[PolkSDA]

Don't answer that; it was a rhetorical question.

I purchased my 2012 Volt from my local dealer Labor Day of 2015, so roughly 17 months ago. I brought it in today for my first oil change and tire rotation since purchase. In those 17 months I've driven just over 6,000 miles, of which 1,200-1,500 at most have been on ICE (rough guesstimate).

Based on their "Recommended Service" items (which I'd bet dollars to donuts are just autogenerated based upon cumulative mileage numbers rather than any human inspection), I'm supposed to believe that somehow in 1,500 miles of ICE usage I've accumulated enough wear and tear to need the following:

Power steering system flush ($99.99)
Brake system flush ($99.99)
Automatic transmission flush ($229.99)
Four wheel alignment ($98.99)
Clean and service throttle body ($69.99)
Clean fuel injectors ($139.99)
Balance all four tires ($59.99)

TOTAL: $798.93

Not only is it complete bull****, but to add insult to injury, I'd bet that these autogenerated service recommended are based entirely on traditional ICE vehicle maintenance schedules, and thus have ZERO correlation to actual Volt maintenance.

And no, I have NO intention of getting any of this **** done.

Just pisses me off...

 

[DonC]

There is a lot of variation between dealers. I got notices that I needed to bring my Nissan Leaf in for oil changes and it didn't eve use oil. And that was not uncommon. I suspect Bolt EV owners will get similar "reminders".

 

[canehdian]

Only upsell I was given that was not on schedule was a tire rotation at 10k instead of 12k.

So I'd say my dealer's not bad.

 

[Henry_FL]

Not sure why it makes you upset. ALL businesses try and up-sell, Show me an industry that doesn't!

Companies have one reason for being in business, to make the most money possible, up-selling is where most if not all the profit comes from. No profits, no company. Do you get equally upset if a dealer doesn't sell you a car at his invoice from the manufacture?

 

[PolkSDA]

Not sure why it makes you upset. ALL businesses try and up-sell, Show me an industry that doesn't!

Upselling or cross-marketing something you might like related to what you have purchased or expressed interest in is one thing. Telling you that you need automotive services when you do not is predatory. It's preying on the potentially unknowledgeable... the old stereotypes of convincing senior citizens or housewives that they need to buy those muffler bearings.

Unethical as hell.

 

[Paulacton84]

you have put 6000 miles on the volt, but how many miles are on the odometer, that's where the service recommendation comes from, and unless their system has records of the maintenance being previously done on your vehicle, then all the suggested maintenance, and typically for the severe service schedule, will be recommended. you can ask them the question that you really want to ask "what maintenance does my car need?" because their system does not know anything about your car, even if you bought it there. and yes, you are correct that the system might include maintenance recommendations as if you never charged your car, again the system doesn't know, and also might have some "oops" item recommended. such as the power steering systems flush, and there are some "tack on" recommendations that are not on the Volts recommended maintenance list, such as TBI and FI cleaning, and alignment, and rebalancing tires. SO the answer to your question is another question: do you want to be responsible for determining what the scheduled maintenance needs are for your car, or do you want to let another person determine this? a person who stands to benefit from recommending more maintenance than they might recommend if the stood to make no money off the work? My advice- look in the back of your owners manual, have the dealer perform all, but only, the maintenance recommended in the normal maintenance schedule. Brake fluid and Transmission fluid are on that schedule, the other things listed in your post are not.

 

[DonC]

Upselling or cross-marketing something you might like related to what you have purchased or expressed interest in is one thing. Telling you that you need automotive services when you do not is predatory. It's preying on the potentially unknowledgeable... the old stereotypes of convincing senior citizens or housewives that they need to buy those muffler bearings.

Unethical as hell.

I agree with this. It's not so much upselling as misrepresenting that you need the service. It's like a doctor telling you need cataract surgery when you don't. (Though some do this, no question).

you have put 6000 miles on the volt, but how many miles are on the odometer, that's where the service recommendation comes from ... Brake fluid and Transmission fluid are on that schedule, the other things listed in your post are not.

I agree with this as well. No problem for service on the maintenance list based on miles. But plenty of these items aren't. In fact I'm not sure any of them are. http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?5561-2011-Volt-Maintenance-Schedule

 

[PolkSDA]

you have put 6000 miles on the volt, but how many miles are on the odometer

As of today, 40,700 miles. Lifetime MPGe of 138.

 

[Henry_FL]

Telling you that you need automotive services when you do not is predatory.

By your logic, we should but in jail all the Jiffy Lubes and places like them for promoting 3,000 mile Oil changes ... that's clearly not need and must be predatory

 

[Fyodor]

I agree with this. It's not so much upselling as misrepresenting that you need the service. It's like a doctor telling you need cataract surgery when you don't. (Though some do this, no question).

I agree with this as well. No problem for service on the maintenance list based on miles. But plenty of these items aren't. In fact I'm not sure any of them are. http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?5561-2011-Volt-Maintenance-Schedule

Agreed on everything except the analogy - when you need cataract surgery it is, well, blindingly obvious. But then I had no reason to think the doctor was in it for the bucks. Do they really do that?

 

[SharkVolt]

It depends a lot on how you define "ethical". A liberal might define Hillary as ethical, and a conservative might define Donald as "ethical".

I bet that comment got an equal number of scowls from both sides. And even more scowls from the middle.

