[URBAN LEGEND]

Originally Posted by warren3537

If you have a good rapport with your local dealership "ie" the service dept. then you wont have any problems, I even stop by my dealership from time to time just to BS, and if and when I need to have some maint done then I have no issues and when I do go in, I am in and out quick and no worries.

You shouldn’t have to go through that. Dealers should care about YOUR car.

[Mark R]

Some dealers suck and some are very good. You have to do your homework and find a dealer who sells Chevy Performance cars and has good techs who know how to service them.

I use a dealer for service, but I did not buy my car from them. I made my expectations well known when I first called the service department. The service writer respects my car, and knows I am an informed consumer, and that I know more about the car than he does.

This dealer has installed a cat back exhaust, BMR suspension components, and a carbon fiber steering wheel for me. They do oil changes, transmission and differential service, check for recalls, etc. They are good people.

I bring my car in spotless, and ask them to keep it inside if they need it overnight. I am always very polite to them, I tip them, I gave them a well deserved glowing Google review, and I just generally try to foster a positive relationship, which gives me every confidence they will always treat me right.

[Mark R]

Originally Posted by URBAN LEGEND

You shouldn’t have to go through that. Dealers should care about YOUR car.

Well, that's not reality. There are extremely wide ranges of intelligence, competence, and work ethics in the population. If you want something done by people who you need to rely on to do good work, you have to search them out and screen them, just like finding a good restaurant, a good contractor, etc.

[JasonGofast]

Well the dealer near me apparently sells quite a few high performance cars and is supposedly the number 1 dealer in Texas (Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land). I think I will trust my ride with them and will go through the precautions some have listed here, such as talking to the service advisors directly.

[jvandy50]

It’s just a total crapshoot. Last ford dealer really made the warranty on my gt350 worthless(handed my a new replacement motor back with a CEL...twice). I’ve had a jeep dealer do an oil change on my JK and have a coil spring fall out on the way home(yes it was modified). Same dealer cross threaded a lug nut on a 1K tire carrier. You just never know.

I got my free oil change on my ZLE at the dealer and the guy pulled it into a corner of their shop hidden away from busy bodies and told them NOT to wash it. I was so happy when i showed up lol.

That said, everything i own is now worked on at our shop. If you want it done right...

[TEST DRyVer]

I live in a Phoenix, AZ. Suburb, and we are surrounded by Chevy dealerships. As a disclaimer, I should state that I work for a highline (German) automotive dealership. In no way does that necessarily give me credibility, but my colleagues are well informed of the local domestic dealerships. Many of our services staff or techs came from a domestic store at some point. I personally have not worked in a domestic store, but I've owned numerous performance cars over the years. Also keep in mind that the majority of my performance cars have been German (except the 05 CTS-V, 03 SRT-4, 05 GT Mustang), with that in mind, I'm more accustomed to service from European brands. I have had my ZL1 since last August (I think), and have taken it to 2 different Chevy stores that were recommended by my colleagues with more domestic experience. The list of dealerships to avoid for service was much greater than the recommended stores. My experience with both dealerships for purchasing my car and servicing my car (which happened to be different. Some were recommended for purchasing, but not for service or vice-versa) ranges from mediocre (at best) to straight-up, poor. I ended up buying my ZL1 private party from Northern Cali and having it shipped because of this. I actually had 3 different Chevy dealerships that wouldn't allow me to test drive the cars as I was heavily considering 2SS 1LE vs ZL1. On all occasions I pulled up in a tastefully modded (modern) BMW or newer Porsche. One desk manager directly told me the test drive is to buy the car, and if for any reason that I didn't like it, I could return it in 3 days. For comparison, almost anyone with a valid driver license and didn't look like they were intoxicated can test drive a new $200k+ sports car at my store, with minimal questions asked.
Anyway, I had been putting off an upcoming service and open recall on my ZL1 because of subpar experience in the past. I then had one of my colleagues that came from a Cadillac store tell me that their service and sales department at Cadillac was completely different (in a positive way) than my experiences at Chevy. Sounded like a promising idea, so I did it. He was absolutely right! The service department was clean, professional, and knowledgeable. I've taken it there twice now and will absolutely go back. End result: if you're having trouble with your local Chevrolet stores for service, try your local Cadillac store! You might be as surprised as I was...

