THIS IS WHY YOU NEED A REPAIR MANUAL

How to tell when your car dealer is lying

Chrysler is over-represented on this list because this is a Chrysler-oriented Web site. Still, we are happy to accommodate any and all brands!

Quality is Job 1. Putting out the fire is Job 2.

We have not verified these and are not responsible for their accuracy. In some cases the dealer may have been right. See customer lies. The Hall of Fame!

"We don't make any money off the extended warranty but offer it as a public service." You can't expect us to repair the transmission, steering, brake, and other problems under warranty, since you didn't let us do the 12,000 mile service. (Toyota dealer) Nobody can break into a Pontiac convertible because the top cannot be cut with a knife. "I'll call you when it's ready." “Those aren't very good cars anyway. The engine leans over to one side and throws off the whole balance of the car.” — sales manager at Harris Ford, Lynnwood, WA, after selling a beautiful 1973 Scamp (with a 225 Slant Six) to another buyer despite having taken a deposit to hold the car less than 24 hours earlier. (Mike Sealey)

"There's no problem" - variations on refusal to repair

Problem not found!!!!! "I can't hear anything wrong." "That noise is normal; there's nothing you can do." (sometimes true!) "It's normal for cars to perspire anti-freeze" (After 3 lame attempts to repair a leaky bi-pass hose on my wife's Altima - Midway Nissan, Phoeniz, AZ) "Four hundred miles per quart is within the normal range of oil consumption." (Many dealers but Saturn is notable for this one) "We tried it under the exact conditions you said, and it didn't do it." "Some of those engines idle rough, some don't. It's normal." "The cruise control can't be used below 55 mph. That's why it surges." (Toyota) "Well, I don't feel any brake pulsation," even though the runout was way out of specifications. (Toyota) "The problem is the way you're shifting." - Dodge of Paramus. Note: another transmission shop suggested that they had not actually replaced anything, but had merely reattached a slipped cable. The "clutch" problem turned out to be a gunked-up engine - but they were willing to fix the clutch they hadn't fixed right, for just another few hundred dollars. "No, that's oil seepage, not oil leakage. It is perfectly normal to expect seepage. Look, you can see that it is only road grime accumulation." (several dealers!) [Master Tech Jon: “Usually this is true, in order to keep lubricated and keep from drying out seals will seep oil, if it's not dripping it may not be anything to worry about. There is no way to 100% seal a moving part with oil pressure behind it.”] "Ma'am, there is nothing wrong with your gas tank. These new minivans just carry a 7 gallon reserve in the tank." (A 5-star Chrysler service center, after supposedly replacing the tank twice under warranty because when the gauge showed "empty," the tank could only be filled with 12 gallons of fuel, maximum. [This is clearly covered by a service bulletin] - reported by Karen) "Those lumps on in your headlight pocket are on all Camaros" (O'Reilly Chevrolet, Tucson, AZ, body shop manager). Agreed to "check it out" after I let him know that a total of 10 Camaros exist in my near family - none have lumps - Paul. "Could not duplicate transmission noise" (I was told this THREE times by Ed Voyles CPin Atlanta. Finally I drove the service manager across the lot with the windows down. He heard it. A week later they called saying car was ready. "No problems found" was written on work order. A nasty argument with the service manager ended when I promised to return to picket the dealer on Saturday. The entire transmission was replaced under warranty.) - Lee Hines and Tammy Gilmore "All alignment specs are perfect..." Literally from day one, this $33,000 van would climb up the crown into the oncoming traffic from the far right hand lane. The service manager test drove it, with me in it, on the wrong side of the road to prove it would do the opposite from there. He barely caught it from darting of into the trees and still tried to convince me that it was correct! - Mikey in Oregon. "We checked the alignment and the camber is off but that's compensated by the caster being off the other way." (Chrysler-Plymouth dealer...I guess the fact they were servicing a DODGE fooled them) - Gene Poon