What should I expect from my dealer

[wordslayer]

Cadillac dealer? Envision a night with your favorite Victoria's Secret supermodel. It isn't quite that good, but close.

BMW dealer? Envision a night with your favorite Victoria's Secret supermodel. It'll be fun, but you'll get an STD. You will pay out the a$$ for the experience.

Jeep dealer? You'll get to spend an afternoon sitting in a too small waiting room, while basking in the comfort of a hard and sticky chair, staring at a dirty keurig coffee pot, and the only woman you'll get is Wendy from Breaking Bad.

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[mwilk012]

On the sales end, I always test dealerships. I’ll go in after work all grubby and dirty to see how I’m treated. A few times I’ve stood in the showroom for 15-20 minutes and had no one say a word to me, so I would leave and mark them off my list . Others would rush me like I was a celebrity. That’s also annoying, but better than being invisible.

I tested this, but in military uniform vs civilian clothes. Completely ignored in civvies and treated like an idiot who would buy anything when in uniform. The only positive thing I’ve experienced at the dealership was that they got my order right.

 

[digitalbliss]

My local Jeep dealer looked at me crazy when I asked about a loaner, lol. When I mentioned that the purpose was a recall/warranty issue, they expedited the fix so that I wouldn't have to wait. I would expect zero if I brought it in for normal service. I think I could convince them for recall/warranty work, but not without the run-around first.

On the flip side, my wife has a Subaru. The closest dealer is 30-40 miles away. If we schedule ahead of time, they usually have no problems giving us a loaner even for general service. I think theae things are 100% dependant on the dealer you go to.

Oh, and the Subie dealer washes the car every time. I don't think the Jeep dealer even put down paper mats either time it went in.

 

[BillG]

I tested this, but in military uniform vs civilian clothes. Completely ignored in civvies and treated like an idiot who would buy anything when in uniform. The only positive thing I’ve experienced at the dealership was that they got my order right.

This time it was basically tell them what I wanted, and what I was willing to pay. My salesman was a kid, and it was the first special order he had ever done. I pretty much had to walk him through everything. I didn’t deal with my closet dealer though. Apparently I didn’t look like I could afford what I was asking about.

 

[mwilk012]

This time it was basically tell them what I wanted, and what I was willing to pay. My salesman was a kid, and it was the first special order he had ever done. I pretty much had to walk him through everything. I didn’t deal with my closet dealer though. Apparently I didn’t look like I could afford what I was asking about.

The first dealership I went to, the salesman, who was probably in his late 50’s, at first couldn’t tell me if they had any JL’s on the lot to test drive, and then he couldn’t figure out how to order one. The second dealership kept trying to sell me a white one off the lot even though I told them repeatedly it was blue or nothing. I got them to order it but it was a struggle. Then, their service staff was much, much worse. I’ll never pay them for anything.

 

[56nomad56]

I guess it all depends on where you live.
For example, if you like in Irvine CA, you should expect a prostate massage. If you live in San Clemente, expect fair treatment.

Totally had to laugh at this one. Daughter's old car was a '14 Mazda 3iGT. In Irvine they tried to tell me the brake pads need replacing, when in fact they still had 6-7mm of material left. So I talked to the manager about the deception. Next time in for service (it was covered first 36K miles) they said the rear pads needed replacing. Same thing, tons of material left. Left them a scathing review on Yelp and Google. Her infotainment screen went out, and even though it was past warranty they replaced it for free, maybe to make up for their previous shenanigans.

The Mazda in San Clemente is tons better.

Our experiences with the local dealerships:
Lexus- amazing service, slightly stale danishes
VW- pretty good service, but long wait times due to volumes
Mazda- hit or miss
Nissan- pretty good, but one dealership couldn't fix a front end squeak after 3 tries (guess what...Irvine). San Clemente Nissan got it first try (loose tie rod end)
BMW- amazing service, got a 530i loaner when we took in my daughter's X1. Their cafe mocha from the machine is primo.
Honda- great service, probably because my neighbor's BIL is a service writer there. Replaced our Odyssey tranny a full year after warranty for free.
Toyota- average, but our Toyotas never really needed anything but basic service

Holy cow we've had a lot of cars.

At least from my experiences here in So Cal, I expect the car to be done on time and cleaned before pickup. We don't often get a loaner since we have 6 vehicles right now and the dealerships are all within 10-15 minutes.

 

[Majestic]

My local Jeep dealer looked at me crazy when I asked about a loaner, lol. When I mentioned that the purpose was a recall/warranty issue, they expedited the fix so that I wouldn't have to wait. I would expect zero if I brought it in for normal service. I think I could convince them for recall/warranty work, but not without the run-around first.

On the flip side, my wife has a Subaru. The closest dealer is 30-40 miles away. If we schedule ahead of time, they usually have no problems giving us a loaner even for general service. I think theae things are 100% dependant on the dealer you go to.

Oh, and the Subie dealer washes the car every time. I don't think the Jeep dealer even put down paper mats either time it went in.

I actually don’t like it when they wash my cars. Most of my cars including the Jeep are convertibles and their car wash is usually automated and they have no problems using them. My Mini always came back clean but the top was wearing way too soon and there were always emblems and antenna’s and stuff always getting knocked off.
I’m like thanks but you’re just making it worse.

 

[Kangarhew]

I have a Fusion right now that I’ll be trading in when I get my JL. The two times I’ve had it in for service has been a nightmare. They never have a loaner, and they assign you a service representative. The kicker is when you’re trying to find out how the progress is going. When you call they transfer you to your service rep who never answers the phone or returns your call, and apparently no one else in the entire service department can figure out the status of your vehicle. I had some choice words for them both times it was in. I will be so happy to finally say goodbye to this thing.