 

[dannycamps]

As noted above, recommended service is based on the odometer mileage. For example if the recommendation is to have the coolant system flushed at 50k miles and you go to a dealer with 51k, they will mention it. It's not predatory - only showing what comes up in the system.

Now - there are some dealers who may make it seem that these are 100% required or you risk your car blowing up. I think that's pushing it a little bit. Predatory practices would be the ones that tell you that your doohickey-nometer is out of whack and needs to be replaced for $500.

 

[somms]

Automatic transmission flush ($229.99)

Changed my Transmission oil

That $230 quote is an egregious amount since the ATF fluid drain/refill takes the same amount of time & effort as a simple oil change on the Gen1!

 

[BAZINGA]

Unfortunately in any business there are good and bad actors. I have been lucky and have found a fantastic local Chevy dealer and have bought over 20 vehicles from them since 1989 to include 5 Corvette's and 3 Volt's. And the Service Dept I recommend every chance I get.

Sorry to read of your bad experience, but not ALL dealers are bad apples. The beauty of the Internet and Forums is you can now ask for and get independent reviews of any business. What kind of reviews does your dealer get or gotten.

 

[DonC]

Agreed on everything except the analogy - when you need cataract surgery it is, well, blindingly obvious. But then I had no reason to think the doctor was in it for the bucks. Do they really do that?

Yes, bad analogy on my part. Should have used something like an angioplasty which isn't "blindingly obvious". For a while we had complete "wellness checkup" complete with thousands of dollars of tests. Or yearly mammograms for docs who owned the equipment. And yes, docs do this. In fact a lot of them do it. They are just people. If you look at the Medicare data, at some hospitals any patient with a pulse gets an angioplasty procedure. Obamacare by insisting on fact based medical decisions, actually makes this more difficult to do. It's one of several reasons why we've seen premiums increase very slowly over the last few years. (WSJ indicated about half as fast as expected).

The point is: The service provider has expertise and supposedly knows what should be done. You don't. And you're trusting the service provider to tell you what should be done.

 

[NevynPA]

Here's a good example of "bad actor." Chapman Chevrolet in Philadelphia, PA is showing this:

But here's what they REALLY mean (emphasis and layout mine):

2017 Chevrolet Volt LT. Not all consumers qualify for retail incentives, see dealer for details - Are you currently leasing a vehicle? You may be eligible for additional incentives - Pricing *INCLUDES*

• $500 - Supplier Pricing/Military/College Grad (email to see if you qualify) Exp. 1/31
• $1500 - GMF Down Payment Assist Offer Exp. 1/31
• $2000 - Chevy Trade Assist Offer (2006+ vehicle trade) Exp. 1/31
• $500 - American Farm Bureau Member (Proof of membership required) Exp. 1/31
• $500 - Lease Conquest (proof of lease in household) Exp. 1/31
• $500 - New GM Card Membership (credit restrictions apply) Exp. 1/31
• $1000 - Bonus Tag Selection Exp. 1/31
• $2000 - Super Tag Bonus Exp. 01/26 @ 12pm

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

OP, please don't be afraid to name the dealer, doubly so when you have something in writing and you can post the document listing them.

With so much information asymmetry it helps people to know who to avoid. Remember that GM can't shut down dealers even if they want to.

 

[G-PA]

Unfortunately in any business there are good and bad actors. I have been lucky and have found a fantastic local Chevy dealer and have bought over 20 vehicles from them since 1989 to include 5 Corvette's and 3 Volt's. And the Service Dept I recommend every chance I get.

Sorry to read of your bad experience, but not ALL dealers are bad apples. The beauty of the Internet and Forums is you can now ask for and get independent reviews of any business. What kind of reviews does your dealer get or gotten.

Yeah, I agree with Bazinga. My local dealer service department is the best. It's primary reason we bought two cars there. The dealer principal also does a lot of charitable giving to the community.

 

[Fyodor]

Yes, bad analogy on my part. Should have used something like an angioplasty which isn't "blindingly obvious". For a while we had complete "wellness checkup" complete with thousands of dollars of tests. Or yearly mammograms for docs who owned the equipment. And yes, docs do this. In fact a lot of them do it. They are just people. If you look at the Medicare data, at some hospitals any patient with a pulse gets an angioplasty procedure. Obamacare by insisting on fact based medical decisions, actually makes this more difficult to do. It's one of several reasons why we've seen premiums increase very slowly over the last few years. (WSJ indicated about half as fast as expected).

The point is: The service provider has expertise and supposedly knows what should be done. You don't. And you're trusting the service provider to tell you what should be done.

Well without wanting to divert a car care discussion down the health care rabbit hole, I think you've put your finger on the difference between our 'socialized' medicine and the private, for profit system. A hospital invests millions in an MRI system and suddenly that's the hammer that needs to find a nail. The state buys the machine and it's only used for those who really need it. BTW I've had two cataracts recently done for free.

Cars mostly diagnose themselves these days, and maintenance requirements are light. Owners just need to be aware of what they really need, as the OP recognized. The dealer gets in a new alignment machine or hires a tech with that expertise and then every car needs it.

That said, I've had a good experience with my local dealer based on mutual respect, which takes an effort from both parties.

 

[marlow]

My 2011 Volt w/75K miles, other than tire rotation/replacement and 2 yr oil changes, the only maintenance my dealer has recommended is the brake system flush at 5 years. I did have that done.