manager that I want no driving of the car, I will do the testing. This is possible most of the time. An alternator replacement does not require test driving. A pre-track inspection more so, no driving, unless you wanted suspension adjustments, etc.
07-31-2007, 03:50 PM
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Those Ferrari shops are no different than any other shops. A joy ride is a joy ride. Where car people work doesn't necessarily change the people. Just perception.
Glad Mr. Goodwrench made you happy.
Glad Mr. Goodwrench made you happy.
07-31-2007, 05:27 PM
#6
Instructor
I have attended a number of FoW track events, have had a C6 serviced and inspected there and have a relative that has purchased two cars from them. They actually ENCOURAGE their owners to use the cars as they were intended, they bring mechanics to the events to fix cars that have issues and will cover any mechanical failures, on or off the track under warranty! When was the last time Pohanka Chevrolet (or ANY Chevrolet dealer for that matter) hosted a track event? I have always considered FoW to be an excellent dealer with excellent service (albeit expensive!)
Just in the past day I have been royally jerked around by my local dealership (the one I purchased my Z06 from) because I 'race' my car. They came to this conclusion because I had a sparco racing seat, kooks headers and a harness bar in the car. When I took my floor mats out of my car the very first time, the plastic grommets in the floor mat broke. They refused to replace it under warranty because I "race the car"! Now I'm getting jerked around on another similarly trivial issue that has nothing to do with having a sparco seat in the car...
Point being, I guess everyone's experience is different with different dealers. I have been EXTREMELY unhappy with my dealer and will be working my way up the flagpole to GM to express my dissappointment. Just because they're a Chevy dealer, doesn't mean trust them.
Just in the past day I have been royally jerked around by my local dealership (the one I purchased my Z06 from) because I 'race' my car. They came to this conclusion because I had a sparco racing seat, kooks headers and a harness bar in the car. When I took my floor mats out of my car the very first time, the plastic grommets in the floor mat broke. They refused to replace it under warranty because I "race the car"! Now I'm getting jerked around on another similarly trivial issue that has nothing to do with having a sparco seat in the car...
Point being, I guess everyone's experience is different with different dealers. I have been EXTREMELY unhappy with my dealer and will be working my way up the flagpole to GM to express my dissappointment. Just because they're a Chevy dealer, doesn't mean trust them.
07-31-2007, 05:57 PM
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I have attended a number of FoW track events, have had a C6 serviced and inspected there and have a relative that has purchased two cars from them. They actually ENCOURAGE their owners to use the cars as they were intended, they bring mechanics to the events to fix cars that have issues and will cover any mechanical failures, on or off the track under warranty! When was the last time Pohanka Chevrolet (or ANY Chevrolet dealer for that matter) hosted a track event? I have always considered FoW to be an excellent dealer with excellent service (albeit expensive!)
Simply put, though, there was NO REASON for them to go out on a 7 mile joy ride in my Z06 after a tech inspection. They do the tech inspections at the race track as well. And they don't go out driving the cars there. So... why did they take my car out?
Simple: it was there, and it was tempting to drive.
I'm not going to trust their service dept. to tech inspect my car ever again. I'll pay Pohanka to do it for me, where I know it won't be taken out for a spin.
jas
07-31-2007, 06:43 PM
#8
Melting Slicks
[QUOTE=darrahc;1561303482]I have attended a number of FoW track events,When was the last time Pohanka Chevrolet (or ANY Chevrolet dealer for that matter) hosted a track event?
QUOTE]
just for the record Wilson Niblett Corvette near Toronto has held 2 track days in the past 2 months as well as a number of meets at the dealership.
the track days were at Mosport, even the owner showed up to take the school on the first day at the Driver Development track.
on the service side i had my C6Z serviced at Johnston Chevrolet in Toronto. they replaced the brake ducts, oil change, wash, change diff fluid and put in additive, replaced the ashtray. My total bill was $100 most of which was for Mobil 1.
chevy dealers are no different than any other business...... there are jerks and good ones.
i hope someone at the top gets to read about the defective floor mat caused by a racing seat!!!
QUOTE]
just for the record Wilson Niblett Corvette near Toronto has held 2 track days in the past 2 months as well as a number of meets at the dealership.
the track days were at Mosport, even the owner showed up to take the school on the first day at the Driver Development track.
on the service side i had my C6Z serviced at Johnston Chevrolet in Toronto. they replaced the brake ducts, oil change, wash, change diff fluid and put in additive, replaced the ashtray. My total bill was $100 most of which was for Mobil 1.
chevy dealers are no different than any other business...... there are jerks and good ones.
i hope someone at the top gets to read about the defective floor mat caused by a racing seat!!!
08-01-2007, 01:27 PM
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No matter what part of the auto services biz you are in you tell your techs that they are not to touch anything in a customer's car and especially the radio, AC, mirrors, seat adjustment, etc. And you don't test drive the customer's car without explicit permission and you still don't touch anything including the mirrors! To do otherwise is a firing offense! 
08-01-2007, 02:03 PM
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