Dealer tech lied about performing tire rotation

lex97h

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So about two weeks ago I took my 2020 Si to Open Road Honda to have the oil and filter changed and tire rotated (5000 mile). Dropped the car off on Saturday morning, service advisor said it'll be one and a half hours so I left. Got a car from dealer about 2 hours later saying the car is ready. Got to dealership to pickup and paid. Went to my car and noticed the tires were not rotated (I had a small scuff mark and air bubble on the driver front tire). So, I went to see the adviser and told him what happened and he assured me the tires were rotated as stated on the work order. Then I showed him the scuff mark and the bubble on the tire and they were in the same spot meaning it wasn't rotated.

It got so heated that the service manager had to get involved. Service manager assured me the tire were rotated and he said he spoke to the tech that did the work and told me the tech said he only rotated one side because the other side was fine. I asked the manager which side did he do, he replied the left (this is very interesting, remember the bubble and the scuff mark?)

We both went to ask the tech which side he did and the tech swears he did the left side. I then asked him if you did the left side why is the scuff mark and bubble still on the front and not the rear? He finally confessed and said he didn't do. The serviced manager wasn't too please with the tech answer and just rushed off. Afterwards, they took my car in to have the wheels rotated and the service adviser gave me a free oil change for next time.

I don't understand why the tech just couldn't come clean in the first place. Even after being caught he still lied through his teeth. Free oil change? Yea right, they are going to sabotage my car next time I bring it there.
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SDAlexander8

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These techs make more money the faster they churn through work. This encourages them to lie or take shortcuts if they can.

It’s a bullshit system, especially with how much a dealership charges for labor. I know there are Honda techs on this forum who are honest people and will not like my opinion, but it’s the truth.

The flat labor rate structure for every task leads to shitty workmanship from techs who just don’t care, so they can make more money at the end of the day. Your car is just another car on their lift. They do not care about your car as much as you do.

Some people take pride in their work; but most don’t. This is how it is in every trade. Do your own maintenance if you have the capability.
 
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lex97h

lex97h

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These techs make more money the faster they churn through work. This encourages them to lie or take shortcuts if they can.

It’s a bullshit system, especially with how much a dealership charges for labor. I know there are Honda techs on this forum who are honest people and will not like my opinion, but it’s the truth.

The flat labor rate structure for every task leads to shitty workmanship from techs who just don’t care, so they can make more money at the end of the day. Your car is just another car on their lift. They do not care about your car as much as you do.

Some people take pride in their work; but most don’t. This is how it is in every trade. Do your own maintenance if you have the capability.
This is why I hate taking my cars to dealership. They don't really care about my car. I guess I will have to do the maintenance myself next time.
 

SDAlexander8

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Oh and there is no such thing as a 1 side tire rotation.

Front go straight back to the rear, rears cross to the front.

I’ve seen mechanics cross both front and rear, but each tire will not see all 4 corners if done that way.
 


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lex97h

lex97h

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Oh and there is no such thing as a 1 side tire rotation.

Front go straight back to the rear, rears cross to the front.

I’ve seen mechanics cross both front and rear, but each tire will not see all 4 corners if done that way.
Yeah I know the tech was lying when he said he did one side as I never heard that one before.
 

SDAlexander8

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Yeah I know the tech was lying when he said he did one side as I never heard that one before.
There are honest dealerships out there. I wouldn’t give up on them completely. Maybe your dealership has some good guys and you got unlucky with the service advisor and tech you were assigned, who knows.

I have noticed however, if you appear to have some shred of knowledge about cars they seem to be less likely to try and screw you over. Like when a soccer mom brings her Pilot/Odyssey in and they tell her that the air filter needs changed for 85$. She’s not going to check it or know where it even is because she has never even opened the hood of her car.
 

