dealer service to local mechanic

[damian]

ive noticed allot of members calling there dealers stealers, do you really think this is the case and do you really think that you get the same service that you would from a dealer. ive noticed they plug my car into a laptop when servicing and carry out scans upgrades etc ive never seen this from my local guy and have been told he doesnt have or can get updates from mitsubishi. surely this is why we pay more to have them serviced correctly.

[fastback]

could not agree more damien. i spent 65k on my triton there is no way i am sending it to a little mechanic who has not worked on one before. i am new here why do you call dealers stealers? it is pretty obvious who you are talking about!! also whats a maf sensor.

[damian]

mate i have seen that before i believe thay mean map sensor

[sierra]

mate i have seen that before i believe thay mean map sensor

MAP measures manifold pressure, MAF measures manifold flow.

The diesels have got a MAF + inlet temperature probe in the outlet from the aircleaner.

Hopefully I got that right?

[jop]

could not agree more damien. i spent 65k on my triton there is no way i am sending it to a little mechanic who has not worked on one before. i am new here why do you call dealers stealers? it is pretty obvious who you are talking about!! also whats a maf sensor.

You are still wondering why we call them stealers?

[al coholic]

There is no question that there are some good dealerships and also bad dealerships. They are a franchise of Mitsubishi Aust just like any other major businesses around the country. It all depends on the quality of mechanics they have working there and how much they care about working on your car.

Dont get me wrong, if you are happy with your mechanic at the dealership and they are doing a good job, then keep going back. But there is obviously alot of unhappy people who have been to dealers and been ripped off or had crappy work done on thier car, and thats all dealer mechanics, not just Mitsu. Im sure they are not interested in customer service because they know there is always going to be someone else walk in and buy a new car that they can then service, so they arent worried if they lose your business.

[damian]

totally agree it just seems that everyone calls dealers stealers due to price and i am saying they do allot more for your money. for instance a 30k srvc for under $600.00 is cheap but is it done right i can guarantee tappetts etc arent done as the manufacturer recommends. thay are dearer but for 90% of dealers out there the full log book service gets done not some of it..... have a look at a website www.fixedpricecarservice.com.au and see what non dealers are charging for the same service in your area when done correctly.

[Stu]

a $30k service for over $300 is a blatant ripoff, if you like wasting money you should check out www.newhilux.net I'd like to see a breakdown of costs for a $600 30k service

[snowman]

actually get out your service book and LOOK at what is required at each of the services. We are talking about relatively young cars here not those with many killometers and worn out parts.

They don't actually DO much. it is inspect this and inspect that. most service work is replace a filter or two and the fluids. maybe adjust the handbreak.

they dont actually adjust the tappets - at least that is not included in the base service cost. they just 'listen' to them.

on the bright side modern motors are particularly reliable and don't need much tinkering unlike older petrols which needed 'tuning'. Thank God none of my cars have dizzies and 'points' anymore and i pretty much feel the same way about carby's. thank the lord for EFI.

if you think the dealer is plugging in to 'auto upgrade software' without reason at a service interval you are kidding yourself . They check to see if there are any outstanding faults and that is about it. from info on this website ECU upgrades take a long time.

i agree that dealer servicing is well overpriced and they know it and are not ashamed of it. it is how dealers make money. they pay apprentices $5 and hour and charge you a fortune. just like car manufacturers make very little from new car sales. they make it from parts distribution. i was reliably informed that ford make less than $1000 on a new falcon - not much for a very high risk manufacturing industry.

why do you think they take the risk of 'extended warranty' if you only service with them? it is because that risk is being offset by the extra profits they make during the servicing. otherwise they would offer the 10 year drivetrain to all cars that have been serviced irrespective of a dealer or other licensed mechanic doing it.

but you are right that if a 'problem' is occuring and particularly if it is software related then the car branded dealer is the way to go. my old MK triton had issues witht the front diff locking in an my mechanic wasted his time and my money not fixing it. mits fixed it straight away as it 'was a characteristic' of the car and they knew what it was from previous vehicles.

i personally have been told by my local mits service dept that if i use them for the 15k intervals and get the oil changed every 7.5k elsewhere they will still cover the warranty. so that is what i am doing.

[Stu]

the software upgrades are much like the sp upgrades to windows xp, you own the software and it's not 100% so the upgrades are free. My tri has only ever been into the stealer for warranty work and software upgrades, my local grease monkey changes the fluids and filters and warranty is 100% guaranteed, I believe it's called restriction of trade or some legal term that prevents dealers from forcing you to service with them.

The ONLY thing you lose by going to another fully qualified and competent mechanic (who in actual fact would 99 times out of 100 have more experiance than the unsupervised first year putting brake fluid in your radiator at the stealer) is your roadside cover but work it out over 12 months and your local rac comes out on top with enough money left over for a few weeks in the bush or a few nights in a five star

[damian]

well then it seems we dont agree i guess we just wait and see whose valves etc burn out due to incorrect servicing etc. and mate i know for a fact my dealer checks for upgrades every service! something your local guy cannot do and if he tells you he can your kidding yourselfs. just make sure you guys keep the extra $200.00 dollars or so your saving each service to pay for the repairs that arent covered by warranty due to incorrect servicing.

[jop]

Damian - do you work for mitsubishi?

