Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

Our Dodge Grand Caravan was the charge of Edmunds.com CEO, Peter Steinlauf, for the month. As always, he relished his time in our refrigerator-white long-termer, citing its responsive engine and nimble handling characteristics.

We also took the Dodge in for its 30,000-mile servicing at Buerge Chrysler-Plymouth. Unfortunately, this particular service left us with a somewhat bad taste in our mouths.

Road Test Editor Liz Kim dropped off the Grand Caravan at the dealership, telling the service advisor that we needed a 30,000-mile tuneup. We didn't specify "manufacturer suggested," which, we should know by now, is a sign for the dealer to devise its own ideas on what should be done on the vehicle. The service advisor drew up an estimate sheet and rattled off the list of items to be addressed. Many of the items suggested included visual inspections and things like "flushing out the transmission," which sounds impressive but isn't actually required. Yadda, yadda, yadda, ultimately the estimate came out to about $435.

Huh? What? Previously, our regular maintenance bill landed in the vicinity of $100. Slightly divergent, no? We asked our service advisor to check the regular maintenance schedule and perform only the services suggested by the manufacturer. Unfortunately he didn't have a service manual at hand, and, echoing the experience in our December 2001 update, we couldn't find the service manual in the glovebox of the minivan either. We told him to have the fluid levels checked and topped off, the coolant hoses inspected, the oil and filter changed, the tires rotated, the brakes inspected and the maintenance reminder reset. The new estimate was $91.30 — much better. When we returned to the office, we found that the air filter needed to be replaced, as well, so we called the dealer to perform that service, too. The total bill turned out to be $115.26, much more palatable than the previous estimate. We also complained of a clicking noise coming from the steering column (similar to the one in our Chrysler PT Cruiser that required a replacement of the whole unit), but the advisor was unable to duplicate the sound, so it went untreated. Our driver for the month didn't notice the sound, so we'll see if the problem resurfaces.

Lest you think that the above "padding of bills" was an aberration, let us relate what happened next. We also previously noted a rattling in the left front side of the suspension system, which we asked to have examined. Buerge determined that it should replace both front struts, post haste. This was performed under warranty, and we had the car back by the end of the day. However, the service advisor also suggested that we replace the brake pads, which he said were at 20-percent for both front and rear. He then quoted us the astronomical figure of about $950 for the total estimate ($235 each for the front and rear brakes and $480 for labor). We'll take it to another dealer next month to see if we get the same diagnosis, and compare the rates. We always like to have a little fun comparison shopping.

And so should you. We don't much like being shafted, and you probably don't either. Lesson imparted? Do your research before you take in your vehicle for servicing, and find a dealer/service center that you trust. Read our Maintenance Madness series for further details.

The Dodge is currently in the body shop due to an unfortunate scrape with a parking post; its left rear quarters sport a nasty, if harmless, scar. We'll delve further into the brake issue and report on the body shop experience in our next update.

Current Odometer: 31,394
Best Fuel Economy: 18.0 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.7 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 18.2 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: $115.26 (30,000-mile service)
Problems: Clicking steering column, rattling front suspension