Dodge Dealerships --- are they nuts???!!!

[BGParks]

I just got a quote from 3 different Dodge dealers in my area for the second service on my truck (oil change, fuel filter, rotate and balance tires). They ranged from $150 to $170. The oil changes ran about $40 which is a price I'm ok with, but the fuel filter was $70! The filter itself is $40 and then $30 labor to drop it in --- has dodge lost their minds? Geno's has the same filter for $12. I wanted to take my truck in and have the work done because I just don't want to do it myself but it looks like they are going to force me to do it myself whether I like it or not. I didn't ask them but I am pretty sure that they won't let you outsource your filters ("only genuine mopar parts"-would most likely be their answer). So here's my question, are the filters sold by Geno's approved by DC -- I don't want to put in anything that they could use as an excuse to void my warranty. That's another gripe I have about Dodge they seem to look for any excuse to threaten to void the warranty -- i. e. wrong air filter -- sorry, your warranty has been voided. With all the talk about dealer service departments hurting because vehicles have gotten better and therefore their bread and butter which used to be warranty work is going away, you'd think they'd be trying to gain customers -- not drive them off! Haven't they ever heard of making money by increasing volume rather than prices? I'm a perfect example, I don't want to do the work, but I don't want to be taken advantage of and robbed either. Talk about a stupid business plan!!! Well, enough of my ranting. My main question is are the filters sold by Geno's approved by DC to not void our warranty? TIA for the info. Brian :-{}

 

[JCleary]

That's actually not that bad. The dealerships around here charge $169 for oil change and tire rotation, and an additional $89. 99 for the fuel filter service.



I just wait until I make a trip to my father's place up north. His local dealer did the whole thing for me for about $140.



It's not not the Dodge dealers in particular that do this. It's most dealerships.



My work trucks are Fords, and I have seen obscene charges for service. The San Francisco Ford dealer (S&C) charges $249. 99 for a diesel service. This does not include tire rotation OR fuel filter.



My local Ford guy will charge $179. 99 unless you specify that you want the "works" special package. When you ask for the special, the diesel service is $99. 99 OTD---and they'll do it on any brand of truck.



As far as your vehicle warranty being voided- As long as you have receipts for materials purchased and you can document that you have serviced your vehicle according to manufacturer's specs, you aren't going to void your warranty. Many people live too far away from their dealers to have the dealer do all the maintenance, so they can't void your warranty based on that.



If you forget to tighten your oil filter and your motor locks up, well, that's another story.



Really, though, with the quality of today's oil and filters, you are not going to have lubrication-related issues with your truck anyway. So if your injector pump goes out, they still have to replace it. (Aren't you glad you don't have a Ford?)



On a side note- I had my '04 F450 in for a $99. 99 works. My driver picked it up, put about 300 miles on it, and called me telling me it had lost power. Brought it back to the dealer puking oil everywhere. Three days later it had a new turbo. 25k miles. The truck also has an incurable 65 to 75 mph vibe. Plus injector problems, just like our '04 F250.



I'm soo glad I have a Cummins. Even if the dealers try to make money on service, you do have the best powertrain to start with.

 

[guava]

short answer is they cannot void your warranty for using a Geno's filter. (Fleetgaurd?) Just like they can't void your warranty for changing your own oil. Just document you did it and did it right. If there is ever a question, they have to 'prove' you did it wrong rather than the other way around.

 

[Bertram65]

Seems resonable to me, I do all my own service with parts from Genos, but if I was paying to have it done that does not seem that bad. The tire rotation and balance is worth $50, so $50 for the fuel filter and $50 for the oil change seems fair to me, the parts are cheaper from other sources but not when they come from the dealer, they are in it to make money.

 

[klenger]

$12 for a fuel filter from Geno's and less than 5 min. of your time. That's about $500 / hour for your time. Do it yourself. I have Discount Tire do the rotation. Last time they didn't charge me, even though the tires are factory stock and I didn't buy them from Discount.

 

[MLimpert]

I always take my own oil and sometimes my own oil or fuel filter. My dealer doesn't care a bit. It brings the oil change cost to under $20 if I bring in the oil. It sure beats rolling around in a cold garage during winter months. I usually do it myself during the summer though.

