Jclgodale3

Got a part number? And where you get them?

ruxvette

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of people espousing this same line of thought.
The assumption is ALL dealers are crooks with inept techs and ALL independent shops are honest Abe's with highly skilled techs.
Due diligence is the key to finding a good repair facility, dealer or independent. It sounds like the OP did that.
My advice would be go the shop (dealer) and ask to be shown why the shocks need to be replaced and make an informed decision.

joec

I like my dealer having bought 2 vettes from them.. I know my corvette mechanic well as well as the svc manger and sales manager.. I guess having them as a sponsor for our car shows helps a bit..

WW7

There is nothing wrong with the stock clutch on the C6. Most last well past 100,000 miles unless the car is raced.. I have been told by people that would know that '"Luk" makes the stock clutches for GM , Luk makes good clutches so the stock clutch is fine.. If you race the car, then a heavier aftermarket clutch would be better..I would also supply the clutch to put in the car, you can get it for less then half of what the dealership would charge... I wouldn't care if my father was the service manager at the dealership, I still wouldn't take my car to a dealership for something that an independently owned shop could do......WW
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Larry Myers

I agree. Good approach.

ruxvette

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And that, sir, is certainly your option. I hope it's a unionized independently owned shop...because those techs are surely above the rest.

LoganExplosion

Because history....
http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...xperience.html
Some people may have a great service and sales department close by. Many, many more do NOT. I've lived all over and have been at the mercy of these "technicians". Never again

RobLo

Ahhhnold?

RobLo

Took my C6 to a HIGHLY recommended local service station/repair shop for an oil change and an inspection. The head mechanic owned a c6 so I figured I'd get a fair shake from him. Picked the car up later in the day, oil change good, inspection good, he the tells me he changed the cabin air filter because "it was filthy", charged me $38 for a $12 filter. I didn't tell him I'd just changed that same filter 2,000 miles before, I just paid the bill and crossed him off the list for future work...

ruxvette

Not trying to snarky, but...I don't care about history.
Reread this:
Due diligence is the key to finding a good repair facility, dealer or independent.

Please clarify your "Many, many more do NOT"...is that 3 out of 5? 7 out of 10? What's your source, the thread you referenced asking folks to tell their most ridiculous dealer experience?

hrt vlv

It's very difficult finding anyone that is trust worthy. I have been taken advantage of by independent garages and dealers. If I find a trustworthy person or dealer all I can do is hope they don't gouge to hard . I uses to do all my work but I am no longer able. It's a cruel world, only the strong survive.

LoganExplosion

I think I found the dealership employee/owner.

My source?? Mostly the part about living all over and being at the mercy of service departments. The other posts in this thread and the thread "horror stories about ridiculous car dealership experience". Is that not related?? haha. ~255 out of 255

Do you really believe that hundreds of people are making this stuff up?? To what end?!

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"
No amount of due diligence is going to add a reputable shop in my
podunk town. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but no.

I realize you're anti-history (for some reason) but please don't forget what I posted before you try to rebut

Jughead

Curious to see what my dealer says. I was at 1 dealer for wheel balancing last fall and he said they looked like they were leaking. I said it should be covered under warranty. He said they don't need replaced yet.

I'm going in a couple weeks for an annual inspection to the dealer where I first bought it. I still have a few months left on bumper-bumper warranty, I bought it CPO.

rkj427

to quench YOUR poor attempt at humor................ I will guarantee that ruxvette is NOT a dealership employee / owner.............

HOWEVER, i did work as a technician for 26 years, PRIOR to the last 20 at my current employer and will say that the competency of technicians as well as the GENERAL PUBLIC who frequent the dealers / forums has DIMINISHED greatly from days of old....................... too hard to make a living with flat rate times cut to the bone, and technician's NOT being paid / rewarded for their tools / knowledge / training, as those costs lie with the technician, NOT the dealer.............

instant gratification at NO expense seems to be the way of the world today..............

all ruxvette stated is to use YOUR descretion to find the most capable facility that you would trust to perform work on your vehicle........

way too many opinions here without any substance to back them up..

buckmeister2

Jc, thank you for accepting my response, and explaining why you are there. I do not believe that all dealerships gouge all customers, but there is more than enough evidence for me to believe the majority do. Even if they do not gouge, their parts prices are most often (not always) off the charts. The F55 shocks are a very good example. Dealer replacement charges are as high as $4500. People have found the shocks new for as little as $400 each, and the install is relatively easy.

I would still recommend you ask other local Vette owners what shops they like, and see if you can get a consensus of a local indie who does good work.

buckmeister2

rux, I avoid dealer's like the plague, but do not believe they are all bad, nor that all indie's are good. People make a shop what it is, and any type or location can have good or bad folks. Dealers are often found to be acting in their own interest because they have a virtual monopoly on servicing of their brand for warranty work. Relatively few people actually know that the dealer does not have to do the required maintenance in order to keep the warranty valid, and the dealers take advantage of that. Many people also believe that the dealer knows what is best for their car, and dealer's take advantage of that. Indie shops have neither of those "built-in" clientele benefits, so they generally have to be better, cheaper, or work harder to compete. I know indie shops that are so bad I would not let them lube the chain on my bicycle. However, I have NEVER, in 50 years, gone into a dealer service center, regardless of brand, and not had the squeeze to have extra, unnecessary service put on me. It is just a fact of life that they are trained to sell...Sell...SELL!!!

Ergo, I use an indie shop for everything I cannot do myself. I certainly do not mean to disrespect all dealers, as I know there are great ones out there.

ruxvette

Corvette clubs are also a good source of information on which indie shops overcharge, do shoddy work, and should be avoided.

All kidding aside, there are good shops/dealers and there are bad shops/dealers. The trick is to find out which is which.

WW7

If you find a shop that specializes in Corvettes chances are they're going to do good work.. They depend on us to make a living ,so if they aren't fair and do good work, word will spread quickly and there reputation is ruined..We have 2 Corvette shops close that do great work ,"Tony's Corvette shop" and "RKT performance" owned by Rick Kim.. Both of these shops do outstanding work and will outperform any dealerships in our area. Also, most of the time they can beat the dealer repair prices in my area.....WW

HOXXOH

They generally only respond that way when someone not knowledgeable about their car has posted something the dealer told them that is outrageous. When this dealer said all 4 mag shocks were shot at 72K miles, that's outrageous. GM indicates them to be lifetime and they define lifetime as 150K miles. It has been extremely rare that anyone has ever reported just one that actually failed. So 4 failing at the same time is so close to impossible that it seriously questions the dealer's integrity. The mere fact that the OP has posted this, is an indication he is now having second thought about the dealer too.
BTW, 142K on my F55 and not a hint of failure.

Jclgodale3

I'll stay stock clutch and pressure plate probably.