[Alponcho]

Originally Posted by TEST DRyVer

I live in a Phoenix, AZ. Suburb, and we are surrounded by Chevy dealerships. As a disclaimer, I should state that I work for a highline (German) automotive dealership. In no way does that necessarily give me credibility, but my colleagues are well informed of the local domestic dealerships. Many of our services staff or techs came from a domestic store at some point. I personally have not worked in a domestic store, but I've owned numerous performance cars over the years. Also keep in mind that the majority of my performance cars have been German (except the 05 CTS-V, 03 SRT-4, 05 GT Mustang), with that in mind, I'm more accustomed to service from European brands. I have had my ZL1 since last August (I think), and have taken it to 2 different Chevy stores that were recommended by my colleagues with more domestic experience. The list of dealerships to avoid for service was much greater than the recommended stores. My experience with both dealerships for purchasing my car and servicing my car (which happened to be different. Some were recommended for purchasing, but not for service or vice-versa) ranges from mediocre (at best) to straight-up, poor. I ended up buying my ZL1 private party from Northern Cali and having it shipped because of this. I actually had 3 different Chevy dealerships that wouldn't allow me to test drive the cars as I was heavily considering 2SS 1LE vs ZL1. On all occasions I pulled up in a tastefully modded (modern) BMW or newer Porsche. One desk manager directly told me the test drive is to buy the car, and if for any reason that I didn't like it, I could return it in 3 days. For comparison, almost anyone with a valid driver license and didn't look like they were intoxicated can test drive a new $200k+ sports car at my store, with minimal questions asked.
Anyway, I had been putting off an upcoming service and open recall on my ZL1 because of subpar experience in the past. I then had one of my colleagues that came from a Cadillac store tell me that their service and sales department at Cadillac was completely different (in a positive way) than my experiences at Chevy. Sounded like a promising idea, so I did it. He was absolutely right! The service department was clean, professional, and knowledgeable. I've taken it there twice now and will absolutely go back. End result: if you're having trouble with your local Chevrolet stores for service, try your local Cadillac store! You might be as surprised as I was...

Could you please pm me the names of Chevy stores in the area to use and avoid for service? I bought my ZL1 used at a local Cadillac dealer, but until you mentioned it, I hadn't considered taking it there for service.

[UnknownJinX]

Originally Posted by JasonGofast

Well the dealer near me apparently sells quite a few high performance cars and is supposedly the number 1 dealer in Texas (Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land). I think I will trust my ride with them and will go through the precautions some have listed here, such as talking to the service advisors directly.

I think it does depend on how exposed the dealer is to the high-performance cars. I live in the middle of nowhere and so there is only one GM dealer in town, but people generally have high income so Corvettes and Camaros aren't exactly uncommon sights. When I brought my Camaro in for the 500-mile oil change, it's done very well with the Mobil1 ESP 0W-40 and it was filled right to the full line on the dipstick. I would imagine they deal with enough Corvettes and Camaros to know how to service them well.

Originally Posted by TEST DRyVer

I live in a Phoenix, AZ. Suburb, and we are surrounded by Chevy dealerships. As a disclaimer, I should state that I work for a highline (German) automotive dealership. In no way does that necessarily give me credibility, but my colleagues are well informed of the local domestic dealerships. Many of our services staff or techs came from a domestic store at some point. I personally have not worked in a domestic store, but I've owned numerous performance cars over the years. Also keep in mind that the majority of my performance cars have been German (except the 05 CTS-V, 03 SRT-4, 05 GT Mustang), with that in mind, I'm more accustomed to service from European brands. I have had my ZL1 since last August (I think), and have taken it to 2 different Chevy stores that were recommended by my colleagues with more domestic experience. The list of dealerships to avoid for service was much greater than the recommended stores. My experience with both dealerships for purchasing my car and servicing my car (which happened to be different. Some were recommended for purchasing, but not for service or vice-versa) ranges from mediocre (at best) to straight-up, poor. I ended up buying my ZL1 private party from Northern Cali and having it shipped because of this. I actually had 3 different Chevy dealerships that wouldn't allow me to test drive the cars as I was heavily considering 2SS 1LE vs ZL1. On all occasions I pulled up in a tastefully modded (modern) BMW or newer Porsche. One desk manager directly told me the test drive is to buy the car, and if for any reason that I didn't like it, I could return it in 3 days. For comparison, almost anyone with a valid driver license and didn't look like they were intoxicated can test drive a new $200k+ sports car at my store, with minimal questions asked.
Anyway, I had been putting off an upcoming service and open recall on my ZL1 because of subpar experience in the past. I then had one of my colleagues that came from a Cadillac store tell me that their service and sales department at Cadillac was completely different (in a positive way) than my experiences at Chevy. Sounded like a promising idea, so I did it. He was absolutely right! The service department was clean, professional, and knowledgeable. I've taken it there twice now and will absolutely go back. End result: if you're having trouble with your local Chevrolet stores for service, try your local Cadillac store! You might be as surprised as I was...

I heard German dealers do treat you well, but you gotta pay to play. Not a surprise here.

