Vehicles & Servicing Buying a new car in Dumaguete

Someone mentioned in this thread about dealerships taking months to get new car OR/CR into customers hands. Of course that was posted 4 months ago. Has the situation changed? I wonder if it's the same delay at all auto dealers. Wonder also if you're obligated to bring it in for scheduled service if never driven. Not sure how that would work. That last question I ask only because I've grown use to the idea to 'expect the unexpected'.

 

That's a very good question. I bought a new car from Toyota in 2015. It was about 18 months before I took it in for the 5000 Km oil change/check up. The service guy told me the warranty is void because I should have come in after 3 months. He pointed to the owners manual which call for service at "5000km or 3 months". I told him I selected the 5000 km option. To which he replied "well the warranty means 5000 Km or 3 months, whichever comes first". I explained I didn't know what they meant, only what Toyota had written. The service guy sort of surrendered at that point.
Since we were talking about warranties I asked him "hey you guys are always trying to sell me the synthetic oil and say I can drive 10,000 Km between changes. The owners manual never mentions synthetic oil. What's Toyotas policy on synthetic oil?
Sorry Sir I don't know.
I wasn't bothered or annoyed, more amused than anything.
All in all I'm quite happy with my Toyota and their service.

 

I agree ... good cars and good service at their Dumaguete centre.

 

We were very diligent about taking our Chevrolet in for the required oil changes every 3 months. Since the dealership is in Bacolod, they would schedule use of Robert Garage for their customers in Dumaguete. Anyway, long story short, when I had a claim the warranty should have covered, they refused to acknowledge my claim or my phone calls. I won in the end....at my next scheuled oil change I let them do the oil change (by the way, these oil changes are exhorbitant!), and when it came time for me to pay, I told them I wasn't paying, and they could take it up with the dealership since they refused to refund my cost of warranty work. Never heard a peep from them........

 

And they just gave you your keys?

As a mechanic working in a US dealership we do not hand over the keys before settling bills.
That being said we would have bent over backwards to resolve your warranty claim first. We might tell you we got it covered under good faith then just write it off. Profitable dealerships understand covering warranty claims whenever possible creates customer loyalty. Rumor has it people talk about their experiences.

Manufacturers don't make it easy for dealerships to get reimbursed for warrant-able repairs.
They will only pay standard labor times that they set. Only the most skilled mechanics and properly equipped shops can achieve those times. They don't pay the same labor rate that you do, it's a fixed and lower $ per hour. They make me prove the cause of the failure. A skilled warranty administrator is invaluable to making sure a dealership gets reimbursed from the manufacturer. Any dealership that thinks warranty administrator isn't a job by itself isn't doing there customers or themselves any favors.

Warranty claims need to include:
1. The mechanics ID number, think training certifications for the vehicle model and any major components like the engine or transmission.
2. diagnostic and repair procedures followed have to be documented step by step. More and more diagnostics are performed with server connected software or software that records files that will need to be attached to the claim.
3. All parts that a repair calls for have to be billed to the claim with the correct part number.
4. Primary failed component code and cause of failure code.
5. Failed parts have to be returned.

What is hard is we can't honestly tell your repair is covered when you drop off your vehicle for say a check engine light. We may know in general your engines major components are covered because of the low mileage and the in service date. We could do a quick scan and see a code for a component that is listed in your warranty booklet. That doesn't mean this repair is immediately covered no mater what. The key is that codes often don't reflect the primary failure but are only a symptom. We have to do the diagnostics to determine the true primary failure and its cause.

 

Here in the PI you need a clearance ticket to give to the guard and he releases your vehicle to you, No Ticket No vehicle crisky, there are some store you can't get your shopping out of without them seeing the OR

 

Costco does it too. Or is it only Japan Costco?

 

OH! most of the stores like to draw their mark on the OR Robinsons put the OR in the bag but every now and then a guard will have a look for it

 

I know it tests one’s tolerance but if the reasons why one wants to live there weighs greater than the inconveniences...

 

I call it go with the Flow and if you can't beat them may as well Join them and save the Stress Cos if things don't change they will stay as they are