[Steverino]

Anyone who has hung around GM-Volt for a while has seen the post. A Volt buyer has an awful experience at the dealers and they blame GM because it's a Chevy dealer. This article says not so fast. There are some truly bad/dishonest dealers out there that manufacturers have little control over due to franchise grandfather clauses. Remember when GM dumped some bad dealers during bankruptcy and the crap-storm that caused?

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...car-dealers-get-away-with-whatever-they-want/

 

[obermd]

Based on what I've come across I'd say that for every good dealership there are 5 bad dealerships and one or two awful dealerships. This is the single biggest flaw in the franchise model used by all the car manufacturers except Tesla.

 

[DonC]

It was way worse than a crap storm. Republicans blocked GM from getting rid of its bad dealers on grounds that the dealers had made investments and those investments had to be protected. Seriously? Outside of things like CDs, which are federally insured, when I make investments I don't expect the government to make sure I make money. But there you have it. Make enough political donations and your free market loving representatives turn into Communists (with a twist of reverse Robin Hood).

As an individual all you can go is find a good dealer. In my case I have to go an extra 50 miles roundtrip. Worth it but it's a pain. It's about all you can do.

Not unique to Chevy BTW. I had a car from an unnamed Japanese luxury brand which dealers about an equal distance from where I live. One was north; one was south. One was fantastic; one was horrible beyond belief (it even once made an appointment for me on a Saturday and it wasn't open on Saturdays). But here is the weird part: both dealers were part of the same management group! Not only is it impossible for a car company to ensure consistent quality across its dealer network, it's impossible for owners to ensure that consistency. Compare this to an Apple store, where if you didn't know where you were you likely couldn't tell the stores apart. I don't know this for a fact, since my sample size is only two, but it seems to be the same for Tesla. By owning the stores the company can insure the consumer experience is consistent.

This is why I'm sorry the Volt advisors went away. They couldn't up the quality of the dealer's service department, but they could help with decisions as to whether things were covered by a warranty.

 

[Ladogaboy]

Based on what I've come across I'd say that for every good dealership there are 5 bad dealerships and one or two awful dealerships. This is the single biggest flaw in the franchise model used by all the car manufacturers except Tesla.

It's amazing what having 100% control of your sites does for you. Unfortunately, contracts are contracts. The best we can do is get word out as customers and steer people toward the better dealerships. The poor dealerships will change their ways or be forced to close.

 

[El Dobro]

One way to get the word out about bad dealers is the net. Look up the dealer on sites like dealerrater or Yelp and see what has been posted and if you've had a problem, post your own review.

 

[obermd]

One way to get the word out about bad dealers is the net. Look up the dealer on sites like dealerrater or Yelp and see what has been posted and if you've had a problem, post your own review.

On the flip side, if you've had a good experience, post that. Far more people will take the time to post negative reviews than positive ones. We need to fight human nature and even this out.

 

[El Dobro]

On the flip side, if you've had a good experience, post that. Far more people will take the time to post negative reviews than positive ones. We need to fight human nature and even this out.

This site bears that out. I've noticed many a time when an owner has a problem, it's their first post here.

 

[Steverino]

I think there was a dealer in PA that GM tried to axe during bankruptcy where the owner then ran for office (Republican), got elected and was one of those leading the charge to label the Volt as a rolling fire hazard. Also reportedly fired an employee for ordering a Volt for stock. Seems like a piece of work. I wonder why GM tried to get rid of his dealership?

 

[El Dobro]

That was Mike Kelly. Under the government restructuring, GM told him he could sell Chevys, but not Caddys. He appealed and won. From checking the dealership website, he still doesn't have Volts nor Bolts.

 

[obermd]

That was Mike Kelly. Under the government restructuring, GM told him he could sell Chevys, but not Caddys. He appealed and won. From checking the dealership website, he still doesn't have Volts nor Bolts.

With that attitude I wouldn't trust his dealership to change a flat tire.

 

[El Dobro]

With that attitude I wouldn't trust his dealership to change a flat tire.

I thought so too, then I looked on a map and checked out where he was located. I then looked up a Toyota dealer in his area and checked out their Prius inventory. The dealer had one c, one v and one liftback. I guess Kelly's area just doesn't support the expense involved with selling plug-in Chevys.

 

[indyflick]

Based on what I've come across I'd say that for every good dealership there are 5 bad dealerships and one or two awful dealerships. This is the single biggest flaw in the franchise model used by all the car manufacturers except Tesla.

I believe this is spot on. The manufactures however exacerbate this situation. Automobiles are designed for ease of assembly not necessarily for ease of maintenance. This becomes an increasing challenge for the service departments of even the best dealerships.

 

[madmike]

Every brand with the possible exception of Tesla has crappy dealers

 

[madmike]

and one of the big problems for EVs is there is not a lot of options for places to get them repaired outside of dealers...yet

 

[jcanoe]

and one of the big problems for EVs is there is not a lot of options for places to get them repaired outside of dealers...yet

With an EV there few moving parts and components that require service. This is the dawn of the age of the car as an appliance. Tire rotation and replacement, wiper blade replacement, 12V battery replacement and software updates pretty much cover everything for up to 150k miles. The need for after market services including tire supplier/installers, auto body repair, auto glass replacement/tinting remains unaffected.

To survive dealers will have to offer additional services, why not auto insurance? Maybe offer EVSE equipment and licensed electrician services to EV buyers the way Home Depot offers to provide customers with installers for home appliances such as water heaters.

Auto dealerships could even strike a deal with the local MVA to put computer terminals and MVA staff inside the dealership to handle drivers license renewals and vehicle registration on site.

As gas stations become scarce, especially in urban areas primarily because the land the service stations occupy has become too valuable to continue to be used that way, there will be a need for home fuel delivery service. Dealers could sell car buyers home fuel delivery contracts with the purchase of the vehicle. The customer could use a phone app to schedule fuel delivery at home or another location when it is convenient, the fuel delivery service would arrive and fill the vehicle with up to 20 gallons of regular, premium or diesel fuel.

 

[DonC]

Every brand with the possible exception of Tesla has crappy dealers

Definitely an exception. Tesla doesn't have dealers. So it doesn't have bad/crappy ones. Of course it doesn't have good ones, either. It just doesn't have them. LOL In the early days Tesla had fantastic service. Lots of problems but customer satisfaction was high. Not sure anymore. I've heard a few horror stories about very long waits for some repairs but I don't personally know anyone with this problem.

 

[tjncooke]

Regarding Tesla, this article was interesting. It's talking about the service centers so not necessarily the same but still applicable. https://www.edmunds.com/tesla/model...la-model-x-a-tale-of-two-service-centers.html