Is it Dead?

Is it Dead?

The average battery life for an automobile will last 4 to 5 years in most areas of the United States. I have seen dealerships where they have a process in place that test batteries on every service visit. Most commonly I see a battery tester in the box with a lot of dust on it because no one wants the take the time to check batteries.

How Much for a Battery?

Generally dealerships don’t recommend battery replacements until the customer is towed in, a technician diagnosed the concern, determined it was a battery and then replaced it. In every one of these examples where the customer spends $450 or more to replace their battery they are extremely upset.

The Response

My response to these customers was always an explanation that it wasn’t $450 for the battery. We had a tow bill of $150 then had to pay the technician to diagnose it and determine it was a battery and then the cost of the battery. The sad truth is we failed this customer because we didn’t recommend a maintenance replacement for around $150 before it failed.

Sincerely,
Rob Gehring, President
Fixed Performance Inc.
rgehring@fixedperformance.com

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Comment by steven chessin on August 17, 2016 at 12:54pm: Bravo. Years ago my axle broke (fortunately at low-speed) due to the dry CV joint - because the cover was split-open when I ran-over a coconut blown onto the highway by hurricane Wilma. It took 3 years --- which was about a dozen oil-changes at the same dealer.

After first quoting me a repair of $ 900 dollars the service manager told me they would cover it because it was their fault for never telling me that sooner-or-later it was going to fail. Not one notation in any R.O. Thank God the inevitable failure did not require more than a tow truck. PLUS the very reason I go to the dealer - and always tell customers to --- is that the free safety inspection that comes with every oil-change is worth more than the oil-change in my opinion --- if they do it.

For legal reasons - when I was at a Pep Boys to have a radiator hose replaced they made me sign a document indicating that they advised me that one of my tires needed replacement. When I asked them how the others were they said "not as bad but not that good". So I had them all replaced. And did front pads too.

They avoided a potential law suit AND and sold a set of tires and a minor brake job. I did not take my car to dealer service for the minor repair because they charge too much to change a hose but spent a thousand dollars on other things.