At the same time, I don't think I would visit service departments of dealers often unless if it's legitimately a problem I can't solve myself. With the Camaro, I will start doing my own oil changes after the free ones are up.

As for the test-driving thing, I never had trouble test driving a used C7 after putting a refundable deposit down, while the Camaro dealer only refused due to the cold outside temp but they are cool with me sitting in the car and moving it around a little in their big garage. If you want to hear something more ridiculous, I heard some Honda dealers would be mad at you as much as touching a Civic Type R. I mean, I know it's a special Civic, but it's still a Civic FFS...

[CW3SF]

Originally Posted by UnknownJinX

I think it does depend on how exposed the dealer is to the high-performance cars. I live in the middle of nowhere and so there is only one GM dealer in town, but people generally have high income so Corvettes and Camaros aren't exactly uncommon sights. When I brought my Camaro in for the 500-mile oil change, it's done very well with the Mobil1 ESP 0W-40 and it was filled right to the full line on the dipstick. I would imagine they deal with enough Corvettes and Camaros to know how to service them well.



I heard German dealers do treat you well, but you gotta pay to play. Not a surprise here.

At the same time, I don't think I would visit service departments of dealers often unless if it's legitimately a problem I can't solve myself. With the Camaro, I will start doing my own oil changes after the free ones are up.

As for the test-driving thing, I never had trouble test driving a used C7 after putting a refundable deposit down, while the Camaro dealer only refused due to the cold outside temp but they are cool with me sitting in the car and moving it around a little in their big garage. If you want to hear something more ridiculous, I heard some Honda dealers would be mad at you as much as touching a Civic Type R. I mean, I know it's a special Civic, but it's still a Civic FFS...

Re: test drives......My dealership tossed me the ZL1 keys on Saturday and said “bring it back Monday”.

[minn19]

Originally Posted by TEST DRyVer

I live in a Phoenix, AZ. Suburb, and we are surrounded by Chevy dealerships. As a disclaimer, I should state that I work for a highline (German) automotive dealership. In no way does that necessarily give me credibility, but my colleagues are well informed of the local domestic dealerships. Many of our services staff or techs came from a domestic store at some point. I personally have not worked in a domestic store, but I've owned numerous performance cars over the years. Also keep in mind that the majority of my performance cars have been German (except the 05 CTS-V, 03 SRT-4, 05 GT Mustang), with that in mind, I'm more accustomed to service from European brands. I have had my ZL1 since last August (I think), and have taken it to 2 different Chevy stores that were recommended by my colleagues with more domestic experience. The list of dealerships to avoid for service was much greater than the recommended stores. My experience with both dealerships for purchasing my car and servicing my car (which happened to be different. Some were recommended for purchasing, but not for service or vice-versa) ranges from mediocre (at best) to straight-up, poor. I ended up buying my ZL1 private party from Northern Cali and having it shipped because of this. I actually had 3 different Chevy dealerships that wouldn't allow me to test drive the cars as I was heavily considering 2SS 1LE vs ZL1. On all occasions I pulled up in a tastefully modded (modern) BMW or newer Porsche. One desk manager directly told me the test drive is to buy the car, and if for any reason that I didn't like it, I could return it in 3 days. For comparison, almost anyone with a valid driver license and didn't look like they were intoxicated can test drive a new $200k+ sports car at my store, with minimal questions asked.
Anyway, I had been putting off an upcoming service and open recall on my ZL1 because of subpar experience in the past. I then had one of my colleagues that came from a Cadillac store tell me that their service and sales department at Cadillac was completely different (in a positive way) than my experiences at Chevy. Sounded like a promising idea, so I did it. He was absolutely right! The service department was clean, professional, and knowledgeable. I've taken it there twice now and will absolutely go back. End result: if you're having trouble with your local Chevrolet stores for service, try your local Cadillac store! You might be as surprised as I was...

It’s funny you mention about the test drives. I’ve had a few M cars, 2 GT350s and now my ZLE for performance cars. My wife has had some nicer German sedans M550 etc. Any way, any BMW, Audi or Porsche dealer we have gone to has never balked at allowing us to test drive anything that was on their lot we wanted to try. The worst ones that have big timed us is two different local Cadillac dealers (refused to let us test drive a CTS V or ATS V). I especially remember the one sales person going on and on about how special the ATS V was etc. We literally left as he was still talking and only asked where we were going when we were half way out the door. They ended up having that car for another 9 months FWIW. Next was Ford with the GT350. The Chevy dealer would of grudgingly let me test drive the ZLE, but I declined because I knew I wanted the car. I always thought it was nuts how the US brands act in this regard.

