Ford told Dealer NO Admin.

[MrCincinnati]

But what about service? If a sales dept is a rip off I don’t want to prop them up with service either. I either support a dealer or not at all. Luckily my Ford dealer hasn’t ever tried to charge me ADM on my purchases. If they ever tried to though I would never set foot on the property again.


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You take your car/truck to the dealer for non warranty service?

 

[dixonk]

You take your car/truck to the dealer for non warranty service?

Oil changes. Yep. The ROI of doing that myself is not worth it, It’s messy, and I would have to dispose of it as well. Prepaid for 3 years of maintenance at a really good price. Also have enough FordPass points from vehicle purchases that I would never have to pay for oil changes ever again now as well.


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[MrCincinnati]

Oil changes. Yep. The ROI of doing that myself is not worth it, It’s messy, and I would have to dispose of it as well. Prepaid for 3 years of maintenance at a really good price. Also have enough FordPass points from vehicle purchases that I would never have to pay for oil changes ever again now as well.


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Cool - I befriend the “top” mechanic at whatever dealer is closest to me and compensate him/her for their time accordingly. I personally try to stay away from dealership garages for routine maintenance because they tend to hand it off to noobs - and they see so many of the same make/model that they couldn’t care less about your individual sled. Ymmv

 

[melvimbe]

But what about service? If a sales dept is a rip off I don’t want to prop them up with service either. I either support a dealer or not at all. Luckily my Ford dealer hasn’t ever tried to charge me ADM on my purchases. If they ever tried to though I would never set foot on the property again.

While service and sales are all part of the dealership, I don't see an issue with treating them as separate businesses. If a dealership is doing well with charging ADMs, then they will continue to do so. If not, then they won't. Same for the service department. If they have a good reputation, then they will do well. If not then they won't. I don't think many people are going to pass on a good sales deal because they don't like the service department, or vice versa.

There are two dealerships near me, one big one off the freeway, and one much older place a mile or two off the freeway. The big dealership is going to charge more to cover all their costs. The older dealership has much lower overhead since they are older, and needs to over better deals to get people out there. They just aren't that visible. The big dealership has a much bigger and well equipped service department. So I am happy to buy from the older cheaper dealership and get service done at the modern facility.

That said, I bought my son's truck at the older dealership, and my daughter's car at the newer dealership...because they didn't have any mustangs left at the older dealership (but Ford's rebates were all the same). If/when I get a new vehicle for myself, I will likely be ordering it through the old dealership.

 

[dixonk]

While service and sales are all part of the dealership, I don't see an issue with treating them as separate businesses. If a dealership is doing well with charging ADMs, then they will continue to do so. If not, then they won't. Same for the service department. If they have a good reputation, then they will do well. If not then they won't. I don't think many people are going to pass on a good sales deal because they don't like the service department, or vice versa.

There are two dealerships near me, one big one off the freeway, and one much older place a mile or two off the freeway. The big dealership is going to charge more to cover all their costs. The older dealership has much lower overhead since they are older, and needs to over better deals to get people out there. They just aren't that visible. The big dealership has a much bigger and well equipped service department. So I am happy to buy from the older cheaper dealership and get service done at the modern facility.

That said, I bought my son's truck at the older dealership, and my daughter's car at the newer dealership...because they didn't have any mustangs left at the older dealership (but Ford's rebates were all the same). If/when I get a new vehicle for myself, I will likely be ordering it through the old dealership.

They are not separate entities though. If the owner is a scumbag and I don’t want him to have my money he will not have it from any department.


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[melvimbe]

They are not separate entities though. If the owner is a scumbag and I don’t want him to have my money he will not have it from any department.

My first sentence stated that I recognized it's all one organization. However, I don't think just charging ADM makes the owner a scumbag. It's all capitalism and marketing. If they want to get the most out of each sales with less concern for repeat business and volume sales, that's fine. Besides, if the owner really is a scumbag, trying to screw over their customers, I doubt they will have a different strategy for their service department.

Honestly, charging ADM doesn't bother me too much as it's all upfront and visible, and I can easily say no and go elsewhere. I'm much more annoyed by dealerships who try and sell me by monthly payments, throwing in extended warranties I didn't ask for, dealer add-ons, etc...after I am verbally/mentally committed to the sale.