Cheating the Dealer: Classified: Author Reveals the Top Secrets to Saving Thousands On Your Car Repair

CHEATING

THE DEALER

A Top Secret look from the inside to

saving $1000’s on your auto repair

INTRODUCTION

1 THE PROBLEM WITH DEALERSHIPS

2 THE DEALERSHIP EXPLAINED

3 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE

4 EXTENDED WARRANTY PURCHASES

5 CAR RENTAL DISCOVERED

6 THE WOMAN CUSTOMER

7 HOW TO ENSURE A GREAT EXPERIENCE

TABLE OF TOP SECRETS

Before you buy a car at any dealership, go and interview the service manager

The service guys and gals that you meet on the drive are sales people

The service advisor lives and dies on your satisfaction

Want to know something, call the receptionist, she will tell you everything

You can get a free alignment within the first year of ownership

Consult your owners’ manual for the exact maintenance schedule for your car

Ask for a World Class Inspection™ every time your car is in the shop

Your credit union loan officer does not care about your car

You can get things for free outside the warranty period

The auto manufacturer will evaluate your extended warranty purchase to determine if you should receive after warranty assistance

Your insurance company usually covers you while driving rental car

Never drop off your car without a damage inspection

Never leave the rental agency without your deposit credit

You can get a free upgrade

The more familiar one is with the dealership practices, the better experience they will have

You can request the service advisor to show you in the labor time manual how the estimate was calculated

INTRODUCTION

Imagine walking into a gleaming car dealership and being taken aback by the wonder of it all. Truly envision those new cars on the showroom floor. Picture that Mustang convertible sitting in the center of the marble tiled floor. Just visualize the little, red Chevrolet Corvette. Maybe a Ferrari Dealership – dream of that bright, red 430 Ferrari Spider with black interior with red, hand stitched trim and just a touch of accent to make you know how fast this car can go. Breathe… Ahhh… the scent of the brand new leather seats… Breathe again. Smell the aroma of a room packed with new cars and the rubber of those Goodyear tires. The taste of money permeates the entire place. Whose money? Your money!

You are here to get the car of your dreams. Before you even walk in, you are fantasizing about driving down the Pacific Coast Highway, or Main Street of your hometown. You dream of yourself winding down the road, hugging the curves, your fantasy date (or your spouse) by your side with your hair blowing in the breeze. Feel the wind and hear your radio as it drowns out all of your cares. Crank up your favorite tunes and make this your ultimate road trip. You are in love with your new car. You are now going to make your dream a reality and go get that sweet ride!

You suffered through the purchase process. You made the purchase! You’re even more in love with yourself. You outsmarted the car guys and have your baby.

Now…

You go by the neighbors’ house. You must show off this prize. You drive everywhere!

The first day that you buy your new car is the only time errands are fun. You park your new love in the furthest parking spot from the entrance. As you walk to the entrance you turn around at least 10 times just to admire her. Nah, you are really admiring yourself. Congratulations, you outsmarted that car salesman. You stole this one. This time it’s going to be different. There will be no scratches, dents or dings – EVER. This amazing piece of machinery was hand built just for you.

And you live happily ever after?

Not always.

Sorry, but it’s time to WAKE UP! Wake up from your daydream. Of course, the darn thing breaks down! Of course it breaks down at the worst time too.

Now what?

What do you do? This is when the proverbial rubber meets the road. Open the glove box, find the service guy and call ahead for your appointment. That is if the dealership introduced you to the service guy already. That is if you bought the car from your hometown dealer. Or were you the one who outsmarted everyone and drove miles out of your way to save a few bucks? Maybe does not seem so smart now?

So you finally get your magical time slot to meet the car guys, the so-called doctor of the car. Anxiety is probably what you feel as you drive your brand new car into the service department. Why, anxiety? Because you think you are about to get ripped off! There they are, the service guys just standing there waiting to rip you off. What will they try to sell me? YOU THINK: I just want them to fix my car!

Kind of blows your mind doesn’t it? I am here to tell you it does not have to be overwhelming. With just a little knowledge and some inside tips or Top Secrets you can outsmart the service guy all day long.

Do not believe the guy behind the service desk is the former auto mechanic or just a good guy hired to take care of you. He is a salesman. He gets paid to take care of your car. In a well-managed dealership, he is professional. He is a service consultant. His job is to keep you informed of your needs. These needs do include selling you things for your car. Most service people get paid a lot to sell. Believe me; I pay my service salespeople very well. When you come in for an oil change and tire rotation, I want you to be prepared for certain things. Items like flushes, fluid exchange, tires, brakes, spark plugs, gaskets, rods, pistons and maybe a valve or two, the dealer maintenance package and the manufacturer recommended packaged services are on the menu for your money. What is a flush anyway? What the heck is a U-Joint service and when do you need it?

I am going to tell you what to buy and what to stay away from. I will reveal the ins and outs of the maintenance game and you will walk away from this read an educated consumer. You will have your own masters’ degree in saving money.

Or as I call it;

CHEATING THE

DEALER

1

THE PROBLEM WITH DEALERSHIPS

I don’t know ONE person who doesn’t get nervous or think they are about to be cheated, when they hear the word CAR DEALERSHIP. The problem: lack of trust. Consumers are weary of dealerships because they have been trained to distrust them. The aftermarket world and media has portrayed the new car dealership as the big bad wolf. In addition to this stereotypical media-marketing program, the reality is that the new car dealership is not easily understood. From the outside, it appears as if the dealership is a place where consumers are looked down upon and a place where consumers get treated poorly and taken advantage of upon arrival. Consumers ASSUME they are going to get ripped off the moment they walk in the door.

Owners of dealerships love their cars. To many dealers, it is like their own private museum. But, do car dealers want to sell cars? The answer is yes. Over the years, car dealerships have built a reputation for being awfully proud of their inventory and only want to sell it to the most qualified buyer. Forget about the guy who has had tough time in life. Oh, and the guy with bad credit? HA. Get ready to be treated as second-class citizen if you have bad credit.

Because of all these riddles, most of the time, as buyers, we start lying through our teeth the moment we get on the dealership lot. First we say we are just looking. The salesman replies with his answers and tries to get us into a conversation. We do everything to make the salesperson think we really do not want the car. After an exhausting back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, conversation we go on a road test, and then finally we decide this is the car we are interested in purchasing! WOHOO. Over? Hardly. Now comes the hard part; the negotiation of the purchase deal. Both sides begin posturing for the best deal or most profit won or saved on the car. It is a grueling process. Then at last the deal is made. Now comes the finance part. Finally, to finish, we drive out with the car we wanted. This stressful process can take hours upon hours.

Going through every emotion is not uncommon. We get excited to see the cars, thrilled to choose our personal statement or the four wheel identity of who we are. But, then we become angry at the deal making process. We sometimes get sad when it looks as if the deal is not going to happen. Then when we think all is lost, the salesman states, Congratulation – we have a deal. Next is bewilderment, we then question if there actually was a better deal to be had. We always query