Dealer service - fear tactics

I have K&N sticker on the airbox. No one ever told me anything yet....
On cabin filters. Buy bulk online (from BAM), DIY in 2 mins. $10 each.

psssst K&N now has a cabin filter for the CX-5
K&N Multi VF2056 Cabin Air Filterhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

so you come out ahead in 5 filter washes:)

oh yeah .. and the special formulated cleaning kit:

Service Kit-99-6000


the price should be closer to 14.95 -- so shop around.
 
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That air filter is brand spanking new. Even the cabin filter aint that bad (just hit it a few times on your palm to shake off the debris. I don't trust dealers for anything. I do all the basic maintenance myself and ones I am lazy to do just take it out to the shop. My 2014 CX never went back to the dealer except the TSB and recalls which are free.
 
We've all said it before. Dealers can vary a ridiculous amount from one to the other.
Personally, I have never been back to my selling dealer either.
They bugged me for a while with their service reminders, but then I think they just gave up.
I've been to another dealer that's actually closer to me than the one I purchased my car from, and they have been pretty good.
No attempts (yet) to try and upsell me with needless filter changes, etc.
 
What's amazing is that dealers are the face of the brand to the public.

It seems as though there are no standards enforced from the manufacturers.

My dealer in Virginia is headquartered in North Carolina. Like everyone else, they are dealers for a bunch of different brands (is that a necessity to survive?) and have 1 Mazda dealership in VA and 2 of them in NC.

Their HQ Customer Service guy called after my first service and asked how it went. I told him generally good, there were a couple of "could have been done better" things, and a few days later I got a call from my Virginia dealership about those issues.
 
What's amazing is that dealers are the face of the brand to the public.

It seems as though there are no standards enforced from the manufacturers.

Actually....... This is a very good point, and there's a reason why dealers and manufacturers often don't get along and is the source of a lot of contention between dealer and manufacturer. I used to work for ADP dealer services - the computer system that many dealers use/used so I have a little insight.......

Dealers believe that we are the dealer's customers and the manufacturer is only the vendor of the product. While manufacturers believe we are the manufacturer's customer and that the dealer is only the distributor of the product.

This is part of the reason that there are so many moving parts between the two, and as an example why warranty work is sometimes one of those areas where managers have to get involved, or why dealers have to defend/justify sales to the manufacturer at the end of the month
 
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Actually....... This is a very good point, and there's a reason why dealers and manufacturers often don't get a long and is the source of a lot of contention between dealer and manufacturer. I used to work for ADP dealer services - the computer system that many dealers use/used so I have a little insight.......

Dealers believe that we are the dealer's customers and the manufacturer is only the vendor of the product. While manufacturers believe we are the manufacturer's customer and that the dealer is only the distributor of the product.

This is part of the reason that there are so many moving parts between the two, and as an example why warranty work is sometimes one of those areas where managers have to get involved, or why dealers have to defend/justify sales to the manufacturer at the end of the month
Is that ADP born of Hughes ADP? Man, I used them for accounting & payroll back in the 70s when stuff was done with punch cards!!! They were somewhere in the Maryland burbs of DC (Rockville?)

Anyway, you raise a good point. But I managed vendors for a $500 Million PC reseller. IBM, Microsoft, Apple, etc absolutely do not think of them as the reseller's customers. The stuff has brand reputation to worry about...it's not a pound of no-name burger. Now, there was certainly a difference when you're representing many brands. But they exerted influence when they were just one of many brands on your brochure. I walk into a dealer and it says "Ford," not "Cars."

I wonder how much Tesla is gonna rock this distribution channel boat.
 
Is that ADP born of Hughes ADP? Man, I used them for accounting & payroll back in the 70s when stuff was done with punch cards!!! They were somewhere in the Maryland burbs of DC (Rockville?)

Anyway, you raise a good point. But I managed vendors for a $500 Million PC reseller. IBM, Microsoft, Apple, etc absolutely do not think of them as the reseller's customers. The stuff has brand reputation to worry about...it's not a pound of no-name burger. Now, there was certainly a difference when you're representing many brands. But they exerted influence when they were just one of many brands on your brochure. I walk into a dealer and it says "Ford," not "Cars."

I wonder how much Tesla is gonna rock this distribution channel boat.

Yes, but a division called ADP Dealer Services that specifically made and supported the software used by dealerships for accounting and service departments. Cars are a bit different. Technically they are more likely just the distributor as they don't buy and own the cars, yet the dealer ownership still views the customer as theirs. Each home depot only cares which store you buy it from as far as how it makes the manager look in the eyes of the corporation, but each auto dealer sees other dealers (of the same make) as direct competition.
 
McDonald's seem to come in two basic types:Corporate operated and franchise owner operated. They are generally pretty good as far as quality control but there can be differences.

Cars are complex and expensive and usually need some legitimate dealer prep. Even bicycles usually need a little final assembly at the store. I guess it's understandable that different dealers might be a little different on some things which could affect customer satisfaction.
 
