(Cell phone picture of our Silverado on the rack.)
I had a bad experience at a Mitsubishi service department recently so when I took our 2007 Chevrolet Silverado in for an oil change and tire rotation I thought it would make an interesting comparison test. I took it to Harbor Chevrolet in Long Beach, California, near my house.
Test #1: Did I have to wait long in the service line?
Within a few minutes the service advisor greeted me cheerfully and said, "I'll help you out in just a minute." It's amazing how a few words of recognition can make you relax. As promised the service advisor invited me into his stand-up office a few minutes later to "get me all taken care of."
Test #2: Was I pressured to approve high-cost repairs I didn't need?
I visted the Maintenance Costs section of our site before I headed to the dealership and saw that our estimate for a tire rotation, oil and filter change, and a host of inspections, was $156. When I told my service advisor what I wanted he said, "A lot of those inspections are on our fifteen thousand mile checkup special for only $372." I couldn't help it but I laughed...
Test #3: How was the service lounge?
It was pretty stark, to tell you the truth, but it was clean and comfortable (no free coffee!). But interestingly, everyone from the dealership that walked past me smiled and said, "Good morning!" This was in contrast to the Mitsubishi dealership where I felt I would wind up in a gang fight. Clearly, someone at the top knew the importance of customer service. Also, I got to watch the mechanic work on our truck -- hence the stunning cell phone picture. The mechanic seemed very thorough.
Test #4: Was the work finished on time?
I had been given an estimate of an hour and a half to finished the work. It actually took about two hours. But by then I was in such a good mood from all the friendly interaction that I didn't care.
Test #5: Did the dealership score any extra credit points?
At the Mitsubishi dealership I had to clear out all the greasy paper from the driver foot well and pull off the service number from the rear view mirror. All this was removed for me when the truck was brought up.
I think it's time for Mitsubishi to go on a little mystery shopping trip to Harbor Chevrolet and see how customer service is done.
Philip Reed, Edmunds.com Senior Consumer Advice Editor @ 18,929 miles
toyota_f1 says:
01:54 PM, 09/21/07
As for #1 I would want to know how many cars each dealer is having to service. There are eleventy billion Chevy dealers but a shrinking Mitsu network so I'm sure each Mitsu dealer has to handle more cars than an equivalent Chevy dealer. Of course I could be way off and it's still no excuse for bad attitudes and poor service.
billt9 says:
02:07 PM, 09/21/07
toyota_F1, I'd think the exact opposite.
The Chevy dealership handles many more vehicles.
So they have a lot of experience, able to afford more up to date service equipment.
Their service staff get plenty of customers so they get to practice their skills daily, never getting rusty.
Whereas the Mitsu dealers don't handle as many vehicles; the tech's skills get rusty from lack of practice. And low volumes doesn't allow the dealership to buy as much new equipment, or support a parts handling infrastructure that's always on.
It didn't sound like the Mitsu dealers had bad attitude. They just had a lack of trained positive peppy attitude; which is a sales skill that's acquired from practice, or from training.
toyota_f1 says:
02:34 PM, 09/21/07
Good point, could swing either way I suppose. Really it depends on their overall attitude though. If their goal is to provide world class service you can do that. Clearly the Chevy dealer was going about it in a much better way. Like any job being overworked or underworked isn't good and can affect the quality of service.
aspade says:
02:35 PM, 09/21/07
Re: Test #2, pushing $300 of unnecessary service at you even once is pretty sleazy. It's good they weren't aggressive about it, but the typical non-car person would have known to laugh it off and would probably be out another three notes.
stovt001 says:
03:54 PM, 09/21/07
Those $300 "XX Thousand Mile Service Specials" are about $100 for the parts or materials and labor, $200 for the little stamp in your owners handbook saying you got the factory recommended service and your warranty is safe. Thats what I liked about my Chevy dealership. They sent me a coupon for a $20 oil and filter change, inspection, and car wash, and when I brought it in, they just accepted the coupon and didn't try to upsell at all. It was surprisingly nice.
scott65 says:
04:26 PM, 09/21/07
372 dollars lol. And checking a box that said he offered it? I wouldn't even check that for him. Dealerships.......christ
mjd1123 says:
04:59 PM, 09/21/07
Speaking from experience the best service comes from Saturn, no doubt about it. You actually get treated like a human being there.
thebigal says:
06:22 PM, 09/21/07
Chevy service - at least at the few that I have been to has been pretty good... The one I have taken my Impala to for warranty work, I get my car back washed and vacumed. Even for warranty work, where I don't pay a dime.
vic_pe says:
06:41 PM, 09/21/07
I've been meaning to say this:
If you really want to stick it in, and perhaps even impact the dealership, you should consider sending a link to the LT blog you did on them and let them see how you think their service is, and how the community is reacting.
Send it via e-mail to their main address, and just mention to them that as an online editor of a website that's read by millions, you can finally let people know of the service you had.
What does everyone else here think?
Time to not just whine, but make it known!
crashtestdingo says:
10:13 AM, 09/22/07
But if the dealership knows a vehicle being brought in for service belongs to a blog or magazine, it might give the person who brings in the vehicle exceptional service in hopes of getting good publicity.
gmguy111 says:
04:15 PM, 09/22/07
its like what i said when you guys were having problems with mitsu service Do not judge the whole company based on one bad dealership experience but Its nice to see that you guys had a somewhat good dealer experience hopefully the guys at that mitsu dealership you guys had problems with are reading this and taking notes
vic_pe says:
09:14 PM, 09/22/07
The dealership shouldn't even know this is the vehicle, unless they have the customer name and VIN of the one above. Otherwise their Outlander could be anybody's when entering the service area.
All I am saying is hit them right where it hurts by showing them the risk they're taking with the public online knowing about it all. Then show them the dealership review feature for even more punch.
daveflores says:
01:15 PM, 09/24/07
Not all Mitsu dealers are that bad. This weekend I took my Lancer in to my local (Baltimore are) Mitsubishi dealer for its first 3500 mile service (basically an oil change, from what I gather) and was in and out in 30 minutes. I took the time to amble through the lot and take a closer look at the only Lancer GTS they still had in stock (inside the showroom) and decided that yes, it was probably a mistake not to get the GTS model, and yes, I'll probably spring for the skirts and the lip as well as some 17" wheels for my ES in the near future. Still won't have that nice leather wrapped steering wheel that the GTS has, though. The folks at the dealership were pleasant, and I had a nice chat with a service guy and another employee who I overheard talking about the used Evos they had their eyes on, and the new model coming out nest spring.
SubyTrojan says:
02:37 PM, 09/24/07
Did you mean this model, daveflores? :o) :shameless plug:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=122744