I have typed this out in word as a record as i pursue this further; I thought I may share it here for some feedback before I press forward...
WARNING: Enourmous diatribe of anger and thoughts that havent all gelled and i have probably missed heaps so beware
Well after giving SYDNEY CITY MITSUBISHI the thumbs up previously (15K service) it is with great anger I come with my latest report...
As per above got the call re warrantee work and booked it in for today.. Won’t hurt to get it all done a couple thousand early (28018 Km on clock when I drove in..)
Went to the 30K service thread and did some nosing around.. Big variations in prices better confirm it all first up in the morning just to check...
Had my little list as follows: (actually left them with this list)
13/7/10 : 8am. Sydney City Mits. Triton service 30K + warrantee work. <SNIP>. Asset #MV2009JC01
Notes:
30K service (includes?, $$?)
Steering Wheel fitted (warrantee)
Rubber hard lid fitted (warrantee)
Other work:
Weird locking in rear brakes – intermittent in wet esp.
Shake/surging worsening in brakes. (slow roll and high speed – front rotors?)
Engine squeak getting louder...
Fuel economy decreasing progressively... new air filter didn’t help don’t change it!
Squeaky rear springs – grease please
windscreen rubbers.. replace both please.
Got to the counter nice and early and waited for service manager himself to serve me. (last time not this guy).
Explains that they need car night before for tappit adjustment. (some rubbish about cool engine... maybe true)
Would have been nice to let me know that little gem mate because here we are... Oh you will have to bring it back in.. grrrr I thought. Ok I let this one go they can make mistakes when booking warrantee work or some retarded excuse stay calm...
OK well what’s the damage separately because I rather pick it up tomorrow if it’s going to cost me extra money and time.... OH he said I will find out the prices the tappit service is quite a BIG one...
So his computer tapper does some tapping away and comes up with a yellow sticky note with:
$949 & $368 handwritten on stickynote!
They are the two prices... GULP thats $1300 for a 30,000KM service!!!!
Now at this point I had two decisions..
a. I just absolutely blow up and cause the biggest scene you have ever seen and look like a lunatic and storm out with my triton.
b. Just stay calm and see how this pan’s out.
For some unknown reason (and against every bone in my body) I chose b.
So calmly i asked him to confirm that that pricing combined will be for the service with the tappits done whether I left it here tonight or another time regardless. Yep its $950 for 30K service NO TAPPITS, see you this arvo.
Needless to say I walked for a while after that. I actually walked to a client’s site in Paddington (1 hour walk)...
So I returned to the office shut the door and brought up the trusty newtriton forum.
I printed some very detailed threads into a word doco and printed them out and started highlighting important facts of the service (theres many of you to thank here)
At 2:20pm I get a call from the service manager. We’ve had your triton up on its second road test and just gotten to your brakes and they are warped. (Read we just put it up on jacks and here i am to gouge you further – they did a total of 6km in my triton and then cleared tripAandB)
Its going to cost you $120 plus labour to machine them. What! The cars 12 months old!!!
Oh but it’s done 30,000KM... (well 28,000 mate but let’s not start to pick just yet)
That seems a little early mate are you sure theres not something wrong thats caused it? Reasonable question i thought haven’t read about triton brakes all popping at 30K..
Well the pads are wearing evenly so i don’t think so but i haven’t looked myself. When we machine them they will have a perfect surface again and the shudder will be gone..
Now hang on a second mate, I haven’t agreed to machine anything at 120bux plus labour i can buy better quality aftermarket for not much more.
Do you want me to get prices for heavy duty rotors. (oh this guy is good i was thinking)
<this is where he twigged i may not be a complete sucker i think>
Yeah sure why not get me a price what time my car ready?
4:30 sir we are open to 5
/// see you soon you little ....
I grew a little impatient and arrived at 4pm...
Triton still up in the air... gee yeah working on it all day you ....
Other guy there asks what I am in for and he cruises out to workshop. (my printouts rolled and being choked by my hand.. )
Service manager rolls in with a bag in his hand. It LOOKS like the adhesive strip rubber for my hard lid... Looks to me as if they haven’t opened the bag yet.
At this point I felt really really calm. I have no idea why, it’s probably a good thing thinking back..
He explained how its a really huge job to put it on and I will need to bring it in for tappit so it won’t be a problem. (ie. You didn’t think about my car till 2:20pm and now you worked out its going to take a few hours to clean the old adhesive rubber off isn’t it mate)
He’s really doing well now. Forgot to tell me to bring the car in the day before for service work and now you can’t even do the work that it was originally booked BY YOU to do for today.