 

[melendez69]

I know the question is specific to Jeep, but I think this is also a brand thing. I've gone to my Jeep dealer twice...once to get the aux kit installed, and then for an oil change/tire rotation/wheel replacements. They don't offer loaners for routine maintenance or, say if you want them to swap your wheels (which I understand). The best they'll do is schedule to have a rental brought to you at your expense. Nothing is complimentary... they have vending machines for snacks & beverages.

Here's where I think I'm gonna take a few shots (go for it, gang!). When I take my M3 or 911 in for service, everything is complimentary. The little things...There are no vending machines. Water, Gatorade, snack bars, fancy coffee, etc. For basic service, if I don't want to wait, they arrange for an Uber or Lyft at their expense. Porsche has the car driven to my home. If you schedule a loaner, they don't care what's in the tank when you return it. The service technicians leave me with the impression that they're experts.

When I had my wheels replaced a couple weeks ago at my Jeep dealer, the Gorilla lugs didn't fit the Methods. They drove me home to get the stock lugs...didn't fit. The parts guy offered to order splines & I pay a markup. Go to hell... The service advisor gave me a loaner to go to the local 4WP to get the splines. The best treatment I got was from him. He's the reason I'd return, but the guys who installed my wheels left the tire pressures all over the place and didn't even check that the spare had a faulty valve. I did when I got home. They're the reason I'd be skeptical to return. Maybe this is an apples/oranges comparison, but I don't get the same feeling from their service technicians.

All this to say, when I go to the Jeep dealer for service, all I expect is to be asked for my credit card & a signature for the work done. The service advisor is the nicest guy there. That's where the quality & hospitality stops.

 

[pablo_max3045]

Yeah they were really not happy about me asking for a loaner... almost as unhappy as I was to be needing a loaner haha. It is incredible how unorganized these people are though. Had the Jeep for weeks and when it comes back, the steel bumper that were supposed to be installed when I bought the thing were STILL not on it. I told them to pack it up and i'll install it myself, should have done that from the start

I am gonna try the other dealership in town... hopefully I do not need to interact with them much anymore.

Well, the thing is, Jeep dealers have not had to really work for sales on Wranglers for a long time. They know if you don't buy it, someone else will in a day or two. So, they also don't care too much about retaining you as a customer either.
Of course, the new ones, being significantly more expensive are sitting on the lots a lot longer than the JKs did. Hopefully they will feel the need to start having some customer care now.
There are courteous dealers out there though.

 

[Maximusdafarmer]

Well, the thing is, Jeep dealers have not had to really work for sales on Wranglers for a long time. They know if you don't buy it, someone else will in a day or two. So, they also don't care too much about retaining you as a customer either.
Of course, the new ones, being significantly more expensive are sitting on the lots a lot longer than the JKs did. Hopefully they will feel the need to start having some customer care now.
There are courteous dealers out there though.

This is true. But then again, even though I bought most of my cars used it was often from dealerships and they at least had passion for their product. That was true of my M3 and my CTS-V... maybe not the whole dealership but there was always one or two salesman who you could tell just loved M cars and would enthusiastically talk about all the ins and outs. It's not that I know so much, although I do love to research, it is just that for the most part they know so damn little about an enthusiast platform. I am honestly shocked how few Wranglers I see parked in the employee lot at the dealership... yes they are there but I would think the lot would be packed full

 

[pablo_max3045]

I am honestly shocked how few Wranglers I see parked in the employee lot at the dealership

Not sure the sales people here can afford them. They are 55-65k€. Not exactly peanuts.
You can literally buy a new Porsche Cayman for less money.

 

[Maximusdafarmer]

Ahh I did not see your location. For those of us stateside, the new JL is certainly at a premium from the JK, but the JK is very affordable and plentiful. Still not many of those in the lot

 

[Majestic]

This is true. But then again, even though I bought most of my cars used it was often from dealerships and they at least had passion for their product. That was true of my M3 and my CTS-V... maybe not the whole dealership but there was always one or two salesman who you could tell just loved M cars and would enthusiastically talk about all the ins and outs. It's not that I know so much, although I do love to research, it is just that for the most part they know so damn little about an enthusiast platform. I am honestly shocked how few Wranglers I see parked in the employee lot at the dealership... yes they are there but I would think the lot would be packed full

When I owned a Mini, I got treated like I bought a $100K Porsche even though it was used and was less than $20K. The salesman owned a Mini and got a job at the dealership after they bought it. The service advisor had a Mini tattoo on his forearm and photos of his multiple Mini's at home posted on his cubical wall. True enthusiasm for the product that you won't find at a domestic dealership that sells $65K F-150s or $100K Track Hawks. My only problem however was the I wish Mini's engineers shared the same enthusiasm. The car itself was a royal POS. Even the free loaners were all jacked up.

FCA is the polar opposite. Up until 2011, I had sworn off all Mopar products since the beginning of time. Now I'm on my 4th Mopar product. The customer service sucks, dealers have like 1 week of training, but there are few cars in their lineup I don't like in a world of bland SUVs and sedans. I like the Ram trucks better than any other truck. Their minivans are the only ones that are remotely attractive (and the only ones available in a hybrid). They offer a track ready 800 hp drag racer (Demon), The best off road vehicles (Jeeps), the best looking police cars (Charger), I even prefer the FCA Fiat 124 over the Miata. They seem to be the only company that actually takes on risk. I do prefer the Mustang or Camaro to the Challenger however. Uconnect is my favorite infotainment platform. I just wish their production quality was more consistent. There's a reason I didn't pull the trigger on 2018's in 2018.

 

[TrailTorque]

My dealership gave me a 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT. I loved it. 6.4L Hemi

Looked just like this one:

And I drove it like I stole it for (3) straight days hahaha

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