 

[ThomasLawrence]

Geno's sells Fleetguard filters, which are exactly what Cummins recommends (and which are also exactly what is sold under the Mopar name). Absolutely no warranty issues here.



As for the price they're charging, agreed, the price of the filter is a little steep, but the labor charge, based on a $100/hr. shop rate, is actually pretty reasonable (just over 15 minutes of actual time).



Consider the convenience of the entire service. Okay - if you do your own fuel filter change, it will cost you about $15... do your own oil change? At least $40 - possibly more ($10 for the filter, and $30-$35 for the oil). You probably can't balance your own tires, so you're still going to pay $40-$50 for that. So, that's $105 or so, plus your time, clean-up, dispose of the old oil... is that worth it to save $40? If it is, go for it.



-Tom

 

[rbattelle]

At first, I would buy Fleetguard fuel filters and take them to the dealer for installation. They would charge me about $30 (1/2 hour labor) to do the work. I only did for fuel system warranty problems.



Then one day there was some "unpleasantness" at the dealer, and I decided that was the last time they'd perform any PM item for me. Now I change my fuel filters myself and I'm confident my warranty will not be voided.



-Ryan

 

[BGParks]

Surprised by everyone's reaction.

I must say that I'm surprised to find that everyone seems to be on the side of the dealership on this one. Why should a $12 fuel filter cost $40, especially if as some have reported it's the same filter (made by fleetguard) and then $30 labor for a 10 min. proceedure. I'm just having a hard time with idea that I coud do it for $12 and 10 min of my time and the dealer wants $70 for the same thing. Maybe I'm nuts, but the idea of this just burns me. If they were to charge 30-40 dollars for this then it wouldn't be so bad, but $70???? IMHO they are taking advantage of their customers. I have medical issues that I'm dealing with that are causing me to live on a pretty tight budget nowadays and 40 bucks is 40 bucks. Sure in and of itself it's not going to break anybody but 40 here and 40 there starts to add up, especially when you're just spending the 40 for nothing. As I said I have no problem with the rest of the price (oil change & wheel balance) but this fuel filter is hard to swallow! Dealers gripe all the time that they are suffering nowadays because they don't get enough service work but you could go down the road and have the same job done at Joe's garage for half the price (and ususally get better treatment to boot). If they'd be more reasonable on their prices they'd increase the volume of their business (i. e. return customers) and make more money than they currently are. This business model has been proven time and time again! So again I say, why is a $12 filter worth $40 just because its a Dodge dealer? And why aren't more of you a bit PO'd about the price gouging? I guess everyone else on this thread is rich and can afford to throw away $40 every time they turn around. Believe me, unfortunately your good fortune can change faster than you think. I paid cash for my truck last year, and due to medical stuff this year money is tight. When money is tight it torques your jaws to be taken advantage of for no reason. OK, I'm off my soap box now. Thanks as allways for the info. Brian

 

[cbunt1]

I've been doing my lube services at Speedco since I bought the truck. Every 15,000-20,000 miles. I take my own filters (Stratopore), and they charge me around $40 for bulk oil and an on-site oil analysis.



I don't remember what I'm paying for filters, especially since I tend to buy 2-3 sets at a time, but I think 10-15 for the fuel, and oil each. I was paying about 25 for the air filter until I went to the PG-7 filter.



... I have to agree--the dealerships are ripping us off on the filters. Labor is reasonable normally, but every part I've bought through Mopar as been a ripoff compared to aftermarket. Fortunately, our trucks are beginning to see aftermarket availability now.



--Chris

 

[RTuvell]

I must say that I'm surprised to find that everyone seems to be on the side of the dealership on this one. Brian

I believe what the dealer says he will charge you is about average for the industry. But, that sure doesn't mean I'm on the side of any dealership. IMHO all dealership prices for both service and parts are way too high regardless of the manufacturer. So why did you single out Dodge for your criticism? Do you really think Ford, GM, or Chevy would be any cheaper?



