I go in for tire repair and the man asks about my windshield wipers....?

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Kern Dog

Kern Dog

Build your car to handle.
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Is this something new?
I know that the Bureau of Automotive Repair places weird restrictions and practices on repair shops. Several years ago, I read they required all shops to do a tire pressure check even if they were in for something completely UNrelated to the tires.
Is that happening here?
I had a slow leak in the LF and RR tires. While the man was pecking away all my info, he asked of the condition of my wiper blades. I have never been asked this at any shop before. In 1986, I worked at an auto parts store (Chief Auto Parts) and the corporate theme was plus selling.
If a customer was in for a quart of oil, the clerk would ask if they needed a funnel or paper towels.
If they bought an alternator, we had to ask if they needed a voltage regulator or battery cables.
It was a running joke...we'd say that IF a frequent customer bought lots of oil, we'd ask him if he needed an ENGINE or drip pan.
Windshield wipers have nothing to do with tires. Is this some new government thing?

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This is done primarily because the more the repair shop sells the better the managers bonus is. This practice is nothing new, I worked at a repair company and when the car was on the lift for exhaust work we were to look for "bad" shocks, etc. I worked at a parts store and if we sold a alternator we would ask the customer if they needed a belt too, it was called making sure that the customer had everything they needed to do the job right and I like that idea. But the other stuff that you were talking about is nothing new as I said earlier
 
I have a work car that I take to the dealership for oil changes. They would ALWAYS come out with a "dirty" engine and cabin filter. They wanted something like $120 to replace both so I reject. Then the next time I replaced both (with the company card) for about $45 before taking it in just to see if they would show them to me. They didn't.
 
With the 13" stainless blades on my dart, I'd have told them, 'if you have refills that fit, I'll buy a set'. Knowing full well they won't have them.
 
We had seasonal promotions, We paid 5% TBA (tire/batteries/accessories) to the front end dudes, at quarterly staff meetings they would be reminded to be aware of folks seasonal needs.
An awful lot of people were extremely pleased to have someone check oil, fluids, tire presures etc.
One of the easy sells were wiper blades cuz everyone were usually shitty. Especially ladies vehicles, go figure.
Obviously that our full service pumps.
Lube and oil folks, same thing .
Just the old way of doing things.
Can't remember the last time someone asked to check under the hood.
 
66fyssh said:
I have a work car that I take to the dealership for oil changes. They would ALWAYS come out with a "dirty" engine and cabin filter. They wanted something like $120 to replace both so I reject. Then the next time I replaced both (with the company card) for about $45 before taking it in just to see if they would show them to me. They didn't.
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Dealer did the same thing to me, when I took the wifes Jeep in for an oil change.
Stopped at the local parts store and bought the filters on the way home.
They had never checked the air filter, it still had dust on the housing and no fingerprints.
Finally got the sob out, and it still looked like new, replaced it anyways because it was such a pain to get to.
The cabin air filter was super dirty, wife smokes so that would explain that one.
 
maybe he was just being proactive because the weather has been so rainy lately and everybody that's come in has been in the: can i get a set of wipers too? when they're checking out.

so his thinking was if i ask now i won't have to reopen the ticket and go get the wipers and hand off to the tech and keep this dude here longer than needed.

or he was upselling to get that sweet 2.5% on the monthly check...
 
When I used to go to places after work, I looked dirty and obviously capable of working on stuff myself.
Now that I'm clean and well dressed most of the time, I probably look like an office guy that pays everyone to fix my stuff.
 
Kern Dog said:
When I used to go to places after work, I looked dirty and obviously capable of working on stuff myself.
Now that I'm clean and well dressed most of the time, I probably look like an office guy that pays everyone to fix my stuff.
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i remember going to vato-zone one time and buying some brake pads and the counter jockey was hard pushing anti-squeal and hi temp pin lube and he totally had hostage face.

when the other dude walked away he was all: sorry man, i know you don't need any of that ****. my boss makes us try and upsell that crap.
 
Asking about the wipers is pretty much standard here in Phoenix. The climate here kills wipers
 
Its like getting the d*** Tx. inspection, the girl flunks me becasue she says she sees one blade
beginning" to get "deteratiated"! She can sell me a set or (I can gobuy a set 50 miles down the road)....SO I DO!
 
This up sell happens everywhere. Some of it is good preventative maintenance. Some not so much. I owned a garage for 6 years so I know how it was/is as I was the technition also. Kim
 
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I'm a LOT more likely to frequent a business that isn't obviously just trying to sell me something, and treats me like I have a brain. The local auto parts store was like that. Before I moved here, I was visiting and as I was heading home, the alternator went south. They opened their doors after closing time to sell me a new one, plus, they hung around to make sure I had the tools I needed. My battery was pretty old, so I replaced that because of their help.
I was a regular in there after I moved here. They retired and sold to NAPA. I still go in there, but only when I have to.
 
CFD244 said:
There's a reason why they do this............And, it's not because they give a **** about my safety.

