A current MAG bitch thread.....

[Geeesammy]

Expecting a technician to waive his time he spent diagnosing the issue you were unable to fix yourself is like complaining a lawyer wanted a retainer fee.

 

That said it is pretty fishy they didn't recommend the services at the last visit it was there (if it was there) for the oil change. I'd always hit people with as much as I could when they were in in case they didn't come back. Call me a crook or whatever, I wouldn't recommend something to a customer I wouldn't replace or fix on my car.

 

Go to an independent shop, I'd bet you'd save some money on labor time at least. Labor rates are Are all high now.

 

Don't take my response as being A dick, it's just the other side to the story.

[bmwohio]

My .02

 

I agree the diag fee should be included in the repair if the work is done there. I think they're just being a 'thorough' shop when they present other items that may be needing done to the car. If they know you as a customer, like Aaron knows his tech, then over time you can develop that relationship and they will 'get to know' what kind of customer you are.

 

Some people get pissed, and don't know shit about maintenance on cars, so some will get mad and say, why didn't you tell me that this needed done?! .....which doesn't apply to most of us on this forum.

 

Agree that Tom and Pat at Hatem are 'good people' and I would definitely trust my BMW with them.

 

Best Motorwerks on 5th avenue is another good BMW/Mini shop. You can tell them Kale referred you over there and they will take good care of you(at either place) .

[Geeto67]

Expecting a technician to waive his time he spent diagnosing the issue you were unable to fix yourself is like complaining a lawyer wanted a retainer fee.

 

Lots of people complain about retainer fees. And sometimes Atty's waive them. does the diagnostic really come out of the tech's pay or the dealer's pocket?

 

I guess at the heart of it, I'm having a hard time with them (not) justifying the flat diagnostic fee, and why it is more than their hourly rate. maybe some of that is the shortcoming of the service writer and her "take it or leave it" attitude, but that still breaks down to customer service experience.

 

That said it is pretty fishy they didn't recommend the services at the last visit it was there (if it was there) for the oil change. I'd always hit people with as much as I could when they were in in case they didn't come back. Call me a crook or whatever, I wouldn't recommend something to a customer I wouldn't replace or fix on my car.

 

This is the first time the car was at MAG. The last service on the car was several months ago and it wasn't an issue then. The recommendations MAG had went 6months out and the feeling I got was that they were trying to convince me to do it now. I got this feeling because they actually said "would you like to take care of this now" after each item.

 

Go to an independent shop, I'd bet you'd save some money on labor time at least. Labor rates are Are all high now.

 

not really bitching about the labor rate. Indy shop will have a cheaper rate I get that. It's really just the Diagnostic fee and having it be more than the labor rate.

 

 

Don't take my response as being A dick, it's just the other side to the story.

 

I don't, I wanted the other side of the story.

[El Karacho1647545492]

Expecting a technician to waive his time he spent diagnosing the issue you were unable to fix yourself is like complaining a lawyer wanted a retainer fee.

 

No, it's like wanting a lawyer who is working on an hourly basis to waive an initial consultation fee after you decide to hire them. Which, HOLY SHIT, IS A THING THAT HAPPENS!!!

[TTQ B4U]

No, it's like wanting a lawyer who is working on an hourly basis to waive an initial consultation fee after you decide to hire them. Which, HOLY SHIT, IS A THING THAT HAPPENS!!!

 

Came here to say this. Posting mobile and didn't see it initially.

[Nickey4271647545519]

You will always a have a diag fee, regardless of what a dealer/shop tells you. When i wrote service we would tell people that we would waive the diag fee if they had the work done with us, that said we built the diag fee into the back end of the labor charged if they chose to do the work. In the end most techs want their hour of diag.

[Geeto67]

No, it's like wanting a lawyer who is working on an hourly basis to waive an initial consultation fee after you decide to hire them. Which, HOLY SHIT, IS A THING THAT HAPPENS!!!

 

Made me laugh out loud. Now all my co-workers are staring.

[Geeesammy]

Lots of people complain about retainer fees. And sometimes Atty's waive them. does the diagnostic really come out of the tech's pay or the dealer's pocket?

IF you want to get technical, yes, it does. Just because they charge you 1 or 1.5 hour to diag an issue doesnt mean it took that long. It works both ways. The way I see it is if you are bringing it to me to fix, you need me to provide you with an accurate description of what the car needs. For me I usually didn't ask for diag time on a suspension noise, techs usually make a killing off of suspension work. Where the money is lost is when i have to have someones car tied up in my bay while parts gets pricing, the service writer gets an estimate together with part pricing and my labor I said on the job and give the customer a call. Now i have this car in my bay, unsure of when and if the job is going to be sold. It could be a 15 minute diagnosis, but after i look over the car to check for anything else wrong (because if i didnt, the customer would get pissed that we missed it since it was just in the shop) add 10 minutes, get parts pricing (10 to 20 minutes) look up labor times if i dont know it off hand add 5 minutes, enter that into the computer add 5 minutes, wait on the service guys to get ahold of you since you were in a work meeting add 10 minutes (and any Tech will tell you, if it isn't a waiter expect the car to sit for at LEAST 30-45 minutes before you get a yes or no), and wait for you to then call your wife and consult with her, add 20 minutes, you can see why it is charged.

