Butthead tire store

I took my wife’s 1995 RM sedan with 110,000 miles on it to the store where we bought the tires for a courtesy rotation and alignment checkup and they said that it needs new tie rod ends and a control arm for $1000 plus parts. I declined, of course so then they said it needs new brakes and rotors.

That's probably why most of us do most of our work, as I know you realize.

Tom

Are all those parts they said it needed good?

Not every shop is a Butthead...

The dead "giveaways" are "courtesy rotation and alignment checkup". You know they are going to find something. It's a perfect way to sell you something. They know you got a new set of tires and you don't want to wear them with worn parts.........here comes the vultures.

Tom

Agreed - But the automatic assumption that this is what happened gives the good shops a bad reputation that they don't deserve.

If the OP said that they had just inspected these components and/or recently serviced the brakes then maybe there's something to base the conclusion that it's dishonest?

It's very likely that these components don't need to be replaced and the whole situation is as presumed, but to automatically jump to that conclusion isn't doing anyone any good in my opinion

Do the steering parts actually have over 100K on them? Or do you know if they have been replaced recently?

I went for a toe check. They tried to sell me a tierod end, and I only have about 10K on the one in it, The manager rotated the tierod, and said it was bad. They all rotate even when new. I have done all my front end work for years, and I know my cars intimately. All shops rely on people who do not know anything about their cars to make a bigger ticket. It is sad that they prey on the ignorant, but that is what they are taught. I applied to a parts store for a job about 10 years ago, and they asked what I would sell someone for a tune-up. I answered that most newer cars only need "cap, rotor, plug wires, and spark plugs. The interviewer asked what else I would include. I do not know what else could be needed on a newer car. Some do not have caps and rotors any more. All businesses want to make as much money as possible, and will sell you whatever they can, even if you do not need it.

A grand in labor! $400 an hour seems excessive. We only charge $140 at work and we work on big trucks and charge about 60 less than the dealerships.

That said, I laugh at all the 'they only want to rip you off" and "they want to make as much as possible" claims. We hear it all the time but we only repair what needs to be repaired and only replace what needs to be replaced. Trust me, I don't WANT to work on your piece of crap in the first place, so I'm not going to make extra work for myself and I take too much pride in my work to screw anyone over.

Of course, we have tons of work coming in daily AND kept a full shop throughout 2020. So we must be doing something right.

94Woody wrote:

A grand in labor! $400 an hour seems excessive. We only charge $140 at work and we work on big trucks and charge about 60 less than the dealerships.

That said, I laugh at all the 'they only want to rip you off" and "they want to make as much as possible" claims. We hear it all the time but we only repair what needs to be repaired and only replace what needs to be replaced. Trust me, I don't WANT to work on your piece of crap in the first place, so I'm not going to make extra work for myself and I take too much pride in my work to screw anyone over.

Of course, we have tons of work coming in daily AND kept a full shop throughout 2020. So we must be doing something right.

Im a manger in a car dealership and see and hear this all the time from service customers also. Trust us, there's PLENTY of work lined up and waiting to not have to fabricate stuff that needs to be replaced and serviced for the most part. Sure, some people out there might try some things, like the Firestone store who tried to tell my grand mother she needed a differential service in her 2000 Chrysler Concorde, but honestly, that's few and far between. Most of the crap that comes in saying they just need an oil and filter change, or alignment, has way bigger problems the customer ignores or wants to pretend don't exist. Not saying that's what's going on here, but just sharing our side also.