When I became a service advisor I was told to basically in bad faith tell customers they needed parts they didn’t need and to try to include things on a work order hoping they didn’t notice (like 15 dollar bottle of b12 injector cleaner!)
I felt dirty doing that so that’s how I left the industry. Only a couple months in lol.
Dealer ships are famous for those tactics. I hate that part of the industry.. Dealerships are THE reason mechanics are thought of as crooks.. Dealerships treat their mechanics the same way.. I worked at an Olds - GMC dealership for a brief period of time.. One Monday morning, I showed up for work and a brand new Olds 88 was sitting in my stall. As I was unlocking my tool boxes, the dispatcher came up and explained the car had been sold Saturday morning and the new owner brought it back Saturday evening with the A/C not cooling. I determined the evap was leaking and put one in..
In those days, parts replaced under warranty had to be approved by the district rep before GM would pay the dealership for the work. I got paid for the job, but a few days later, the service manager "informed" me that I was wrong in my diagnosis, and he would be taking the money back.. I asked him if the car came back with a "A/C not cooling"??? He told me the car hadn't come back, the District rep examined the evap and since there was no evidence of oil on it, there was no leak, and that the evap I turned in would be placed in stock..
When I turned in any warranty parts I always put my employee number on the box. My work area was near the mechanic's counter of the parts dept.. I watched for that numbered box to show up.. Sure enough, it was given to another mechanic. I told him the story behind the evap and for him to check it carefully.. He hooked up the hoses and put a can of freon in.. When he passed the leak detector over the evap, that detector alarm could be heard all over the shop.. I dragged the service manager out of his office and showed him "my comeback".. I made him go to payroll and cut me a check for the "back flag".. He brought the check to me about 2 hours later.. He handed me the check and I handed him my letter of resignation, saying I couldn't work for a place that allowed some ""suit" to pass judgement on my diagnosis.. Haven't worked for another dealership since.
