Dear Car Talk:
Am I a chump? I went for my oil change and free inspection at my Honda place. My friendly service advisor came over to review the inspection results. I could see through the window into the shop area that my Civic was in pieces from the “inspection,” and my wheels were lying on the shop floor. My advisor recommended a tire rotation, and I agreed to pay for it. Then I started thinking — the wheels were already off the car. Were they not going to put them back on? Should I really have paid for something they were going to do anyway — put my tires back on the car? Is there more to it than that? — Craig
I’d say your Honda service guy is the chump for letting you see the car with its wheels off before selling you a tire rotation, Craig.
I think this is a legitimate charge but a case of poor timing. If you had agreed to a tire rotation up front, and then you saw them inspecting the brakes for free while the wheels were off, would you have complained? Or course not.
So, here’s what happened in your case. The “free inspection” they give you is not a wholly humanitarian gesture. It’s designed to let them see if there are other services you need. The inspection may turn up an oil leak, worn-out brake pads, bald tires, etc., which they then can offer to fix for you.
So, your inspection turned up nothing. That’s good. It also suggests that these guys are honest. All they found is that your tires were due to be rotated. Now, having already pulled the wheels off to check your brakes, if you were the mechanic, would you put the wheels back on and then ask if the customer wanted his tires rotated? No. You’d say, why don’t I wait and see if he wants a tire rotation before I put the wheels back on. So, he asked the service advisor, and the service advisor got your approval.
Now, I can see why that would annoy you. And to be honest, in our shop, if we had your wheels off for some other reason, we’d rotate the tires for free because it’s no big deal. But shops aren’t obligated to provide services for free. They’re entitled to charge you fairly for their service and expertise.
So, I don’t think you’re a chump, Craig. But I do think your shop needs to work on its timing. Or install a one-way mirror between the shop floor and the waiting room.
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