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"I only rotated the right side tires because the left side tires were fine.":crazy:

This guy must have been previously employed with a ring racing team. This about a new car having its first tire rotation at 5000 miles. :doh: The stupidest thing I ever heard in my life from a dealer service idiot. And this is a tough competition. The second place belongs to the Honda technician who told me that my coolant (after a cooling system flush service) has the urine color (all 2 gallons of It) instead of being blue because there must have been some dirt around the radiatior cap. :rofl:

These people are so used to their job being to show grandmas their dirty air filters, and they have so low IQ, they literally beg you to find another place to service your car and they are not even aware of it.
 
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lex97h

lex97h

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My biggest mistake is bringing the car to the dealership. Lesson learned. Now me and the mad scientist will have to get under the car sometime this weekend and see if the tech actually changed the oil filter. So sad is the world we live in where tech cares more about the money and skipping work that the customer paid for than to have pride in the work that they do. There are good techs out there, unfortunately I just got the lemon.
 

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My biggest mistake is bringing the car to the dealership. Lesson learned. Now me and the mad scientist will have to get under the car sometime this weekend and see if the tech actually changed the oil filter. So sad is the world we live in where tech cares more about the money and skipping work that the customer paid for than to have pride in the work that they do. There are good techs out there, unfortunately I just got the lemon.
It really is a shame.
There was a time when good mechanics were called conscientious.
Now they're just called slow.
Once you no longer have pride in your work, you take no joy from work, and begin to hate your job.
You're not fit to work on someone's car anymore.
 


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I am pretty sure that these sorts of things are quite common.

I had a Subaru that I bought new from the Dealer. Brought it in for the first oil change, after three months with only about 1,000 miles on it (back then you were supposed to get the oil changed at least every three months), the tech said to me afterward, "You don't have many miles on it do you ?". By the way he said it, I knew then and there that the b'tard had checked the odometer and decided to not change the oil, but charged me for it anyway.

I didn't complain because there was no way that I could prove it. I just never brought it back there again. Now, I check the dipstick before I drive off the lot to make sure the oil is clean and I find a mechanic that I can trust. You can usually tell over time if they are honest.

And I am quite sure that the service Manager knew that the techs cut corners. Service Managers are really commissioned salesmen and they encourage the techs to book as much "work" as possible. Even if they don't do the actual work.
 

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So about two weeks ago I took my 2020 Si to Open Road Honda to have the oil and filter changed and tire rotated (5000 mile). Dropped the car off on Saturday morning, service advisor said it'll be one and a half hours so I left. Got a car from dealer about 2 hours later saying the car is ready. Got to dealership to pickup and paid. Went to my car and noticed the tires were not rotated (I had a small scuff mark and air bubble on the driver front tire). So, I went to see the adviser and told him what happened and he assured me the tires were rotated as stated on the work order. Then I showed him the scuff mark and the bubble on the tire and they were in the same spot meaning it wasn't rotated.

It got so heated that the service manager had to get involved. Service manager assured me the tire were rotated and he said he spoke to the tech that did the work and told me the tech said he only rotated one side because the other side was fine. I asked the manager which side did he do, he replied the left (this is very interesting, remember the bubble and the scuff mark?)

We both went to ask the tech which side he did and the tech swears he did the left side. I then asked him if you did the left side why is the scuff mark and bubble still on the front and not the rear? He finally confessed and said he didn't do. The serviced manager wasn't too please with the tech answer and just rushed off. Afterwards, they took my car in to have the wheels rotated and the service adviser gave me a free oil change for next time.

I don't understand why the tech just couldn't come clean in the first place. Even after being caught he still lied through his teeth. Free oil change? Yea right, they are going to sabotage my car next time I bring it there.
Was this open road in Edison?
 

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Yes it is. I take my vehicles there all the time, but this is the first time that I caught the tech red handed.
That's where I bought my Si, I worked the service package (oil changes tire rotation) into my car price but I haven't gone back in fear of this. I just do everything myself.
 

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Those free multi point inspections are a joke too. Had a blown headlight bulb and they missed it twice.
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