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You can use OEM parts with any shop. My independent shop used all Toyota/Lexus OEM parts. Dealership service departments are not great, they use unskilled labor for oil changes and filter changes etc no different than a quick lube place. With an independent shop most of the time your car is always being worked on by a real mechanic.
Independent shops just order out parts, and if you want OEM parts they will source them for you.
Lexus/Toyota dealers also do not ALWAYS use OEM parts, especially fluids.
Some of us also have deals with local dealers that get us parts cheaply enough delivered that you get a discount vs buying them yourself if you want OE. Most shops will just charge you same price as dealer so it does vary but others will take a 10% cut and allow you the remainder as a discount
You can use OEM parts with any shop. My independent shop used all Toyota/Lexus OEM parts. Dealership service departments are not great, they use unskilled labor for oil changes and filter changes etc no different than a quick lube place. With an independent shop most of the time your car is always being worked on by a real mechanic.
I very briefly thought this was no longer the case at the indy I use, as the last time I was picking up my car, I saw an 18-19 year old kid changing the oil on another customer's car. But while I was checking out, he came into the office, punched out, and went right back into the shop, way into the corner....and continued building his race car. I talked to the owner about it, and he said one of the perks of working for him was free use of the shop for personal projects, so when he did have help (which was not always), they tend to be pretty skilled.
ha, right but that's canadian dollars so only about $40 u.s.
and notice the tax is C$14.45.
Yeah for a straight US comparison, at my local Morton's, the 16 oz strip (they don't have a 14) is $59, and the truffle fries are $11. A good beer would be $8. US $78 subtotal vs. CDN $103 for a roughly equivalent meal. Pretty darn close to the exchange rate of 1.29:1, which would have come out to $101.
Yeah for a straight US comparison, at my local Morton's, the 16 oz strip (they don't have a 14) is $59, and the truffle fries are $11. A good beer would be $8. US $78 subtotal vs. CDN $103 for a roughly equivalent meal. Pretty darn close to the exchange rate of 1.29:1, which would have come out to $101.
Don't tell my wife about this place!
Her favorite resturant is Outback for Porterhouse Rare and I think Mortons would be her new favorite if I show her that steak pic.
Reason we go to outback is for the excellent service.
I could do a touch screen upon entry as the equivallent to "taking a number" but we go out to be served with a smile and greeted by a human.
Not to sidetrack but this thread to me is more about how people like to be treated and I find everyone's posts interesting.
Don't tell my wife about this place!
Her favorite resturant is Outback for Porterhouse Rare and I think Mortons would be her new favorite if I show her that steak pic.
interesting. i think i've been to outback maybe 3 times (and not my choice). bar none the worst steaks i've ever eaten mainly because they were ridiculously over seasoned / salty to me. i think texas roadhouse grill is a thousand times better.
I could do a touch screen upon entry as the equivallent to "taking a number" but we go out to be served with a smile and greeted by a human.
this is interesting and of course, relevant to the thread topic. but also reminds me of a recent experience. i was at an airline airport lounge which was pretty amazing.
so i sat down and shortly after someone came over and they told me if i wanted anything, i just scan the code on the table sign with my phone and order it. so i did, and amazingly, the food arrived about 3 minutes after!
there was nothing 'not luxurious' about the experience. and the 'person's only role was to tell me to scan the code.
this is interesting and of course, relevant to the thread topic. but also reminds me of a recent experience. i was at an airline airport lounge which was pretty amazing.
so i sat down and shortly after someone came over and they told me if i wanted anything, i just scan the code on the table sign with my phone and order it. so i did, and amazingly, the food arrived about 3 minutes after!
there was nothing 'not luxurious' about the experience. and the 'person's only role was to tell me to scan the code.
OK, you got me. lol
Adding a button on the table for "Drink Refill" or "Check Please" would be a nice touch and I'd be ok with that.
Sorry, back to dealer ship experience and the Kiosk touch screen experience lol
this is interesting and of course, relevant to the thread topic. but also reminds me of a recent experience. i was at an airline airport lounge which was pretty amazing.
so i sat down and shortly after someone came over and they told me if i wanted anything, i just scan the code on the table sign with my phone and order it. so i did, and amazingly, the food arrived about 3 minutes after!
there was nothing 'not luxurious' about the experience. and the 'person's only role was to tell me to scan the code.
Sounds like you would like Kura Revolving Sushi Bar where you order from a screen, it will be delivered to your table via a conveyor. Once done, you drop the plates into the slot and the machine will total for you. Lol Or Haidilao if you like hot pot. Food will be brought out by... a robot. I've also been the restaurants where you can just use your phone, scan, menu comes up and order from there.
Now back to the topic...
