Is the free 100-Point vehicle inspection worth?

Question

I have a 2003 Maxima. Today I got a flyer from the local Nissan Dealer for a free 100-point vehicle checkup. I have never had this done before. I have had work done at the dealership recently and am not really experiencing any problems. Is the 100-point checkup worth? Perhaps someone who has worked at a dealership or an tech can tell me whether its worth the time and effort for what they do. I realize its a ploy to get you in the door but you don't have to get anything fixed there. They just give you a report of what they find. I'm wondering how thorough this inspection is since its free. Thanks

Answer 1

You are correct. The purpose of the inspection is to get you in the door, and yes, it is free. I will be looking your vehicle over for anything I can find that needs repairing, or will need repairing soon. I hope that upon me finding that you need brakes or a transmission service is due, you will want to do it. That would put food on my table. You are not obligated to do the work though, so you will still have a record that it needs repairs or that all is good. Since it is to my advantage to check it over well, I will. Also it is free to you. Nothing to lose. Either way it's something for me to do from 8 to 5 and gives you peace of mind.

Update: Ironhand makes a good point. If you choose to refuse the transmission service at 30,000 miles. We are required to make a note that the customer refused the service. If you then had a transmission failure at 37,000 miles and asked for warranty assistance. The manufacturer would want proof that you had the service work performed. This not only applies to factory warranty, but aftermarket warranty companies as well. They want proof that you had maintenance performed before they pay for any major repairs. I have seen them deny claims before, because the customer did not keep maintenance receipts. Keep all receipts from any maintenance work you have done. That is for oil changes, trans service, air filters, etc. even if it was performed at other places besides the dealer. It may come in handy if you ask for dealer assistance in a major repair. Working for Ford, I have seen Ford pay for engine replacements at 100,000 miles, just because the customer always did maintenance with the dealer. I have a letter from a happy Ford customer hanging in my service bay right now, from an engine failure at 117,000 miles, that Ford paid to replace because the customer bought the truck at my dealership and always returned religiously for every service. Customer loyalty is important in a dealership. Point being have your maintenance done, it is worth it, and always, always, keep your receipts.

GEARBOX: The engine was 4.2 liter in an F150. It had a front cover replacement performed with us a few years before a lower engine failure. Upon seeing that the customer was a regular with us and always had maintenance performed, they said they were sending us an engine. I was surprised and customer was elated. A Ford customer was gained for life that day.
The aftermarket warranty company we use when we sell used vehicles is with Protective Group. Costguard is the brand name. They always ask for maintenance records. I purchased a policy for 90,000 miles of coverage when I bought my own van from my dealership, and I keep every fluid or part receipt I buy and mileage records. I have seen them deny claims for lack of maintenance. I do my work myself, but since I am certified and have receipts for the parts, I think I would have a good case against them if they tried to deny my claim. Like I'm going to pay anyone else to work on my own vehicle, when I'm certified? That would be ignorant, I like to think I know what I am doing, but I could be wrong:)

Answer 2

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RE:
Is the free 100-Point vehicle inspection worth?
I have a 2003 Maxima. Today I got a flyer from the local Nissan Dealer for a free 100-point vehicle checkup. I have never had this done before. I have had work done at the dealership recently and am not really experiencing any problems. Is the 100-point checkup worth? Perhaps someone who has...

Answer 3

I agree with yugie and ironhead.. yes it's used to "upsell" if you will. Most customers only come in when it's making noise (the brakes for example) and don't realize if I caught it earlier, we might have saved those $200/piece rotors.

But it depends upon the dealer and all... We do one free with every oil change or on customer request, other dealers offer it for free to get customers in the door.

Basically if done right, should take about 15 minutes, and depends upon the dealer and who has them doing it... I've had to teach the oil change techs where I work at on how to do them and what to look for. Just realize it's what we find at this time, as I've seen customers come back on me a month later on why their battery went out when a month ago I said it was good (Not realizing that batteries along with other stuff can fail at anytime, a free inspection is trying to catch stuff before it happens).

For Ironheads information, the information on the report card is usually used to generate service coupons with a description of what we found last time to give the customer a "reminder" of what we found last time.
Also it's used to figure out how much work we have from the freebie inspections among other things... You wouldn't imagine the stuff you can get if you actually data mined it.

And Yugie, my guess on the engine was on a 6.0?


I haven't seen a report card used against a customer in denial of warranty yet (but would be a nail), but lack of other proof of recipts and or forged recipts usually deny it from there.

Answer 4

YUGIE29 is dead on.
But there is another angle here. It is called data-mining, but not the kind that goes on with the corporate world.
What I find with your car, I do aggressively try to sell. But what you don't have done, there is still a record of the findings of the inspection, and many times this information is used against you when claiming warranty repairs for example. The information is used many other ways, so I am told by my service manager, but I don't have ANY idea how. I am just the lowly tech.

Good Luck.

Answer 5

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Oil changes make an engine last longer. Find a shop that does nothing but oil & lube. Every car needs oiled and lubed twice a year. Once before the hot summer months and once before the cold winter months. They'll put in a thicker oil for summer and a thinner oil for winter. Plus they'll lube all the chassis points like u-joints, ball joints & tie rods. Find a good chassis shop (aka alignment shop). One staffed by honest guys that have been around a while. Once a year take your car in for an alignment and inspection. Front end parts get sloppy before they break. They'll inspect your brakes too. A good chassis shop is like gold. This is where the lion's share of my auto maintenance money goes, but it's well worth it replacing idler arm & control arm bushings. They'll replace your brakes before you need new rotors. The liquid cooling system of any car is responsible for over 70% of all breakdowns. Hoses burst, hose clamps get loose and leak, water pump bushings get sloppy & leak & radiators get clogged. I eliminate the radiator clogging by using Mercedes Benz coolant. It costs three times as much, but to me it's worth it (I drive a 40 year old Chevy). If you use MB coolant, you only need to change it once every 100,000 miles, or whenever the water pump needs replacing. Other than that, just watch for leaks and snug up the hose clamps from time to time. Your battery is another item where you can be conscientious. Always buy the highest amperage battery that will fit in your car. As batteries get old they lose amperage. Why start with a battery with one foot in the grave? I like Interstate Battery because they have always treated me right. They don't need the original receipt to pro-rate their bad battery, and they will test your system for free every time you have starting issues. The alignment once a year will make your tires last a long time, the coolant will make your radiator last a long time, the high amperage battery will make your starter last a long time and keeping good brakes on your car will make your drums & rotors last a long time. Other than that, it's just spark plugs.

Answer 6

The absolutely free reverse vin check sites generally provide fake information. To get real information, money will have to be paid. The free searches provide fake information so they can get your email address to send spam.

Stay away from shady reverse vin check sites, most likely you won't get any information after you make the payment. Not to mention you won't get a report and you won't get an answer if you try to call for a refund. Stick with a reputable reverse vin check site like http://www.reversevincheck.net that has been around since 1995.

Answer 7

Just as the others have said, it's a ploy to get you in the door and then tell you that you need this and that. If you aren't experiencing any problems and it was just recently looked at, stay away from the shark tank and keep the money that they want for a nice lobster dinner.

Answer 8

Rule of KiSS=
Keep
iT
Simple
Slick
Information is only important when comprehended by someone who needs it.
Do you plan to keep the car more than 10 years? That is when the Air Bag needs to be Tested..
When your transmission fluid is checked by a tech, do they use a fresh rag or the same one to check your dirty oil, now your tranny fluid is contaminated. So if you don't have any Quality control, skip the freebie