I even made this point to him again (probably several times) and he still hasn’t printed the bill..
OK then what’s the damage?
Well we managed to get it down for you sir its only $721.80.
REALLY I asked? That much less?? Please explain...
You see the software over there doesn’t talk to the software over (my eyes glazed over – I actually KNOW you are full of it mate). I begged him to stop...
Now I ask him to take a little read of what i prepared earlier...
As he started thumbing away I started to go over the bill...
I lot of stuff in here... <scanning in and censored image coming soon>
A LOT of discussion went on here about forums being full of shit, checking service books for accuracy etc.
End shot. 30KM service 2hours (1.8 with some adjustment in fine print) tappit adjudment 2.1 hours (2.2 with the fine print) making it a 4.2 hour deal APPARENTLY..
Oh thats a lot cheaper than $1300 then isn’t it??
Oh the computers aren’t talking ...... (oh FK here we go again)
all good mate let’s move right along I BELIEVE YOU THE COMPUTERS ARE OUT OF WHACK I GET IT!! (I got a bit condescending at times... bad habit)
So now we moved onto the rest..
LOWERED LEAF SPRINGS AND LUBED BUSHES ALL OK AT TIME OF TEST $47.
Um mate the squeaking springs I asked to be greased they are covered under warrantee, there’s a hotline fix number I’ve got it here if you need any help with it?...
NOOO!! -now he draws a crude picture of a leaf spring circling the area where they put the silencer kit (who cares the tech name) and said the warrantee is only covered inside his circles. HE went on to explain that they do things the ‘correct way’ and they dropped both springs out at the front and greased the components properly so I can have a vehicle that doesn’t squeak all the time.. I stayed quiet here he was digging his hole all by himself...
This was a massive diatribe where he kept threatening to take it off the bill if I think it is unfair and basically cutting me off before I could even speak. He recons they spent 2 hours on it alone..
I really wanted to hit him at this point...
It was becoming quite a scene now... Staff quickly trying to express other customers out and scuffle everywhere.
This bit was amusing for me...
Eventually I talked him into letting me complete a sentence:
MMM ok so what your saying is that you have done the leaf springs correctly now and I wont get any more squeaks and if I pay this you will stand by that work and warrantee it? IF so I will DEFINATELY PAY FOR THAT!!!
He went into overdrive at this point. He was blinking incessantly and going back to about those god damn computers not being synced again.
I lost my patience and said where’s your eftpos machine let’s get this paid then... (im taking it further the more stuff up on the bill now the better anyway)
Well do you want me to take off the labour for the springs... (He was really clutching now).
Its up to you! Why are you asking me? I am going to ask Mitsubishi myself.
But we are trying to give you a satisfied result here sir...
OK then what about this charge for $41.60 to supply and fit windscreen wiper rubbers???
Oh they are $50 on my overlander....
Mate look as I said just let me pay the bill.
What about the spring labour?
Oh sh!t mate I am not answering that it’s up to you just let me pay my bill and get out of here.
I am taking it off!!
-----
[censored] me took me 30 mins just to get this far..
Price walked out: $673.25 (NO TAPPITS !!!)
They verbally reduced the tappit service to $180 – yes half as of 8am in the morning.. (@2.2 hours that looks like $60/hour to me?)
They told me their labour rate is $109+GST/hour
All up if i remove the throttle body (a incorrect charge yet to be challenged) and windscreen washers they want nearly $800 for a 30K service making them (and drumroll please) THE MOST EXPENSIVE 30K service IN AUSTRALIA! Well done SYDNEY CITY MITSUBISHI you still did it even after starting at $1300!!!
imbeciles....
As I walked out I could see someone run into workshop and say ‘hold that triton’ (they had told me as I was paying that they were driving it out now)
Stood out the front for another 20mins waiting for it to come out...
I assume this is when they actually performed parts of the service that I am going to have checked in the morning by another Mitsubishi dealer.
There’s a throttle body clean and inspect and air filter charge (see scans) I never asked for and I specifically said no air filter and I put a brand new one in before I left this morning... (and have the reciept for it too)
NOT HAPPY... Mitsubishi get ready...
On another note the new steering wheel looks lovely... forgot about it until I got home this arvo... Mind you they scratched it putting it on so probably add that to my call to customer care after a few scotches later tonight... may as well get the ball rolling on the night shift