Most people take their cars to a car dealership for service because of fancy terms like, “ASE Certified Technicians,” or for car repair service from technicians who have specialty training. While that may be true, it should be noted they’re called “stealerships” for a reason. And I say that as an automotive writer with a husband who works at a car dealership.
In case you’re not familiar with how the process works, a service advisor is the point person in the service department who interprets a car’s issues and the potential jobs for the technician. The technician will then review the service advisor’s suggestions, inspect the car, and either agree with the suggested repairs or suggest new repairs altogether.
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks. My husband is a dealership technician, allowing me to gain insider knowledge of the industry’s workings.
Service Advisors Earn Commission — and Therein Lies the Conflict
The service advisor will relay the technician’s assessment and try to sell repair work to the customer. If the customer approves the suggested repairs, the service advisor makes a commission off of the job, while the technician is paid a flat rate for the time the manufacturer says it will take to complete the work.
So, it’s in both the service advisor and the technician’s best interest to get the customer to approve as much work as possible.
Most service advisors and technicians are honest and have the customer’s best interests in mind, but they may overadvise, suggest work that is only marginally necessary, or encourage customers to ‘future-proof’ their cars. And then, there are a few bad apples who use manipulative tactics to get a customer to pay for more work—even if it’s not needed.
Persuading customers to approve repairs has a language all its own; here are 8 common phrases service advisors use to drive up your bill.
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Beware of any Humanizing Phrases
If a service advisor asks you something along the lines of, “Don’t you want to take care of your car?” or, “This is the best way to take care of your car,” or trying to make it seem or feel more human, it’s a classic tactic to make you feel guilty. After all, if it were your pet, your child, or any other loved one, would you want to take care of them?
They may also talk about how they think of their car as an extension of themselves, or they look at it like it was their child or best friend.
So, if you’re looking at a laundry list of repairs suggested by the technician that adds up to a jaw-dropping amount, be sure to ask what repairs are necessary to get your car home. And before you agree to anything, you can always ask for a copy of the assessment and get a second opinion.
When it comes to repairs that will have you dipping into your child’s college fund to pay for, ALWAYS get a second or even third opinion.
Trust Me – They Don’t Want to Be in Your Shoes
The service advisor may be human, but one of the more common ways to get a customer more comfortable with spending money is to make it seem like they’re on the customer’s side.
Therefore, they might say they’d pay for the repairs if it were them in the customer’s shoes. Because remember the first phrase we warned you about – it’s all about taking care of your buddy, right? You wouldn’t want to leave your baby with a limp.
Since many assign a lot of authority to a dealership’s service advisor, this tends to be one of the most common sales tactics used.
So, if they start trying to relate to you, or try to make you more comfortable by saying they would pay for the repairs if it were their own car, this may be a red flag.
Be Wary of Car Repair Service Advisors Throwing Large Figures Around
Any variation of this phrase should be taken seriously – to an extent. Most service advisors have good intentions, but there are enough bonus-hungry workers who use possible future expenses to get you to spend money now.
Here’s an example: Let’s say you took your car in for an oil change, and the technician reported a leak on the valve covers. When you’re ready to pay for the oil change, the service advisor will mention the leak, and advise you to have it fixed while it’s already in the shop.
He’ll say if you don’t fix your valve cover gaskets now, the leak will get worse, your engine will end up starved for oil, and your car’s engine could seize up and need replacing. Sure, it may cost you a couple hundred dollars to fix it now, but it’ll save you thousands, they’ll say.
However, that’s only true for an extremely bad and active leak, that’s not likely to happen if it were seeping or a slow leak. In this scenario, the best thing to do would be to get a second opinion on how bad the leak is. Then you can go from there.
Remember – The Technician and Car Repair Service Advisor are a Team
The technician’s experience and expertise are often used as a service advisor’s sharpest weapon. Without speaking to people outside of the repair shop, a technician has a lot of authority when suggesting repairs to a lot of customers. And the service advisor knows this.
If a customer seems to have no clue about what’s wrong with their car and what the repairs the technician suggested even mean, they may lean heavily on the technician’s word.
This tactic is meant to inspire confidence and build trust to get you to spend top dollar on repairs. So, if you hear them refer to the technician’s expertise, experience, or trustworthiness when they catch a whiff of your hesitance, be cautious.
If you hear related phrases like, “They’ve been working on these cars for decades,” or, “They’re a whizz when it comes to this repair,” or even “Your car is in good hands,” you could be headed toward an expensive conversation.
Preventative Maintenance is Great, But Not Always Necessary
If you hear a service advisor suggest crankcase cleaners, fuel system cleaners, or any kind of “flush” as part of your routine maintenance, it’s a clever tactic to add more points to their bonus.
While all those cleaners are great ways to keep your engine running clean and lubricated, you definitely don’t need to have it done at a dealership. Instead, look to your local auto parts shop, buy a cleaner, read the instructions, and do it in your driveway for much less.
Fuel system cleaners should be poured directly into a gas tank before you fuel up every few thousand miles or after an oil change to keep fuel lines, the top of your pistons, and the combustion chamber clean.
Crankcase cleaners are typically poured into the engine’s oil filler port and run through the engine at idle before it’s drained during an oil change. All this is to say: You don’t need to pay extra for a dealership to do it.
If You’re Having a Hard Time Approving Expensive Repairs, They Might Say…
Let’s say you’re on the fence about an expensive repair, and you’re having difficulty signing the dotted line. A service advisor might try to bring themselves down to your level and say something to inspire confidence and understanding.
Things like, “Trust me, it’s worth it,” or, “You’ll be so glad you did this,” or even something to the effect of, “It’ll be like getting a brand new car,” are phrases meant to make you feel more empowered about your decision to pay oodles of money for repairs.
This could also be used to extinguish a fire if your car needs to be held overnight, if specialty parts or tools need to be ordered, too.
While this may not necessarily be a sign they’re ripping you off, it’s definitely a sign they’re trying to push you into paying for the repairs.
Common Issues Don’t Necessarily Mean Cheap Car Repair
Some cars are plagued with common issues that can translate to expensive repairs for owners. For instance, older Subarus were known to have head gasket issues, and the boxer engine design made it a pain for technicians to fix.
Therefore, the “common” repair often costs around $3,000 in parts and labor. If a service advisor senses a customer’s sticker shock, they may try to minimize the damage by referring to the issue as common. Because you’re not the only Subaru owner to face this problem, you should feel better about spending three Gs, right?
Like the previous phrase, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re trying to rip you off, but they’re eager to get you to approve the repairs.
In this scenario, the best thing to do would be to get a second or third opinion to determine whether or not you need to have the repair done, and how long you have to save.
They Make Commission From Parts Sales, Too
Depending on the manufacturer, this may be true – so, a service advisor may mention that specialty tools or parts have to be ordered to complete the repair. It may be necessary, but it will mean extra costs to the bill – and a little bonus in their paycheck.
So, before signing on for a repair that supposedly requires specialty tools or parts, be sure to have your car looked at by a technician or shop you trust for a second opinion. For all you know, you don’t need the repair at all, or a specialty shop can do it for much, much less.
Just remember – the phrases we listed are generalized, and there are many variations of these phrases you might hear from a service advisor. Like we’ve said before, it’s not uncommon and you won’t offend anyone by asking for a second, third, or even fourth opinion when it comes to expensive repairs.
Now that you’re armed with this insider knowledge, go into your next service appointment confident and ready.
