Just before reaching the 15,000 mile mark, our Long-Term Altima signaled us that a scheduled service was imminent. Santa Monica Nissan fit us in next-day, and the service was performed in near-record time.
The hitch? (There's usually a hitch.) The original estimate for a 15,000 mile service was over $300.00 and included, not at our request or need, a four-wheel alignment...
I, thankfully, had brushed up on the information on our Maintenance Calculator, noticed the glaring price difference and requested that only the Nissan recommended services be performed. These included: Oil change, tire rotation, new air filter, a cleaning and re-adjusting of the brakes, and various inspections.
Total cost: $162.75 including tax.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 14,843 miles.
Total cost: $162.75 including tax.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 14,843 miles.
langjie says:
05:54 PM, 08/22/07
stealerships at it again
billt9 says:
06:30 PM, 08/22/07
We recommend you replace your windshield too. sometimes microscopic cracks may cause serious weakening of the windshield that you are unaware of. Better safe than sorry.
Also new tire will improve your vehicle's traction. You don't want to wait for that rainy day to find out!
ewilfong says:
06:36 PM, 08/22/07
Agreed. Even the updated price is absurd. You got a $20 oil change, a $10 air filter that takes three minutes to install, and a tire rotation that you can get for free. And while the wheels were already off, they squirted some brake cleaner on the rotors. If all that, being generous, is worth $50, then they charged $100+ to shine a flashlight around under the car.
And people say lawyers are sharks.
210delray says:
06:49 PM, 08/22/07
New air filter at only 15K miles? That's a new one for me --the usual interval is 30K miles.
"...they charged $100+ to shine a flashlight around under the car." LOL, so glad I do my own maintenance!
banhugh says:
08:38 PM, 08/22/07
so what was the extra $140 for? Inspections?
Also, if the oil was synthetic, then it might justify the $160 paid
SubyTrojan says:
09:06 PM, 08/22/07
A new air filter after 15k miles isn't uncommon according to manufacturers (no, I'm not referring to dealerships) depending on driving conditions.
Subaru's recommended maintenance schedules (MY1990 and later):
http://www.subaru.com/owners/schedules/index.jsp?from=topNav
langjie says:
07:03 AM, 08/23/07
i'm pretty sure it's dino oil. it's mostly the "inspections" they do, though i'm not sure how often your car actually does get inspected. for 15k, i wouldn't bother with all of those things. i'll do every 30k instead because i can change my own air filter, $10.99 at autozone and i don't think it catches on fire
ewilfong says:
08:14 AM, 08/23/07
banhugh, synthetic oil runs only $5 or $6 per quart, so that wouldn't justify the high pricetag by itself.
langjie says:
02:22 PM, 08/23/07
ewilfong, you're getting ripped off on your synthetic oil. walmart has 5 quarts of mobil1 for about $20
jaeger1 says:
03:36 PM, 08/25/07
This dealership would not see another dime of MY service money. What a bunch of crooks.