Franchise repair shops in general are not bad places to go. They are a by-the-book business that follows these guidelines to the "T."
However, they are not without fault. First problem I have with franchises is they hire the most inexperienced people to work on your car.
Why? Well, they can pay them less. These guys can become good, but usually realize soon enough their pay is not reflecting their ability, and they soon leave. Being replaced by the next newbie mechanic. A lot of times these shops have one master tech making big bucks just to be there.
He is probably very good and knows what he is doing. His official role is to be the knowledge for the lower paid techs. However, they usually keep him so swamped with hard and big jobs, that he soon looses sight of his role, and its basically management fault.
These franchise shops use some standard tools for charging you. It’s called All Data. This is a service they subscribe to that gives them access to parts, part prices (full retail), diagnosis and labor times for your specific car. It is a very good tool. All basics are here for a straightforward experience hard to argue.
Now, let me tell you about my experience with a major, well-trusted franchise.
Scam No. 1 — padding the bill. The writer may go to All Data, compile the information needed to repair your car and create
an estimate. The one I worked for did the following with every car.
The writer would take this estimate and double it. He would call you and scare the heck out of you with it. But here's the comforting part that followed:
"I'll tell you what, you don't tell my manager and I'll take 25 percent off, because I understand it’s expensive.”
The customer went for it every time. Now you are paying 125 percent of the original fully loaded estimate. You are smiling. The writer and the boss are high-fiving each other.
Scam No 2. This is the one that made me quit. God forbid you came in with a dead battery. Instead of changing the battery and sending you on your way, you are getting this story about how this chain of events in your engine have caused your alternator to go out, your starter to fry and you need the battery.
Now he gives you an estimate like mentioned above, full retail on all, with his "special deal.” Now, as the tech, I was instructed to remove the starter and alternator, clean them, choose the appropriate "rebuild gray" spray paint from the stocked spray paint shelf, paint your old parts and put them back in. This may take me two hours at $12 per hour. Meanwhile, you paid six hours at $100 per hour plus parts.
The only way to avoid this type of thing is to demand:
“"Show me the test procedure that failed the component"
"I want my old parts back, and if they must be turned in for a core exchange, then show me the receipt detailing so for my car from the part supplier."
No, you shouldn't have to be this way, but if you are blindly letting yourself be lead through this process, these things can/will happen.
