This is purely out of curiosity...but have any of you been a service advisor or know someone who is?

Been reading some "Confessions of a Service Advisor" articles
http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/conf...epartment.html
http://www.tflcar.com/2012/09/confes...isor-part-one/
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...nager-6311261/

Just curious what makes them tick. While they are trying to upsell us on our vehicle needs, how do they get comped on factory warranty/factory extended warranty repairs? How do they factor in labor/effort to diagnose an issue that the customer doesn't choose to get repaired? How should we, as customers, create a better relationship with them for those who choose to service our vehicles at dealerships?

 

Interesting articles. I think at this point in the game, most dealers are pushing factory maintenance schedules and not their own. If not, then I don't feel sorry for the customer getting taken to the cleaners. Be educated and follow the owner's manual. It's all right there.
Also pays to get to know your service advisor and be courteous and fair with them. It's a two-way street.

 

You never really know with car service advisors. I think that is the issue that bugs me the most. Following the manufacturers maintainance schedule is the best and easiest way to do it.

But how does one know that they really didn't need that trottle cleaned or the tire replaced when it could of just been rapaired.

 

A general rule of thumb about tires (and this applies no matter who the service advisor is).....if the damage or puncture (assuming it is not too large) is on the part of the tire that is covered by tread-grooves and not part of the sidewall itself, it is usually reparable, either with an outside plug or by taking the tire off the rim, patching it from inside, and remounting / rebalancing it. If the damage or puncture is further up the sidewall, then trash or recycle the tire.....it's not repairable. That's because modern radial tires (unless they are run-flats), unlike the old bias-ply tires from decades ago, tend to flex under load in the sidewall area.....that's what keeps more of the tread in contact with the road during turns and side-forces. When you have an area of rubber on the tire that is constantly flexing, repairs are generally not feasible or could even be unsafe

There is at least one exception, though, to the plug-rule. Some states and jurisdictions (like my own state of Virginia, for example), will not allow a tire with two plugs in it to pass a vehicle safety-inspection. Many tire shops in the state will not even do a second plug, if needed.

 

The most clean customers are the MB owners. They get laundered and starch every 4 months. If only they took the time to read MB owners (service) manual.

 

Dentists are the same. They want to pull gums, fill non existent cavities, and drill out root infections that can be treated easily by antibiotics.

 

............You mean all 1000 pages of it? LOL

 

Actually just the 6 pages where they list items to be inspected and replaced. One would think educated people would know how to read (fast) through a 1000 page book and find the answers quickly.

 

The former Service Manager (later Service Director, and now retired) of the Toyota shop where I got my 1995 Celica (and later had my Lexus IS300 serviced there for minor things, saving money over a Lexus shop) told me more or less the same general story (we ended up being personal friends as well, not just in a buisness relationship). He had come to that Toyota shop from one just a few miles away, where upper-management had tried to force him into (essentially) stealing from customers. He said he looked them squarely in the eye, and said, "No, I'm to going to do that." They didn't back down...and neither did he. He walked out and got hired by a more honest place.

 

Yeah, I was just being facetious. But it can be difficult for those not well-versed in modern vehicles to really know what is required and what is not. There are people, for example, who think that vehicles still need periodic tune-ups, though breaker-point ignition systems and carburetors have not been used for some 30-40 years. Even spark plugs today go anywhere from 30K to 100K miles.

 

Problem is that MB tried to make it easy for the customer using Service A,B,C indicators on the panel. But the service adviser uses that to fleece the customer.

 

As a former reasonably well paid service adviser at a Subaru-Volvo dealership for a grand total of 3 months, here's what motivates service advisers:

 

I've had several really great service advisors over the years for different brands. The two that really stand out were at Ford and Lexus. The guy at Ford moved to a Chevy dealer and he was so good we started taking our Ford to the Chevy dealer to still use him. The guy at Lexus moved to a Jaguar dealer in Tysons Corner and I lost track of him. I have a pretty good guy at Lexus now, but nothing like he was.

One thing I've noticed thats a huge change from 20 years ago, even 10 years ago is when I called in or came in for service in the past it was always assumed I had a service advisor, and people at the dealer knew that I was Keith's customer, etc. Nowadays, when I call in and ask for somebody specific everybody reacts like I have two heads. Seems now everybody just uses whoever walks up to them, doesn't ask for a specific person, etc. Seems like the advisors and the dealership operate that way also. I hate that...I want that relationship with a specific person who knows me, knows how I like to be informed, knows I don't want my cars washed, etc. Just the other week a buddy of mine who has a GS had a nav failure like I had, I told him to go and ask for my guy because he had just diagnosed it in my car and he would know. When I followed back up with him he just "gave it to whoever". And he's in sales! He should understand the importance of using someone with a personal connection.

I wonder if that shift leads to people feeling more like they're being ripped off because they never build that relationship?

 

Tysons is a big-money area...even more so now that Metro's Silver Line runs through it. They probably offered him a higher salary at the Jag shop there (or a higher commission on each repair order, if the place runs like that) than the Lexus shop you are referring to. Or, maybe, it was just a shorter commute for him (commuting in this region, as you no doubt know, can be a PITA). It's a relatively nice Jaguar shop (I've done reviews there), but they also share the property with a low-line Honda store.

 

I'm well aware of the demographics of the area and the potential reasons why someone may move from one place of employment to another, but thank you lol