Edmunds.com Aims to Save Car Owners Time and Money with "Confessions From the Dealership Service Department"

Edmunds.com Aims to Save Car Owners Time and Money with "Confessions From the Dealership Service Department"

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — February 10, 2011 — Visiting a dealership service department to repair or tune up your car may cost you unnecessary money and services, according to Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information. In "Confessions From the Dealership Service Department" a former service manager exclusively tells Edmunds.com's Sr. Consumer Advice Editor Phil Reed the truth about dealer service department scams.

Drawing from his years of experience in the dealership service industry, the anonymous whistleblower offers valuable advice for saving time and money when getting your vehicle serviced. Helpful tips from the former dealership service manager include:

• Always read your owner's manual to determine when you need services — you may be surprised to find how much it differs from the more frequent and expensive "dealer recommendations."
• Be prepared for the inevitable technique of upselling — when service advisors try to add on a laundry list of extra services to a simple request such as an oil change, most of which you don't really need.
• Despite your service advisor's suggestions, you don't need a brake job until your brake pads are down to about 15 percent, and you don't automatically have to turn the rotors every time. Some car manufacturers don't require a differential fluid change.
• The prices of most auto parts cost twice as much through the dealership.
• Go in prepared. Consult your manual and do a visual inspection of your car before you get to the dealership. Service advisors are much less likely to try to scam someone who appears to know what they are doing.

"Keep in mind that many dealership service advisors are salesmen who work on commission," said the former service manager. "The dealership carefully trains and encourages them to sell you as many services as possible, even if your car doesn't necessarily need them."

For more tips and details, please read "Confessions From the Dealership Service Department" on Edmunds.com at http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/confessions-from-the-dealership-service-department.html.

Find more insider tips and advice in the complete Edmunds Confessions Series at http://www.edmunds.com/confessions.html.

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Edmunds publishes Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site and hosts the most established automotive community online. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.edmunds.com, makes car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships and otherwise on the go. InsideLine.com is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.insideline.com, features the wireless Web's highest quality car photos and videos. AutoObserver.com provides insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis. Edmunds is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit. Follow Edmunds.com on Twitter@edmunds and fan Edmunds.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/edmunds.