McDonald's seem to come in two basic types:Corporate operated and franchise owner operated. They are generally pretty good as far as quality control but there can be differences.

Cars are complex and expensive and usually need some legitimate dealer prep. Even bicycles usually need a little final assembly at the store. I guess it's understandable that different dealers might be a little different on some things which could affect customer satisfaction.
The thing that allows bad dealerships to survive is that unlike most other consumer goods, you're only making a purchase every few years, if that often. Or you think there's no other place to get service.

Other places would go under with such poor customer service, because they need your repeat dollars before you've had time to forget their transgressions. Since so many people go to regular retail stores/eateries so often, word soon gets around those that are to be avoided, and those dollars spent elsewhere that day are lost to them forever. The universal disgust with car dealerships actually shields them from that..."they're all like that."

Plus there's a lot of true competition elsewhere. Food is generally fungible. If all restaurants sucked, you go to the grocery store. There's no place left to go when you need a car.
 
I've heard of people traveling to Germany to buy MB direct from the factory but I guess there isn't really a lot of opportunities to do that with most makes.
 
I've heard of people traveling to Germany to buy MB direct from the factory but I guess there isn't really a lot of opportunities to do that with most makes.
That's actually interesting MB would do that.
Most manufacturers protect their distribution channel...they don't poach customers.
 
You still buy your MB from your local dealer.. then simply go to the factory for some extra tour and stuff. There is a bit of vehicle cost savings (less than 10%) .


this old thread is helpful

Volvo too:

BMW:

there may be some others.. you can see the theme here .. European vehicle manufactures.
 
It seems like I remember somebody saying they essentially got a free vacation out of it. I wonder if they will do anything like that with the new Sprinter factory in NC?
 
It seems like I remember somebody saying they essentially got a free vacation out of it. I wonder if they will do anything like that with the new Sprinter factory in NC?
I read the itenerary in one of CX5_Driver's links, but didn't realize it was built into the price of the vehicle. Man, that sure beats a free cargo cover, huh?
 
They were saying the discount covered the cost of airfare, etc. You would have to invest your own time but if you enjoy travel and have the free time it might be worthwhile.

Not that many people order options 'ala cart' any more anyway but maybe you could be assured of getting exactly the car you want.

I don't have any plans for a European car but I wonder if I could get a manual transmission?
 
I use Manual Mode in my Reserve every once in a while, but it's a poor substitute.

Before I got my CX-5 I had a 1990 Volvo 740 turbo intercooler, 4 speed floor shift with the electronic 5th gear button in the shift knob. I loved driving that car through these winding back roads.

Of course, if I had a manual shift in my CX-5, my mileage would really suck. Zoom-Zoom!!
 
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Before I got my CX-5 I had a 1990 Volvo 740 turbo intercooler, 4 speed floor shift with the electronic 5th gear button in the shift knob. I loved driving that car through these winding back roads.
....

them new Volvo's are gonna be speed limited
 
them new Volvo's are gonna be speed limited
For goodness sake.

The article says this will be the norm in 2022 per EU standards, when actually shutting off the engine (with the option for different warnings) if you go over the limit will be the law (the article does not say by how much over the limit.)

As one of the article's commenter's stated, causes of accidents are (in descending order):
  1. Distracted driving
  2. Fatigue
  3. Driving while intoxicated
  4. Aggressive driving
Not speed.

This makes disabling the Touch Screen seem like a desired feature, huh?
 
Had several Volvos in the past. The reason the overseas delivery program worked financially is that by taking delivery at a European factory it was a "used" vehicle as soon as the owner picked it up at the factory. Used vehicles have substantially lower tariffs than new ones, so the manufacturer factored that lower cost into the transaction. That made it possible for Volvo to provide round-trip air fare, one night hotel stay near the factory, and then shipping to your dealer in the U.S. Most people drove their new Volvo around Europe for a couple of weeks and then delivered the car to one of several shipping points available in different countries. Any of the shipping points other than at the factory incurred an additional charge, but it was not that much. It was a pretty good deal! That program obviously does not work for vehicles manufactured in their new South Carolina factory since the import tariff loophole does not exist.
 
For goodness sake.

The article says this will be the norm in 2022 per EU standards, when actually shutting off the engine (with the option for different warnings) if you go over the limit will be the law (the article does not say by how much over the limit.)

As one of the article's commenter's stated, causes of accidents are (in descending order):
  1. Distracted driving
  2. Fatigue
  3. Driving while intoxicated
  4. Aggressive driving
Not speed.

That's a bit of an obfuscation. *Cause* of accidents, maybe not, but it cannot be debated that excessive speed in the each aforementioned will result in greater injuries and fatalities. Many more accidents in the winter in states with snow, but lower fatality rate due to lower speeds. I'm not advocating speed control, but it can't be said that decreased speeds doesn't save lives
 
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