Scams are just going to get worse

Neighbor has a Ford Explorer, circa 2015. Wipers won't shut off. Dealer wanted $1,400 just to diagnose. It's a well known issue. $40 for an OEM part, 4 screws and a 5-minute job. Toyota ain't alone in the scumbagery of dealerships.

Being a mechanic that worked at a GMC dealer for years I can say there it a lot to unpack here but to nutshell it - not many auto techs understand automatic transmissions. They are complicated and can be difficult to diagnose. Usually only 1 tech in the garage works on rebuilding them but we all had to diagnose them. You get the jobs your given. I’ve seen many times techs make the call for a whole engine or whole transmission just because they can’t figure out what’s wrong with it or don’t know how to rebuild it. The flip side of this is sometimes it’s just your best educated guess because you’re being asked to say exactly what’s wrong with it without taking it completely apart which can be tough. If you make the wrong call the dealer has to fix it for free. Personally I like used vehicles around the year 1995-2010. My 2000 tundra runs great

They can easily design and build a vehicle to last a lifetime with a simple routine preventative maintenance schedule but they don’t. They decided to go the over engineered and overly complex route which very few people truly understand and comprehend how it works.

He is correct, the dealership model is a scam. Buy a Tesla. You will not regret it.

Similar scenario at Stanley Ford in Eastland TX. Transmission in 2019 Escape was shifting oddly. About $250 to diagnose. Needed new Trans they said. Fluid change at an independent shop fixed it.

I spent less than $8600 rebuilding the engine, trans, differential, brake system, and front suspension in my C10. Drives like new, but without expensive repairs and maintenance and insurance is $460/year. No new vehicles for me.

Biggest scam he’s ever seen in his life….someone should tell him about the US Government

OK so you changed out the transmission fluid and it's running fine...... for now what if you're only masking the problem ????? i've been working on cars for almost 31 years I can't tell you how many times new oil or fluid seemed to fix the problem but then it didn't

Nah bro likely just didn’t understand what they were saying to him. If the fluid is burnt there is still a problem in the trans and new fluid could help but won’t fix the actual issue. It will eventually return

😂 But people keep buying the crap! They pay as much as a house for a vehicle... Then complain when their fancy new car has a problem. Cars break. Don't buy new. Let Rich folks and companies take that hit. If we're honest, a late 90's pickup will do everything you need, and if you maintain it, it is a helluva lot cheaper. I just can't feel much sympathy...