I called the dealership where I leased the car and they couldn't give me a price on the service "B" and infact they'd never done a cabin filter on a Crossfire, WTF is that all about. So instead I'm taking it to the dealership that did my fan recall. I set up the appointment today because when I get back from the Dragon this Sunday the car will be slightly over the mileage for the service. Not to mention the 1,800+ miles I'll be putting on it during the 4 day trip. At least this dealership could give me the price right away and go over what's going to be done to my car. Geez, how in the hell did the other dealership get their "% star" rating (total BS in my book anyways). Even though the price is high I'm getting a rental for free for the day, so maybe thats why the price is higher. The oil change is $114.00, the price for the cabin filter is $35.00 and with them checking the brakes and the rental car I guess the price seems right in line. I wish they'd replace those pads with something that doesn't dust up as much for free, they suck but do their job well!

 

Aero Blue even though you have gotten a quote for the oil change do not assume they will put in the Mobile 0w-40W. I had done the same thing as you on my first oil change, requested a quote and then scheduled the service. My wife took the car in for the service and called me on the way home to tell me that the bill was considerably less then what I had been quoted. The red flag went up, I knew immediately that they hadn't installed the proper oil. I called up the dealership and sure enough they install their bulk 5w-30w oil that they use in all their Dodge and Chrysler cars. Needless to say the drained and flushed the engine and installed the correct oil, since then I have been doing it myself so I know it's done correctly. So make sure when you drop it off that you tell them to use 0W-40W Mobil 1 oil, by the way they tired to blame my wife for not specifying expensive oil even though I had scheduled service and had received a quote using Mobil 1.

 

I would have raised hell if they blamed your wife; they should know that the xfire takes synthetic oil. It's their job to know -- I mean it's not like you go to a cardiologist for a heart transplant and he swaps your heart for a pig's heart because you didn't specify you wanted a human heart. That's just stupid.

 

I'll keep that in mind for sure and there's NO excuse for this especially when it says Mobil 1 on the sticker right there on the radiator support. This particular dealership is one of the better/older ones in the metro Detroit area so I'm pretty confident about this but I'll make sure its getting 0w40 Mobil 1.

 

You should get a rental car anytime you take the car in for scheduled maintenance as part of Chrysler's Premium Care plan that came with the Crossfire, so you should not be paying extra to get a rental.

 

Being a low volume car based on a Mercedes chassis, the Crossfire has to be a "******* child" to Chrysler dealerships. And, it must be a nightmare for most Chrysler mechanics to work on because the cars are utterly unconventional in comparison to other every other Chrysler product. I would suspect that few mechanics see enough of them to ever get very familiar with them, and so they would never get fast enough to make any money working on them...

Another way of looking at this is that working on Crossfires costs most mechanics money! I can understand why they would not be very happy to see us roll up on their driveway. Kinda of like a PC technician having to work on a Apple computer. Would you even want to go to a Crossfire school if your dealership will only sell a handful of them? That time could be much more profitably spent studying the cars you would be seeing every day...

I think the service issue is one reason why used Crossfires are so inexpensive. Most of us enjoy the uniqueness of our cars- very few people even know what they are! The price we pay for this is a weak service network. I grew up around British sports cars, so I am used to being pretty much on my own when it comes to service. I'm just happy to have a place to order my parts...

One valuable function of this forum might be for us to compile a list of experienced and enthusiastic Crossfire mechanics around the country. This would not only benefit us, but also give those mechanics who care about Crossfires more experience with, and income from, our favorite cars...

 

Another prime example of how women are treated less then equal when it comes to dealing with someone in a typical 'male dominated' environment. If I was your wife, I would have just smacked the guy upside his head... Ok, that might not have worked but come on!

I know that if it were not for everyone on this site keeping me informed about my car (on top of the research I did before I got this car), I know I'd be treated just like that. Its amazing how often I've had to say "well I heard from this mechanic... or I read that its actually... or are you sure because..." And VOILA! I am no longer a dumb female but someone that knows what she is talking about... Women are smart, too, and I know I could talk anyone under a table about my car - except for you guys, of course!

 

Yes it was cop put to try and blame my wife I had to ask the service manger was her, yes her, mechanics just stupid or don't they give a sh*t?
kenibru2 I am not trying to pick a fight with you, but there is no excuse for DC mechanics not to be able to service our car correctly. If they can't service a Crossfire then they not servicing their other cars correctly either, guaranteed. I am not a mechanic by trade, I am actually a electromechanical engineer turned software designer, but I do possess the ability to read the service manual, have the correct tools, and I am familiar enough with cars that I can maintain my own car without the so called 5-star certification. A good mechanic is a person who reviews the procedures for the particular model before attempting the job and uses caliper gages and torque wrenches instead of going by feel or eyeballing adjustments like the old shade tree mechanics like myself used to do.

 

Most dealerships have a designated mechanic for the Crossfires.

 

Idaho, I am in complete agreement with you. All I'm saying is that the circumstances surrounding our cars are such that we will never get the same level of service from DC as PT Cruiser owners, right or wrong...Maserati owners have complained about this for decades!

 

Buy the oil and filter yourself and take it to a decent mechanic. Mine only charged me $15 with my parts. My oil change came to about $85.

The B service is mostly inspections, $287 IS WAY TOO HIGH.

 

The problem of incorrect oil type is wide spread. I had the same problem with my local DC dealership.

Regards.