You seem to be aware that the cost of the oil and filters is a small part of the overall cost that the dealership quoted you, so the real question in my mind is why aren't you simply performing routine maintenance like changing oil, filters, and rotating tires yourself. That's where the savings are and you'll never have to complain about the dealer's rates again!

 

[abdiver]

["I just wait until I make a trip to my father's place up north. His local dealer did the whole thing for me for about $140. "]



JCLEARY, What dealer do you use up North as I am looking for a good dealer and perhaps this one maybe near me. Kinda depends how far up north you are referring to.



Thanks

 

[rbattelle]

I must say that I'm surprised to find that everyone seems to be on the side of the dealership on this one.

I don't like it any more than you do, which is why I don't shop at the dealer. But I don't have medical problems preventing me from doing my own work. I am sincerely sorry to hear you're having trouble, and if you lived anywhere near me I'd do the maintenance for you free of charge.

I guess everyone else on this thread is rich and can afford to throw away $40 every time they turn around.

I don't think so. I think people simply accept the gouging because there's really only one thing you can do about it: shop elsewhere. That's the beauty of a free market economy. As others have stated, your warranty coverage cannot be compromised by non-dealer parts.



I sincerely hope you overcome your medical condition and get back on solid ground.



-Ryan

 

[DanWilson]

Amen on the PO. I wouldn't give a dealer a nickle to do maintenance on my truck! In fact when I am shopping for a new vehicle and am over 50 miles from home I tell em flat out that they will not see me unless something major breaks.

 

[JCleary]

["I just wait until I make a trip to my father's place up north. His local dealer did the whole thing for me for about $140. "]



JCLEARY, What dealer do you use up North as I am looking for a good dealer and perhaps this one maybe near me. Kinda depends how far up north you are referring to.



Thanks

It's Santa Rosa Dodge... Not all that far north. It's a Lithia dealer. Can you believe it? I can't believe they have decent prices. The ones down here are a rip-off.

 

[BGParks]

So why did you single out Dodge for your criticism? Do you really think Ford, GM, or Chevy would be any cheaper?

You seem to be aware that the cost of the oil and filters is a small part of the overall cost that the dealership quoted you, so the real question in my mind is why aren't you simply performing routine maintenance like changing oil, filters, and rotating tires yourself. That's where the savings are and you'll never have to complain about the dealer's rates again!

Sorry, didn't mean to dump on Dodge. You are correct all brands are just as bad on price gouging for parts.

As to why I don't do it myself---I can but one of the medical problems I'm dealing with is severe degenerative disk disease. I have 3 bad cervical disks, 2 bad thorasic disks, and 3 bad lumbar disks (20 years of working construction tore my back up along w/heredity). This makes it very difficult for me to do the work and heavy items like tires are out of the question. I would prefer to take my truck to the dealer where they have factory trained mechanics who are supposed to be experts on my vehicle as opposed to the aforementioned "Joe's garage", but I don't want to get ripped off in the process!

Rbattelle thank you for the kind words and sentiment---unfortunately you don't really appreciate your health until it's taken away from you. Brian

 

[DPKetchum]

Lots of independents charge this amount also. LOTS of folkes won't and can't do it themselves. If you don't like the price then don't spend money there. Thats all.

 

[RTuvell]

BGParks (Brian),



I apologize for calling you out about not doing your own routine maintenance work. It never occurred to me that you may have a medical or physical condition that would prohibit you from doing so. It was very thoughtless on my part. I sincerely wish you a speedy and complete recovery.

 

[JJMoore]

I'm kinda shocked at the prices dealers are asking for routine maintenance. If I buy Shell Rotella oil at Sam's club it looks like about 16 dollars for three gallons of oil about 10 dollars for the oil filter. Fuel filter about the same when ordering the 4x2 packages from Geno's. Rotating tires does NOT mean balancing. So it looks to me like about 110 dollars for thirty minues of labor. I've always done it myself if for not other reason than it's good to get under your vehicle from time to time just see that all is well.



My two cents worth from a newbie.

 

[DPKetchum]

Own a small business and then figure it out. A dealership is a small business. I DON"T change my own oil or rotate tires.