One complaint is cause for concern, two means a trend could be developing but is still just in its infancy, three or more means something definitely is going on.
That`s been the case the last several days in which first one caller expressed alarm over his handling by a dealer service shop, then another, then another and another.
So it went, and all callers, men and women, voiced the same gripe: Each took a car to a dealer to have it repaired, picked it up, and the car didn`t work any better after the bill was paid then when they first brought it in.
Repeat repairs are a common complaint, but what made this series of gripes reason for alarm was that many of the callers had another, similar problem: When they returned to the dealership to pick up the car, the shop refused to let them test drive their car to determine if it was working properly before they paid their bill.
Some, however, asked for trouble by simply paying and driving away and never asking for a test drive before heading home.
In nearly every case the consumer realized the problem still existed after a short drive away from the dealership. Each brought the car back, each was told to leave it and the repair would be done right the second time, and each was then billed again.
”The standard procedure is that when you pick up your vehicle after it`s been repaired you go to the cashier, pay, get the car and leave. But I`ve never heard of anyone being refused to test drive the car before they pay to ensure the work was done properly,” said Jerry Cizek, executive vice president of the Chicago Automobile Trade Association.
”I`m not aware of such a problem at the dealerships,” Cizek added.
”But then I`ve not heard of a lot of people demanding to test drive the car first to see if it was repaired properly before they got in and drove off.”
Cizek advised, ”If there`s any question that the repair was done and done right, it isn`t unreasonable to request you test drive the car first. Now, if you pick the car up after hours or no one is available to take the time to take the test drive with you, that would be understandable, too.”
A fear of dealers, of course, would be that you`d ask for a test drive before you pay and that`s the last the dealer would see of you. It`s understandable, then, that most service writers simply aren`t going to hand you the key, point you toward the car, and wait for your return and assurances the repair was done properly.
At the same time, it`s understandable that after putting your trust in the dealership service department, as well as handing over your money, that you should expect the repair to be made properly so that you don`t have to return again and again-or pay again and again.
Mechanics are busy fellows, and taking them away from their jobs for a test drive each time a customer came in to pick up a car would be a waste of time and money in most cases. But the service writer could take the time to satisfy the customer, as well as check up on the expertise of those mechanics working under him.
”If people have complaints that they aren`t allowed to test drive the car they brought in for service before they pay and leave, I`d certainly like to know,” Cizek said. ”They can call our office at the CATA if they have a complaint and I`ll bring the matter up before our board of directors.”
The CATA, best known for its annual sponsorship of the annual Chicago Auto Show, represents more than 700 Chicago-area new-car dealers. You can contact the CATA at 708-698-6630.
To avoid problems later, it probably would be wise when you bring the car in for service or repair to tell the service writer that you expect to drive the car, preferably with him tagging along, before you accept the car and hand over the check.
Notes
Chrysler will unveil its new Jeep Grand Cherokee at the Detroit Auto Show starting next week, then ship it to Chicago for the local exposition Feb. 8-16 in McCormick Place. Compared with the current Cherokee, the new larger companion model will be built on a 4.5-inch longer wheelbase, at 105.9 inches, and be 8 inches longer overall, at 173.3 inches. The Grand Cherokee will include a driver-side air bag, 4-wheel anti-lock brakes, and a rear wiper/
washer system as standard. A 4-liter, 190-horsepower, fuel-injected, 6-cylinder engine will provide the power and be teamed with a choice of 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. A choice of three 4-wheel-drive systems will be offered.
Mitsubishi not only restyled its Montero sport utility vehicle for 1992, it added a shift-on-the-fly 4-wheel-drive system that allows moving from 2-wheel drive to 4-wheel drive at speeds up to 62 miles per hour as well as an anti-lock braking system that operates in either 2WD or 4WD mode in
regular, high or low range.
Porsche has priced its new 968 replacement for the former 944 at $39,850. Also, the limited production 911 America Roadster has been priced at $87,900. A new version of the 928, called the 928 GTS and featuring many of the technological advances of the 959 plus an upgraded, 345-horsepower, all-aluminum V-8 engine, will go on sale in the spring as a `93 model. It will be priced at $80,920.
