Rick Hunter
Celestial
.... when I have to go to a car dealership for any reason whatsoever. Last year we had to replace my wife's car and we found a great deal on a '21 Forester with only 11K miles on it. She really likes Foresters and they're great cars, but that dealer actually wasn't human and they were provably reptilian. Now they're in a new location under new management and when I look at how futuristic and fancy it is I know who's paying for all that.
Yesterday was an annual tire rotation and oil change - because I actually read the maintenance information the manufacturer conveniently provides in the glove box - the one nobody ever bothers with. The thing only needs what it needs and the dealer - all of them - notoriously upsells all sorts of unnecessary expensive crapola. Why would a car with 15K miles on it need a new air filter and fuel system flush ? Has it been operating in a quarry or coal mine or something? But, it's under warranty until 2026 so I'll have to hold my nose and deal with them. Swine.
I don't miss that nonsense at all. Take away the routine maintenance services a vehicle can actually benefit from and replace them with high margin bullshit that the tech gets less flat rate labor for. I felt horrible trying to upsell that stuff. But, they've got it set to where you won't get a billed hour for every hour you spend working if you don't. To hell with that!