At a minimum that there is 55 minutes, I feel as if that is the average time for a diag, especially a pull since you dont know if the customer hit a pothole and the camber is way off and you need to check the alignment, etc. Most newer alignment racks can get set up in 10 minutes or less, but if it is a bmw some need weighted and need the ride height verified.

 

All during that time i could have been working on a paying job i had in my other bay that was a 10 hour transmission job i could get done in 8.5, or do the gravy tie rod ends and ball joint I'd sold earlier that day.

 

So in essence, it costs them time which is very valuable to a flat rate tech.

 

I guess at the heart of it, I'm having a hard time with them (not) justifying the flat diagnostic fee, and why it is more than their hourly rate. maybe some of that is the shortcoming of the service writer and her "take it or leave it" attitude, but that still breaks down to customer service experience.

 

It's unfortunate the service writer treated you poorly and didnt satisfy your expectations. Next time you are in that situation just ask for the service managers number and im sure they will be happy to remedy the situation and explain further, especially with a luxury brand.

 

This is the first time the car was at MAG. The last service on the car was several months ago and it wasn't an issue then. The recommendations MAG had went 6months out and the feeling I got was that they were trying to convince me to do it now. I got this feeling because they actually said "would you like to take care of this now" after each item.

Slow days result in that. They may have just seen the mileage and recommended them based on mileage or age. It seems to me most bmw owners are particular about maintenance and want to be informed of what's needed next.

 

 

As far as the retainer fee, I've never gotten out of one. Maybe I should ask...oh well.

[cdk 4219]

Go somewhere else, or do it yourself. They probably don't enjoy working on your old junk anyway.

[Versluis]

I'd follow the techs, not the dealer. I have a tech I use for anything and everything VAG, and he's at Byers currently.

 

I've been to them all, and had both great and bad experiences at all 3 VW dealers.

 

Most recent being a bad one at MAG, which made me write them off entirely.

 

Like I said above, I'll follow my tech.

 

Totally agree. I think we are using the same guy.

[Dammit Charlie]

Technicians get paid flat rate. That's what the diagnostic fee is for, for them to get your car, test drive it, verify the pull, put it on a lift, inspect the car fully, write recommendations, get pricing. If they did this for free everyday they wouldn't make a living. The fee should be included if the work is done, if not you only pay for the diag.

 

Exactly. If the dealership tells you up front that there is a diagnostic fee of $XXX.XX if the concern isn't covered under warranty it's legit. Good techs are hard to find and typically NOT cheap.

 

Hell, we have an upfront $250 diagnostic fee upfront. You get every bit of two hours of diag.

[Geeto67]

Ok so here is how it worked out:

 

When they called me mid morning yesterday, they said it would take 2 days just to order the part as they didn't have it in stock. I authorized and figured I would wait. They then call me at 5:30 pm yesterday to tell me car is done. Apparently they had located the parts at Kelly BMW and had them sent over.

 

In the end they "couldn't" align the car using the machine. Something about their machine interfering with my front struts (which are stock BMW by the way) so they got it as close as they can. Car tracks straight. They split the bill with me on the alignment so the whole thing came in roughly just under $200 cheaper. Car tracks straight and the only issue seems to be the camber which is over stock spec by -1 degree.

 

I asked about the diagnostic fee being higher than their hour but got the usual company "it's just our policy" reply. Since they were already eating the bulk of the alignment I didn't push.

 

So overall I am happy again. I feel like they went above and beyond getting the parts rather than waiting for 2 days, and took care of me on the alignment issue.

 

As for the service writer, she gets flustered when you ask her direct questions, it's a nervous thing I guess. I don't know. She showed me all paperwork I asked for and even got me the old parts to inspect so I can't complain.

[cruizin01]

They did get those bushings from us yesterday. Its common for us to buy parts from each other for same day jobs.

 

Iirc correctly we charge 3.5-4 hours total to install those same bushings.

 

And yes we always charge diag fee on top of the actual repair. That only makes sense from a dealer standpoint. There are a few exceptions if there are multiple diag lines and the customers buys in on a lot of the work. So I suppose I can't say always. But for a 1-2 line repair, yes.

[Geeesammy]

The alignment issue is a common one. They likely have new tire clamp style vs. Wheel clamp. When you go to do the rolling compensation the hook hits the strut.

[Orion]

Wait, what the fuck? Are Geeto and Grant conversing like regular type people in this thread? Truly, these are crazy days....

[SpaceGhost]

I declare Shenanigans....

[Robochan]

I declare Shenanigans....

http://img.pandawhale.com/45751-tumblrmcvay6d7Lb1r1ukqvo1r1500-YsZQ.gif

[Geeto67]

http://www.relatably.com/q/img/super-troopers-quotes-syrup/502-Super-Troopers-quotes.png

[SpaceGhost]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160301/064bda5eae3e3a4f613b5da6b2b908c2.jpg

[aussiek2000]

I always charge 1.0 hour minimum for check out. Goes up on electrical (straight time). Some times I will work my check out time into my total estimate.

 

My bills still have to be paid at the end of the month. I can't work for free, no matter how easy/hard the concern is to figure out