Can dealer refuse to work on Jeep because I didn’t buy there?

[wvgasguy]

Back to the original question. I believe the dealerships are required to work on your vehicle. But, they don't have to make you a priority. A long time ago I bought a Vette in the town I grew up in. Immediately the window got stcuk in the down position and I called the local dealer. He told me (knowing I didn't buy it there) that they have a "special" technician that worked on the Vette. He said it would be a couple of months. I said OK. In the meantime I take it back to the dealer I bought it at the next weekend and they looked and it was a loose wire. I didn't tell the other dealer and called them a couple of times to see when they could take me. After 9 months of waiting they called. I sent a letter to GM and copied the owner. I guess they didn't realize over the next 40 years I would buy 60 new vehicles in the area I now live....and they would not be from them.

So yes, I believe they have an obligation, but they control the scheduling

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[silversgrfx]

Any business can choose to refuse service. Not the best business practice.

i just went to my local dealer to ask questions about work I would like them to do. The service manager asked if I bought three and when I said no, he said they aren’t taking new customers for about 4 months because they are too busy.
Now, I don’t need any work now, but let’s say something needed to be done. I am under warranty, so shouldn’t I be treated like anyone else?
What if I just moved here?

Wouldn’t say this is an effective way to run a business but that’s their prerogative I guess. Hopefully there’s another jeep dealership and service center near you that’s more welcoming of your potential business. This is definitely nothing I’ve encountered here. I’ve bought jeeps from a couple different dealers around my area but always had service done at the same one regardless. They always provided me with great service regardless where I bought my jeeps.

 

[Mjmi69]

They make money on service but they do not make money on warranty. FCA tells them how much they get paid for every job they do. Most of the time what FCA pays for warranty will not cover what dealer had invested in repair.

That is a crock, dealers make a ton of money on warranty work, I have friends that own 15-40 dealers and they love warranty work, it keeps the light on at the dealerships.

 

[GGolds]

i just went to my local dealer to ask questions about work I would like them to do. The service manager asked if I bought three and when I said no, he said they aren’t taking new customers for about 4 months because they are too busy.
Now, I don’t need any work now, but let’s say something needed to be done. I am under warranty, so shouldn’t I be treated like anyone else?
What if I just moved here?

This is a very good question. Go to YouTube and look up videos by Steve Lehto. He's a car lawyer. Ask him that question. I just wrote to him and asked it so I may have the answer today. To my understanding, they cannot if they are a current production automobile. Especially FCA. I've purchased a LOT of cars and trucks from out of state dealers and had them serviced at local dealers and never had a problem. Even had loaners no issue. Dealers make their money on repairs both warranty and otherwise so it would be very foolish to turn you away. As for custom work, such as you're speaking about, that may be unprofitable for them, but warranty and out of pocket repairs are both equally profitable so it would be odd to turn you away. Of course if a dealer is backed up and has to make a priority list of customers that may be valid, but they wouldn't turn you away happily in that case either. JUST an FYI. If you have a camper trailer, or mobile home- that is a whole different ball game. They can be nightmares and do reject customers who don't buy from them. The laws and warranty rules for those are archaic. Camper trailers have terrible support from manufactures and they break so often that during camping season they can barely fit in their own customers and their reimbursements are awful and often get rejections from manufactures even when the trailer or mobile home is still under it's "bumper to bumper" warranty. Hope this is helpful.

 

[Dadawada]

I moved out to Chatham County in North Carolina a few years back. I had just purchased a new Ford F-250 Diesel and was in in need of warranty work. I had the truck towed to Welford Harris Ford in Siler City for service. They told me since I didn't buy the truck there, they would not service it.

Guess where I never bought a vehicle from? To me, any dealer that refuses service work because you didn't buy a vehicle from them should be put out of business.

 

[Gron86]

Dealerships can refuse business if they want to, what I would do is call up FCA and complain about how you were treated.

I did that once with a GM dealer who took over a month to replace my fule injectors (under warrenty) on a corvette.
Once the complaint was filed, the service manager called me up a few days later to informe me my car had been completed.
Might work/might not. Worth a try.

 

[droadrunner]

i just went to my local dealer to ask questions about work I would like them to do. The service manager asked if I bought three and when I said no, he said they aren’t taking new customers for about 4 months because they are too busy.
Now, I don’t need any work now, but let’s say something needed to be done. I am under warranty, so shouldn’t I be treated like anyone else?
What if I just moved here?

I buy a lot of my Jeeps out of town and have never had a problem with service at my local dealer .

