twighunter00

I got a bunch of coupons in the mail from my acura dealer (unfortunately no 'free OEM kit' coupon). But one of them was a free 27 point inspection done by the dealer. Has anyone else gotten this, I figured it wouldn't be a bad deal for me considering the car could use to be checked out for any bugs.... Are they just gonna hit me up for a large price tag at the end of the inspection, or could this be useful?

death

This is a scam to get you to bring your car in. They make a huge profit off anything they find and convince you to fix. So if your simply going in to get a list of possible issues with your car go for it.

My dealer offers free inspections without a coupon and I always get it done elsewhere simply because they nit pick all of my mods and end up failing me. They even comment on the fact that I have aftermarket wipers ie. non honda parts on my car.

xyrcncp

A person can always say no. When I took my car in for an oil change they "recommended" to change the battery. I politely told them that I was planning on replacing the OEM with an Optima, and we left it at that. If anything, I use these "xx-point inspections", so if they say something needs fixing/replacing, I know what it is, inspect it myself and fix/replace it if it really needs to be done.

01tl4tl

Perhaps I can interest you in attending a 90 minute (maybe 3 hours)
no pressure (hi-pressure) presentation of some wonderful opportunities for investing in overseas oil conglomerates and timeshare resellers while your car is being "serviced"!!!

Learn to look your car over at home and save the trouble.

One should have the name of a good local acura specialist shop-every town has one or more- for jobs that are more than you want to do and diagnosis of anything strange.

fla-tls

Someone sounds bitter here. These inspections are great for people who aren't too knowledgeable about cars. Sure - they are designed to elicit sales, but it's better to know there's a little problem now and spend the money to fix it than be stranded by the side of the road facing a much larger bill after the car is towed in.

If you are knowledgeable enough about cars where you don't need this type of help, then good for you. There are plenty of people out there who need the help, and these inspections probably save them money in the long run.

I agree with xyrcncp. You can always say "Thanks, but no thanks."

death

Not bitter, I just wanted to make sure he knew what he is getting himself into. Being informed regarding issues with your car is great. Paying a premium that is above and beyond the standard is not.

And yes I also agree with xyrcncp in that you can always decline their recommendations. I still go to my dealership for free oil changes but usually decline most of their recommended services or negotiate on the price based on local shop prices. I guess it also comes down to piece of mind in regards to the work being done right. In the end it's your car and your money so spend it how you like.

Dook

why would anyone NOT take advantage of a free, comprehensive inspection?? makes no sense to me...

if yew don't use it, send it to me.

Bambo2888

its a waste of time, you will possibly have something fucked with, and then they will give you a load of BS on how you NEED to do what they say. you know youre not going to do any of the things they suggest because they are going to charge you some ridiculous amount of money to change your fuckin wipers. save your time, dude.

Bob_F

Why? Because some dealerships will "find" non-existent problems and you can end up paying hundreds of dollars for repairs that are not needed. It's not a problem if you have a dealership that you can trust. But not all dealerships can be trusted.

And sure, you always have the option to decline the service. But most people don't have the time to make their own assessments so they'll just sign up for the work. The people that service cars are aware of this.

Here's a real world example of this practice that I experienced. Years ago I took my car to a Honda dealership for one of those $20 Oil and Filter deals. This deal included a "free" multi-point inspection. The service department came back with over $1,000 in additional needed repairs. This included new brakes all around, a charge of the A/C system and several other miscellaneous items.

At that time, I just couldn't afford the repairs so I declined the work and I resigned myself to doing the work myself. As I worked on the car I found that nearly every item was bogus. The brakes and A/C, for example, did not need any work.

When I checked the brakes and I found that the pad thicknesses were substantial. I went back and looked at the servicing paperwork and they had listed "measured" pad thicknesses that were a fraction of the actual thicknesses. In fact, the numbers they used were identical to the "time to replace" thicknesses listed in the service manual.

At that point, I lost all confidence in the dealer's service department and I never took my car there again. And I had been taking my car to this dealership for several years. If I had been able to pay for the dealer's recommended repairs, I would never had known that they were being dishonest.

Bob

Dook

aren't you smart enough to not fall for that? i am...

Bob_F

It's not a matter of being smart. It's whether or not you have the time for an independent assessment of the "problems".

I would guess that the majority of car owners don't have the time to do this and some people will end up paying for repairs they didn't need.

Bob

TLsMD

how do ya get free oil changes at the dealership?

death

I bought my car new and it was part of the deal they offered.

vtec260

I would take the free inspection and see what those idiots would say about your car. I would do that for pure fun and amusement. Typically if you give them an inch, they will take you a mile and try to rip you off. Last time I called to get cabin filter price over the phone and when I got there, the price jumped by $5. Same thing happened when I ordered touch up paint. Each time I confronted the manager of improperly trained staff giving wrong prices over the phone and got them to give the quoted phone price. If they can't even handle a few dollar purchases, imagine if something like tranny or other major part needed work done? Too bad for me, there only one Acura dealership and the next closest one is like 8 hours away. Take all other repairs suggested to independent import mechanic like I do.

twighunter00

I think I may go check out the free inspection... I'm knowledgeable about cars, and learning every day, but just not smart enough to see if somethings problematic yet. I mean car still feels great and drives better. I'm only 17 so I'd like them to seriously look me in the eye and tell me my car has over 1000 of repairs needed with a strait face...I might start laughing, plus anything they tell me i need fixed/replaced, I'll just look up on the good ol' AZ and see what the deal is.

death

Good luck and keep us posted on how it turns out.

Bob_F

Yes, good luck with the inspection. When in doubt, just take the car so you can make your own assessment. Be prepared to question what they tell you.

Bob