Stealers diagnostic Charges are crazy high

[JGSXR750]

Dropped of my 2007 tahoe in for a 2 service issues that came up on the DIC. The dealer is charging $120 diagnostic charge for each issue. when asked why i'm gettign charge twice for hooking truck up to the same computer the response was "its two different diagnostic flow diagrams that the tech needs to follow". talk about highway robbery. I even gave him the codes and what diagnostic steps i have tried already for one of the issues. no wonder why people i not buying these trucks and or chevy cars anymore.

 

[clkelley]

As bad as that is, and it is pretty bad. I would find another dealer if possible. $120 is excessive in the first place for a gas powered vehicle, much less charging it twice. I would bet that if you have them perform any work you will pay a hefty premium to that dealer for every single thing they can get you for. Not all dealers are like that though...

 

[JGSXR750]

yeah i'm looking into finding another one but all the closest ones are 45 minutes away. this one i had a bad experience when i brought tahoe in for an front end noise issue, the tech said not to worry about it and thye couldnt find anything wrong with the front end. The next day i was rotating the tire and i noticed the front stabalizing links were broken on the side the noise was coming from. i replaced it and no noise ever came back again. called dealer and said they need to retrain there tech's since the problem was right in front of there face.
hate it when they charge outragous fees for things. funny thing is wife wants to upgrade to a suburban but if they are going to charge these fees it doesnt pay. especially when you are paying $50k plus for a these trucks and then the dealers charge these rates.

 

[clkelley]

Yeah, and they can retrain all they like, there is no real cure for laziness or incompetence. I have seen some dealers take a vehicle in for diagnosis two or three times before they ever run the first check for Tech bulletins on the particular issue. Unfortunately that is what we have to deal with as the end consumer. I happen to be lucky to have one here locally that are good to deal with and although their prices can be kind of high on parts, their diagnostic fees, etc are reasonable for a dealer. They are also willing to help with issues when they aren't doing the actual diagnostics which is almost a thing of the past anymore.

 

[texasv8]

:whymewhyme:I purchased a scanner from a local parts house, it beats paying the stealership for this service.Altough it has worked for me so far, i know there will be cases where a mech needs to get involved.

 

[JGSXR750]

welll it get worst. They called with there diagnostic advice on what needs to be changed and i was floored. they are charging $350 to install a sensor and when i spoke to the service manager about the price mark up he stated to me that there is no way i'm gm is selling the parts for less than what he is gettign them for. they are marking this sensor up almost 4 times the cost if i buy it from them. i understand maybe doubling the cost but that number is crazy. they also told me that i need to install a new rear shock (which i figured was no good but i thought it was going to be something elsse since the air bag works find just the actuator is no good) but they are only advising me to install 1 shock and not both. that price you dont even what to know how much they were charging for that. put it this way, i could buy 2 shocks plus the sensor i need and still be saving money for what they are charging for 1 shock.
i'm going to invest in a scanner so i can avoid goign to the dealer. i'm pretty mechanically inclinded and prefer to do all my repairs but sometimes you still need to get a professional involved. I wish i had the a little bit more training on the electrical trouble shooting of these vehicles and or a good mechanical trouble shooting manual with an escalation tree to follow. Well thanks for letting me vent about the stealers. This is a great forum to be apart of. :happy160::happy160:

 

[clkelley]

Yeah, some dealerships think they can get away with charging anything and people will just take it. The sad part is they don't understand the power of repeat business and referrals. I almost guarantee I could get you those parts forthan what they are charging.

That being said, if I can help you with finding a good scanner let me know.

 

[anglarry05]

thats crap. My dealer charges $30 for diagnostics, even if I have 3 issues. Find a new dealer, or remember what sensors/parts they are talking about and do it yourself. I had 2 avalanches in my past that were out of warranty. For some stuff I would have them diagnose for me, then I go to the parts dept and get the part and do it on my own. One example is evap stuff. Lot of it you need specialized tools to troubleshoot

 

[tonymac617]

In these hard economic times, people cant afford to repair their vehicles at the dealerships. Their local Mechanics who can do the repairs cheaper, dont have access to Dealership diagnostic tools etc. So folks end up paying only for the diagnostics to find out the issue, then have their local guy perform the repairs at a fraction of the cost.