As for service, I’ve had good/bad experiences all over the board. We have two main BMW dealers in my area and I would go to one for sales and the other for service as they were completely opposite on both. My best dealer service experience was my Ford dealer. Because my two GT350s were such reliability nightmares I got to know them extremely well. One mechanic is now a good friend of mine and does work for me on the side from time to time. The service manager kept my hood in his office for two months so it wouldn’t get scratched during my first GT350s engine replacement. I’ve yet to use a Chevy dealer as I’ve done my own fluid changes etc to date. But, I need to get my track alignment done so I’m starting to look around for a dealer or performance shop to do it.

TLDR, it doesn’t matter the brand as they all have great, mediocre or terrible service (or sales) departments. The only way to truly find out is from forums, word of mouth or getting to know them yourself. If I find a Chevy service department like my Fords or BMW one I loved, I’d have no problem taking my car there. But, I don’t know any of them so I’m apprehensive like most to bring it to a Chevy department I don’t know.

[Mark R]

Maybe there should be a thread about what dealers we recommend for service.

[URBAN LEGEND]

More evidence to do it yourself. Amazon has everything you need. You don’t even have to go to the parts store.

[UnknownJinX]

Originally Posted by CW3SF

Re: test drives......My dealership tossed me the ZL1 keys on Saturday and said “bring it back Monday”.

In my case, I drove 5 hours(one way, so 10 hours both ways) to see the Camaro and C7 I was deciding on. I wouldn't ask for an overnight test drive myself, but no test driving at all is just ridiculous.

Originally Posted by minn19

It’s funny you mention about the test drives. I’ve had a few M cars, 2 GT350s and now my ZLE for performance cars. My wife has had some nicer German sedans M550 etc. Any way, any BMW, Audi or Porsche dealer we have gone to has never balked at allowing us to test drive anything that was on their lot we wanted to try. The worst ones that have big timed us is two different local Cadillac dealers (refused to let us test drive a CTS V or ATS V). I especially remember the one sales person going on and on about how special the ATS V was etc. We literally left as he was still talking and only asked where we were going when we were half way out the door. They ended up having that car for another 9 months FWIW. Next was Ford with the GT350. The Chevy dealer would of grudgingly let me test drive the ZLE, but I declined because I knew I wanted the car. I always thought it was nuts how the US brands act in this regard.

Now just imagine being declined to test drive a Civic Type R(ice) because "iT's SpEcIaL", LOL. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a Honda dealer that still acts like this.

Originally Posted by URBAN LEGEND

More evidence to do it yourself. Amazon has everything you need. You don’t even have to go to the parts store.

For smaller parts, I'd say shopping online is better, but for bigger parts, dealers are the way to go because shipping is free at a dealer(they just toss whatever you order in the usual supplies they have to get). Especially in Canada, whatever I managed to save on the price on fluids/big parts, I pay double that in shipping, customs and I have to wait forever for things to show up.

Most parts department people are nice in my experience. I used to know the Honda(Accord Coupe V6) and Mazda(RX-8) parts department guys pretty well after a few trips.

[MrChrisLS3]

Originally Posted by minn19

It’s funny you mention about the test drives. I’ve had a few M cars, 2 GT350s and now my ZLE for performance cars. My wife has had some nicer German sedans M550 etc. Any way, any BMW, Audi or Porsche dealer we have gone to has never balked at allowing us to test drive anything that was on their lot we wanted to try. The worst ones that have big timed us is two different local Cadillac dealers (refused to let us test drive a CTS V or ATS V). I especially remember the one sales person going on and on about how special the ATS V was etc. We literally left as he was still talking and only asked where we were going when we were half way out the door. They ended up having that car for another 9 months FWIW. Next was Ford with the GT350. The Chevy dealer would of grudgingly let me test drive the ZLE, but I declined because I knew I wanted the car. I always thought it was nuts how the US brands act in this regard.

The only thing I can really say, is that from my experience selling Dodge, is that it seems that the domestic dealers seem to get a lot of folks with no intention and no ability to actually purchase the higher performance cars come in just to drive one. For us to order cars like Redeye's, Hellcats, and Scat Packs is a rather expensive endeavor, in terms of grounding and insuring the cars. So we didn't have a great many of them. Furthermore, the serious buyer didn't want anything with over a few miles on them.

We would test drive, but pretty much after talking with the prospect enough to feel we had a serious, capable buyer. In which case, we were happy to oblige. The only thing I can really think of as to why a dealer would outright refuse a test drive for a capable buyer would be the mileage factor.

Oh to answer the service question, I believe Classic in Sugarland at one time sponsored the Camaro Club. I have had no issues with the dealership up here in Jersey Village. Except that one time when the advisor said I couldn't get the "free" oil change because my OLM wasn't at 20%. I told him I was there for oil change, free or not, I go by mileage and it's due. Funny, he wasn't there very long.