FEB 9th, 2005
Hi Benny, Back
I haven't changed my oils yet, but I did buy them. The other dealer I called said it was no problem in buying the oils myself, they'll make sure it's the right ones and still cover my warranty before changing them.
As for ALL the oils, I was told $500 for ALL the oils that day. I went with Edward to see a gentleman with an office near the service department and he said that since no mechanic was in the shop that day, it's the best estimate he can provide. I then asked to see how much it would cost for transmission and transfer case only and I was told 'figure about $300'. I asked you again to confirm the $300 price for the transmission and transfer case, and you actually gave me a higher price after speaking to Mark: $225 for the oils and 1.5 hours for labor. And unlike the gentleman in the service department, you knew it was for a TJ and for transmission and transfer case only.
I realize Sources is not Unicef and needs to make a profit, but I EXPECT any dealer I do business with to not charge me 400% markup for oil I can buy anywhere else. I know dealerships sell cars at minimal markups these days and servicing the cars they sold is their cash cow. I know my brakes will need to be changed at least 2 or 3 times, I know I have regular maintenance scheduled in my service manual, I know a few things will fail and need to be replaced over the next 5 years, and I know I'll need oil changes done every 2-3 months. Can I or should I bother taking my business back to a place that's given me headaches in the past? Should I take my servicing and pay my hard-earned money to one place when I have many other options? I hadn't even made my first payment yet and I was caught without a valid licence plate in the middle of a storm, I returned the day prior to that to get a refund that was overdue by 2 weeks. If I'm overdue 2 weeks on one of my payments, my little black TJ gets seized.
I asked for a price to install a starter on my Jeep and I was told $400. That is fine, I know it's a fair price, but it's something I can afford to live without, so I won't make a big fuss about it. However, I am also not someone to take ANY quote and not do my own research before I say yes. What killed me and killed any faith I could ever have with Sources is being told that oils for my transfer case and my transmission are $225 (plus tax) and I look at a website and it mentions that my NV3550 trannsmission and NP231 transfer case hold at MOST 4 quarts of oil. If I take the $225 price you gave me and divide it by 4, I am paying $56.25 plus tax per quart. I paid $58 tax included for the 4 quarts and I paid RETAIL price, something a dealer is probably not paying. Why was I never given the option to buy the oils myself and have them changed at your garage? EVERYONE knows you pay more at the dealer, it's something the general population has come to accept and live with. You take solace in the fact that the mechanics in dealerships are experts in the cars they service and they knows yours much better than the 17 year old kids at Canadian tire.
I don't think anyone would be able to accept a $225 quote for something they could buy themselves for $58 tax included. It's all it comes down to, plain and simple. Let your secretary roll her eyes, let me have to run back and forth for things that should have been taken care of from day 1, I will complain but I can come to forget those things. Start digging into my pockets though, I don't forget or forgive nearly as easy. I work hard to enjoy myself and treat myself to things I enjoy, I don't grow money in my backyard to make everyone else rich though.
Take a look at this site, this is where I found the fluid
types and capacities for my Jeep.
http://www.getahelmet.com/jeeps/maint/fluids/
The Jeep community is a large one and there is always help out there. There are lots of Jeep'ers out there that work on their own Jeeps, me being one of them on my Renegade, so helpful resources one can find aren't hard to find. I am a member of newsboards, I have about 30 technical Jeep and off-roading sites that I visit, and order the latest copies of 4WD and Quadratec catalogues every 4 months for the last 11 years. Others buy Jeeps because they think it looks pretty, for myself, there's nothing else I'd rather drive at this stage of my life. My Jeep is not a Hyundai Accent that I don't care about and it's also not a Ferrari, but for me, it's better than a Ferrari, so I want to take care of it.
As far as I'm concerned, I found a new garage. Five minutes on the phone with them and they were nice enough to tell me to buy my own oils if I wanted to. I told you on the phone last time that I didn't write that email because I was asking you guys to give me anything in return but because I wanted someone to see my frustrations. Now however, I seem to be happy with my choice of finding another garage, what can Sources offer to change my mind?
Regards,
Back
Tony.