The dealerships response is to price hike their Diagnostic Fees.

There are code readers out there that work on Most vehicles but are limited on what they can do. GM's Tech II really is a great tool and can diagnose allot more than just an engine code, which is why the dealerships have an edge on the Auto repair industry.

I do wish the OP luck in finding another dealer or local repair shop to avoid these high prices.

PS: You can search Ebay for a FSM (Factory Service Manual) for your vehicle which will give you all of the information you need.

 

[clkelley]

I agree 100% there too. I am actually doing work here and there for certain people with certain vehicles, I don't and can't work on just anything due to my disability. But I am also REAL lucky in the fact that I have two dealerships here locally that both know me and anytime I need it they allow me to get into AllData or allow me the use of their Tech II. That is one major advantage I have over a lot of the smaller shops around here, none of the smaller shops around here can justify the cost of a scanner that even comes close to the Tech II.

For those that want to or can understand the processes of data logging, etc that the Tech II can monitor, EFI Live desk top software would be the way to go. While still not cheap, it is nowhere near the cost of a Tech II and can do almost everything a Tech II can. Of course there are things the Tech II can do that EFI Live can't, but not a lot.

 

[tonymac617]

Another neat little thing to have to monitor various vehicle parameters in real time while driving is the use of an Aeroforce Gauge. They are for GM vehicles and OBDII ports. I have one because I was mildly Modded on my 97 Supercharged Bonneville and needed to monitor engine knock and Fuel trims. I recently plugged it into my Tahoe and it worked. They are a bit pricey but you can get DTC codes and clear them with this gauge.

http://http://www.aeroforcetech.com/products_order_gm.html

 

[clkelley]

Something happened to the link there. I personally have an Edge Ensight CTS monitor. I can read and clear DTC's and monitor "some" things in real time going down the road. I use it more on my Duramax, but I have used it to run and clear DTC's on that, the Yukon, a lot of chevy trucks, a few fords, and a couple of dodge's. The one thing it does do, it may tell you the DTC code number without the explanation or description in some cases, but it will still clear them. Then it is a matter of looking them up. I usually run mine suction cupped to the windshield, they also plug into the OBDII port. Below is a link to the Edge "Evolution" CTS, which is the same thing as the Ensight, but with tuning options added into the mix. What I do like about them though is that they are expandable, meaning Edge offers stuff like EGT gauge probes, back up camera, etc that can be "attached" to them at the harness to increase what you can use them for.


Edge Evolution CTS

 

[tonymac617]

Hmmm the link works fine for me. Ill add it here without using the url tags


http://www.aeroforcetech.com/

 

[clkelley]

Hmmm the link works fine for me. Ill add it here without using the url tags


http://www.aeroforcetech.com/

That's a pretty cool unit. Especially for those that don't like the idea of a box style monitor.

 

[tonymac617]

It really is. I have one (older firmware) and its awesome. I just need to find a pillar Gauge pod for the Tahoe.

 

[clkelley]

I would think you could use the same type of a-pillar pod that silverados and sierras use. That being said, I can get apillar gauge pods, just let me know how many gauges you want to mount, etc and I'll look into that for you.

 

[tonymac617]

I custom Molded one into the HUD trim for my Bonneville, but I dont want to do that work again. Ive only got the one Gauge so one pod. I was hoping to source one locally like Autozone or Advance but not sure they carry them.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

 

[clkelley]

GIve me until tomorrow, I know where to get them, and I have ordered them for customers with Duramaxes, but I want to make certain that they will fit on your truck.

 

[tonymac617]

Sounds good. Thanks for the help!!!