Originally Posted by SW17LS
I have owned a lot of cars in my life, luxury cars, mainstream cars. There is no question that I have experienced genuinely better service at luxury car dealers than mainstream car dealers. They value my time more, don't give me the run around, they don't keep me waiting, they have me on my way and they care about me as a individual customer more, same as you noted at Nordstrom. Facilities-wise, the difference between a luxury car dealer is very similar to the difference between a budget hotel and a nice hotel. Better chairs, better surroundings, better stuff to look at, loaners, many have entertainment options and food. There is a clear and distinct value difference that explains the difference in cost.
Mercedes waiting room:
Hyundai waiting room:
Of course the Mercedes dealer will be more expensive.
The additional value is the same as the additional value of shopping in a Nordstrom vs a Macys, and staying in a Ritz Carleton vs a Holiday Inn. Better customer service, better surroundings. You "rummage through a heap of shirts" at Macys, you sit in a crappy plastic chair and smell coffee at Hyundai. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. I don't like shopping at Macy's, and I don't like dealing with mainstream car dealers. I do enjoy having my luxury cars serviced at luxury dealers, and I enjoy shopping at Nordstrom. I'd much rather stay at the Ritz than the Holiday Inn.
Its about dealing with someone who has good customer service skills and knows how to treat a customer, who values my business because I am THEIR customer individually, thats what a service advisor brings to the table and thats where they really vary from mainstream dealers to luxury dealers. Thats why I am dubious about interacting with a screen when paying that big premium. Is a screen going to call over and ask for the specific loaner I want? Is a screen going to have that ready for me when I get there instead of making me wait? Is the screen going to make them try harder to uncover my issue? I don't see how...but I have had service advisors do all of that for me many, many times.
If I'm not going to get that service, I may as well take it to an independent shop and save a bunch of money.
If you have the oil changed at Lexus or Toyota, some non-accredited oil change tech does it both places with the same amount of experience. Lexus master techs don't do oil changes. All you are paying for at Lexus is the surroundings and service.
While I don't mind dealing with less human, I agree with many points mentioned here. I'm a morning person and I also do day trading so I usually just take the first appointment and wait for my service. They will get on waiter first so it's usually 30 or so for a routine visit. Not bad at all. If the needed service takes longer, I will take their shuttle. I used to get really excited when I brought my car in for service because I was going to get a loaner to drive. Now unless I want to test drive something to buy, I don't do that anymore. One maybe no more excitement. Two the loaners are usually beaten up and have unpleasant smells. Three I don't want to deal with any potential hassle should I get involved in an accident. But I do appreciate the nice comfortable waiting areas. IMO the first impression you give customers is the most important. Either the staff on the phone or the business itself. I did look at the GV80 at some point. I didn't get it for different reasons, but one thing that popped up was the impression when I walked into the dealership. The salesman was nice and all but the dealership itself was something else. I certainly don't buy a car based off how nice the dealerships are or how they address me but like buying a house, we don't always buy that house for what it is, we often buy for other reasons as well.
my local hyundai dealer just ripped the front off the building because they're building a separate genesis dealership next door.
oh and my hyundai service waiting room, while nothing like that mercedes one, is WAY nicer than the photo of that one above, lol.
Perfection or not, $150 for some french fries and a piece of meat?
Most people can't cook to that level and even if you/your wife can sometimes you just don't feel like it or are away from home. I can see the point to it in that context, they DO have quite good food even if it can be replicated at 1/5 the cost IF you have someone who knows how to and all the gear needed.
However I draw the line at $200 per plate excluding drinks/extras. You aren't getting anything past that point unless exotic meat is involved and I prefer shooting it myself in that case.
Experienced something over the weekend and thought it was somewhat related to this topic. There's this place we often come... There are two restaurants similar set up facing this one large playground. While they sell different foods, they were always crowded. This past weekend we were there, one was crowded as usual but the other one was not crowded at all, maybe half filled. Most outdoor tables were empty. We didn't want to wait, so we went to the less crowded one. My wife went in to get a table and was told to go to the counter to order. She was then given a number and told to find our own table to wait. Food items are both not too expensive nor cheap, about $US50 for two excluding drinks. It seems like they reduced staff and switched to this new way. It makes me wonder if the "less human" interaction was the cause for this less busy-ness. Other restaurants in the area were also crowded and still. And the wait is usually 30 minutes to an hour.
07-01-22, 03:41 AM
I talked to the owner about it, and he said one of the perks of working for him was free use of the shop for personal projects, so when he did have help (which was not always), they tend to be pretty skilled.
i think texas roadhouse grill is a thousand times better.
but also reminds me of a recent experience. i was at an airline airport lounge which was pretty amazing.
