987 oil overfill

[Tool Pants]

Maybe I should not tell you this.

With the filter change it is 9 quarts and a little bit more. My dealer uses the 1 quart containers. You get charge for 10. But 10 did not go into your car. The mechanic keeps what is left in the container. People freak out for no reason when they see 10 on the invoice.

If you need coolant and they take a cup or two out of a 1 liter bottle to put in your car then you pay for the liter.

If they need to use a shot or two from an aerosol spray, such as cab cleaner, you pay for the entire can.

The mechanics stash away the leftovers. I have been offered and have used some of these leftovers, because I know the mechanics at my local dealership.

This is the way it has been for the 8 years I have been hanging around the shop. My dealership got sold last year and I have not checked out if this practice has changed.

[longislander1]

I'm not shocked or surprised. Porsche blatantly overcharges for service anyway, so what's a few dollars more? But if the manual says about eight quarts (including new filter), why would the dealer try to put in nine?

I would bet that most people who take their cars in for service -- regardless of make -- are overcharged or pay for work isn't done. My worst cases were when I paid for shocks and front brake rotors and the cars were released to me without the work being done. In both cases, the dealership made good, but you have to wonder whether the repairs and maintenance that you can't see are really being done.

My Mazda dealer provides exceptionally good service, but their gimmick is to offer a "recommended" service package at a particular mileage level. It usually includes way more services than the manufacturer suggests, including some like the early changing of filters and other parts and the use of fuel additives and other unnecessary items. If you don't know enough to demand only the manufacturer's recommended services, you can get a bill for routine service on a $20K+ car that rivals something from Porsche or Mercedes.