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If you went to the doctor for let's, say a cough and he spotted something that looked like it was cancer and he didn't say anything, that would be malpractice the same should apply to a mechanic. Most customers have no clue as to what is happening with their cars. Find a mechanic you trust and stay with him or her even when they move to a different shop.
 
bcschief said:
If you went to the doctor for let's, say a cough and he spotted something that looked like it was cancer and he didn't say anything, that would be malpractice the same should apply to a mechanic. Most customers have no clue as to what is happening with their cars. Find a mechanic you trust and stay with him or her even when they move to a different shop.
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Absolutely. Find someone with integrity, and they have a customer for life. I'm pretty skeptical in general.....It seems like everyone is digging into your pocket.....Maybe it's just the times......Or, maybe I'm turning into my dad :)
 
CFD244 said:
Absolutely. Find someone with integrity, and they have a customer for life. I'm pretty skeptical in general.....It seems like everyone is digging into your pocket.....Maybe it's just the times......Or, maybe I'm turning into my dad :)
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I got into mechanics because I could not afford to pay somebody to fix my cars. But I do agree there are a lot of hacks and thieves out there, I have seen it from the inside. My advice today is buy old Chilton's and motors manuals that have old school diagnostic techniques in them even if they are not for the vehicle you are working on, learn by reading not by throwing parts at the problem.
 
I trust my mechanic. I trust my doc to write a lot of pill scripts. I don't trust the b***doing the damn worthless Tx inspections. Half the drivers in Tx are illegals with fake DL! :BangHead::steering:
 
barbee6043 said:
I trust my mechanic. I trust my doc to write a lot of pill scripts. I don't trust the b***doing the damn worthless Tx inspections. Half the drivers in Tx are illegals with fake DL! :BangHead::steering:
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I lived in Texas in the early 80s and I was amazed at what a state inspection was. I also was amazed at how many vehicles I saw sitting on the side of the road with a wheel fallen off.
 
Kern Dog said:
Is this something new?
I know that the Bureau of Automotive Repair places weird restrictions and practices on repair shops. Several years ago, I read they required all shops to do a tire pressure check even if they were in for something completely UNrelated to the tires.
Is that happening here?
I had a slow leak in the LF and RR tires. While the man was pecking away all my info, he asked of the condition of my wiper blades. I have never been asked this at any shop before. In 1986, I worked at an auto parts store (Chief Auto Parts) and the corporate theme was plus selling.
If a customer was in for a quart of oil, the clerk would ask if they needed a funnel or paper towels.
If they bought an alternator, we had to ask if they needed a voltage regulator or battery cables.
It was a running joke...we'd say that IF a frequent customer bought lots of oil, we'd ask him if he needed an ENGINE or drip pan.
Windshield wipers have nothing to do with tires. Is this some new government thing?

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I'm not trying to be rude (and I'm failing), but if you want things to make sense in the world, you should probably move out of California.
 
Not to "one up" you, but...

My wife had to take her RX350 into Lexus (Lexus of Wayzata, for you MN guys) recently for....something (I don't recall). They fixed the "something", but they also installed new wiper blades all the way around, without asking or notifying her! She raised a stink but got nowhere with them, so then she called me.

I got the Service Manager on the phone, and in a calm and even manner told him that I had just recently replaced all three blades myself (true fact), I still had the receipt, and I would be happy to send him a copy of it, so he had two options: Take their overpriced blades off my wife's car and put the ones I bought back on, or give them to us for free, otherwise I'd make a phone call to my aunt, who works for the Attorney General of the State of Minnesota (which is also true).

They couldn't find "my" blades, so they took their new blades off her bill, but left them on the car.

Will we ever go back to Lexus (of Wayzata) for service? Considering that it's now a 45 minute drive, one way, I sincerely doubt it.
 
A Tx state vehicle inspection is all about the garage and Tx its part of $8 annual fee. Yep check your lights and horn, OK so the wipers have to move. Go in there in a "modern" vehicle and they pay no attention, go in there in my 25 year old pickup and ALL eyes are on every damn thing. "Looks like that required mud flap (on a one ton) could be a little loose, wiper blade LOOKS old, one running light appears a little dim. Bird **** on your windshiled. F*** you YOU SOBs!!!!!!!
 
barbee6043 said:
A Tx state vehicle inspection is all about the garage and Tx its part of $8 annual fee. Yep check your lights and horn, OK so the wipers have to move. Go in there in a "modern" vehicle and they pay no attention, go in there in my 25 year old pickup and ALL eyes are on every damn thing. "Looks like that required mud flap (on a one ton) could be a little loose, wiper blade LOOKS old, one running light appears a little dim. Bird **** on your windshiled. F*** you YOU SOBs!!!!!!!
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I hate to think this, or post it publicly, but based on the rotted-out, POS vehicles I see that are still being used around here, sometimes I wish we had vehicle safety inspections here in MN.
 
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