MRC Calibration Upgrade Rip Off?
 

I heard about the calibration update that chevy was offering for Z06s for $350, which sounded like a really good deal. I had my car in for an oil change and decided to go ahead and get the upgrade. However, the Chevy dealership told me the "part' is $350, and it was another $350 to install it. I took them at their word at the time, but after searching around it seems like I should have only been charged the flat $350 with no labor cost. Can anyone help me with a legitimate source to verify this? Right now, I am feeling violated!!

You were ripped off, the cost is $350 out the door

dealers are independent businesses with a franchise agreement. the franchise agreement does not specify a certain labor rate ($0 or $350 / unit of time) the dealer must charge.

some dealers may charge, some may not, some dealers will rip your head off on things, some will not. it's a free market like the rest of the economy with buyers choosing what to spend their money on and businesses trying to get buyers' dollars.

you were willing to spend money on labor for the upgrade but now you are having buyer's remorse due to lack of research. you can get upset but it's your fault, if you had been armed with all the information you could have protected yourself.

OP, I feel your pain. Perhaps you might be able to track down & print out the bulletin from GM stating it "should be" $350 period. There have been numerous threads & some had the "PART" # for the install. Also, check the ask Tadge thread where he discusses this. I won't play the blame game this time since you probably thought (as most of us do) that it would be a flat rate charge of $350, so why ask before work is done, but bet you learned a hard lesson. Good luck & if you go back repost to let us know-THANKS PS: Got off my butt & went to garage to fetch what I had printed out from another thread to show my dealer when I do it. It says dealer looks up DOC ID #4873206. There are different P/Ns for different MYs & Trim levels based on type of suspension.

Tucker, GA. Which dealership did you go to? Jim Ellis? I hope it isn't because I hate Rick Hendrick so I was going to start going to Jim Ellis.

They didn't read the bulletin from GM. The bulletin clearly states they are supposed to charge their labor to a number provided by GM. That covers the dealer's installation cost.

Go back and talk to the Service Writer and show him the bulletin and where it tells them to charge that number and ask for a refund of the installation charge they made. If he refuses then take it up with his boss the Service Manager. If that doesn't work then call GM Customer Service.

In case you haven't seen the bulletin posted on the forum I am attaching a pdf file of the bulletin.

The wording you are looking for is on page 2 of 9.

"Note to Dealers:
When reprogramming the MR suspension control module, please call Techline Customer Support Center (TCSC) at (1-800-
828-6860). The TCSC will provide programming requirements and instructions as well as a Vehicle Configuration Index (VCI).
The VCI is valid for one specific Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). When calling TCSC to obtain a VCI number, please
insure the specific vehicle VIN is on hand.

TCSC will bill the dealership directly for the calibration. Installation of the calibration will be done at no cost to the customer, the
calibration download and installation is to be charged to labor OP 0602448."

This is where a lot of the confusion comes in. You don't charge the purchase of a product to a labor code. GM explicitly defines the charge code number as a labor code.
Bill

I have to completely disagree with you. GM specifically states in the bulletin that they are to charge the labor to a code to be reimbursed and that the installation of the calibration is at no cost to the customer. They don't have the discretion to then charge the customer. What likely happened is that they didn't know about the operations code for the labor. I would definitely go back and bring it to their attention and dispute it.

yes you are correct that the bulletin states to bill GM for the labor, it does not say not to bill the customer if they are willing to pay and there are no consequences if they do.

don't get me wrong, I am not saying the dealer is right, they clearly made a mistake and the customer should be able to rectify the issue, but it doesn't invalidate my statement. one must understand what they are purchasing before the transaction. my point is that the customer must be armed with information....and if wasn't for the internet then we would never know the difference.....nor would we know about the update, lol.....and we probably wouldn't be driving cars like these either if you really think about it.

Dealer name please so that others can avoid your mishap.

You're a fool sometimes... The dealer made a mistake and charged the customer instead of back charging GM. He is due a refund.

I literally just said that.

But yes, I am a fool sometimes, just like everyone else in the world including you.:thumbs: Nothing wrong with it at all.

:iagree:
The shoe fit's on that!

:leaving:

he doesn't realize that as the Forum Dunce his endorsement weakens all arguments.:rofl: basically anything he says can be taken as a compliment.:yesnod:

Do what Bill Dearborn said and fight this.
You're entitled to a refund and an apology.

I agree completely. However, the way humans are behaving these days, I suspect that he's got a better chance of getting his refund than an apology.

Is upgrade worth 350 ?

Thank you for this information. Is this upgrade worth the $350? Just curious.

No way to know if the upgrade is worth $350 for everyone.

I will get it done once my car is out of storage. My local roads can get pretty damaged due to frost heaving. Those heaves don't always lay down perfectly flat once it warms up. Softening up the ride in Tour mode will be something I will gladly pay $350 to accomplish.