I believe Randy suggested it was more a rape than mugging. I've been quite liberal with my cleaned-up transcription of his rather colorful comments.
Randy said:
"Once a car has gone out-of-warranty, I always make a point of taking it to any reputable repair shop OTHER than a manufacturer's dealer. Dealers tend to extort money from customers for routine service intervals. For instance I consider the throttle plate cleaning and the top engine cleaning to be a waste of money.
Suggest to Brian that he either read his Honda Civic manual to see what's required by the manufacturer - NOT the dealer! - and take that manual with him when he takes his car in for service.
If the dealer suggests anything that's not specifically listed in the manual, don't let them do it. Also make a point of reviewing the final bill and compare it to the manual's service interval requirement BEFORE paying, just to make certain they haven't slipped a little something extra in.
Most of the Japanese auto manufacturer now also provide service interval information on their websites."
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Randy's professional opinion ,,, well, you DID ask.
Date: 2007-09-12 03:51 am (UTC)Randy said:
"Once a car has gone out-of-warranty, I always make a point of taking it to any reputable repair shop OTHER than a manufacturer's dealer. Dealers tend to extort money from customers for routine service intervals. For instance I consider the throttle plate cleaning and the top engine cleaning to be a waste of money.
Suggest to Brian that he either read his Honda Civic manual to see what's required by the manufacturer - NOT the dealer! - and take that manual with him when he takes his car in for service.
If the dealer suggests anything that's not specifically listed in the manual, don't let them do it. Also make a point of reviewing the final bill and compare it to the manual's service interval requirement BEFORE paying, just to make certain they haven't slipped a little something extra in.
Most of the Japanese auto manufacturer now also provide service interval information on their websites."