Apologies if wrong or right

[NTBB]

damian and fastback for that matter what would you suggest to the pepole who live out bush do about dealer services? i know what MMAL advice was and it is not in line with your opinion. I would be extreemly dissapointed with MMAL if after 3 years of production they have got a software package that runs the risk of damaging the motors in our trucks(i say ours because nither of you have taken the time to do a shed profile) I have had a recent upgrade it lasted about three days before the problem rasied it's head again. by the way the upgrade had been out for about a month but my dealer still had to load it on to their system at my reqest so all those good little mitsi coustomers that had their trucks serviced in the last month didn't recive the magic upgrade but at least they paid for all the r&d that went in to developing it.

[Racer]

I will disagree with you Damien. I was recently getting warranty service done as a result of a common fault to the steering column. I was due for a 7500k oil change, I asked for a price and was quoted $240 for an OIL change, then asked if I wanted the filter replaced as well. The dealers have a set time and schedule, whether they follow it is another thing however certainly not worth the price they charge I'm sorry. If you are after personal peace of mind then go for it.

My old Hilux (04 SR5 V6). 10k service intervals, 10k & 20K service done at Toyota Dealership, 24K and I was changing the oil, the oil that came out was very black and smelly. Certainly did not appear to be 4K old, I would estimate maybe the 10K oil was the last change.

My favourite was a mate had his Crewman serviced at Holden, they even topped up and tested the fluid in a sealed battery

My mechanic is a licenced reputable repairer using Australian standard parts charging reasonable rates....what more can I ask.

[fastback]

damien do you work for mmal and if you do can you give us info? what about supplying some inlet manifolds and suction control valves???

[Stu]

I'd like to see a breakdown of costs for a $600 30k service

[jop]

Damian - do you work for mitsubishi?

Apologies if wrong or right

............... i'll take that as a yes

[Jitsukablue]

Ooo, our first troll. Wonder who the first person to get warranty work denied based on the site?

[schimno]

Im at a lost. As long as your local mechanic is qualified to do log book servicing, then there isn't a issue about the warranty. Wrong or right.
Any warranty issues then the dealer is supposed to rectify them: Wrong or right.
(Depending on the dealer obviously!!!!!::::Okay a bitch.... some dealers seem to think any warranty fixes are coming outta their own pockets )

[borngeek]

dont get me started in here... just search "OMG Mitsu" and you will see my current experience (in progress).

I have had as many bad experience with non dealer mechanics as well as excellent experiences from both.
It really comes down to the policies and staff just like any other business..

First advice, as mentioned above, is to KNOW THE FACTS about each service and what is included and what they are TRYING to chuck in as extra and resisting it.
Make sure you inform them you ONLY want the logbook service NO extra's AT ALL without ASKING ME FIRST!

When you arrive to pick it up check each item individually and question ALL YOU LIKE (even when the service manager starts carrying on like a good sort).

They CANNOT void your warrantee for using a non dealer logbook for service.
A dealer is the the only one who can load ECU updates and you can book your car in once a year for a basic check and update at your dealer at a very cheap cost.

I personally, for the moment, am persuing a dealer serviced arrangement as i make them fix warrantee items along the way. I am not about to let them rip me completely but it is true they are a lot more expensive than your local ultratune to start with...

[Homer]

:
Make sure you inform them you ONLY want the logbook service NO extra's AT ALL without ASKING ME FIRST!

coming from the bloke who ASKED them to change the wipers...that's the first thing every dealer does every service to pad the bill...fcken' amatuers..

[snowman]

They CANNOT void your warrantee for using a non dealer logbook for service.

That is not entirely true for the Mits Warranty BG. It is important to understand that the FIRST 5 YEARS of warranty is covered as long as you use a licensed mechanic and genuine or equivalent parts......

HOWEVER, if you don't use Mits for the servicing then kiss your 5-10 year warranty goodbye.

[Grumpy]

Lots of to's and fro's in this one. My ML recently had the 45K service. Prior I asked my Mits dealer approx price - $980. Asked other Mits dealers - $750 and $730. My local mechanic (known for years and competent in the new engines) did it for $490. Same, same service - EVERYTHING in the book. He actually showed me the unit that plugs in, showed me the errors in there, cleared them , and engine runs great now. So whoever said you cant get the software is wrong. I was happy to get each 7500K service by mechanic and 15000K services by Mits. Not any more - money saved would easily compensate for any problems in future.

[Homer]

Don't know about the money thing...save $200-300 max per service for 5 services or 75,000 k's is $1,000 versus potential new diff, transmission, transfer case, injector pump etc....

I would do it to ensure a guy you trust does it, but to save maybe $400 a year I wouldn't...most of us would spend that on a 'cheap' weekend away or even a 'good' night out if you factor in taxi charges...it would be a good night out though

Same, same fuel economy...it just doesn't pay to chase it...unless there is an actual problem.

[borngeek]

coming from the bloke who ASKED them to change the wipers...that's the first thing every dealer does every service to pad the bill...fcken' amatuers..

Noted... I had a set of supershite ones on there but they sqeaked like crazy and drove me nuts.. thats why i asked for them but should have asked how much first You are right about the amateur bit, getting my lesson atm..

Thats interesting re 5-10 years because when i was talking to them yesterday they said that as long as the car is inspected by Mitsu Dealer once per year the drivetrain warrantee remains. This doesnt have to be a service of any kind and 'RHKTriton' does this exactly and I confirmed that is OK..
I did NOT specifically ask about 5-10, I believe snowman is totally right (they have to get us back there somehow), but will ask that question specifically when I call back next wednesday to report where i get with the current dealer i am 'talking' with....