For a better perspective of what General Motors Corp. meant when it said it will close six assembly plants in the near future, the closing of those plants would equal 900,000 to 1.2 million vehicles taken out of the production schedule.
The jury is out on why GM Chairman Robert Stempel announced future plant closings last month without specifics as to which plants would be involved. Stempel said he had planned to announce in January a GM restructuring and at that time list which plants would close. He said he moved up the announcement about restructuring to December after the media got wind of the plan and began speculating dire actions. By moving up the announcement on the restructuring, Stempel said firm plans on which plants would close hadn`t been determined, so that`s why none was named. Meanwhile, however, there`s been speculation that Stempel really moved up the restructuring announcement so that it would be made public before he joined President Bush in making a trip to Japan to plead a case for improved trade with that country. Troubles at the largest U.S. automaker and the resulting wave of national sympathy might prompt Bush to more firmly negotiate programs to reduce the $40 billion balance-of-trade deficit the U.S. now suffers with Japan.
It`s all over for the Eagle Premier and Dodge Monaco. Chrysler stopped production at Bramalea, Ontario, last month to convert the plant to production of the new LH cars (Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler Concorde, Eagle Vision). Output eventually should reach 320,000 LH cars annually.
Pontiac reports sales of its totally redesigned Bonneville rose 40 percent from a year earlier in the first two months of the 1992 model year. By the way, Pontiac`s new concept car for the 1992 auto show circuit is called Salsa, a convertible/hatchback coupe/panel delivery truck, depending on what roof or soft top you add.
Now that Honda has a midsize Accord station wagon, Toyota will bring out a rival Camry station wagon. It will appear this spring. Wonder if Toyota has been watching Accord wagon sales figures and the fact it hasn`t been busting any records.
Toyota said it will add 4-wheel-drive truck production at its joint venture plant with GM in Fremont, Calif., starting in February. The plant now builds the Toyota Corolla and Chevy Geo Prizm cars and 2-wheel-drive compact Toyota pickup trucks. The plant has capacity to build 100,000 Toyota trucks and 200,000 cars annually. The joint venture agreement expires in 1996, and there`s speculation Toyota would like all of the 300,000 capacity for its own. Toyota is expected to announce detailed plans later this week on whether it will begin marketing its long-talked-about mid- to full-size pickup truck in the U.S. soon. President Bush`s trip to Japan with automotive leaders in an attempt to win more favorable trade agreements may force Toyota to reconsider the pickup truck once again.
Rand McNally is offering Route 66 ”American`s Highway” maps depicting the 2,400-mile, 8-state route between Chicago and Los Angeles to celebrate the road`s 66th anniversary in 1992. The highway was decommissioned by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 1985, but most of the route exists and is driveable today. Consumers can obtain the map by sending $2 for postage and handling to: Rand McNally Route 66 Map Offer, P.O. Box 654, Skokie, Ill. 60076-0654.
In coming up with a listing of the 25 most influential people in the world when it comes to car collecting, the ”Robb Report” included Dean Kruse of Kruse International in Auburn, Ind.
Buick will give away a 1992 Skylark at a drawing among ticket holders at the first annual Charity Preview of the Chicago Auto Show on Friday evening, Feb. 7.
The Chicago International Motorcycle Show will be Jan. 17-19 in the Rosemont/O`Hare Expo Center. The show provides a peak at what`s new in the way of motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and personal watercraft from the major manufacturers. Admission is $6.50 for adults, $4 for children 6 to 12, and free for those under 6.
Two out of every three cars purchased for company fleet usage for 1992 are being equipped with air bags, and three out of five with anti-lock brakes, the National Association of Fleet Administrators reports.
Saab has come up with a prototype 9000 sedan that runs on gasoline, methanol or ethanol. Saab also announced it has relocated its U.S.
distribution headquarters from Orange, Conn., to Norcross, Ga., effective in April.
American Isuzu Motors commemorated the sale of its 1 millionth vehicle in the U.S. last month.