 

[Rural Applachia]

My family owned a small Ford Dealership 50 plus years. New cars we did not sell many or make mutch on. However we had a huge service department that was very very profitable and good. We serviced all makes. We serviced more chevys than the Chevy dealership. Jeep currently pays $80/hours for warranty week I have been told. The Jeep dealership closet to my house is full sticker They have a terrible service department. My non warranty work is at an independant Jeep ONLY shop. They also do complex repairs as a subcontractor for another Jeep dealership.

 

[tfinnell]

i just went to my local dealer to ask questions about work I would like them to do. The service manager asked if I bought three and when I said no, he said they aren’t taking new customers for about 4 months because they are too busy.
Now, I don’t need any work now, but let’s say something needed to be done. I am under warranty, so shouldn’t I be treated like anyone else?
What if I just moved here?

 

[Wade Wilson]

i just went to my local dealer to ask questions about work I would like them to do. The service manager asked if I bought three and when I said no, he said they aren’t taking new customers for about 4 months because they are too busy.
Now, I don’t need any work now, but let’s say something needed to be done. I am under warranty, so shouldn’t I be treated like anyone else?
What if I just moved here?

I've read all of the replies, here is what I suggest:
Post the name of the dealer on the forum, JUST LIKE THE DEALER, FELLOW JEEP OWNERS CAN CHOOSE WHETHER OR NOT TO EVER DO BUSINESS WITH THIS DEALER.

 

[BlackRook]

I've read all of the replies, here is what I suggest:
Post the name of the dealer on the forum, JUST LIKE THE DEALER, FELLOW JEEP OWNERS CAN CHOOSE WHETHER OR NOT TO EVER DO BUSINESS WITH THIS DEALER.

Seconded.

 

[J0E]

Many have suggested -

Find another dealer.

I'm on Maui, there is no other dealer on the island.

I tried working with my local dealer and they completely SUCKED at making a deal on my Wrangler.

I tried too. I just asked if they could come close to Dennisdillonchryslerjeepdodge.com - they were nice and said Dillon gets a big discount they don't. They didn't want to quote me a price. Hopefully they'll service my Jeep. I'll make an appointment on the phone. If they ask, I just moved here.

 

[RussJeep1]

Many have suggested -


I'm on Maui, there is no other dealer on the island.



I tried too. I just asked if they could come close to Dennisdillonchryslerjeepdodge.com - they were nice and said Dillon gets a big discount they don't. They didn't want to quote me a price. Hopefully they'll service my Jeep. I'll make an appointment on the phone. If they ask, I just moved here.

Funny story. Many people here know Craig Benner of Koons....nice guy who handles the volume Wrangler sales.

Craig has a map of the US with all the States colored in that have at least one customer of his that call it home. I think virtually all the States were colored in when I purchased in April.

Hawaii is one of those colored in States. Of course the purchaser was in the military and getting transferred there; meaning Uncle Sam was picking up his relocation costs, including getting his vehicles there from the mainland!

===

As for the "Dillions gets a big discount they don't" speech....here's my retort:

Dillions gets a big discount Mr/Ms. Salesman because they OFFER a big discount. More to point, it is because dealers like Dillions choose--as could this dealership--to offer extremely competitive pricing that they move rigs.

And because they move rigs, FCA gives them volume incentive commissions that effectively lower the purchase price of each unit they buy.

I just love it when dealers cry poverty because they choose to not use sales methods that would give them the very discounts that would be theirs for the taking because they'd rather sell less rigs at higher profit.

I respect a dealer's right to price as they see fit. In fact FCA in any way controlling this could make for anti-trust litigation. I just don't expect them to complain, if they are, that the Dillions/Koons of the world are running them out of business because they have chosen a different sales model.

The Koons showroom is beautiful. Koons has dealerships all throughout the DC/Metro market demographic. They must be making money BY servicing customer need for a good deal. I call that win-win.

Dealerships complaining that they're to busy making money on service....let them hire more mechanics...it's all about the wage they pay. Like in the sales model, they could make less money on each service by paying the mechanics more, and do volume business--become known as "the" dealer for service.

Boo hoo to the dealer who disenfranchises the customer, and then feels disenfranchised. I have all the sympathy for them (not) of the metaphorical adult who kills his parents and then pleads for the court's mercy because he's an orphan.

 

[dgrosenberg.5]

I had the local Kubota dealer do the same to me--about 20 years ago. I have since purchased about a dozen new Kubotas--all somewhere else!

 

[dgrosenberg.5]

Maybe should have thought of that when you bought it. Sometimes the lowest purchase price is not the cheapest to own cost.

Actually I agree that maybe that should have been considered before purchasing. I just did exactly that. And abandoned JEEP for another brand because the local dealer has a poor reputation!!! And I am just now considering doing the same for the Rubicon I was about to order. Seems like the factory may want to set some rules or monitor dealers more closely.

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